Guitar Center Reviews

I've ordered numerous used pedals from these guys, and almost everyone had some sort of issue that was not disclosed before buying it - "like new," "5 star," - these claims have not panned out to be true in almost every case. I bought a used Tele and when I got home, I realized that the setup really could be better. I took it back to them the next day to see if they could tweak the setup (most stores do) and they have me work with this clueless kid that picks up the guitar, wanks a bunch metal crap on it, looks at me and says, "It plays like a Tele," and that's it. I actually have even more bad experiences with these guys, but they are all similar to above.

Bottom line: aside from a few exceptions, they will tell you want you want to hear just to get the item out the door. Most employees are inexperienced kids that will talk down to you as if you've never played before. If you have any trouble with your gear at all, don't bother them. If they already have your money, they aren't motivated to help and are generally unqualified to do so anyway.

Ending result, they ended up putting my check in their safe and I walked out of the store with no guitar and $500.00 less in my account. I'm extremely upset due to me being a repeat customer and I never was treated like this.

Many of the GC call center reps will tell you something different, typically contradicting the other reps you've spoken to. If you must shop GC, go directly to a physical store and try to find GC reps that want to help you, more than just get your money. I will avoid GC at all costs in the future. I think there are much better music companies to deal with. Companies that have not gotten so big, they've forgotten how to consistently train their employees and make customer service the top priority.

And every time I had a problem or a question, the Manager would make my life miserable, by far the worst Manager I have ever had to deal with. So I would like to advise everyone out there, be very careful with Guitar Center. They just want to sell whatever they have and can to get their commission. Be smarter than I was. Buy your Musical needs from a place that can explain and understand what you need. I will NEVER buy anything else from Guitar Center.

Corben the Luthier has been a big help too. He set up my first Gibson SG Standard after I bought my amp. Then later he setup my first Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop Custom. I've just about learned the first solo in Eric Clapton's Wheels of Fire version of Robert Johnson's cover of Crossroads. I'm hitting the notes and they sound wonderful as these guitars scream them out.

I've read some of these reviews. It looks like I'm the first person to leave a positive review. Believe me I've left my share of negative reviews online. Yes there are people that make mistakes, don't we all? The thing is when you walk into the Guitar Center here in Denver on Colorado Blvd., you walk into an atmosphere of genuine love these people have for musicians. Their main concern is making you happy with what you need or desire to help you enjoy making music. So I say thank you Guitar Center employees.

Anyway Jesus appeared to go shoot the breeze with another GC employee who was setting up a guitar and they were both looking at me laughing so I got the feeling I was being ridiculed for some reason... what is this, high school? At that point I asked the sales rep that was helping me if I could speak with the mgr. He said sure and went to get him; he later returned telling me it would be a few minutes as the mgr was addressing something else. I waited for 10 minutes and began to leave walking towards the door when the mgr intercepted me. I didn't appreciate either having to wait 10 minutes for him and explained what had occurred with Jesus **. This is exactly why GC has such poor customer service ratings and I will never shop here again.

I called immediately after receiving his email and got his voice mail. Left a message but never heard back. I then opened a second ticket and asked them to close my account since at that point, I didn't want to do business with GC anymore, and that I had ordered the item from a competitor. A rep wrote and gave me a condescending reply of "Well ANYONE could've helped you, not just the person who emailed you". How was I supposed to know this, especially since the first rep gave me his name and phone extension?! I was then told that a manager would contact me. Again, this never happened.

I then responded to the ticket stating I don't want to do business with them anymore. THEN a manager finally wrote and said he'd remove me from all lists and close my account. At that point, I was glad to hear it. Then this past Friday - a week after this mess started, I got a call from the original rep saying that they'd match the price!!!! I already took delivery of the item from another vendor - too little, too late for GC. I will NEVER purchase from them again - just too many other vendors to choose from.

This immediately told me 2 things. 1) This salesperson/kid had no clue that this was a practice amp we were looking at, not requiring a cabinet and 2) this salesperson/kid was all about making a sale, period. I contained my sarcasm and composure and allowed my little brother to explain to this employee WHAT we were looking at and we simply wanted one. Could he go fetch one for us. His reply was he would have to see if they had one in stock to which I replied "well, I called earlier and you had 2". He left to check and quickly returned with the bad news that they had nothing in stock and only the floor models (one in the color I wanted and one not in the color I wanted) that we had showed him...but not to worry!

