Musician's "Friend"...

[chaos731]

Just venting, maybe, but I had to post about this.

I've been a fairly loyal customer of Musician's Friend for well over a decade, having spent many thousands of dollars there, and until fairly recently, I never really had any problem with them, their selection, their prices, or their customer service.

In the last six months, I've noticed a sharp decline in their level of customer service, mostly in terms of their shipping efficiency and their communication with customers. On at least two occasions over the last six or so orders I've placed, one or more items were backordered (despite the items showing as "in stock" on their site), and no communication was sent to me stating this. It was only after calling them AFTER receipt of the rest of the order that I was "notified" of the backordered status of the item(s) in question, and then I had to go through the whole rigmarole of arranging partial refunds, etc.

Further, every time I order from them (even if I pay for expedited shipping service), it takes them three or more full days to get around to shipping the order. It's super frustrating, mostly because they kind of made their name on being FRIENDS of MUSICIANS, ya know?

Sheesh...increasingly, I'm shopping at Sweetwater. Those guys know service.

Anyway, you folks have similar experiences with MF?

[toneboy]

While I've only dealt with MF once and the deal went down fine, I've bought a lot of gear through Sweetwater and they're always perfect. I especially like the free candy I get with each order.

[chaos731]

Originally Posted by toneboy

While I've only dealt with MF once and the deal went down fine, I've bought a lot of gear through Sweetwater and they're always perfect. I especially like the free candy I get with each order.

Yeah, man...Sweetwater is phenomenal. I wish their online stock was a little more robust. My service rep (they assign everybody a rep) actually calls me after each order, and then to make sure I've received everything in one piece. They make recommendations, give real-world suggestions, and they tend to be very up-to-date on their information.

The candy doesn't hurt, either.

I've still got a couple of Bit 'o' Honey's left from my last order.
Mmmmmm....bit 'o' honey...nnnnnunnggh.

Musician's Friend USED to be more like that, man. Now, I just can't stomach 'em anymore. Their "service" ticks me off to no end.

[Freedom777]

Hey can someone send me a link to Sweetwaters site? I've never heard of them...

[jallen]

Sweetwater is part of Musician's Friend, or used to be at least. And Guitar Center is part of that group as well. It's a big happy family!

[TongueShredder]

Originally Posted by jallen

Sweetwater is part of Musician's Friend, or used to be at least. And Guitar Center is part of that group as well. It's a big happy family!

Haha we have a cartel here

[ScottB]

Originally Posted by jallen

Sweetwater is part of Musician's Friend, or used to be at least. And Guitar Center is part of that group as well. It's a big happy family!

jallen, I think you're very wrong about the MF / Sweetwater connection.

Anyone in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area looking for a job? Looks like they're going to be hiring over 200 new employees over the next 2 years.

This was clipped from their website...

AN INTRODUCTION TO SWEETWATER

Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sweetwater is the nation's leading music technology and musical instrument retailer. The company sprang from humble roots, but over the past 27 years has achieved incredible success and continues to experience unprecedented meteoric growth. This success and growth can be attributed to the vision and instincts of its founder, and the efforts of the stellar personnel he has assembled to staff his company.

Founder
Chuck Surack, President and Founder of Sweetwater, Inc., has been a musician and a salesman for as long as he can remember. As a child he sold hundreds of potholders ("Fifteen cents each or two for a quarter!") door-to-door, which he wove from loops of yarn he purchased by the vanload. He grew and sold hot banana peppers and won several sales contests. While other children were delivering a few newspapers door-to-door, Chuck sought out apartment complexes where he could deliver papers by the hundreds.

As a musician, Chuck toured with professional bands, and became interested in technology and recording. He purchased a TEAC 3340 four-track reel-to-reel recorder, and began making location recordings of local bands from the back of his VW bus, wheeling the tape machine and multitrack recordings into the living room of his mobile home for mixdown and post-production.


