Silvia Bluejay

On Sunday, according to this: [url="http://www.londonbassguitarshow.com/masterclasses.html"]http://www.londonbassguitarshow.com/masterclasses.html[/url]

I have received the label for sending the bass back to them via UPS for free. Plus i've got all the emails we've exchanged. I don't think they could decide that it was my fault, really, but if they do, the CEO will get a massive complaint. I have found Thomann's customer service to be dreadfully slow and inefficient and plan to let the CEO know when the saga is over. I have asked for a full refund in all the documents I'm enclosing. I guess there might be differences between what I paid originally and what I will get back due to the exchange rate with the euro, as they'll refund euros not Sterling.

But they're not coming to the London Bass Guitar Show this March. They're not in the list of exhibitors. Bah humbug.

I was actually planning to tell them! I'm not doing anything wrong or dishonest, just making sure I don't depend on their silly schedules for replacement.

A bit risky too. Fingers crossed.

New twist to this seemingly endless saga - I've had a lightbulb moment and emailed Thomann's Customer Service declaring that I want a full refund. Then I logged on to My Thomann and bought the same bass all over again. In theory, that should ensure a 'replacement' - a new one - arrives more or less at the same time I dispatch the old one back to Thomann. Hopefully. (It even cost me a few pounds less than last time, as the euro appears to have gone down a little against Sterling.) If something goes wrong, I'll find myself with two identical basses...

I'm hoping that's what they will tell me in their answer! They seem to operate a one-email-a-day-per-client policy so conversations are almost unbearably slow, at least for a Londoner used to dealing with scores of emails a day

I made a point of asking them first thing in my email above, as they mentioned at least four weeks' wait in their previous messages - that is, they collect the bass from me, they send it back to Warwick, they wrangle a bit about getting a refund themselves etc. and THEN and only then do they send me a new one. That wouldn't be good enough. I hope they'll clarify.

Another round of emails, and we're stuck at the same point as before. From Thomann: Hi there, Thank you for the email. You can return the guitar for a refund or for a replacement. We need to send the bass back to the manufacturer and claim the damage with them. We can't send you a new bass before you return the faulty one. We can arrange for somebody to collect it , if you can't bring it to the post office. Please let us know what you decide. We are sorry for the inconvenience. --- My reply: If I allow you to collect the bass, how long before you send a new one back to me? Please note that, if you insist on "four weeks", you will be falling foul of European legislation on distance selling. The law requires exchange or refund within a reasonable time, in the case of the manufacturer's fault, so that the customer, who is not at fault at all, is not unduly inconvenienced. Since I need the bass for practising - that's the reason why I bought it in the first place - I CANNOT legally be required to wait more than the two or three days that it took to reach me whan I bought it in the first place. So you either replace it immediately, as I mentioned before, or refund me part of its price and I'll accept to keep the bass as it is, or face a massive legal complaint from me. Please reply promptly. Thank you, Silvia ---------------- I may have been bluffing a bit in my reply, but they're asking for it. Not sure whether to laugh or cry.

[quote name='philparker' timestamp='1326794785' post='1501927'] I know the question has already been answered, numerous times, but I thought I would chip in with my first post after lurking for some time... ...I started off playing with a lined fretless and found myself concentrating on positioning my fingers be line of sight, but since moving to a non-lined ebony fretless playing be ear and moving by muscle-memory and ear is definitely the way to go - and practising pieces to get the right sound. Of course the set up and intonation is much more important on a fretless so it is worth checking it out. [/quote] I totally agree - I wouldn't have wanted a lined fretless, and I've been using the ear+muscle memory on the upright since I took it up. On the upright I had to create an appropriate muscle memory from scratch, while the fretless is (predictably) proving easier to tackle. Thank you all again - you've been fantastic with your help and advice.

