I am broken hearted

[luvmyshiner]

Got my D'Aquisto today. I pulled it out at the office to check everything over. The first thing I noticed was some damage to the case. No biggie really, nothing I can't fix.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/PC030001.jpg

Then I found this. This I can't fix. It runs from the bottom of the f-hole on the pickguard side to the bottom of the guitar.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/PC030003.jpg

There's another one that's not as visible at the top of the same f-hole.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m159/luvmyshiner/PC030004.jpg

I've already emailed the seller. I'm anticipating they'll claim it was damaged in shipment. IMHO, this was NOT damage that occurred in shipment. This is damage that occurs when a guitar is not properly humidified and stored. If I don't get a satisfactory answer very quickly, I'll be contacting paypal and my credit card company.

[Guitar Gal]

What a bummer Shiner :cry: I know how much you were looking forward to this new guit....

Hopefully things will be resolved quickly for you.....:messedup:

Wishing you the best :AOK:

GG

[just strum]

Dude, that really sucks. I was so glad that you finally found this guitar, only to have this happen.

Well, I hope you can get this resolved quickly. Did the pictures he provided show that section of the guitar?

Geez, this puts a damper on my night and I'm not even involved.

[pes_laul]

Dude that's a total letdown:cry: hopefully you can get all this worked out soon
:beer:

[ted s]

oh, Shiner..man that sucks when your so looking forward and $hit happens like that. Hope it works out for you.
Know any good lawyers ?

[luvmyshiner]

Thanks GG, Strum, Kris and Ted. Honestly, it's not the money. I don't want the money, I want the guitar. It would be nice if they have another undamaged Centura that they'll agree to swap out, but I'm not very hopeful. And I'll find another one eventually, but probably not at the price I snagged this one for. It's not the end of the world, but it did pretty much ruin my day.

I'm giving them till noon tomorrow to respond. If I don't hear from them, I'll call them. If I'm not satisfied after the call, then it goes to Visa and Paypal. I take care of this stuff for other people all the time, I might as well do it for myself every now and then.

And in answer to your question Ted, CB's the best lawyer I've ever known.:)

[bigoldron]

Money's money, but when you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary or special and you've really been anticipating it, it really pi$$e$ you off when you get something like you got. Makes you want to strangle the living s#%$ out the dude who sold it to you. It's the principal of the thing - 2 actually: he sold you damaged goods and he didn't take proper care of a really sweet ax.

Good luck dude! :reallymad: :flamemad:

[luvmyshiner]

. . . he sold you damaged goods and he didn't take proper care of a really sweet ax.



You used a big hammer to hit that nail right on the head Ron.:spank:

[Mark]

Aww man thats a bummer I sure hope you can get it sorted out to your satisfaction. That is surely something that should have been disclosed before the sale...I mean Stevie Wonder can see that crack......

[just strum]

You used a big hammer to hit that nail right on the head Ron.:spank:

Email me the address, I have some friends that can take care of this.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h16/auroraohio/3377822.jpg

[Childbride]

i was out of town all day, got home late b/c of wrecks on the highway... saw the guitar and was just sick. :puke:

i have no idea how someone lets something so beautiful crack that way. i'm quite sure it will be resolved and that it will turn out all right, but i'm sick about the instrument itself.

s'ok... Shiner's xmas is on it's way early this year. he should have it soon. should ameliorate the problem. :beer:

[Brian Krashpad]

Bummer, mojo sent.

[sunvalleylaw]

That is really a shame. Hope you are able to find a like one in good condition soon.

[luvmyshiner]

Well ok, everything always looks a little better after a good nights sleep. I've been handed a bad situation, but it's not the end of the world. So here's today's update.

I made the mistake of playing it last night. Crack or no crack, she has the voice of an angel.

The seller, of course, has denied that the guitar was damaged when they shipped it. So far he has been polite, as have I, and he has filed a claim with UPS. I'll wait to see what comes of that claim before deciding how to proceed. He has also invited me to call him to discuss a solution. Do any of y'all know how long I can wait before filing with paypal? This guy has an ongoing ebay store so I'm not worried about paypal getting their money out of him, but I want to make sure I don't let any time limits slip by.

I took the guitar to my guitar guy to have it checked out. The first thing he told me was that he didn't feel comfortable working on a guitar of this caliber. It gave me a new respect for him. He gave me the name of a luthier in Fort Worth, Steve Lamb, who has the expertise and resources to repair it, including refinishing the top. If anybody in the DFW area has heard of this guy I would appreciate your input. I'll be emailing him pictures tomorrow and asking for a rough estimate. It won't happen quick though as he has a two month waiting list.

