ComplaintsforSweetwater

• Initial Complaint

  10/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered a bass guitar as a gift, and the experience was disappointing. It arrived late with no updates unless I called. When it finally came, the guitar had a broken pickup, a broken string, and issues with the bottom of the neck. The first ***** blamed me and said I was supposed to let the guitar rest for several daysthough there were no instructions about this. The final ****** I spoke with dismissively said, Its 5:30, what do you want us to do? and seemed eager to get off the phone. Overall, poor service and product quality.

  

  Business response

  11/05/2024

  ******,

  Thanks for reaching out and I'm very sorry for the poor experience. I can certainly understand why you'd be upset and this is something we take very seriously. We'll be sure to address this with everyone involved so that something like this doesn't happen again.

  In the meantime, one of our managers has attempted to call you, but could only leave a message. Ultimately, we want to make things right to you, so feel free to reach out and we'll do everything we can to turn things around.

  Sorry again for the trouble, and we look forward to hearing from you soon!

  
  
  ****** ******
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ******************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  10/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Denial of credit purchased multiple items from retailer over ten year period always paid for everything owed This month hard times late payment they shut down my account unfairly and took more than scheduled as well

  

  Business response

  11/01/2024

  Hello,

  We've been in touch with this customer and have resolved the issues regarding payment plans and have approved a recent order as a result.

  Thanks,

  
  
  ****** ******
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ******************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  10/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I bought the back in May. I got to use it for the 1st time 9-28-24 It worked great for about an hour and and 1/2, then failed! I lost control and was never able to restore control! I could not turn up/down, mute/unmute mics or music! I had to awkwardly change to a backup mixer in front of 120+ wedding guests! It is well within the 2 year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty they advertise, but they refuse to honor!

  

  Business response

  10/10/2024

  *******,

  Thanks for reaching out and I'm very sorry for your poor experience. I can understand why you'd be upset. At Sweetwater, we work hard to do the right thing, and I'm sorry that we let you down. Any time a product is defective, we want to jump all over it and makes things right. In this case, we should have simply sent you a return shipping label and/or offered an exchange at no cost to you. At this point, we've gone ahead and sent you a return label and will ensure a full refund. Or, we can pursue a replacement, if you'd like, simply let us know.

  Typically, we do have guidelines where anything outside of 30 days of purchase would be subject to a warranty repair, we will never leave our customers hanging, and again, will always work to do the right thing. We will do that for you here.

  Again, I'm very sorry for the poor experience, and we look forward to getting this resolved for you. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly with questions or concerns!

  Thanks,

  
  
  ****** ******
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ******************************************************************

  Customer response

  10/10/2024

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I just wish it would have been done without a formal complaint to the BBB! I am disappointed in Sweetwater! They have always been my go to for my church and personal audio equipment! 

  
  

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  10/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Sent a faulty product. Immediately initialized return and was told I either needed to exercise warranty or pay for return. I believe the representative for Sweetwater **** ******** was lying to retain commission

  

  Business response

  10/10/2024

  Hello ********,

  Thanks for reaching out and I'm very sorry for the poor experience. Any time a product arrives faulty or defective, we're going to do the right thing and either exchange it or return it. You would NOT be responsible for return shipping, so we'll be following up with the sales person involved so that we can learn from this and get better. In the meantime, if you'd like, we're happy to exchange it or return it at no cost to you. In fact, a new sales person has attempted to reach out to you by phone to help with those arrangements. If that would be acceptable, let us know and we'll get the ball rolling! 

  Sorry again for the trouble, and please don't hesitate to reach out with any additional questions or concerns!

  Regards,

  Justin ******
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: 800-222-4700 ×1046
  ****************************