He could just sell me the floor model. Again, this immediately told me 2 things: 1) One, his lack of attempting to drop the price because he was about to unload a floor model on me told me he assumed that I was the idiot and 2) he was all about making the sale / commission - I assume. The idiot part got my temper flared, but again, I held it in check. Before I could say anything, my little brother jumped in with the obvious questions. Where is the box? Where are the multiple cables that come with it. The software? Is it out for a massage? The salesperson / kid responds, "no". Then proceeds to ring up the sale (I kid you not). I immediately told him I wasn't interested in anything but the product complete in a box.

He then replied, "well, its pretty much the same thing you get in a box and it hasn't been played much." Now, being that this salesperson / kid was clueless as to the existence of this product (that they sell in the store at which he is employed) before we showed it to him, it is logically impossible for him to know how much this floor model had been handled (along with the fact I doubt he worked there 24/7) which lead me to distrust this salesperson / kid completely. And still, not even a suggestion of an offer of any kind of discount. I left before I blew a gasket. I called another Guitar Center in Canton, MI. My own fault I know; but, when I am teased like this with a new toy, I get obsessive. They told me not to worry, they had 2 in stock and would hold one for me.

I made the 15 mile trip to Canton and the gent I spoke to on arrival looked up my name that I gave them on the phone when I asked them to hold one for me found it! He said he would be right back. When he returned, he had a floor model in hand. Again, before I could say anything, my little brother asked him "Don't you have anything other than a floor model? We wanted it in a box. We called ahead. "To which this salesperson responded, "no, but don't worry, it's the same thing". Again, no offer of discount. He just quickly proceeded to ring it up. Again, I stopped him and asked him about the hardware that goes along with it to which I got a doe in headlights look back at me.

I told him I wasn't interested in anything but the box and I then let my anger escape me a bit mentioning I had just gone through this same thing at another location after calling ahead. This salespersons' response was, "I guess you should have asked if we only had floor models". That statement was a bit too much of a pill to swallow for me. If you knew me, you would know that getting through the first attempt without fireworks was a miracle. This one, I could not let go. I immediately responded, "Yeah, I assumed you guys wouldn't sell anything not complete".

Again, I got a doe in headlights stare back at me. So, I proceeded with "I guess that was a bad assumption on my part". Once again, same doe in headlights response. I then left before I completely lost it. I made the 25 mile trip back home and arrived feeling I had learned 2 things. I will never spend any real money again in any Guitar Center and I will never spend any real money again in any Guitar Center. Any company that assumes that it's customers are willing to pay full price for incomplete products and doesn't even feel the need to advise the customer that the product is incomplete is not a company I wish to support with my hard earned money.

West Palm Beach: I called to order the guitar because there was no 'buy it now' link on the site for this vintage guitar. I spent over an hour talking to him while he tried to get the payment to go through. I had 190$ on a gift card and was paying the rest cash. He said that it was 'impossible to do because I was out of state' after trying for that long. He advised I call my local guitar store.

Oxford Valley: I called here and spoke with Keith - who tried with me for about 2 days on and off. I kept having to call back and remind him about me. I specifically said I didn't want someone else to buy the guitar and I just wanted him to hold it for me. He said he couldn't do that. After all of the confusion - he said there was an issue on the 'dot com side' but verified the guitar was available and then put it on hold for me. He advised me to wait until I got refunded (yes they charged my account but couldn't sell me the guitar) and that he would put it on hold in the meantime.

After the refund: I called back and Keith had no idea what was going on with the guitar - he called the store and it was not available. He said this may have been because he had it 'pulled off the shelf' for me. I was very upset. He said he would investigate and get back to me. He didn't until over a week later.

Customer Service: In the meantime, I called and spoke with Jordan ** and he said that the Guild S300-D was sold to another customer... TWO DAYS after I had it 'put on hold' for me. He said he would have someone who 'specializes' in these types of cases call me back. I had to remind him three times before anyone got back to me... It ended up being Keith from Oxford Valley... He was the specialist? He apologized and said he was going to 'make this right'. I haven't heard from him since.

Now - I just simply resent Guitar Center. Before this - my experiences were mediocre because of poor knowledge and customer service, but now they are completely soured after this mishap. I hope this helps. Thank you.

