Guitar Center Used Gear - Buyer Beware!

[VitaminD]

Recently, I purchased a music keyboard through Guitar Center's online used gear website. Before purchasing, I corresponded with an employee with respect to the condition of the keyboard. They claimed no visible scratches, dents, dings.. all works fine but 'a little dusty.' 'Ok great' I thought and bought it.



A few days later I receive the keyboard with great anticipation only to discover a dirt-like powder all in the bubble wrap they used which led me to notice all the gunk in the sliders! The powder was from the keyboard.. Ok so I picked up the keyboard and noticed there is a screw rolling around inside... not good. So I flip over the keyboard and notice non-standard screws in several places, some of which were only in about half way (and below the keyboard's feet -- could have scratched a surface)!! Some screws were completely missing. Very not good.

No power cable but I have a few around.. so no big deal there. I go to power it on.. the screen flickers briefly and nothing. uh-oh. I try a couple more times with slightly better results each time until it finally turns on.

All the keys worked.. some seemed a bit more spongey than others though.. not sure if that was a particular issue with that board or the model as a whole.

Then I notice it appears the inside of the slider tracks have what appears to be rust on them. The side panels are loose. And the kicker, the pitchbend wheel doesn't function at all!

Super bummed at this point (within an hour of receiving the keyboard through UPS) I drive to the 'local' GC (30 minute drive one way) and return it. The staffmember on hand hears my issues with it.. seems to act like they care and gives me a full refund and an apology. Ok then.

But then, a few days later now, I see they have listed it back on the used gear site!! THEY PUT THE FAULTY KEYBOARD BACK ON THE MARKET!

I suspect the transformer or the LED panel are on it's last leg.. the pitchbend wheel wasn't working either.. not to mention all the missing and non-standard screws that weren't even fully installed into the chassis. Unless they fixed this in a few days time (note this was a 12-15 year old keyboard - long discontinued) then it appears they are selling a product with many faults... and not listing a single one on their website.

Oh, and no I doubt it was due to shipping.. that is the one thing they seemed to do super well.. package and ship the board. It was wrapped in around 3 layers of large bubblewrap then surrounded in tons of packing peanuts. I did mention this in a long message to the employee who said it was in good working condition and they apologized profusely ok.. I hope they take more time in noticing these things.. I don't see how they missed a pitch bend wheel not working.. or the screw rolling around in the case.. or the screws not even fully inserted into the keyboard. Learning lesson for each of us I think.

In any case, moral of the story is to be careful out there with your time and money when it comes to buying used products.. especially, it at least appears in this case, with GC used gear.

[SODDI]

I only buy used gear when I can inspect it physically first.

Cuts down on what I can order over the internet, but that's what you get.

[VitaminD]

Makes sense.. there was a sneaking suspicion in the back of my mind that it could be too good to be true.. thus I ensured they had a decent enough return policy. At least there was that..

Now I'm more concerned for the next person who ends up with that keyboard..

I'm not taking the hour out of my day to drive there and back just to see if they resolved some of the more obvious issues.. but I suspect they did not. Usually, it seems, they don't even allow one to power on the used items on the floor in my particular GC.. which makes no sense to me because, if you discover something is faulty, you're likely taking it back to them.

I don't even think GC cleans any of the used gear they sell... you could have coughed the plague on a keyboard and sold it to GC, and they'd showcase on the floor. I kind of miss the old 'mom and pop' style music stores that used to flourish in this city.. their prices were higher but they seemed to care more about their merchandise as well as their customers.

Largely ranty here.. but with some good advice.. buyer beware, the salesman does not care!

[chaosWyrM]

i got my novation 25sl mk2 from guitar centers used gear section. i paid about half what the going rate for a used one was on ebay and craigs list...it came with everything it was supposed to, in the original packaging and in mint condition. it looked as though it had never been used at all. it works perfectly and i couldnt be happier.

i think guitar centers used gear section is a great place to find stuff. i understand the ops frustration, but really...they have a 30 day no questions asked return policy, which in this case they seem to have honored. if you see something on there that you want at a decent price...get it. it wont be there for long, and if you decide you dont like it you can always get your money back.

[edit for clarity] im not 100% sure, but i think mine was a floor model used in the store and not one that was purchased and used by a person. if that makes a difference.