• Initial Complaint

  09/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My complaint is with SweetWater making their shopping experience, far from sweet.On 08/27/24 I was contacting SweetWater in order to find out a price difference on a guitar that I was interested in purchasing. The sales *** informed me that he could give me a deal. Later on, an alternate sales *** that was covering for him made a suggestive comment about age discrimination on me. That I took a fence and contacted the original sales ***resentative. when I instructed the original sales *** about said altercation, his comment was we take very good notes. When I responded, you think this is a joke, you find this funny. He followed up with an alternate I email, stating that he was sorry, but then started turning the conversation about me being angry and that I have issues with SweetWater. so, I sent another email to SweetWater asking to speak to a manager. Well, the manager, *******, contacted me stating that she listened to the voice message and assured me that no age discriminating statements were made, and that the actual word was ******* and then she proceeded to spell the word out. *******. That just tells me, That she is sending a signal that I am a child and I took a bigger offense on that. So when I contacted the manager and we had a conversation, her tone was very condescending very insulting very unappropriate when it comes out to a managerial level. I worked in **************** myself I am fully aware of how customer service works, and that the customer buying experience was a bad feeling. My argument is that I feel that SweetWater is involved with price gouging and over inflating their guitars. Two other sites, Musicians friend and Amazon offered the same same guitar at a big bigger discount 20% off the asking price. So instead of it being 1199, it was 959. So ******* insisted on the price not knowing that her sales *** were offering a discount, but it really wasnt. Unfair trade and basically telling me to go elsewhere and dont shop here.

  Customer response

  09/05/2024

  Good afternoon,
  Ill take the no further contact. They are misleading the general public and inflating the prices of their product. 
  
  If you can question their pricing ethics, that would be great since they only use that 55 checkpoint scam as a legitimate reason.
  
  Have a great day and thanks 
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Business response

  09/09/2024

  *****,

  Thanks for reaching out and I'm very sorry for the poor experience. I can certainly understand why you'd be upset, and rest assured, we take feedback like this very seriously, and will be completing a full investigation so that we can learn from this and get better. We never want to disappoint any customer, and we will always treat every customer fairly, in order to provide the very best service. 

  As far as the pricing, we believe our pricing is competitive to most other retailers out there. There are certainly times, when certain places can get "special buys" and other sale prices direct from the manufacturer that they pass on to customers. As a result, we're not always able to match every price out there, but we will do our best. In this case, we're unable to discount the guitar beyond 20%. I'd be happy to work that deal out for you, if you'd like, simply reach out to me directly at the number below. 

  Again, I'm very sorry for the trouble, and appreciate you letting us know!

  Thanks!
  
  *************************
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ****************************************

  Customer response

  09/10/2024

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I will be contacting ************************* from SweetWater tomorrow to make arrangements for the purchase of the guitar and have a discussion with him.

  
  

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The company has been calling me around the clock for weeks now. Though they have been told repeatedly to stop.

  

  Business response

  08/29/2024

  *****,

  I'm very very sorry for the intrusion, despite you reaching out to us before asking us not to contact you. I'm not sure what happened, but I'll be digging in to it. In addition, I've ensured that we've removed your phone and other contact information from our records, so you won't be contacted again.

  Sorry again for the intrusion.

  Thanks,

  *************************
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ****************************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I researched an Item for several days prior to purchase. Website advertising Fast Delivery, New Location. I then, assured by delivery date, proceeded to apply for Credit Card loan, in order to pay interest free for 36 months. Approved, purchased, and arranged for time away work to provide Signature for ****** Day of delivery, checked status, only to find its been delayed.

  

  Business response

  08/21/2024

  Hello,

  We've been in touch with ******, and have replaced a new order with overnight shipping. Based on email communications with the customer, we believe that this is solved!

  Thanks

  
  
  *************************
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ****************************************

  Customer response

  08/22/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  I took a hit on Credit Report, also incurred unnecessary fees, due to deceptive advertising. The only reason Im getting it faster, is due to additional shipping fees. No compensation at all of any kind in any form. 
  Nothing Sweetwater has done!!!
  
  

  

  Business response

  08/26/2024

  Hi ******,

  Thanks for your response and I'm sorry again for the issues. I'm also sorry that we have fully resolved this to your satisfaction. At this point, I understand that we're in the process of returning the item you purchased from us because it doesn't work the way you were hoping. To help, we'll make sure you get a full and complete refund, including the original shipping costs to get it to you faster. Additionally, we're happy to try and find a better alternative and would be happy to offer a discount as a way to compensate you for the poor experience. One way or the other, we truly want to make things right, so please let us know what we can do to make that happen.

  Feel free to reach me directly as well. Sorry again for the trouble, and I look forward to hearing back!

  
  *************************
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ****************************************

  Customer response

  08/27/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  Im waiting to see how much this is going to set me back financially? Time taken away from work, Negative Credit, Hard Inquiry for Two Years. Its frustrating when a simple understanding of Audio Technology from Sales Representative, which was assigned to me. Because Ive used shop a guest on previous orders. I was completely unaware of previous purchases in system. It would help to configure studio. 
  Im waiting to see
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Transaction date 7/31/2024 Amount Paid $117.61 Item ordered was a real thing not a service or software (item was 75ohm coaxial cable)The item was never delivered and a refund was given only for the merchandise $103.61 and not the $12.97 that I paid for ***** shipping .