So, three days later it comes on... It was only the drums. I call back, furious. "I was told this was EVERYTHING. I am missing cymbals". The rep asked me to hold for a minute and he comes back with "Well, there is one more box left, which is the cymbal box. Since of the trouble I can get you the cymbals for $150." "No, I was told I was getting EVERYTHING by this shipment. I was already screwed over once. You had false representation on your side on separate TWO occasions. I WANT THEM FREE."

He then told me he was going to talk to his rep again. 5 minutes pass and he comes back on and says, "Sir, I got you those cymbals" and I respond with "You got me them for free?" "Yes sir." That was the best experience I had. They are a joke. I recommend NOT to order online or through the phone unless it's a book or a drum key. I will stick with buying inside the store. Thanks.

When I contacted Guitar Center, they were very rude and tried to blame the whole thing on me saying I never canceled the order when I was looking at the support ticket on my screen. Now, they have told me 5-10 days to get my stolen money back. They are treating it like a return when they stole my money outright. So either the place is full of incompetent people or they have something wrong with their system for cancellations. Either way, they blamed me and my bank basically said, "Oh well, you have to wait." Guitar Center was the most lackadaisical operation I ever have dealt with.

On their website, the maximum guaranteed lowest price for this guitar is $199.00. Using my zip code I insured this particular guitar was at my local GC and it was. When I arrived at my local GC in Louisville, I found the Mitchell MD100S12 but quickly noticed there was a different price tag on it. They had it marked at $249.00 and not $199.00 as advertised on their website (that should have been a red-flag for me). Note: as of February 5, 2012 (Sunday) and before this date, this particular item was not a clearance item on the GC website! I spoke to the sales associate about it and she checked the website and apologized. She said she didn’t know why it was like that but she could honor the lowest price as advertised on the website. No problem, so I thought.

I wanted to have the strings changed to Elixirs and she assisted me with finding Elixir 12 strings and then we proceeded to speak with the gentleman who would be changing the strings and tuning the instrument for me. He informed me that he was backed up and it probably would not be ready until next Tuesday which wasn’t a big deal for me. So I proceeded to pay for the guitar and sign the ticket to have him change the strings and tune it. In addition, I would have bought a stand and probably a case for it and I talked to the sales associate about eventually buying an electric guitar and amp from GC.

As we approached the counter to check out, I informed the sales associate that I also had a 12% off coupon and that’s when the trouble began. She informed me that she didn’t think she could give me the 12% off because she was matching the online price and she left to go and speak to I suppose a manager. Another associate approached me while I was waiting at the counter and asked if he could help me and I explained to him what was going on and he said it shouldn’t be a problem and got on the computer and then hesitated and said that he wasn’t sure. He gave his apologies, too, because he said the system was confusing and flawed. I’m not sure what they were seeing on the computer because as of 02/05/12 (and before this date) this item is not marked as a clearance item nor is it a used item which would disqualify it according to the coupon terms and it is displayed at the guaranteed lowest price on the website.

The lady returned with another younger gentleman (I guess he was a manager) and he explained they could only honor one or the other, whichever was the cheapest of the two. From what I could understand, since they were marking down the displayed price of $249.00 in their store to match the online price, they could not honor the coupon. The in-store price should have been $199.00 to begin with so that is nothing more than the typical used-car salesman bait-and-switch tactic used in the 70s. I didn’t think businesses relied on such tactics in this day and age but I guess I’m wrong.

The lady who originally worked with me apologized to me again (clearly she could see the flaw and unethical tactics being used), so I just walked out promising to never to return again. What I feel the manager should have done (what I would have done being a leader) is to say, “You know what, there’s something not right here on our part and to keep your business I’m going to go ahead and honor the coupon too. Is there anything else I can help you with?” No, instead I got an arrogant attitude. That’s okay, though .I should have known when I first saw the inflated price on the instrument that this was a typical bait-and-switch scam, but like I said I didn’t think these tactics were still being used today.

So, I did not buy the 12-string Mitchell guitar, a stand and case from GC nor will I be buying my electric guitar and amp from GC. In fact, I will not ever buy a darn thing from GC ever again not even a guitar pick! I hope saving the 12% (or $23.88) was worth losing a longtime potential customer because in opinion, it wasn’t a good deal on GC’s end, especially when I would have spent exceptionally more than that in equipment and lessons in the future. Oh well, I’ll stick with locally owned stores that care about their customers and keeping them for the long-haul. To heck with this company. Just Google them and read the complaints from their own employees and that should tell you something. I just wish I had done that before I had wasted my gas and time going there yesterday!

