“Just for context, I am a touring guitar tech who has also worked in music stores over the years, as well a luthier, making custom instruments for clients all over the world. I've toured since the late 80's with many of the bands you know and love, and I'd like to think I know a thing or two about working in music retail, as well as how to value customers. So here we go. I bought a Dingwall bass from the Bass Direct UK website on the 18th of July, in total it came to around AUD$4000. That's a lot of money for most people. However, Dingwall's are expensive, as is shipping, so I have no problem at all with the amount they charged. When the sale had gone through, the amount was deducted from my account, but I received no automated email from the store. I wrote to them and asked if they could verify the purchase, and eventually they did. I asked for an ETA, and waited 4 days for a reply, before writing again to ask the same question. The store denied that I had sent them an email to reply to, but they were replying to it right then. I pointed that out, and they changed tack and said the bass would ship "tomorrow". That was the 27th of July. The courier didn't receive the job for over two weeks. After having to ask repeatedly for the tracking information, a link was eventually sent to me. Note that at every stage of this process I had to request information that every other music store on the planet provides proactively. The link revealed that the bass was still sitting at the store a week later, and that ParcelForce had tried to pick it up, but no one was there. At lunchtime on a week day. I emailed again, and asked them to cancel that courier and use one that actually works. If you want to read about ParcelForce's reviews, it will make you wonder why any respectable company would ever choose to use them. Eventually after several emails a new courier was booked (through the same company, which is just insulting). I had to again ask for tracking. The bass sat in a sorting centre in the UK for another week, then left the country, and disappeared for a week. I had received several deliveries from Europe and the USA in half the time this order had taken so far. I emailed the store again, and asked if they sent the bass by air or by ship. They told me to check the tracking, which doesn't reveal that info. I told them I had been checking the tracking, and to tell me if it had been sent by air or by ship. They replied "28th July". I was losing my mind. Every communication from them was full of excuses, and always written in the most smug and short manner possible. Our email thread so far is 34 messages long. I asked the same question yet again, and added that they are the "worst f-ing music store I have ever dealt with in my entire life" They wrote back immediately, and told me I "could probably do with a lesson in speaking to people". Well thanks very much Marcus- you could do with a lesson in customer service, and how to effectively run a music store that doesn't make customers run after them constantly to get simple answers that should have been automated in the first place. It's been a month, I have no idea where my bass is, and all I can say about this amateur operation is- avoid.”
“Bass Direct have a good range of interesting bass guitars and are always willing to talk and help you find what you're looking for, and advise on what might suit better. I have bought a number of bass guitars from them and the prices are competitive given the range available. The team that works there is helpful and goes the extra mile to get things exactly right.”