[metalifuxx]

I have bought several used guitar pedals with great success, although I did get to try them at the store, and was not an online purchase. I have been tempted to buy online from them, but I usually let the GAS subside before I ever go through with the purchase.

It's great because it's a 30 day no-questions asked money back guarantee, so I guess you could see it as a free used gear rental. Not that I have ever done that. My friend has bought/tried out a number of used pedals and decided he didn't like them on his guitar/amp setup, so he took them back. But not because he had gear issues with it properly working etc. But yes, I noticed they put them right back online for sale.

Guess it also depends on what you buy. With something smaller like guitar pedals, they are usually built like tanks and you probably don't run into too many issues with those.

I got some Boss pedals for a complete steal, that seemed like they were never used, even had the original Roland battery in still working. Sometimes you can talk to the sales person and they can tell you when and who brought them in and possibly why they were selling them.

[VitaminD]

It is interesting the customer defense of the store..

That is why I said 'buyer beware' though and not 'run away' because I'm sure you can find decent deals on occasion.. but there is no regulation it seems from each store on how strict they are with testing or cleaning gear they sell. In the case I outlined above, not one but two stores have dropped the ball.

At least the keyboard departments.. each department in each store has it's own set of staff it seems..

The online shop is a mess though.. they only provide one (usually blurry) photo and no description. Which forces you to contact them (I think that is the goal so they can sell you into buying).. but then you are completely at the mercy of the staff to honestly and accurately gauge the condition of the gear.

In my situation, they claimed it has no scratches dents or dings and it all worked.. when that was far from the case. Then dealing with the hassle of returning it simply because they weren't accurate (or even close) to the condition. If you buy in store, that is a whole different can since you can actually test the item then and there and make your own judgement on the condition.

[chaosWyrM]

well, i was less defending the store and much much more letting people know that they can find some good gear at very reasonable prices. id hate to see people who might not otherwise be able to afford some stuff scared away because the guys at that one store were lazy.

i bought my keyboard on line...i didnt call the store it was at or anything. my take on it was if i didnt like it i could just bring it back. granted, for me thats not an issue...i have 2 guitar centers within a 15 min. drive and a few more within a half hour. i can see that being really annoying if you dont live too close to one.

of course theres no excuse for them giving wrong information over the phone like that, but...have you seen the people that work there? thats why i didnt bother asking about it...i wasnt going to trust them anyway.

it was a zero risk purchase. the most i was going to loose was an hour of my time returning it, and even that...it would have been an excuse to go to guitar center and play with some toys.

[VitaminD]

Two stores... and you bought a recent midi controller. There is very little risk in that being dodgy. I bought a 15 year old keyboard. Which is why I asked a ton of questions first.. thinking, at the time, they'd both be knowledgeable enough and care enough to give me an accurate response. Obviously, I was incorrect.

It wasn't a zero risk purchase.. it cost me time, gasoline, and stress.. otherwise I wouldn't have spent even more time to post this thread to warn people to be careful. And now they are reselling the same dodgy keyboard.. it wasn't an 'oops' it appears to be a 'we know its bad we just want to get it out of here and make some money on it' sort of thing.

I now think you make a fair point about the people who work there.. typically young and not so knowledgeable. Which doesn't really help your PoV of GC and their used gear... unless you are going in there and knowing more specifically what you are buying. Now I know that too. Others might not.. hence the thread.

But you seem to think it is all roses.. and I can emphatically say it is not always the case.. and, as I've said several times now, buyer beware.. not buyer run away. But some people are missing that part.. I never said not to shop there, but to be careful when shopping there.. used section specifically. That part of the store is closer to a pawnshop than a music store.

[goldenanalog]

When it comes to buying anything used, it is always a 'buyer beware' situation. And the rule of thumb is that you get what you pay for.

Why did the previous 'owner' dump it in the first place? Trade it in for better equipment? Or was it all used up, or 'hot' that got by GC's police hold?

They sell a lot of stuff, both new and used, there is bound to be a percentage of equipment that gets misrepresented due to the time constraints that typically plague a perennially understaffed GC.

The key operative phrase here is: liberal return policy.

I wouldn't recommend buying used without one.

[chaosWyrM]

i understand what youre saying. and i agree...buyer beware.

im just saying that theres no real reason to specifically be aware of guitar center more than any other place.

how would it have been different for you if you had been aware?

you did your due diligence...you called and asked. they lied to you. what more could you have done? nothing would be different if you were more cautious.

for people buying used items on line...guitar center has about the best set up anyone is ever going to find. purchasing used stuff sight unseen online is always going to be risky...gc mitigates that risk to next to nothing by offering the 30 day no questions asked return policy.

buying used gear online isnt likely to get any safer than that im afraid.

[VitaminD]

Actually I emailed.. so I had written proof.

Not much more could be done in this situation.. on the upside they packaged the keyboard in a Martin OM-1 box (large) with tons of packing peanuts. So now I have shipping materials should I ever need them..

Perhaps I was a bit naive though.. I thought at Guitar Center, major national chain, they would have well trained repair techs handling the used items, testing to ensure it all worked, and repairing what needed to be repaired. Instead, I see that doesn't happen.. an untrained/lightly-trained salesperson gives it a once over, catalogs it, and then carries it from the sales counter to the store shelf.

GC passes the buck on to the customer for their bad buys.. like I said... this keyboard I bought had all kinds of serious issues with it yet it is right now on a different GC store shelf again... waiting for someone else to buy the turd.

They prey on the least informed.. even if that is a common sales tactic, I'm not sure it is really one I want to fund.

I see now they are pretty much the Best Buy of music stores.. hire young, inexperienced sales staff to pad the bottom line. One wide eyed young man was tending to a customer while I was there, telling her Mac PCs are more efficient than Windows PCs. This left the customer thinking (and saying outloud), 'so can I get by with my Windows PC for recording vocals'

[VitaminD]

When it comes to buying anything used, it is always a 'buyer beware' situation. And the rule of thumb is that you get what you pay for.

Why did the previous 'owner' dump it in the first place? Trade it in for better equipment? Or was it all used up, or 'hot' that got by GC's police hold?

They sell a lot of stuff, both new and used, there is bound to be a percentage of equipment that gets misrepresented due to the time constraints that typically plague a perennially understaffed GC.

The key operative phrase here is: liberal return policy.

I wouldn't recommend buying used without one.

Yes. After taking (short) possession of this keyboard, and seeing all of the flaws, I got the impression this one sat in someone's dirty garage for years and had known issues (hence some of the screws missing and others replaced with non-standard ones) then they decided to pawn it off on GC for some quick cash.

GC likely didn't check it at all ().. but instead likely looked on ebay for the last 4-5 sold of the same item and offered half.. half of that is probably a nice amount of money to someone who knows what they are selling to GC is faulty.

It literally took me a few minutes to spot the flaws. I mean, even turning it on the first time, the LED panel didn't light up.. then the next two times flickered like a defective florescent bulb (complete with the odd clicking sound) before it finally came alive.

I mean how do you miss THIS if you really checked it...

There were others on the other side of the board the same way.. not to mention the screw inside the case that was rolling around loudly.

but anyways.. I'm over it. I've ranted, raved, and generally frothed at the mouth enough. Just hoping others see my lone situation and take more care in what they buy used.

[goldenanalog]

Yes. After taking (short) possession of this keyboard, and seeing all of the flaws, I got the impression this one sat in someone's dirty garage for years and had known issues (hence some of the screws missing and others replaced with non-standard ones) then they decided to pawn it off on GC for some quick cash.

GC likely didn't check it at all ().. but instead likely looked on ebay for the last 4-5 sold of the same item and offered half.. half of that is probably a nice amount of money to someone who knows what they are selling to GC is faulty.

It literally took me a few minutes to spot the flaws. I mean, even turning it on the first time, the LED panel didn't light up.. then the next two times flickered like a defective florescent bulb (complete with the odd clicking sound) before it finally came alive.

I mean how do you miss THIS if you really checked it...

There were others on the other side of the board the same way.. not to mention the screw inside the case that was rolling around loudly.

but anyways.. I'm over it. I've ranted, raved, and generally frothed at the mouth enough. Just hoping others see my lone situation and take more care in what they buy used.

The other side of the coin is that GC tends to favor repeat and/or large dollar-spending customers, which could certainly mean that in this case they take said item in trade pretty much knowing that it's a brick, but catalog it as functional in order to justify an inflated discount on their customer's (perhaps large) purchase.

Your situation does indeed look like 'creative bookeeping' to me, VitaminD, which is just another way of saying 'robbing Peter to pay Paul.'

Point taken.