Forum Etiquette

[Quarter]

Its a fine line between just bashing a company because your not happy or letting others know of a serious problem to avoid.

I for one am glad that I got the heads up as I was about to place an order with these guys.

[fryovanni]

Its a fine line between just bashing a company because your not happy or letting others know of a serious problem to avoid.

I for one am glad that I got the heads up as I was about to place an order with these guys.

It is not really a fine line. It is really pretty straight forward. Use public forums to give honest reviews and feedback, there is nothing wrong with that. Don't use forums to pressure a company by threat of damaging their reputation. The difference is clear.

If I buy ten truss rods from company X, and they are made poorly or have issues. I should feel free to tell the world what my opinion of these truss rods is. If I buy a tool and it does not work well (no flaw in the product, just poor design), I should speak up. If I think a tool is made poorly and will not last. I can offer that feedback(it is a review). If I buy a guitar from a custom shop, and like some things, but think they did poorly on certain aspects. SPEAK UP and be honest, of course you should let the builder know your thoughts first (maybe this is something they want to correct, or maybe they have just realised they have an issue with a batch of parts they were using). The key is you are not trying to get anything from your honest review, only pass on info to others.

If I bought a tool 6 months ago and the retail company I purchased it from offered a 60 day warrenty, and it fails. Now I want that company to replace the tool because I think it should have lasted longer. I ask them to replace it, they say it is past the warrenty period and they can't do anything. I tell them I am going to let the world(via forums) know what I think of them and their tools until they give me what I want. This is not ok.

If you buy a piece of wood from Hawaii, and you live in Tuscan AR. When you recieve the package the wood looks fine and you stack it on your work bench. A week later you come down and the wood is cracking a bit and cupping. Your bad for not knowing how to aclimate wood, but you have no clue and figure the wood is defective. You contact the vendor and they point out to you that they have information on how to aclimate the wood you recieved all over their site and in the order form you confirmed you had read before the order was processed. They will not give you back your money, as the product was fine. You want to force them to give you what you want, and tell them your posting about the crap they sell until they give you back your money. This is not ok.

Peace,Rich

[guitar101]

If you are talking about International Luthiers Supply, Inc. then you are not alone. A couple guys over at the Reranch forum have had trouble with them also. One guy ordered a loaded pickguard and it took for ever for them to send it and when they did they sent the wrong one. It took the guy several months to get it straighten out. Folks who run their business like this deserve to be outed. If they give poor customer service the only way someone else does not get owned by them is by word of mouth. I will not deal with them and I suggest you folks stay away from them as well.

Yeah that's who it is.

[Geo]

Yeah that's who it is.

Aha. They owe me about $20 for an out-of-stock refund. I've given up. I saved all the emails that I exchanged with an associate. He explained that the original owner had died and so the office was sort of in disarray. It doesn't bother me so much because it isn't much money.

I'll delete this post if it's inappropriate. But just FYI for others...

[soapbarstrat]

Same place that did a crappy substitute on some Dremel bits that were part of my order. I wanted those smallest straight flute bits, because I was milling out fret-slots at that time (early 90's). They had a better price on 'em than the local hardware place. Instead they send me these much bigger dove-tail cutters. Didn't bother to return 'em. Figured I'd eventually use the dove-tail cutters for other things. About 18 years later now, and one of the dove-tail cutters is still in the original sealed package.

[Racer X]

So long as you are merely recounting the facts, I see no problem with naming the party in question. In fact, I would encourage it, as you just may help keep a fellow forumite out of the same predicament. It's important to learn from your mistakes, but even MORE important to learn from others' mistakes.

[chrisd6528]

THANXS FOR THE HEADS UP

[hadum1]

Steve Brown is the owner of International Luthier's Supply at 1415 S. 70th Street in Tulsa, OK. His mother died last year, and she was the taskmaster, apparently. They have had more than 30 complaints filed against them with the Tulsa Better Business Bureau, including one from me. They've been "working" on three necks and a bow for me for almost three years. I paid about $600, and they've been saying "I'll have it next week" forever. Their phone is busy from 9-5, and they dont' respond to e-mail or fax. I've only been able to communicate with them when I drive to their location. "They're almost done -- I'll have them for you Friday," he says.

There are dozen's of folks who have relayed similar stories of them taking an order, charging a card then not filling the order. It's a shame, but you're almost guaranteed to lose your money if you try to trade with these folks. This isn't a vendetta or slander, it's a fact. Go to the Tulsa BBB and check them out. Last time I looked there were 17 complaints that Int. Luthier hadn't even responded to, and more than 30 filed. They ignored mine.