The sales manager, Ken, at Fayetteville is a complete failure at his job. Without saying bad words, he needs some training on people skills, especially with guys like me who pays his salary, and to show a little bit of respect. Even his own salespeople don't like him, as one of them told me the other day "I cringe when I see him coming in the door.” Before Christmas I opened an account with you and I thought I was a "preferred customer". If the treatment I get at Guitar Center keeps up, I will be forced to take my money and business elsewhere to someone who values me as a customer.

I’ve had no problems with your online service at all. In fact, it’s great! I do though have great concern for your Fayetteville store. It’s the only guitar store around me, and I was so happy when guitar center opened in Fayetteville. Finally, I thought it’s a place to go to buy guitars! But my happiness has turned to sadness. All I want is to be able to go in the door and someone, anyone to come up and say “Can I help you sir?” I do believe that Guitar Center owes me an apology and maybe a discount to my charge account or money back or something. I feel like my business was not appreciated and Ken was just there to take my money. So, please respond to me either by email or phone. Thanks for your time.

I attempted a return to a local GC and was bluntly told by North Olmsted, OH store manager, Dana **, that he was told by his management not to talk to me. He refused the return in violation of GC's documented and advertised procedures. The Nashville store that sold me the pedal refused to pay for return shipping, again in violation of GC procedures. My wife attempted to use three gift cards totaling $60 at the Columbus, OH store via online. GC canceled her orders and my orders and invalidated the $60 gift cards.

This guitar was supposed to come with the 5-ply hand-made case form Taylor Guitars but instead, the salesman switched it out for a plastic SKB case that normally comes with the lower-end Taylors.

This is a common practice and they do it so that they can re-sell the more expensive case to someone else, making and extra couple of hundred dollars in the process. Shame on me for letting them get away with it!

I have called and emailed Guitar Center a few times and have not gotten a response to date.

On July 12th, I received tracking information that the guitar was damaged and was being returned to GC.com. I nor anyone else at GC #825 or UPS claims to have seen the damaged guitar but it was returned to the Main warehouse. I contacted and spoke in person, on July 13th, with the store # 825 Manager, Eliot, and he assured me that GC would handle everything and I had to do nothing to get this guitar replaced as soon as possible. After tracking down what was actually happening, I was told differently that I had to return to the store and replace my order.

On July 20th, I visited store #825 Cherry Hill NJ out of frustration to get this order placed/replaced, although why it couldn't be done by me and how I wanted it, I haven't quite figured out. At this point, my patience is wearing thin from excuses and finger-pointing.

I simply wanted the guitar delivered to the store and not delivered to my sun-drenched front porch in a record heat wave, in a not so great neighborhood to be stolen or delivered to the wrong address which by the way is a house full of junkies. Was this asking a little too much on my part? Did I not have it shipped to the store to begin with?

Upon arrival at store # 825, I was passed off by the Manager, Eliot, to an Assistant Manager, whose name I quickly forgot (Alex, a young, thin, sallow looking, caucasian fellow with what looked like dreadlocks) and my order became the nightmare from hell. This assistant manager done the total opposite of what this customer requested after repeatedly being told what I did not want to do for approximately 25 minutes. I left this store more frustrated and now angered at the situation. It confused me to the point to which I called GC.com afterward to make sure that the order was correct.

I'm guessing that this so-called new order will get delivered to the correct address undamaged also. All I know is GC got my money very quickly and the service I received back from them totally sucked. It was slow, and very time-consuming. By the time this guitar is ever delivered to me, it will close if not over four weeks. This seems to be the only solution for me to receive this guitar which is already bought and paid for. Now, I await the "we'll overnight it to you" story. There's no such thing. It will be at least two days providing everything goes according to plan. All this ** over replacing an order either damaged by UPS or store #825. They do not have good customer service and judging from how I saw a Marshall Amp head dropped and then replaced back on its cabinet by a staff member, I'm not ruling out that this so-called damaged guitar happened through GC #825.

My plans were to purchase two (2) other guitars from GC, a Telecaster and Les Paul Studio, but I'm holding off and rethinking exactly where I should purchase these items from. I've spent a few thousand dollars at GC in the past year or so. I'm sure that a few of the other stores could use a customer like myself, my friends and family. After I receive this order, it will be highly likely my last from GC. I will not forget to tell my friends how well I was handled and just how great GC is to deal with.