How a Candy Shop became a House of Horrors
By The Horse
@TheHorse (238364)
Walnut Creek, California
December 8, 2019 12:45pm CST
When I am in a guitar store, I am like a kid in a candy shop. I play every guitar I can get my hands on, and have a great time.
I'll attach a picture of the inside of Eric Schoenberg's guitar store in Tiburon, which I've visited periodically over the years.
There are always great guitars there to play, some dating back to the late 19th Century.
How did this place become a house of horrors? It's where I took my Martin D-18 guitar to, so have some minor cosmetic work done on it.
James, the luthier there, is supposedly an authorized Martin repair person. He made my guitar look uglier than it had looked when I brought it in. And he charged me $50.
When I saw what he had done, I said, I will not accept this guitar. It looks terrible. He then sent it to a "cosmetic expert" who proceeded to make it look even worse. Then he charged me another $100.
I contacted Martin Guitars, and they assured me that they would "make me whole," but that means getting the guitar to Nazareth PA, where Martin makes its guitars.
So now, Schoenberg Guitars is a place I won't visit, and I won't "allow" my friends to visit.
Have you ever encountered utter incompetence from a business where you expected good work?
11 people like this
11 responses
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
9 Dec 19
@TheHorse
What Chitzpa I would say. I do not blame you for not ever wanting to set foot in there again. They ruin your guitar not once but twice and expect you to pay. What nerve. Yes I have and will not go in the place or deal with the people again.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (238364)
• Walnut Creek, California
9 Dec 19
Is it chitzpah? I've always spelled it chutzpah. But the meaning is the same. It's an interesting word, as it CAN have "good" undertones. "He was ill-prepared, but he had the chutzpah to get it done." But it usually implies "the nerve," as it does in this case.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (190011)
• Boise, Idaho
9 Dec 19
Yes. I was really disappointed too after dealing with and even working for them for several years.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (190011)
• Boise, Idaho
10 Dec 19
@TheHorse ........Mountain Bell which merged with AT&T in the 80's.
'
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (238364)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Dec 19
@celticeagle My carrier is...I'll keep looking...CenturyLink?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128854)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Dec 19
That's how I feel every time I take my vehicle into the dealership for service or repair. I feel that they break three other things for every one thing they fix.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128854)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Dec 19
@TheHorse It's how they keep business coming back time after time! lol
@TheHorse (238364)
• Walnut Creek, California
9 Dec 19
What "really" matters is that the guitar sounds great. And it still has lovely quilted mahogany grain, which is rare. But I'll be glad if and when I get the cosmetic issues resolved. I'll probably still be "out" $150, but $150 won't matter much when I leave this earth. I can still afford Tom Kha Gai any time I want it.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222806)
• United States
8 Dec 19
Yes. It's disappointing and disheartening.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (238364)
• Walnut Creek, California
8 Dec 19
@LindaOHio Yeah, I'm trying to focus on the good.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (44560)
• United States
8 Dec 19
Talk about adding insult to injury! They ruined your guitar and made you pay for it. Sure hope Martin Guitars will help you out.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (24078)
• United Kingdom
8 Dec 19
Oh good grief it sounds like you would have done a better job yourself knowing how careful and talented you are. What an outrage!
1 person likes this
@ExplorewtMe (6332)
• Nairobi, Kenya
8 Dec 19
Its good to know that the child within you is still alive. Keep the passion alive.
1 person likes this