My guitar guy agrees that this does not look like transit damage. But in his opinion based on what I paid, and the probable expense of repair, he thinks I should keep the guitar rather than sending it back to an unethical seller who has already misrepresented the guitar to me once. If he did send another one, it could very well be in worse shape.

So my inclination at this point is to keep the guitar, find out how much it will cost to repair, and get that money out of the people who sold it to me. It's not the guitar I was told I was buying, but when a snake bites you once, you don't stick your hand back in his mouth.

[just strum]

...I should keep the guitar rather than sending it back to an unethical seller who has already misrepresented the guitar to me once. If he did send another one, it could very well be in worse shape.



I would see if you could quickly get a cost from the guy in FW, see what UPS comes back with and then negotiate a settlement with the seller to pick up all or some of the rework cost. Maybe if you agree not to give him a bad rating and call it an end to a deal.

If this guy in FW is as good as he's advertised, you and him will be the only two that know about the repair - and a few 100 members and visitors to this forum. Oh, let's not forget the 3 or 4 people over at the "W":D

I think if this guy in FW is reasonable and can do it right - she's still a keeper.

[LagrangeCalvert]

IF you need it done or want it done faster, I have a luth up here that is AMAZING. Name's Doug Frey. Tremoloman (Scott) on this forum had him do some work on his guitar. He's amazing and I cannot say enough great things about him. In my 20 years of playing I have not met a more professional and friendly guy in the biz. PM me if you want details Shiner. He has people ship him guitars from all over the country to have him worked on.


Sorry to hear about a great axe going south like that.

[luvmyshiner]

Well, I'm not sure what to think now. It appears that UPS in making their "inspection" of the package has lost the Centura. I won't go into all the details, but let's just say it has been an interesting day.

The seller is still being very cooperative. He emails me with status reports on a daily basis. The guitar was picked up by UPS for an inspection, and now they can't seem to find it.

I'm not sure which smiley to pick. Suggestions?

[just strum]

Well, I'm not sure what to think now. It appears that UPS in making their "inspection" of the package has lost the Centura. I won't go into all the details, but let's just say it has been an interesting day.

The seller is still being very cooperative. He emails me with status reports on a daily basis. The guitar was picked up by UPS for an inspection, and now they can't seem to find it.

I'm not sure which smiley to pick. Suggestions?

You mean to tell me they lost that $28,000 guitar??? Now that puts a damper on Christmas.

[luvmyshiner]

Funny thing is Strum, I had a Picasso, a Monet, $30,000 in loose change, and a sausage stashed in the case for storage.

I sure hope I get my sausage back.:D

[luvmyshiner]

Well the good news is that after completing their investigation, and no doubt taking into consideration that they can't seem to find the guitar, UPS has refunded my money in full!:bravo:

Now I just have to find another Centura.

[wingsdad]

Well, Shiner, that's not quite a perfect ending to the Quest of the Centura.:( I know you wanted that one really bad. At least you got your money back, and everything happens for a reason. So that means this wasn't the right one, another will turn up.

Or, if you go down to the UPS Terminal (they got one in Waco?), you might see a 'Centura For Sale' poster in the lobby...:poke:

sorry 'bout that, amigo...

[tot_Ou_tard]

Well the good news is that after completing their investigation, and no doubt taking into consideration that they can't seem to find the guitar, UPS has refunded my money in full!:bravo:

Now I just have to find another Centura.
Wow! What a story Shiner...I'll bet the seller is just as happy as you are (not that he desreves to be).

Can you explain more? UPS came to your house & took the guitar & case *from* you & carted it away to inspect it & promptly "lost" it?

:thwap:

[luvmyshiner]

Tot, apparently when a claim is filed against UPS, you have to allow them to inspect the package, or give them the chance to waive that inspection. Since this was a $1500 claim, they decided not to waive the inspection. They picked up the package and sent it to their claims department. From there things got a little weird. At first they claimed they shipped the package back to me, and that I had refused to accept the package because it was damaged???? Once I convinced them that they had not returned the package to me, then they said that they probably still had it somewhere in their "claims" department (probably stored next to the "ark of the covenant"). Eventually they just gave up and paid off the claim.

By the way, have you ever tried to actually talk to a person at UPS? If you call the local UPS office, they tell you that you have to call the 1-800 number. When you call the 1-800 number, you get one of those damn computerized voice recognition programs. When you begin trying to talk to a real person, it argues with you. Seriously, it argues . . . "are you sure you wish to speak with an agent? There is nothing they can tell you that hasn't already been relayed . . .":reallymad: