ricksterphil Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 I went there once when part chopping a bass for a new one. Mark was fine but the assistant was very 'couldn't care less'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ern500evo Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 I’ve had generally good experiences with them. Traded my Bongo for a Dingwall through them, went up on the day to do the trade, young guy was pretty friendly. Plugged me in, and let me get on with it, said he’d be in office if I had any questions or needed anything. Any online purchases have been smooth enough too. However, a friend of mine went there a few years back with the intention of spending a fair amount of money. Managed to get into a heated discussion with Mark, who basically told him that he didn’t know what he was talking about. My friend is a pro session player of approx 30yrs experience, who is NEVER short of work, so I’m guessing that he does actually know what he’s talking about. I have no idea what went on in that shop that day, but I do remember my, normally very placid, friend calling me on the way home and saying “I’d strangle that pillock before I ever give him a penny of my money”! Seems that we all have vastly different experiences of BD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 One thing to note, Mark is taking a battering on his personality here in this thread. I dont know him and have never met him, but part of me hopes that he doesn’t read it, because for some people taking this level of criticism can lead to mental health illness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 I’ve always had positive conversations with Mark and Ashley. Ive spent about £7k with them over 5 years, more than any other retailer… that says a fair bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeneythebass Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 Always had great service and dealings with Mark at Bass Direct, some peoples mustard is another’s mayonnaise 😂Or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binky_bass Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 (edited) 13 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said: One thing to note, Mark is taking a battering on his personality here in this thread. I dont know him and have never met him, but part of me hopes that he doesn’t read it, because for some people taking this level of criticism can lead to mental health illness. The service they offer can lead to mental health issues too. So far I'm at 69 emails and 10 months of grief. I have zero sympathy for his mental health issues based on comments that are as a result of his business's lack of fair service. Forgetting my personal experiences, there are far too many saying similar things for this to be over sensitive customers. If he doesn't want bad words said about his business, he has the ability to adjust what causes the negativity. If only positive feedback can be aired for fear of mental health issues then we are effectively living in censorship. Edited August 25, 2022 by binky_bass 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 I've bought a few things from Bass Direct over the years, starting from before the shop opened, and there has never been a problem. I popped in to the shop a few weeks back, for the first time in a few years, and Mark couldn't have been more welcoming. I didn't have any intentions of buying anything that day but he let me try anything I wanted, and we hung out and talked for a good hour. I've got a lot of time for Mark, and think he's a great guy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeneythebass Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 4 minutes ago, binky_bass said: The service they offer can lead to mental health issues too. So far I'm at 69 emails and 10 months of grief. I have zero sympathy for his mental health issues based on comments that are as a result of his business's lack of fair service. Forgetting my personal experiences, there are far too many saying similar things for this to be over sensitive customers. If he doesn't want bad words said about his business, he has the ability to adjust what causes the negativity. If only positive feedback can be aired for fear of mental health issues then we are effectively living in censorship. That doesn’t sound good bud! Really there should be some strong ‘service recovery’ when things mess up in any service sector business. Often if problems are handled well the customer will not lose faith at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldon Tyrell Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 5 minutes ago, Sweeneythebass said: That doesn’t sound good bud! Really there should be some strong ‘service recovery’ when things mess up in any service sector business. Often if problems are handled well the customer will not lose faith at all. That's a good point. There is even a concept called "service recovery paradox", which means that sometimes customers are even happier after a service failure got dealt with satisfactory (e.g., imagine you arrive at your hotel, your hotel has lost your reservation but apologizes and upgrades you to a suite). This paradox, however, does not always work, it depends on the situation and severity of the failure. For example, if your wedding photographer tells you after your lovely wedding that (s)he has lost or ruined your wedding photos, you won't be happy if told "Sorry for that but I will give you a 20% discount for your next wedding" (even though, statistically speaking, there will, most likely, be another wedding in the future ;- ) 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Horse Murphy Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 1 minute ago, Eldon Tyrell said: That's a good point. There is even a concept called "service recovery paradox", which means that sometimes customers are even happier after a service failure got dealt with satisfactory (e.g., imagine you arrive at your hotel, your hotel has lost your reservation but apologizes and upgrades you to a