THE SWEETWATER STORY

How do you go from a portable 4-track recording rig in a Volkswagon bus to being the nation's leading retailer of professional recording and music equipment?

Chuck founded Sweetwater as a recording studio in Fort Wayne in 1979. The business was first located in his home on Getz Road, then moved to a subsequent home on Bass Road. Initially the fledgling company focused on providing recording services to local and national artists and businesses.

Two things prompted the leap from recording studio to music retailer. The first was Chuck's frustration with being unable to find a reliable, knowledgeable music technology retailer. Prices were outrageous, and after-sale technical service and support for the sophisticated electronics he used in his studio were non-existent.

Then, in the early 1980s, the revolutionary Kurzweil K250 appeared. This groundbreaking keyboard gave musicians and composers access to realistic orchestral and other sounds, opening new possibilities for music composition and performance. Chuck created his own sound library for the keyboard, and quickly gained a national reputation as an expert at programming the instrument. Renowned musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, and other top names began consulting with Chuck, purchasing K250 factory options and upgrades through him. Recognizing the industry's need for a new, dependable, customer-oriented approach to the musical instrument and professional audio sales channel, Sweetwater became a Kurzweil dealer to fulfill these requests.

As Chuck's expertise became known and the industry grew more sophisticated, those original K250 customers returned again and again for product advice. The company began representing more product lines, and rapidly developed and implemented its unique philosophy of relationship-based selling � treating customers as friends �and unmatched pre- and post-sale customer service.

Sweetwater's primary emphasis quickly shifted from recording studio to music retailer. A new building was constructed on Bass Road and was expanded four times to keep up with the skyrocketing growth of the company. But even that wasn't enough, as the company quickly grew to nearly 220 employees. In late 2005, Sweetwater began the process of moving to their new headquarters, located at the intersection of Kroemer Road and U.S. Highway 30. The location's 38,000-square-foot building will be expanded to a total of 150,000 square feet with the addition of a 40,0000-square-foot state-of-the-art distribution center, a rich-media auditorium and recording studios designed by world-renowned acoustician and studio designer Russ Berger, and a technical training center on a 44-acre property that will allow plenty of room for Sweetwater's massive projected growth: 175 additional full-time employees and $150 million in annual sales by 2009, and $180 million in annual sales and 450 total employees by 2010.

Industry Recognition
Today, Sweetwater is recognized as one of the most successful and fastest-growing music retailers in the nation. The company has been named to Inc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies three years in a row, and has received the Music Inc. magazine REX Award for excellence in retailing. The company annually earns dozens of other awards from magazines, manufacturers, and independent manufacturer representative firms. Regionally and locally, Sweetwater has been the winner of many awards, including a 2006 Torch Award for outstanding business ethics, integrity, and honesty.

In its December 2005 issue, Music Inc. magazine named Sweetwater the "Independent Retailer Of The Year," acknowledging the industry-wide respect the Fort Wayne retailer commands, noting in the accompanying article, "Sweetwater dominates an ever-increasing share of the pro audio and recording market through honorable treatment of both its customers and employees." The article went on to point out that Sweetwater's dedication to customer service is well known, stating, "Musicians, sound engineers, manufacturers, and even competitors know that Sweetwater aims to satisfy customers at all costs."

Customer Service Orientation
Sweetwater embraces a customer-oriented relationship-based approach to sales. Each customer works one-on-one with a Sales Engineer, developing a long-term relationship between the two that has myriad benefits to the customer. The highly skilled, well trained, and knowledgeable Sales Engineers serve as consultants to their customers, helping guide them to make the best purchase decisions for their unique applications and requirements. In order to support the demands of these personal customer relationships, Sweetwater operates on the cutting edge of technology, utilizing a custom-engineered networked database that allows immediate access to any required information on customers and customer correspondence, transactions, inventory, and products. The database is completely integrated with the company's state-of-the-art telephone system, as well as with vendor shipping systems for accurate tracking of all incoming and outgoing shipments.

