Not massively impressed with Guitar Village.

[Angel]

I sent an online enquiry about a £2.2K bass 2 weeks ago. They didn't bother getting back to me. Never mind, I'm now spending around 2K less on my next bass. Not from there either.

[M@23]

I've had two big purchases with them in the past - they were ok. Just ok, really. Not massively friendly or welcoming, or seemingly that appreciative for the custom. But, I like the shop and they have some great stock. They're certainly not the worst big guitar shop south of London, in my experience. But, not the best either.

[wateroftyne]

Yeah. IMO a post like this based on one failed attempt at a email communication is a bit harsh.

[JapanAxe]

I've visited a few times and have no complaints.

[ikay]

I spent an hour there a couple of weeks ago trying out some of thier vintage basses and was very well looked after by Derek and his staff. I rang them before going over which might have helped. They have a good range of basses including custom shop and vintage.

[ezbass]

I've visited the shop a couple of times and bought stuff, I rather like it and have found the staff to be of a good standard, although that was a while back. My impression of them is that are a an old style shop and the web presence/internet seller is kind of a second string to their bow. However, that doesn't excuse ignoring enquiries if they received them.

[Angel]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1399670477' post='2446635']
Yeah. IMO a post like this based on one failed attempt at a email communication is a bit harsh.
[/quote]

Yeah, point taken.

I went there once and they gave me a free hand to walk around trying any acoustic guitar I cared to pick up, so I can't really moan about them. Apologies GV, I take it back!

[franzbassist]

They are my local shop, but I've only been in a couple of times in the 18 years I've lived in the area...

Once was to help a mate buy a Taylor acoustic, and the other was to try out a Jack Casady: they looked after me just fine both times.

I sent them an email a few weeks ago asking about a bass and never received a reply...

[ezbass]

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1399712655' post='2446846']

I sent them an email a few weeks ago asking about a bass and never received a reply...
[/quote]I'm sensing a theme here.

[JapanAxe]

I wonder:[list]
[*]How many speculative emails they get each day;
[*]Whether someone has been given the job of answering them; and
[*]What proportion of those enquiries would turn into sales that would not have happened if they had gone unanswered?
[/list]
IMO those are the questions that GV (or any other shop with an online presence) needs to consider before setting an 'email response policy'.

Edited May 10, 2014 by JapanAxe

[BassTractor]

Here's one answer from one shop at least, JapanAxe.
In my case, my now defunkt firm used to import and distribute as well, but mainly functioned as a a sea kayaking specialist and sea kayaking school.

Now, in my shop heydays, I'd work outside most of the day, and often from 7 AM to 11 PM, and I would start answering e-mails from 11 PM til I dropped and just had to get some sleep.
I've many times calculated what it would cost if I were to answer every question properly. In my case that was roughly 8 hours - a full job.

Mind you: in what follows, I'm not saying a thing about Angel's or Walbassist's e-mails to the shop, or the shop in question's lack of answering, as I know none of them.
So please do not feel that I'm telling Angel or Walbassist anything with it. It's only trying to answer JapanAxe.

Anyway, my personal experience is that customers asking questions by e-mail statistically share some things.
They tend to:
- ask questions that are easily and quickly formulated
- ask questions that take an enormous time to answer
- not volunteer any information that might help me help them better
- not volunteer any information that might help me reduce the time used on answering
- never come back and actually buy something

Most of these customers would get our e-mail address from the Contact Us page on our website. So, I dealt with this, on the Contact Us page, by letting people know what I needed from them to help them.
After that, I never noticed any really statistical difference, but did get a tiny amount of e-mails referring to that and indeed giving me the info I needed.

I've also tried to answer these e-mails by friendly and politely asking for the info I needed - to little avail.

The last five or six years, I've been hard as a nail, about it:
If I like your e-mail, I will answer fully.
If don't like your e-mail, I will answer in short terms and asking for more information - - still friendly, mind.
In severe cases I will not answer at all.

One striking example of what an e-mail from a customer could look like in severe cases, where kayak A is sold by me and kayak B is sold by a competitor:

- "Sea kayak A versus sea kayak B. Advantages/disadvantages. Elaborate!"

Yes, this was an actual e-mail I received - only translated to English, and the kayaks' names removed.

[Angel]

A useful reply, however, I do wonder why people set up an email address and court questions when they can't be bothered to answer, or if they don't have time to answer. I tried buying pickups from someone a couple of years ago, he answered my first enquiry, but then I could get nothing else out of him in terms or ordering. It was very frustrating so I went to eBay and bought an alternative instead. I was clearly committed to an order. I had trouble with a luthier as well, tried to throw a chunk of money his way but he never answered emails. I eventually found that phoning was fine but email enquiries were ignored 90% of the time. Worst of the lot is Chapman sticks in America, who never seem to answer anyones emails (well documented). If you aren't going to respond, for any reason, don't set it up as a route of enquiry!

[BassTractor]

Oh, I forgot:
Based on the experience described above, I gave up in 2013, and removed the e-mail address from the website.
I'd still receive e-mails of course, and would still answer, but those e-mails would likely be from "inner circles" in sea kayaking, and I would happily tell them what kayak they needed to look at, from which shop. Also, these people are more likely than the average e-mailer to give revenue to some shop, somewhere, and they're more likely to volunteer important info.