[quote name='janmaat' timestamp='1326788652' post='1501818'] Why wait? I mean, it's up to you, but changing bridge height and position on an electric guitar is a simple operation that takes seconds... just make sure you've got the correct tool, and do like 1/4 turn at a time, so you can go back any moment. I would think its's better to just correct that imperfect setup rather than getting used to a wrongly tuned instrument. I find it astonishing how many people are spooked by bridge adjustment - anyone with a tuner and a good ear can do that, it's not harder than tuning the strings from the other end, in my finding. [/quote] Two reasons for waiting - 1. the need for acclimatisation, as it's brand new, and 2. the possibility that Thomann will ask me to exchange the bass as opposed to offer a part refund for a scratch (see this thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/164869-scratch-in-brand-new-warwick-rockbass/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/164869-scratch-in-brand-new-warwick-rockbass/[/url]).

LOL Thank you, Geoff, for managing to refrain from pointing out how many double and triple entendres could be found in ras's post

Aw, thank you!

In my case, ends of fingers - tiny but I do hear you, Rob. I'm slowly getting there - it's less daunting than the upright, after all.

Thank you Mark and discreet. No reply yet. I did offer them the option to part reimburse me though, which is by far the cheapest thing they could do without getting into any trouble whatsoever. We'll see.

I don't remember having had to click on their T&C when I purchased. Anyway, I hope they'll be reasonable and avoid a huge storm of bad publicity...

I sent them a further note telling them that I have no own transport and cannot take the big box with the bass to the post office. I'm going to be tough on this.

Damn, you're right, hadn't noticed that.I'll email them straight away! On a more serious note, I got this email a few minutes ago: --- hi there, Thank you for the email and the photos. Please return the faulty unit back to us for replacement. Please send the unit in its original condition with all the accessories in the original box with the labels which you will receive within few hours in a separate e-mail. You can print the label, stick it firmly on the parcel and take the parcel to nearest post office to be sent. Pack the unit as good as possible so that the possibility of a further transport damage would be at its minimum and in case of one, we could get the courier responsible for it. Please include a message with your contact details, reason for return (written fault description) and your wishes for the procedures made with this specific return. Within 30 days from purchase, we can exchange the item under the following conditions: -The unit needs to be in mint condition. -No dog ears on manuals. -Original packaging and accessories needs to be returned as well. If these terms are not met or the 30 days is clearly over, we will instead repair the unit for you. Please observe! Normal repair time is 3-4 weeks from the time we receive the returned item until we can send it back to you. Unfortunately we cannot lend you a product during this time. Repair info only: In case where the technician states that the fault was accidentaly caused by you, we can not cover any of the shipping costs nor repair the unit under warranty. I don't think that is the case but I am obliged to let you know this before hand. --- My reply: Thank you, but surely this is no way to make amends - four weeks!! I do not accept your offer of a replacement as stated. If you send a new, good bass in the next couple of days, AND NO LATER, and collect the other one at the same time as you deliver it to me, I can accept that. That would be the ONLY way I could accept an exchange. Asking me to wait longer is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE under any point of view. As a less preferable alternative, I request from you a partial refund on the price of the bass, so that I can pay a luthier to repair the bass here in London. Please reply without delay. Best regards, Silvia ------------- I think their suggestion is an insult, TBH.

Haha I wasn't up for the sake of it, on certain days I may have to be up at crazy times because I work online with countries in different time zones. So I was in bed by 2am last night and today I was up at 5:30am.

LOOL I'm not, but I know the feeling! But hopefully this year they'll have a lower profile as there's no Mark King gig?

Yes Mark, please join our jolly - er - motley crew...

Yum! Thanks It's satin black, which means very dark brown in fact, and the grain of the wood underneath the finish is still visible. I chose it in preference to the normal jet black - which was available too - like that of my upright and my Crafter (my very first never-touched-a-bass-before student instrument).

PS Discreet, forgot to thank you for liking the pics! I love my new baby, scratched or otherwise... and I'm also beginning to sound all right on it. Will keep you guys posted on progress in the Thomann refund saga

It's there, if you know where to look. It's very visible in some photos I've taken but chosen not to publish, as these were better.

OK so if it works (I HATE Flickr from the bottom of my heart), here is the link to the whole set of 10 pics of the new baby, scratch and all [media]http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluejay_my_photos/sets/72157628882162125/[/media] Edit: I confirm that I detest Flickr.