  

  Business response

  08/16/2024

  Hi ******,

  Thanks for reaching out and so sorry to hear about your poor experience. I'm also sorry that more wasn't done to resolve things for you, to the point where you had to reach out to the BBB. I can assure you, we take things like this very seriously, and will be using this as a learning/coaching opportunity. In the meantime, we've gone ahead and refunded you the shipping costs as well, so you should see those funds in your account in the next 2-3 business days. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding, while also giving us an opportunity to make things right!

  If we can help further, please don't hesitate to reach out!

  Thanks again,

  *************************
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ****************************************

  Customer response

  08/16/2024

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  
  

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  08/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On Tuesday 6 August (2024) I placed an order with Sweetwatr.com, I paid the two (2) day shipping fee and the order was scheduled to arrive on Thursday 8 August. When it did not arrive I "tracked" my order and discovered that it had been rescheduled for Monday 12 August. It did NOT arrive on Monday. As of today Wednesday 14 August I still have not received my order. I would like to know if you can help me to:1. Receive my order 2. Receive a refund of the two day shipping fee My "sales engineer's" name is ********************************* ************** Thank You

  

  Business response

  08/15/2024

  Hi ****,

  Thanks for reaching out and I'm very sorry for the trouble with your order. I can certainly understand any frustration that this has caused. Please know, we are happy to do anything we can to make things right and get you your order. To that end, your sales engineer has sent you an email outlining what happened with the order originally and what we can do to fix it, which includes refunding your paid shipping. Please let him know those reshipping details and we'll take care of the rest!

  Again, I'm very sorry for the trouble, and look forward to getting this resolved ASAP1

  Regards,

  *************************
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ****************************************

  Customer response

  08/20/2024

  Sweetwater has offered to refund my money and I have accepted their offer. Thank you for the assistance.

   

  Sincerely,

  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  08/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  There was fraud commited on my account. I received an email from Sweetwater advising me of 2 seperate orders for digital products (I don't use digital plug-ins nor have I ever purchased any). Order L2130707032 was for FabFilter Mastering Bundle Plug-in Collection in the amount of $468.41. The second was for a FabFilter Mastering Bundle Plug-in Collection (2 of the same item??) and Oeksound soothe2 Dynamic Resonance Suppressor Plug-in for $691.41. I called them immediately because I did not place these orders. They were NOT listed on my order history on the account, which is unusual. I called Sweetwater and they acknowledged there was an issue on their end and advised me they would be fixing the issue. They suggested reporting this to ************** (the issuer of my Sweet Water credit card), opening a fraud cause, changing my login and email password. I did this and thought everything was taken care of. Eventually these orders appeared on my Order History. I was told by my sales tech *********************** that orders were placed on accounts in error and there was a system issue. On a later call with **** in customer service I was told that someone had created a duplicate Sweetwater account using my information but Sweetwater closed the account. I was told they would attempt to reverse the charges. If not, since these items are a digital product, they would work with the vendor to recall the product codes, refund me at the very least.Last week I received notice from ************** that they denied my fraud claim and have applied 3 charges of $468.41, $468.41 and $223. I called Sweetwater back to find out how this is possible and was told they would address this on 8/9/2024. They said they would refund this if they can't simply reverse them. I called today on 8/12/2024 and spoke to ****. He is going to work on this, but no case has been opened to date. So I was misinformed on 8/9/2024. This should have been handled months ago.

  

  Business response

  08/15/2024

  Clif,

  Thanks for reaching out to the BBB, and I'm very sorry to hear about what happened, in regards to the fraudulent order that was placed with your information. I'm also very sorry for the time it has taken to get things resolved. Rest assured, though, that we've issued the two refunds of $468.41 (one done on 8/12 and the other on 8/13), and the $223 (done on 8/13). At this point, all of those refunds should have posted back to your Synchrony account. Hopefully, that will help put this behind us and we can move forward. Again, I'm very sorry for the time it took and for the frustration it caused. It does appear that your sales engineer tried to call yesterday with an update, but could only leave a message.

  If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out!

  Kind regards,

  *************************
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ****************************************

  Customer response

  08/16/2024

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  Sweetwater has addressed my issue and resolved it.

  
  

  Thank you.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