GC Purchase advice

[superpete]

i'm a little late to the game here but the GC exclusion list is comically long, but i've had good luck using their live chat and asking them to apply whatever coupon i had anyway. if they can they will, if the manufacturer won't let them they won't.

[Aceman]

Yeah - well, if they want to BS and hassle, whatever. They can do it with other people - I'm out. Too bad....for them. Like I say "Some people hate money"

[Mincer]

These days that there are just too many choices.

[Bogner]

Yeah - well, if they want to BS and hassle, whatever. They can do it with other people - I'm out. Too bad....for them. Like I say "Some people hate money"

That issue is a manufacture issue, not a GC issue. Some companies will participate, others will not or will do so only in certain circumstances or seasons. I have gotten discounts on brands on the list before when I called in and talked to somebody. The industry is pushing like hell to have fixed pricing when at one time this industry was the wild west and negotiations ran rampant and product moved. Product isn't as available as it once was due to the pandemic so stores are trying to hold gross on what they do have. I understand all sides. Sweetwater may be a solution for you. They negotiate and have term options on financing. They also will have you believe a Boss SD-1 is a prized possession and in demand and try to tell you why it is worth full price...lol.

[Aceman]

These days that there are just too many choices.

Which is why one should not make it a hassle/problem/challenge or give the slightest indication of bait & switch....

[alex1fly]

Nothing like reading a good GC rant to start my day.

Here is a maybe-maybe-not-helpful tip: I believe Musician's Friend and GC are owned by the same company. So MF prices reflect GC prices and vice versa. Grab what you want from MF, supposedly they have better customer service. Probably the same discount policies though.

[Bogner]

Which is why one should not make it a hassle/problem/challenge or give the slightest indication of bait & switch....

Where was the bait and switch? I am curious.

[Mincer]

Not so much bait and switch, but they do tend to get people to pick out what they want, use a very tempting coupon, and then hope that when the coupon doesn't work, they buy anyway. That is a strange way to do business.

[Aceman]

Where was the bait and switch? I am curious.

Saying there are coupons for new stuff then making the coupon not apply to everything in the small print.

[jeremy]

theyve been doing that forever and its usually the manufacturer that specifies it. still sucks but its nothing new

[dotsdad]

You have to CALL them and ASK for the discount. Something like "I have a coupon code but the website isn't working." That's gotten me 15% off a new EVH and a new Marshall on two different occasions that way.

The exclusions are because the big names have Minimum Advertised Pricing policies. Retailers are not allowed to ADVERTISE the product any cheaper than big brother says, but they can SELL the product for whatever they want.

[superpete]

that's what i was saying before. i worked at GC for years. Those coupons, at least when i was there, could be applied to basically anything despite the long list of exceptions (there are some legitimate exceptions), and GC was usually happy to do it. But if you got a better deal somewhere else that's even better.

[Aceman]

PITA is PITA.

They lost money. I got my gear. They can suck moose joint.