Geddy Lee sig acceptable?

[deathpanda]

I know I should have said something as soon as it arrived. At first I was totally chuffed with the bass, it sounded awesome through my practice amp, and to me, it sounded amazing through an ampeg at a college gig. For some reason though, I don't know why, I didn't care about the action and A string, I got a Geddy Lee bass for £400... Now some of my friends have pointed out that I could have got a much better bass for the money, and the condition wasn't anywhere near good enough for what I paid. It's finally all kicked in and I just feel... 400 quid short...

[6stringbassist]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. [b]I[/b] would [b]never[/b] buy a bass from anywhere that I wasn't able to see and try first.

I bought my Jaydee from a guy on here, I drove all the way from Birmingham to Kilmarnock to collect it. He was a really cool guy and the bass was as he descibed it, [b]but[/b] I didn't know that until I'd met him, and seen the bass.

[aznbass]

Im fairly sure that if you used paypal, you will only get refunded if he has the money in his paypal account, even if you claim it or dispute it, i would put in a dispute, hoping he doesnt know that paypal cant do sh*t.

I bought a cheap 5 string from america a while ago, it arrived with a crack in the headstock, but the seller was cool about it and refunded me fully, including the postage and the import duty.

[SS73]

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='669302' date='Nov 29 2009, 06:06 PM']I've said it before, and I'll say it again. [b]I[/b] would [b]never[/b] buy a bass from anywhere that I wasn't able to see and try first.

I bought my Jaydee from a guy on here, I drove all the way from Birmingham to Kilmarnock to collect it. He was a really cool guy and the bass was as he descibed it, [b]but[/b] I didn't know that until I'd met him, and seen the bass.[/quote]

I'm going to drive from Hereford to Brighton Gak to try and get the best Geddy I can find from the bunch they have, trying a bass first will give you an idea if you have picked up a piece of Bog oak and to avoid it.

[deathpanda]

Lesson learned. This is my first instrument I have bought without playing it first, I guess it was just an impulse buy. I gotta say though, I absolutely fu*king love the sound of the bass.

[deathpanda]

[quote name='SS73' post='669407' date='Nov 29 2009, 08:00 PM']I'm going to drive from Hereford to Brighton Gak to try and get the best Geddy I can find from the bunch they have, trying a bass first will give you an idea if you have picked up a piece of Bog oak and to avoid it.[/quote]

Have you asked if they're in stock? I traveled there to buy a guitar advertised as in stock on their website, not knowing that the site is the shop's sister company... it was out of stock. Luckily I found a better guitar thanks to the help of the staff, and it still remains one of my best purchases ever.

Edited November 29, 2009 by deathpanda

[redstriper]

[quote name='aznbass' post='669312' date='Nov 29 2009, 06:25 PM']Im fairly sure that if you used paypal, you will only get refunded if he has the money in his paypal account, even if you claim it or dispute it, i would put in a dispute, hoping he doesnt know that paypal cant do sh*t.[/quote]

In my experience, paypal take complaints very seriously and tend to favour the buyer when it comes to refunds.
They will take the money from the seller's account leaving a negative balance if there aren't enough funds.
This balance of this amount will then be taken from his agreed funding source.
They will put the money into suspense until the buyer and seller agree a solution.
If an amicable solution cannot be reached after a certain date, paypal will decide the outcome.
They may ask for evidence of the nature of the item not being as described eg. photos and/or written evidence from an independant expert (luthier etc).

This may have changed, but I am speaking from experience having been through a few paypal disputes and seen things from both sides.

Another approach is to contact your credit card issuer (presuming you paid by credit card whiich is always the best way).
They will complain to paypal on your behalf and may issue a charge back, which means they refund your payment regardless of the paypal decision.
This will depend on the card company - some do and some don't do charge backs.

Then there's trading standards who may also support your case.

Before you do any of the above, contact the seller, tell him how you feel and ask for a refund.
He may be happy to do that and it will save a lot of time and trouble.

What you shouldn't do is what you are doing and accept an item that was not as described and is not to your satisfaction.

I have been dealing on ebay for nearly 10 years and seen a few disputes - all have been resolved successfully and correctly without any need for negative feedback or bad feeling.
You have nothing to lose by following my advice.

[deathpanda]

[quote name='redstriper' post='669623' date='Nov 29 2009, 11:23 PM']Before you do any of the above, contact the seller, tell him how you feel and ask for a refund.
He may be happy to do that and it will save a lot of time and trouble.


I have been dealing on ebay for nearly 10 years and seen a few disputes - all have been resolved successfully and correctly without any need for negative feedback or bad feeling.
You have nothing to lose by following my advice.[/quote]

Thanks for the lengthy post, very informative. However, I took the bass 'round a family friends house today to have a look. He says the serious damage is purely cosmetic and that he can fix everything else. I'm not sure how much he will ask, especially after finding the right screws for the saddle (he says I will probably have to buy a whole set) but I have sent a message to the seller just now, saying how I feel about it and if he thinks it's reasonable to give me the money for the repair. If he doesn't reply, I will have to go through PayPal, how you described.

On an unrelated note, whilst I have a thread active I may as well ask; anyone know a good site to get a black Jazz bass scratchguard from, for a good price? All the sites I have found seem to be pretty steep, apart from ebay, which I don't even wanna look at right now.

*edit*
I should add, whilst I do care about the cosmetics, a few dents and a dip in the neck is something I can live with. In a few years, when I have accumulated a plethora of basses (I can see it now...), a few dents in some of them is going to remind me of the good and bad times, and give them character that will make them special, and only to me.

Edited November 29, 2009 by deathpanda

[deathpanda]

Also, here is the message I sent:

[quote]Hello, I'm not here to be an ass or anything, but due to the damage of the bass that wasn't in the description, I have been advised to request money for a repair. I'm totally happy with the price I paid for something that would have cost more, but it was a lot of money for me and I don't have the money to have the action lowered, the saddle fixed, and another thing you forgot to mention in the description; the e string is quieter than the rest of the strings. It is within my legal right to get a full refund at this stage, but I'm genuinely not doing this to be spiteful, so I think the money for a simple repair would be reasonable. What do you think?[/quote]

I'm keeping my cool, and being nice. If I don't get a reply I will go apesh*t.