[quote name='Angel' timestamp='1399727727' post='2447077']
I do wonder why people set up an email address and court questions when they can't be bothered to answer, or if they don't have time to answer.
[ . ]
If you aren't going to respond, for any reason, don't set it up as a route of enquiry!
[/quote]

In an attempt to answer, and certainly not thought to be an exhausting answer:
Maybe they originally thought e-mail is a good idea, and handy.
Maybe they think that [b]some[/b] of those mails may be worth it.
Maybe they overestimated their ability to answer e-mails, or overestimated the revenue generated.
Maybe they're cynical about it and use e-mail as a last resort of possible revenue, only using it when other sources dry up.
I don't know.

What I do know is that most firms are very afraid of closing routes of communication, and they may well keep an e-mail address visible almost solely out of fear. Though I'd take a guess and presume many aren't even aware of all the implications of closing or keeping the e-mail route.

Other than that, I think I disagree with your "for any reason" bit. I think there are plenty of good reasons to not respond. But I do think it's good to have a statement about the terms of using the e-mail route, like I myself had on my site - - even when most prospective customers are not likely to oblige.

Edited May 10, 2014 by BassTractor

[Angel]

Good answer again Basstractor!

[BassTractor]

Thanks, man.

[Bassman Steve]

I went to the shop once - with my young daughter - and was told, by the owner, that I couldn't go upstairs (where the vintage guitars were). This was at a time I still owned all the nice old Precisions I had once. I couldn't be bothered to explain that she was used to being round far more rare stuff than he had so just left and never went back.

I'm sure he doesn't care but that attitude put me off. Oh. I remember them having a Precision in there that had been right royally messed about (it had two jack sockets I recall). Nothing on it worked properly and the idiot (lying) salesman tried to tell me it was all ok and designed that way.

No time for the place at all, seemingly run by a snob employing liars to try and make sales.

Edited May 11, 2014 by Bassman Steve

[iconic]

One mail to a company, no follow up, big deal, then you flame them publicly on here, goes beyond harsh in my books.

Over 2 grand to lay on a bass is big money, why not pick the phone up and talk....I run my own company and in my experience since 1995. Well the uncomfortable truth is that [i][b]messor's mail, customers call.[/b][/i]

....I reckon you should be upfront and cut them some slack, me thinks you didn't [i]really[/i] want that bass after all

Edited May 11, 2014 by iconic

[Angel]

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1399792757' post='2447583']
One mail to a company, no follow up, big deal, then you flame them publicly on here, goes beyond harsh in my books.
[/quote]

In all fairness, I have backtracked since my first comment and apologised! (post 8)

[thepurpleblob]

I appreciate it's different but a major part of my job is providing support via email. The vast majority of emails assume - in some regard - that I am a mind reader. I have a simple policy - I do a quick reply asking them for more basic information. 75% don't come back. It can't be that important then

[Angel]

Sent a question over to Bass Direct and got a reply the next morning. Much better service!

[neepheid]

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1399792757' post='2447583']
One mail to a company, no follow up, big deal, then you flame them publicly on here, goes beyond harsh in my books.

Over 2 grand to lay on a bass is big money, why not pick the phone up and talk....I run my own company and in my experience since 1995. Well the uncomfortable truth is that [i][b]messor's mail, customers call.[/b][/i]

....I reckon you should be upfront and cut them some slack, me thinks you didn't [i]really[/i] want that bass after all
[/quote]

I think that's unfair and presumptuous. I prefer to email, I'm not very confident on the phone, I don't enjoy phoning people I don't know. Email is way more comfortable for me, and I'm no timewaster - if I make an enquiry about something it's because I want to buy it.

[BetaFunk]

I've bought a couple of basses from GV and always found them o.k.

I even enquired about a bass they had in their sale that had finished a few days ago and they said that i could have the bass at the sale price. Can't say fairer than that. This was over the phone by the way as i'd never use email if i was seriously enquiring about buying a bass.

[Musicman20]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1400762773' post='2456731']
I've bought a couple of basses from GV and always found them o.k.

I even enquired about a bass they had in their sale that had finished a few days ago and they said that i could have the bass at the sale price. Can't say fairer than that. This was over the phone by the way as i'd never use email if i was seriously enquiring about buying a bass.
[/quote]

Problem is, depending on your job, email is actually better because you might not be able to make a personal call/get into a quiet area etc.

Email? Few seconds, discreet, done!

[Cameronj279]

I always try and email and just like Neepheid it's because I don't feel confident on phones. I feel more at ease when I email.

[randythoades]

I have used Guitar Village several times and always found them very good in store, helpful and good advice. I have not sent an email so can't comment on that, but I do run a small printing shop trying to survive in the modern internet world. Interestingly (or not) I agree with several posts. We get hundreds of emails every day to answer as well as customers in the shop. I treat emails in the same way I treat phone or personal enquiries. If someone has been genuine and polite in their request,I do my best to help them, even if that means that another company is best suited to their need. That customer may not spend money TODAY, but they may in the future or recommend me to someone else who I might not have dealt with before.
That said, 90% of the emails lead to nothing, on the other hand 10% do, usually higher job value than face to face enquiries. That percentage goes up to about 25% of face to face enquiries.
If the request in any format is rude or unfriendly then it will be treated in a polite but dismissive way.
Email requests have become such an accepted way to do business that we are considering closing our door to general public and only take orders via phone or email. I can generally deal with 20 email or telephone enquires every hour compared with maybe 4 personal ones. That is an order per hour conversion rate of 2 to 1.

Makes you think.