Guitar Center
reviews and complaints

I work at a school and have been trying to place an order for 3 mics and 3 mic cables. I placed the order via PO on Feb. 27th...it is now May 11th and I have yet to receive these items. The first performance they were supposed to be used for was back in April. The next performance is coming up on the 15th of May and I have called about this order 4 times now and emailed once and have still not received the order. The first time I called the man promised he would have the order out to me within the week...week went by and no order came in. The next few times they had promised it was being processed and one lady actually told me they would overnight it so I would have the order by Thursday. Now that I spoke with them today the man acted as if I didn't know what I was talking about and that I was just being impatient. Hello! It should not take 3 months to process and ship an order to a customer! I will never order from Guitar Center again because of this horrible experience. If I didn't really need these items I would tell Guitar Center to just forget the entire order and take my business elsewhere. The amount of time it has taken for this simple order to process is absurd!

So on 4/17 i dropped my guitar off at Guitar Center (Gainesville, Fl) to get the 5 position blade switch replaced, full intonation and the bridge calibrated.Today almost 3 weeks later (5/5) I go pick it up because no work has been done to it and in the 3 weeks not once did Guitar Center call me to let me know the status of my guitar. The guitar is a '94 PRS EG-II Seafoam Green, my prized possession. When I dropped it off I specifically told the tech that I needed it done before May 6th because of an important gig on 5/6. Words can not express my disapointment and to an extent anger because of the let down and also because when I went to pick my guitar up they couldn't find it. When they finally got it the gig bag was dirty as if it was laying on the floor somewhere. Needless to say that I will never entrust Guitar Center with any instrument I owe ever again.
Eugene Torres
1105 Fort Clarke Blvd. Apt. 408 Gainesville, FL
[protected]

In the last week, I purchase a used guitar from online at a Guitar Centers San Jose store. The listing stated...Guitar in stock, ready to ship. I purchased with credit card. I get a confirmation, my credit card is charged, the email states I will get tracking # once item is shipped. 3 days go by, no follow up email, no phone call. I check the status of my order on line...it's shows "processing".

I call a GC customer service. They say they will investigate. Hours later, I receive email stating...Time sold, no longer available. They have my money, I have order confirmation, they sold the guitar.

Ok, so... a few days later, I show the guitar is available again. I suspect it's the same guitar because it's the same location, same used instrument, same price.
I order it again online. Guitar in stock, ready to ship. Get confirmation, my card is charged, email says I will get tracking #. I call San Jose store explain that I want to make sure Guitar is taken off floor, get out on eternal hold and call drops off. So, I call my local store and ask them to contact San Jose store to make sure Guitar is held for me to ship next day. Jeremy in Alpharetta says he will. Hours later, no phone call...just an email that says my item is on Bacorder and they don't have it yet, but the manufacturer is sending them more.the item in question is a USED ITEM AT A PRICE CLOSE TO HALF OFF RETAIL. Are they really getting more Used items straight from the manufacturer? Hour later, I get an email that my order is cancelled because the item is no longer available.

I have yet to receive refund on the first order and now they have my money for two guitars. They say that neither on is available.

So...after taking in all that is transpired the only conclusion I can come up with is GUITAR CENTER IS RUNNING AN ONLINE SCAM WHERE THEY TAKE YOUR MONEY FOR ITEMS THEY DONT HAVE IN STOCK. THAT IS FACT.

I wanted to buy a guitar for my son as a birthday present. I went online and found Guitar Center store which seemed like a trustworthy company.
My son was in a band and I wanted to buy something really great, but I did not understand anything in these things so I really needed some help and advice from customer service. I called them and was hoping to get some help, but the person on the phone said that he does not know anything either and that he's just selling things and that's all.
Well, no words can describe how disappointed I was.
In my opinion it is not right to hire someone who can't even give a proper advice to a customer.

I traded & got ripped off when I returned what I purchased after only having it over the weekend they said they sold my trade.
Now I am out my trade & because I lost the discount of 10% for trading in you got my guitar for far less than I would have sold it for.
I have complained but all I get back is see your store.They are the ones who ripped me off!
They wont help! This was one bad deal that I will never forget or live down.
Right now I have never hated a company more than GC!
I will do all I can to put you out of business. that's my mission!
PS, the manager was a jerk & your policies suck!
Goodbye

May 1st. Paid $74.00 UP FRONT CASH in the Toledo store for a baritone ukulele made by Kohala. None in stock there at the store. Web site said instrument would be available to ship by the 18th so I bought it. Sent E-mail to the department mngr. on the 23rd. He got right back to me. He said he would "look into it". He asked me for the sales man's name. I gave him the name and associates number on the receipt. I also explained that it took over an hour for a simple cash transaction. The store salesman fumbled and screwed around not knowing how to order the item online and have it paid for by cash. That was the end of that. I haven't heard back and it is three days later. So I paid for the uke on the 1st of May and it is now the 26th and I have no idea when, if ever, I will get my instrument. I told the manager that I would like my money back if I can't get it by the 29th of May. No reply.

DO NOT DEAL WITH GUITAR CENTER FOR BACK ORDER ITEMS.

So much for your Guitar Center 's customer appreciation. It is time for me to buy from another music retailer. I have spent thousands of dollars at guitar center, and you will not give me an credit Limit increase. I have never been late, always paid my account off ahead of time. So much for Guitar Centers Customer Satisfaction and Appreciation. I have a 735 credit score. I am sure another Music Retailer is going to enjoy my purchases. I will be posting this online.

I went to the Guitar Center in West Covina, California and got ripped-off! I bought two pedals and instead of putting them in the same receipt they made two different tickets and charged me double the tax. And the pedal I bought for $52. they charged me $15. more for it.