suite). This paradox, however, does not always work, it depends on the situation and severity of the failure. For example, if your wedding photographer tells you after your lovely wedding that (s)he has lost or ruined your wedding photos, you won't be happy if told "Sorry for that but I will give you a 20% discount for your next wedding" (even though, statistically speaking, there will, most likely, be another wedding in the future ;- ) I used to explain this phenomenon with a totem pole of faces starting with sad at the bottom, satisfied in the middle and happy at the top to show that if things go to plan, you're usually satisfied. It's only when things don't go to plan that you can really do something to take customer service and the customers' experience to above what they expect. Interesting psychology behind it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osiris Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 (edited) 44 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said: One thing to note, Mark is taking a battering on his personality here in this thread. I dont know him and have never met him, but part of me hopes that he doesn’t read it, because for some people taking this level of criticism can lead to mental health illness. Having had a number of dealings with Mark over the years, in person, over the phone and by email, I can't see him being too concerned about anything that has been said in this thread, he's very forthright and also has a very strong I know best attitude. That's just my opinion of him and I'm happy to be corrected on it. If you agree with him then all is well, if not... Nobody can deny that he's done really well for himself and that BD is possibly the most successful bass specialist shop in the UK right now. But it's clear from this thread that he has lost several sales over the years because of his attitude. Pre-covid this may not have been too much of a worry for him and he could perhaps have easily swallow those 'loses' for want of a better word. However, with everything going on in the world right now (and without getting sidetracked into what and why etc) and with the cost of pretty much everything going up peoples disposable incomes are going down proportionally. At a guess a significant percentage of his customers are hobbyist players (rather than pros who earn a fortune from music) and it's the hobbyists that are perhaps being, or more likely to the ones who have to prioritise where their disposable income is going. While he may currently be king of the hill there are other options out there, which from what I understand are offering a consistent, higher level of customer service. There are several people on this thread who have already said that they will no longer buy from BD, myself included. With all this in mind, I do wonder how sustainable his business model is and how it's likely to fare over the next few years. But I can't realistically see anything changing any time soon. Edited August 25, 2022 by Osiris Additional thoughts 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 28 minutes ago, binky_bass said: The service they offer can lead to mental health issues too. So far I'm at 69 emails and 10 months of grief. I have zero sympathy for his mental health issues based on comments that are as a result of his business's lack of fair service. Forgetting my personal experiences, there are far too many saying similar things for this to be over sensitive customers. If he doesn't want bad words said about his business, he has the ability to adjust what causes the negativity. If only positive feedback can be aired for fear of mental health issues then we are effectively living in censorship. He reads stuff when his name is attached to it. And so he should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osiris Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Osiris said: Duplicate post, ignore! Edited August 25, 2022 by Osiris Duplicate post, ignore! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldon Tyrell Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 1 minute ago, Old Horse Murphy said: I used to explain this phenomenon with a totem pole of faces starting with sad at the bottom, satisfied in the middle and happy at the top to show that if things go to plan, you're usually satisfied. It's only when things don't go to plan that you can really do something to take customer service and the customers' experience to above what they expect. Interesting psychology behind it. There is also the so-called Kano Model of Satisfaction that distinguishes between attributes that people take for granted and the ones that can delight them (and so-called one-dimensional ones too). For the take for granted ones, you can only avoid dissatisfaction but cannot achieve satisfaction. For example, when you arrive back in the UK after a nice holiday abroad and you grab your bag(s) or suitcase(s) from the luggage carousel, no one will be overly happy, you expect it to be there. However, people get very unhappy, when it is not there. The same applies to lots of utility services (think about electricity, water). No ones cares if they work, but people get mad if they don't. The delighting attributes are the ones that people do not expect. So you do not make people unhappy if you don't do them (because they don't expect them in the first place) but you can make people very happy if you do them. For example, if in a hotel they remember your favourite meals or drinks or surprise you with a room upgrade (without any prior service failure, maybe just to say thank you) etc), then customers will be very happy and probably tell their friends about it (positive WOM). Problem is that, over time, these delighters deteriorate and people start expecting them. You then need to come with something else and finding these delighters is not easy (people nowadays have high expectations, are well informed etc). Here is a nice video for an example: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 I have been dealing with Bass Direct for around 10 years now, and have had mostly positive experiences with a couple of not so positive ones. In Marks defence I would say that I have generally found him to be welcoming and accommodating with a positive attitude to resolving issues. When I have visited the store he always warmly welcomes me and we quite often chat about life and all sorts of things. I really quite like him. Obviously everyone has good days and bad days and you never quite know what people are struggling with personally that is affecting their reactions and behaviours. My interactions with some of his staff members over the years have been far less positive for reasons that I do not want to discuss publicly… but from reading this thread it would appear that there is some commonality with the experiences of others. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Horse Murphy Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 3 minutes ago, IanA said: I have been dealing with Bass Direct for around 10 years now, and have had mostly positive experiences with a couple of not so positive ones. In Marks defence I would say that I have generally found him to be welcoming and accommodating with a positive attitude to resolving issues. When I have visited the store he always warmly welcomes me and we quite often chat about life and all sorts of things. I really quite like him. Obviously everyone has good days and bad days and you never quite know what people are struggling with personally that is affecting their reactions and behaviours. My interactions with some of his staff members over the years have been far less positive for reasons that I do not want to discuss publicly… but from reading this thread it would appear that there is some commonality with the experiences of others. A great summary 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 1 hour ago, binky_bass said: The service they offer can lead to mental health issues too. So far I'm at 69 emails and 10 months of grief. I have zero sympathy for his mental health issues based on comments that are as a result of his business's lack of fair service. Forgetting my personal experiences, there are far too many saying similar things for this to be over sensitive customers. If he doesn't want bad words said about his business, he has the ability to adjust what causes the negativity. If only positive feedback can be aired for fear of mental health issues then we are effectively living in censorship. Attacking the business’ level of customer service is fine but when it is specifically directed at a person it’s out of order IMO. When comments are made about the bigger stores, it is the brand that is commented on, not the person(s) behind it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 (edited) Who do you think the business is ? Its one man, and he's responsible. No one can attack the business without personal attack because he IS the business Edited August 25, 2022 by fleabag 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 What a ridiculous thought. If a business owner, or an employee is a c0ck, I will call them out. If it's not the business owner, the employee is there representing the company. What do you think would happen if Martin Peterson was a c0ck to his customers? Or Rob Greene... or whoever from these small operations...? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 2 minutes ago, fleabag said: Who you think the business is ? Its one man, and he's responsible. No one can attack the business without personal attack because he IS the business It has been mentioned there are other assistants and I have been served there by others in the past. However, some criticism is coming across as mob mentality against an individual. It’s happened on here plenty in the past though so not sure why I’m surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 Asisstants in a one man business don't set business protocol, or indeed have a say in how to run the owners business. Not sure what the hell you're on about , this ' mob mentality ' ? We have people posting about their satisfactory dealings and we have people posting about their unsatisfactory dealings. Where's the mob part of this ? If you cant stand people posting negative stuff about bad dealings, you're in the wrong thread 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 5 minutes ago, fleabag said: Asisstants in a one man business don't set business protocol, or indeed have a say in how to run the owners business. Not sure what the hell you're on about , this ' mob mentality ' ? We have people posting about their satisfactory dealings and we have people posting about their unsatisfactory dealings. Where's the mob part of this ? If you cant stand people posting negative stuff about bad dealings, you're in the wrong thread If you can’t see it fair enough. Difference of opinion ect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 A difference of opinion. It's exactly what i DO see, and you don't. This mob mentality you speak of is a mystery 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroydiamond Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 Some years ago I phoned them ready to pull the trigger on a rather expensive but well reviewed amp and cap, with credit card in hand. Not sure who I was talking to, but they enquired as to my go to bass and promptly tried to convince me that it was rubbish (a boutique £4.5k bass that I loved) and needed replacing. I brought my business elsewhere 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted August 25, 2022 Share Posted August 25, 2022 6 minutes ago, leroydiamond said: Some years ago I phoned them ready to pull the trigger on a rather expensive but well reviewed amp and cap, with credit card in hand. Not sure who I was talking to, but they enquired as to my go to bass and promptly tried to convince me that it was rubbish (a boutique £4.5k bass that I loved) and needed replacing. I brought my business elsewhere Do you mind if i ask what the bass was ? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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