 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bbillings
Date: 2015-07-28 21:37
Thought I'd share my experience this morning with the other members. I received an email a few days ago indicating a "Mystery Sale." This was a limited time offer but no expiration was indicated in the email. This morning I clicked the link to see if the offer was ongoing and what promotion was being offered and I was given a promotion code. When I put some items in my shopping cart and went to check out using the given promotion code it said the code was inactive. Imagine my surprise as I was just given the code minutes prior to attempting to order. I called to speak to someone about the malfunctioning code. At that point I was told the promotion ended yesterday and that THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO HONOR THE DISCOUNT despite my linking to this promotion code within the hour. I believe this is a deceptive business practice. If they were willing to give the discount less than 12 hours ago and their computer system is still giving out the promotion code I suggest they should honor that discount. Their customer service was substandard at best.
I'm sharing this as I believe it is a good reason to look and to shop elsewhere. It is a shame that they hold a very large piece of the retail pie and that there isn't much other choice since they are affiliated with so many other online choices.
FYI, I'm looking for a new/different mouthpiece and wanted to trial a couple. I was also informed that they have significantly altered their trial policy as of the end of last year. I'm sure others here new of the change, it escaped my attention. They were one of my first thoughts given the selection that they stock. As everyone knows, it is best to try multiple mouthpieces side by side and in different environments etc... With the number of selections out there it is a very challenging proposition!!!!
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-07-29 00:54
Woodwind and Brasswind is already a discount house. Since they operate on a slim margin I don't think we can be too picky about a computer generated sale. Ideally that shouldn't happen but this is a small market and believe it or not NO ONE is getting rich selling clarinet paraphernalia.
Someone just posted that you can use WalMart's online system to buy some Vandoren and Rico mouthpieces. If you're familiar with WalMart's return policy it would seem (unless this is preempted for this particular merchandise) that you could try them out for 30 days and bring them back to your local store for a full refund. Keep in mind though that if this IS true, you may be getting mouthpieces to try that several people have already had for a few months (as long as that doesn't bother you, I guess that's ok).
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: bbillings
Date: 2015-07-29 01:05
Paul,
I read that thread as well. Weren't they basically using another Guitar Center subsidiary as their source for much of their product? Music123?
Brian
PS - I wasn't arguing the price as much as the lack of authenticity and customer service. If they could offer the discount less than 12 hours beforehand and the link to a promo code offering the discount was active, I believe they should as a matter of customer service honor their own advertising. Having been a retail manager years ago it was common to put customer satisfaction ahead of the margin in order to maintain customer satisfaction. That is still common, look at exemplars like L.L. Bean.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-07-29 06:45
L.L. Bean makes up for the gaffs by charging a lot more for their stuff. I use to love Mark Shale for similar reasons. Apparently, customer service was not enough to keep them solvent.
You should know that sometimes signage is not placed in front of the right merchandise or is not removed after a sale ends. Same thing. You can't squeeze a retailer on a technicality if there is a massive discrepancy (ie a $5 television or some such thing). All you can hope to do is perhaps get the better price if it is within reasonable limits (some items are backed by manufacturer rebates within a given time frame which is one explanation for unusually low prices during specified sale periods).
Anyway, Woodwind Brasswind is still a pretty reliable source for merchandise (one of probably only three or four major retailers we have), so we should cut them some slack.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: bbillings
Date: 2015-07-30 06:55
Just an update, a manager from Woodwind & Brasswind contacted me and has offered to rectify the situation. This is what I would have expected from an ethical retailer. Despite Paul's analogy to a tag placed in front of the incorrect item, I'd only asked that they honor the discount offered to me that day. It was the same discount that was advertised and given to others less than 12 hours prior who had clicked the link provided by their company. It seems obvious to me that the discount offered was neither going to bankrupt their company nor was it going to give the product to the consumer at a loss. As with any sales business, the discount is an inducement to buy now instead of later and to use them as the source as opposed to others.
Either way, Kyle from their company did what I consider to be the right thing and so I'm updating my post.
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