Order: Ovation iDea Celebrity Acoustic-Electric Guitar with Built-In MP3 Recorder Regular Black – #[protected]
Cost: 619.00
Coupon Code 4THSAVE ($92.85 discount)
Price after discount: 526.15
Order Date: July 4, 2011
They are selling this product online and have postponed the shipping date thrice, this time for a month. Customer care have been blaming it on manufacturers and absolutely not taking any responsibility for the delays. Its difficult to believe such reputed businesses have no agreements with the manufacturers and allow indefinite delays in the products they are selling people through their website. I totally believe they have no intent of honoring the deals they are offering, deals are just marketing scams. Its very disappointing to see how the management at Guitar Center is totally disconnected from the operations or are even part of this scam.

I bought a program and a Key board MIDI from the store in Kendall. Before I asked the attendant if the product that I bought was good for what I need. He looked at me like saying “Where you come from?” and replayed that he didn’t know how work every thing in the store, because he usually serve people that know what they by. He didn’t try to find an answer from any other attendant. I think that the guy thought that I am stupid because I said that I am a Composer that doesn’t know music at all. So I bought what I don’t need because the manuals don’t show any options to do these; and any body in the software Cakewalk community can tell me how.

So much for your customer appreciation. It is time for me to buy from another music retailer. I have spent thousands of dollars at guitar center, and you will not give me an increase. I have never been late, always paid my account off ahead of time. So much for Guitar Centers Customer Satisfaction and Appreciation. I have a 735 credit score. I am sure another Music Retailer is going to enjoy my purchases. I will be posting this online.
Dan Diamond

Guitar center was once a store that would adjust prices and haggle to a degree on the price of instruments, guitars in particular. Now the sticker price is the price charged. No more deals so no more reason to go there. Also they used to buy vintage instruments for resale. They paid a fair market price. Not any longer! They don't seem to even be familiar with many vintage instruments, their value etc. But they offer a pittance of the actual value. They are either really uneducated as to quality vintage instruments or they are trying to rip-off the seller and then charge top dollar from the buyer. I will not shop there any longer. They are not a good deal type place as they once were. It is a store that charges a premium for inferior instruments. Other guitar stores now blow guitar center prices service and inventory out of the water. Go shop anywhere but guitar center! They are only interested in making money not interested in the musician!
They even push lower end instruments. It seems as if the higher # of sales is all they care about! Also they used to honor their 30 day return policy no problem now it is like pulling teeth to get them to honor their agreement! Decide for yourself but be forwarned! One last point> the workers on the floor know very little about what they sell!

I have been trying to make a complaint to the Guitar Center ombudsman or similar dept for more than 1 week without success about the following situation:

Dear Mr. Lawrence,

I live in Brazil and I have been a loyal GC customer for more than 3 years. I travel round 2 to 3 times per year to the US and whenever it is possible I stop and buy products from your stores. I already bought from Las Vegas, NYC, Hollywood, Edina, Salt Lake City etc and never had problems before with any of your stores.

This time I spent the total amount of US$ 672.54, US$ 312.80 (attached orders #6174107 and #6174110 ) ordered by internet and delivered to the La Mesa Store in California, US$ 13, 12 in the La Mesa Store and US$ 346, 62(receipt attached) in the San Jose Store.

With La Mesa Store things went pretty good and what I would like to complain is about the San Jose Store.

I am attaching an excel spreadsheet about the list of products intended to be bought in the San Jose Store.
My main item was the Fender SKB Molded Case- Strat-Tele Right and Left Hand, code #[protected]. I had checked before the availability of that item in that particular store by the net. To sum up, I ended buying 15 items from that store, as you can see by the attached receipt.

Firstly I had to wait almost one hour in order to get the case. They said to me that checking the stock they had 4 of this item at the store, but they made me wait almost 1 hour to get it. But that was nothing compared to what was about to happen:
1. As you can see looking at the excel file, it was perfectly clear that my order for the electric guitar case was for the fender one, code # [protected]. If you check the GC receipt (last item), you can see that it stands for a similar brand (SKB), probably code #541664, configuring this way a Badwill of the San Jose Store employees. So after a wait of almost one hour they gave me the wrong product and did not even tell me that it was replaced!
2. To make things worse and to my surprise, when I get home and tried to accommodate my strato inside the case, I realized that it did not fit. If you could take a look at the attached photos, you could find out that although the case is described in the GC receipt as a Strato/Telecaster Electric Guitar, I was given a Bass Guitar case (probably code #[protected]), that unfortunately for me is useless. In this second episody, I really don´t know if it was Badwill again or incompetence of your employees.

I consider this an absurd! Guitar Center really let me down and I would like to know specifically what can be done to solve the problem that you have created.

Sincerely yours,

Roberto Braga

Today, April 23rd, I called my local Guitar Center in Chattanooga to ask about a Digital Voice Recorder adapter cable. I’m a frequent shopper and former employee of the store.

My boyfriend I called to ask about a 1/8 inch cable unto USB. Once we were transferred over to Pro-Audio a man named “Jonathan” answered and we asked him about the cable. He started to laugh and say “Cmon man, what is this a joke?” and continued to be oblivious to the fact that we were good customers, and nothing else.

We told him, “No, I need a cable” and he explained “Oh, no I don’t think we have it”. By the time my boyfriend hung up the phone, ‘Jonathan’ had been rude to us, disrespectful and displayed no customer service skills what-so-over. We were asking a legitimate question, and he had scoffed at us like we were so below his level.

I don’t think anyone deserves to be treated like this. Especially not two good customers (and former employees).

Congratulations, Guitar Center. You just lost two more customers. And I will be contacting Guitar Center corporate. We’ll be shopping at Humbucker Music and Picker’s Exchange from now on.