Disagreement with music store employee

[Funkfingers]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

According to my local Fender stockist, the new Fender rep for the area is an ex-salesman from a vintage guitar dealer in west London. Apparently, the rep was fired for having the audacity to tell his employers the truth. Namely, that, in recessionary economic times, few people were likely to buy their over-priced stock.

 

[BrianS.]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

Salesman aren't meant to tell the truth and make you choose the best guitar for you

It's always surprising to me that many retail stores have not come to realize that customers are more product savvy than ever before, thanks to the internet. It's pretty hard to "baffle 'em with bullsh!t" these days.

I do some sales at the shop I work for, and am a self-taught salesman. I can tell you this: I've never seen a published sales strategy that relies on lying to the customer to sell a product. I've never had to, nor wanted to, lie to make a sale. I think many retail outlets just don't spend the time training their sales staff properly, and many or most sales people don't have the drive to learn it themselves.

Personally, I enjoy selling. I enjoy being able to help a customer get what they want and walk away smiling.

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

It's always surprising to me that many retail stores have not come to realize that customers are more product savvy than ever before, thanks to the internet. It's pretty hard to "baffle 'em with bullsh!t" these days.

I do some sales at the shop I work for, and am a self-taught salesman. I can tell you this: I've never seen a published sales strategy that relies on lying to the customer to sell a product. I've never had to, nor wanted to, lie to make a sale. I think many retail outlets just don't spend the time training their sales staff properly, and many or most sales people don't have the drive to learn it themselves.

Personally, I enjoy selling. I enjoy being able to help a customer get what they want and walk away smiling.

+1

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

Why wold the guitar be out of tune for the next 6 months? If the bridge is setup properly, strings tuned properly and the nut is locked, it will be in tune for a long time. That is the entire idea behind the system. Floyds are perfectly stable but they are also a high precision bridge.

The issue seems to arise when inexperienced people start messing with the bridge setup or any number of things that throw the tuning and stability out. Such as changing gauges..etc without setting the bridge up properly again for the new string tensions.
A quick lesson from the store tech for new owner and they should be fine until they need to bring it back for new strings. Once they learn proper setup procedures they can do it themselves.

I think you make too many assumptions about that bridge type and new players in general. I guess you may have had bad experiences with them either they were not setup properly or you might have messed with them. These bridges have always been great for me but to each their own.

I believe what Diego is trying to say is that a hard-tail electric guitar is enough for beginners to cut their teeth on, the set up of one is a learning process, and the floyd rose or kahler system adds a whole other dimension of tech to it, I know because I experienced it for myself.

Most beginners are young, most can't afford a set-up from a tech. It's much easier to earn how to set up a tune o matic style bridge or strat style bridge.

 

[Matt42]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

It's always surprising to me that many retail stores have not come to realize that customers are more product savvy than ever before, thanks to the internet. It's pretty hard to "baffle 'em with bullsh!t" these days.

I do some sales at the shop I work for, and am a self-taught salesman. I can tell you this: I've never seen a published sales strategy that relies on lying to the customer to sell a product. I've never had to, nor wanted to, lie to make a sale. I think many retail outlets just don't spend the time training their sales staff properly, and many or most sales people don't have the drive to learn it themselves.

Personally, I enjoy selling. I enjoy being able to help a customer get what they want and walk away smiling.

+2

I actually got fired from a retail store for telling customers the truth. It was a big box store and the guy wanted a backpack for hunting that would comfortably carry 60-100 lbs and didn't care how much it cost. All of our stuff was junk at a low price point, so I turned him onto really nice company that fit what he was looking for. Unfortunately the manager heard and I was fired within a week. I tried to explain that I had made a loyal customer by being honest, as nothing we had in stock was going to work for what he wanted. If I had sold him a crappy North Face pivot pack, it would have been uncomfortable and probably broken on him. Instead, he got a really nice pack (for about 4x the price, mind you) and knew that I wasn't going to BS him if he came back in.

I miss working in retail, and I really wish there were a local guitar store I could work at, but no such luck.

 

[Matt42]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

Salesman aren't meant to tell the truth and make you choose the best guitar for you.

They're there to SELL.

I'd be a bad salesman for a guitar store. I'd tell everyone to steer away from Floyd Roses at the beginning, and get a decent starter guitar and play the crap out of it.

Actually, that would make you a good salesman. Being honest with customers builds loyalty, which is something a lot of people don't understand. If you want to be a guitar shop and compete with sweetwater and musiciansfriend, you need to be honest and genuine and nice. Treating people with respect will win you more customers, being an a-hole will just make people dislike your store, and people who dislike a store talk, a lot. Especially musicians.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

According to my local Fender stockist, the new Fender rep for the area is an ex-salesman from a vintage guitar dealer in west London. Apparently, the rep was fired for having the audacity to tell his employers the truth. Namely, that, in recessionary economic times, few people were likely to buy their over-priced stock.

:banghead: If you're not careful you end up with someway way different than what you had in mind.

 

[guitarrob]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

That's why it is always best to know exctly what you want and every details you can find out about any product you are considering purchasing.
If you don't do the research and you get ripped, you really only have yourself to blame. Especially in the world of the internet, forums and reviews.
However, people being shady, ripping of and lying to new customers is a pretty low thing to do IMO.

