Musiciansfriend.com: My friend has a lot of toys to play with
Written: Mar 29 '06 (Updated Jun 25 '06)
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Musiciansfriend.com is a wonderful web store that offers some of the latest musical gadgets and equipment on the scene. They also have classics, reissues, and refurbished items as well. They sell all kinds of musical instruments like guitars, basses, drums, violins, pianos, organs, synthesizers, mandolins and banjos. They carry just about every accessory and replacement part for the items they sell as well. Aside from instruments and accessories, they also sell recording equipment, mixers, amps, effects and recording software. I have made my last several musical purchases from Musiciansfriend and have always had fast delivery, helpful customer service, and most of all, piece of mind that comes from satisfaction in my purchases.
The web site
The web site is very easy to navigate with a really good search feature that finds exactly what you’re looking for. The layout of the site is vaguely familiar to Epinions.com except you can add items to your shopping cart. Each item you look at will show a “list price” as well as “our price” which is always considerably less. Some items on sale will also show a “sale price” which is even considerably lower still. You can add items directly to your shopping cart or add them to your wish list for later. If you are logged into the site, it will remember items in your wish list.
Once you set up a new account you can change your displayed name, address, telephone number, email address, password. You can also track packages and view your past purchases (order history) which is a really good idea, especially for those of us who have a tendency to lose receipts and invoices. You can even track phone orders from the account page.
You can order a catalog (magazine) for free from the web site and the search feature on the web site is attuned to the catalog. If you type in a catalog number for an item from the magazine, the search will bring you directly to that item. This is most helpful for me because I usually browse the catalog before browsing the web site to get an idea of what I want to buy.
The site is also divided into categories similar to the way Epinions categories work; you can browse each category or type in search criteria. The way the site is designed, it is very easy to find what you are looking for.
You can also sign up for the newsletter that alerts you to sales and specials. Some of these are not listed in the catalog so it has been beneficial to me to receive both. Aside from that, you can read reviews on each item from people who bought it before you to see if it is what you want or need (very similar to Epinions!) You can also write your own reviews on items if you are logged in. There are also special articles on musicians and tricks of the trade that you can read. These can be very interesting some times, like to see what kind of amps Metallica are using this year or what kind of guitar Keith Richards is recording with on the next studio session.
Placing an order
It can’t get much simpler than this. You click on “add to cart” when viewing an item you want to buy. Then you can click on “check out” or “keep shopping”. You can add as many items to the cart as you want before checking out. When you’re ready to check out, you can click on “view cart” at the top of any page to see all the items in your cart and make any last minute changes, deletions or additions. You can change the quantity of any item to the limit allowed for that particular item. Some items (especially sale items) do have a limited quantity you can buy.
From here you can click on the “check out” button and proceed to the next step. You do not have to be logged in to make a purchase, you can buy anonymously but you will save yourself time at check out if you are logged in. When you are logged in, you do not have to fill out your name, address and phone number because they already know who you are. You just fill out the payment option (credit card, check or Pay Pal). Accepting Pay Pal is a new addition to the site. If you decide to pay by check, you must complete the order and then mail your check to them before they will process the order. If you pay with a credit card or Pay Pal, the order will be processed the same day or the next working day if it is after 2PM their time (Oregon – Pacific time).
Shipping and Delivery time
I have always ordered my items with UPS ground and to my surprise, it had never taken more than 5 working days to receive my order. The only exception was an Opus Electric Piano that I ordered which had to be shipped by a special truck because of the weight. I still received it in eight days. This is amazing since they are on the other side of the country from me.
Shipping can be ground, two-day or overnight. These are all restricted by the time of day you place your order. You should always allow one to two days for processing and packaging. Even so, the delivery time is impressive. Currently there is no shipping charge for items over $99.00 or for multiple items totaling $99.00 or more. Multiple items, however, may be shipped in separate packages and could arrive within a day or two of each other even if ordered at the same time.
I have no complaints about the shipping process and tracking shipments is easy from the web site, so I always know where my packages are.
Warranties
Aside from the manufacturer’s warranty, Musiciansfriend.com offers extended warranties that are reasonably priced, unlike many stores that want to charge you $300 for a three year warranty on a $450 item. I purchased a Roland G20 guitar synthesizer with a GK-3 pickup for $649.00 and the extended one year warranty for the item was $69.99 and covers everything the manufacturer’s warranty covers. Mind you, this warranty does not even go into effect until the manufacturer’s warranty has expired, so I really have two years of coverage on this item. I feel this is a very reasonable price indeed.
RMA and returns
If an item is defective on delivery, you can send it back to Musiciansfriend.com for a replacement of the same item. They do not send you a refurbished item, the send you a brand new one in the original packaging. You do have to pay for the shipping to send it back though, but Musiciansfriend.com will pay the shipping for the replacement item.
If you have a defective item, you need to call them on the phone to get an RMA number. The telephone number is toll free and can be obtained from the web site along with management numbers and email if necessary.
I have never had a defective item shipped to me, but I did have to have a warranty repair on an effects rack I purchased. The technician doing the repair called me to verify the problem I had and was professional but didn’t speak English very well. The effects rack was repaired and I had it back in 20 days from the day I shipped it. This is acceptable.
Conclusion
Overall I have been very happy with my purchases from Musiciansfriend.com and will continue to use them for most of my musical equipment purchases. There may be a few other sites out there that have lower prices, but the piece of mind I get with this one is worth a couple extra dollars. The customer service has been excellent and I couldn’t ask for faster shipping. The site is real easy to browse and find things so I really have no complaints at all with this web store. The only downfall is that you can't test drive instruments before buying when shoping online.
Musiciansfriend is not only a web store (unlike other places online), they are also a brick and mortar store with a location in Oregon. Here is their store contact information.
Mailing Address:
* Musician's Friend, Inc.
* PO Box 4370
* Medford, OR 97501
Telephone and Fax Numbers:
* Toll Free: (800) 391-8762 (24 hours)
* Canada: (800) 719-0993 (24 hours)
* International: (801) 501-8110 (24 hours)
* Fax: (801) 501-9552 (Technical Support)
* Fax: (541) 772-1482 (Human Resources)
Office Hours:
* 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. PST (Pacific Standard Time)
* Toll Free Order Line - 24 hr - 7 Days a Week
Update: 06/24/2006
Specific details on my latest order
On Wendsday 06/21/2006, I placed another order with Musiciansfriend.com for an Oscar Schmidt OE30 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar with Washburn pickups. The item was 57% off on clearance for $149.99 and free shipping. I also purchased the extended 1-year warranty for $12.25 to protect my investment.
The package was sent via Fedex with Express 2-5 business day delivery, scheduled to be delivered on 06/24/1006. I recieved the package today, 06/23/2006, (3 days later) a full day ahead of its scheduled delivery time.
The package was extrememly well packed and the guitar was in pristine condition. I was not expecting much for a $150 clearance item, but the guitar is sweet. I did have to adjust the action slightly but the guitar plays as well as my Gibson Faded SG Special and sounds just incredible.
Once again Musiciansfriend.com has proven their ability to deliver quality merchandise with no hassle and no delay. This experience added to my previous experiences with them only strengthens my opinion that these guys really do know what they're doing.
Thanks for reading,
Gr8ful :-)
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Several different things
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