The company recruits the best from throughout the industry to serve as Sales Engineers. These professionals come from around the nation to Fort Wayne, bringing with them years of experience in music, pro audio, live sound, and recording. Each Sales Engineer-candidate receives more than three months of intensive training on music and audio technology, and must pass a battery of exams before being officially conferred with the title "Sales Engineer." New and veteran Sales Engineers � even the most senior and long-tenured Sales Engineers � continue to receive training on a daily basis, keeping them current with the industry's ever-changing technology. Respected authorities including Robert Moog, Dave Smith, George Massenburg, Frank Filipetti, Russ Berger, Roger Linn, Bob Clearmountain, Roger Nichols, Craig Anderton, Hartley Peavey, and many others have all come to Sweetwater to educate and train the Sales Engineers through seminars and workshops.

Future Plans
Chuck plans to continue expanding Sweetwater, providing exceptional customer service and career opportunities for current and future employees. Approximately 99% of Sweetwater's current annual sales are to domestic customers. The international market for the products the company sells is estimated at $8.3 billion by the National Association of Music Merchants. The company plans to pursue these markets using its web site and through advertising in international publications. It has also hired and is actively recruiting multi-lingual sales and service professionals

[Freedom777]

Disregard the edited message...So where can I find out about them?

[ScottB]

Originally Posted by Freedom777

Disregard the edited message...So where can I find out about them?

http://www.sweetwater.com/

[ScottB]

Musicians Friend has had problems with prompt customer service since they moved into their "new and improved, state of the art" distribution center, last November.

[DEADTUNES666]

I've always had problems with them...

[ButchRG]

Sweetwater and MF are in no way related. For those who may not be aware: MF and "Music 1-2-3" ARE sister companies and all of their merchandise ships (or doesn't ship as it were) from the same location. In my experience, MF's service has been on the decline for a while now.

Sweetwater's service on the other hand absolutely ROCKS. I have a dedicated customer service rep who knows my entire order history (off the top of her head...not from the computer), is familiar with syles of music I play and the gear I use. She places follow up calls to ensure that I'm satisfied with my orders and generally provides a level of service that MF never has.

PS: This is NOT a paid endorsement. LOL Just an objective opinion from someone who has dealt with both companies.

[Freedom777]

Originally Posted by ScottB

http://www.sweetwater.com/

Thanks Scott !

[chaos731]

Glad there's so much love for Sweetwater. Bob Mondok is my "dedicated service rep"...has been on and off for, let's see, about six years at this point.

Yeah, whereas he didn't sell me every piece of gear I own, he still knows every piece of gear I own. He knows my setup, is the point. They actually hand-pick their reps, and make them get "continuing education credits" by going to trade shows and seminars and stuff. These folks really know their stuff. They're not always the absolute cheapest source, but they're the best gear suppliers I've ever dealt with.

I'm tellin' you, folks...I'm so sick of MF it's not even funny. And no...Sweetwater isn't now and has never been related to MF in any way. In fact, I think Bob would take that personally if he ever heard anyone say that.

Just in the past two months, I've dropped a probably a couple of grand at Sweetwater...they're my choice from now on, in general.

[TommyGuitar]

Not long ago I ordered a PA system package for my basement from MF. Everything came and worked fine, except one loudspeaker was badly damaged. So, I had to drive back across the border (I live 5 mins from the US border- save loads by shipping to my US box!) to return it. That wasn't that big of a deal. Eventually I got a new loudspeaker, and everything was good.

Somehow later, they shipped a whole new PA system to the mailbox and billed me for it. I returned that and I was starting to get a bit irritated. Then they sent another PA system WITHOUT the loudspeaker. Sent that back, too. What the hell? I called them and told them if they sent one more thing that I'm keeping it. They said that there was nothing coming and I could keep it if there was anything.

A week later another loudspeaker came in! So I kept it. They told me I could themselves.