 

[Psykel]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

I've never been lied to in a guitar store, and at least 90% of the salespeople have been nice. Chit-chatting about guitars and gear, what music they're into and stuff.
Any time I've asked about something I already knew, I've gotten a straight, truthful answer and the few times when they didn't know, I've gotten an "I'm not sure, let me look that up for you".
That both applies to the major chain and individual private stores I've been in.
That's in Stockholm, Sweden, by the way. Never been to the states, so not sure how you do stuff over there.

 

[guitarrob]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

That's the way it should be. They should offer you great products for your money and give you the best advice they know if. If not, say you don't know and look into it. Don't lie and rip the guy off or try and convince them to buy the cheapest piece of junk they have to make the biggest markup and commissions possible.

Again, though I think a customer has to be smart about what they want and know about the products they are considering. Arming yourself with knowledge makes it very difficult to get ripped off.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

That's the way it should be. They should offer you great products for your money and give you the best advice they know if. If not, say you don't know and look into it. Don't lie and rip the guy off or try and convince them to buy the cheapest piece of junk they have to make the biggest markup and commissions possible.

Again, though I think a customer has to be smart about what they want and know about the products they are considering. Arming yourself with knowledge makes it very difficult to get ripped off.

I knew very well what i was getting into, I was just shocked at the balls he had to say that.

 

[Diego]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

It's always surprising to me that many retail stores have not come to realize that customers are more product savvy than ever before, thanks to the internet. It's pretty hard to "baffle 'em with bullsh!t" these days.

I do some sales at the shop I work for, and am a self-taught salesman. I can tell you this: I've never seen a published sales strategy that relies on lying to the customer to sell a product. I've never had to, nor wanted to, lie to make a sale. I think many retail outlets just don't spend the time training their sales staff properly, and many or most sales people don't have the drive to learn it themselves.

Personally, I enjoy selling. I enjoy being able to help a customer get what they want and walk away smiling.

That's cool man.
My point is that the main goal of a salesman is not to inform users about what's the best guitar or amp for them.

If they do so, great. But they're there to sell products first. The more expensive, the better.
And they could end up with a smiling customer in the end anyway. If they went home with the best suited product for them, that's something else.

The vast majority of consumers, even if they're more informed than before, aren't hardcore enthusiasts like you and me.
It's easy for us to forget that we're sort of top of the chain here, sort of.
We know much more here than even some career-musicians do.

 

[MisterE]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

I was going to give a down payment of $200.00 on a Bugera V22 a couple of weeks ago. I told the sales rep, who happened to be the manager. Hey, I have heard a lot of bad stories concerning Bugera amps and he told me that people who review and critique amps or guitars in guitar forums are retarded.

Last Sunday I purchased a VHT Special 6 Ultra from a guy on CL for $185.00 and I couldn't be happier. Yes, the amp still works today and I should go play it, and besides you're all retarded anyway. LOL

 

[Diego]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

Well, many folks here would diss a Bugera just because it is a Bugera, without listening to the damn thing in the first place.

Bugera's ethics sure didn't matter to me when I tried a 333XL and a 1960 I think it was. Both amps were terrific.

So I understand what he's on about.

 

[MisterE]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

Well, many folks here would diss a Bugera just because it is a Bugera, without listening to the damn thing in the first place.

Bugera's ethics sure didn't matter to me when I tried a 333XL and a 1960 I think it was. Both amps were terrific.

So I understand what he's on about.

Well to be honest I still say the cleans on the Bugera are the best I've ever heard. Better than my VHT's in fact. The selling point for me was that VHT is cathode biased so it's one less thing I have to worry about and I can swap tubes for any octal variety that I choose. More flexible and weighs a hell lot less.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

Bugera is one of those brands that gets labeled as an awful product because of a few things it compromises on. Behringer, which I understand owns Bugera (I might be wrong), makes some decent gear... they certainly don't make great guitars but that doesn't mean they never made anything worth the low price they ask for it.

 

[nepalnt21]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

the salesperson is most certainly a moron, but perhaps all the guitar needs is a good setup.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

It's always surprising to me that many retail stores have not come to realize that customers are more product savvy than ever before, thanks to the internet. It's pretty hard to "baffle 'em with bullsh!t" these days.

I do some sales at the shop I work for, and am a self-taught salesman. I can tell you this: I've never seen a published sales strategy that relies on lying to the customer to sell a product. I've never had to, nor wanted to, lie to make a sale. I think many retail outlets just don't spend the time training their sales staff properly, and many or most sales people don't have the drive to learn it themselves.

Personally, I enjoy selling. I enjoy being able to help a customer get what they want and walk away smiling.

This. Also, I've never once had a problem with a Floyd. Even the first time I got a guitar with one I was fine.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

the salesperson is most certainly a moron, but perhaps all the guitar needs is a good setup.

the bridge was all the was almost all the way down on the guitar, it was pretty clear the fret was to blame.

I thought it was a cool looking and cool sounding guitar... but that fret really killed me.

 

[Frankly]

Re: Disagreement with music store employee

Dead notes are a common problem with this style of guitar body. PRS guitars used to be affected a lot (although it's claimed they found a fix).

You might be able to fix it by weights on the headstock. Or the truss rod might be in a weird position and wiggling fixes it. But then - maybe not.

Frank Lee had the dead spot issue with a couple of Hamers.