The Rickenbacker Company

8mileshigh · Post by **8mileshigh** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 6:08 am

Kenny who?

britye · Post by **britye** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 6:22 am

I stumbled upon this forum while searching for information on Rickenbacker guitars. I was trying to make up my mind on purchasing a 325c58 or a Gretsch 6119-62HT. I ended up buying the Gretsch. I really love this guitar.. fastforward about 6 months and I happened to be at a Sam Ash in Clearwater, where they had a 360-12 MG on the rack I tried that guitar out and really , really liked it, now I have a 360-12c63 on order( not from Sam Ash) and really looking forward to recieving it. I joined the forum as it is a goldmine of information and was delighted to see the CEO of Rickenbacker would take the time to get in the trenches on this forum and now the RIC forum. I still plan on getting the 325c58 and a 325c64 to boot( ya hear that wifey?) So whether or not I have a reason to contact RIC in the future, who knows? Good to know the top guy'll listen to ya. To all the folks that share their thoughts and ideas the good ,bad and ugly or ahem, humor on this forum Thanks all!!

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 6:43 am

For those of you who ask, "Who's Kenny?"

Here he is in his working duds, on his lunch hour:

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 10:25 am

Poor old Kenny.

Well... I took a few minutes and added up some numbers on the harmony-central.com review database for Ric guitars and basses.

While Ric scores very high in "Features" and "Sound", it scores MUCH lower in "Customer Support". Customer Support for guitars averaged 7.3 while for basses it was 7.1.

But beyond the numbers, I would encourage the company to (if they haven't done so already) to go read some of the stories of customers who came away from their encounter with Ric disappointed and/or generally very ****** off and frustrated. These are too numerous to just dismiss by saying "you cant please everyone".

I know that if I were Mr Hall I would certainly do so (look at HC and also solicit other constructive criticism) .... AND I would do what many company owners do and call my own company (or listen in while others do) and see for myself how the company treats the customers who may only be calling for a small $ item or for some simple info.

In my few dealings with the Ric company directly (by phone) I've found them to be somewhat rude and to have an apparent disregard for service. Naturally, this isn't much of a sampling and maybe I should just blame it all on Kenny having a bad hair day (wait! I read that he has good hair, so that cant be it).

But overall, I'd say that while Ric guitars are great, Ric the company has (at minimum) an image problem. There have been at least 3 or 4 times when I've gotten unsolicited (I swear!) negative or frustrated comments from dealers to the effect that "Ric is a hard company to deal with" .... and also some harsher comments than that as well.

Like I said, I dont want this to turn into a Ric-bash session, but I do think Mr Hall should realize that his company - for whatever reason - has a problem. Anyways... just my 2 cents.

(by the way... having said all that, I do think its great that John takes the time to come on this site and i thank him for that)

bigbajo60 · Post by **bigbajo60** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:05 am

For what it's worth, I take most of the comments posted on Harmony-Central with an extra-large grain of salt.

Sometimes it's impossible to tell whether comments are 'reality-based', or just based on the personality, behavior or phone etiquette (or lack thereof) of the poster.

These days, there are a lot of 'young-uns' out there with 'chips on their shoulders', just looking for someone/something to bash.

This is not to say that keeping tabs on your customer service department's performance isn't important... just keep in mind the 'type' of customer a 15 year old might tend to be as opposed to a 35 year old.

squid · Post by **squid** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:24 am

I sent my 2004 370/12 MB to Rickenbacker for a small repair to the finish. I hadn't been able to mail my warranty card within the required 10 days because of UPS border delays. They (Kenny in particular) were very understanding, and I had my guitar back in pristine condition within a month. It was an entirely positive experience, which makes me question some of the things I've seen elsewhere. Harmony Central has some stuff up there that's just ridiculous and abusive.

The only thing I regret is that when Kenny asked me if I was ever a member of Guided by Voices, I told him the truth and said "no". In retrospect, I should have lied and pitched for an endorsement deal!

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:33 am

I think Alvaro makes a good point that there are a lot of kids out there just looking to be "offended" in some way (ie "masters of the perceived slight").

Thats why I agree that nobody should take the harmony-central numbers as the final reflection of how Ric is seen generally. But I think that there are enough anecdotal stories and complaints out there for Ric (John Hall) to take a hard look at the situation. I'm tellin ya... when you talk to a Ric dealer and they themselves VOLUNTEER their frustrations TO A CUSTOMER, you know that something is afoot.

dswp · Post by **dswp** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:47 am

With all due respect, if I were JH, and my company had a year of sales back log, I would not be to concerned of any of my business practices.

winston · Post by **winston** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 12:04 pm

I had occasion to e-mail Ric this year about a finish issue on a used 350 JG that I had just bought from New York. Their customer service group is great. Within hours I had two e-mail replies dealing with how my problem likely occurred (cold weather exposure) and who in the western parts of the USA and Canada could re-finish my guitar if that was the path I wanted to go down.

Now let me tell you that is service. I am impressed by their instruments, their CEO, their employees and their commitment. If they are getting negative comments its probably because the conversation started off in a disrespectful manner.

You gotta love these guys they know their stuff and they are passionate. Who is the CEO of Fender any one know off the top of their head? Well we all know who the CEO of Ric is because he rolls his sleeves up and gets involved. No they are not perfect but they are an 11 out of 10 in my books.

murmur · Post by **murmur** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 12:14 pm

I agree with Alvaro that we should take Harmony Central with a grain of salt but I disagree on his young-uns theory.In my experience idiots come in all ages.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 12:19 pm

What about Jay? Where is he? I've spoken to him via email on several occasions & he's great to deal with. C'mon Jay....give us a post!

winston · Post by **winston** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 12:26 pm

Just checked my e-mail log and it was Jay Crowley who helped me out. He is first class.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 12:29 pm

Harmony Central should definitely be taken with a grain of salt. About a foot-on-a-side-sized grain.

Rickenbacker is a company with a healthy attitude toward customer service. They treat customers as they expect to be treated. I'm sure this was a feature of Francis Hall's philosophy as well as a part of his own personality, which he has passed on to his son, John.

I don't know how exactly to express this in gentle terms (a first for me?) but everytime I've heard of an instance of somebody being dissatisfied with Rick's customer service, there are two things in common: the word "attitude" is mentioned somewhere, and the dissatisfied person seems to be an a**hole possessing the "a" attribute in bucketfuls.

I've seen instances of people with axes to grind, who've taken their "customer is always right, even if he acts like a complete jerk" attitude to RIC, only to be set straight, treated well, and be told in no uncertain terms that they are not as special as they think.

Some companies will do anything to avoid being blackmailed by threats of bad press or negative testimonials. RIC does not. They send the creeps packing, and the creeps mouth off.

Harmony Central is one place where they do so.

Treat Rickenbacker as a collection of human beings building beautiful instruments under the watchful eye of a man with vision, ethics, and standards, who carries on the tradition of three generations, and you will find a win-win situation every time.

winston · Post by **winston** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 12:36 pm

Joe I have to agree with your comment. You can find idiots in all age groups.

If the frequency of negative comments received are beyond a tolerable threshold then JH should (a) be aware of them and (b) cause them to be fully investigated Possibly by himself. Having said that I am sure they have a procedural review system in place. It's all part of a good quality control system.

bigbajo60 · Post by **bigbajo60** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 2:20 pm

Yes, it's true... to paraphrase another saying, idiots are like a**holes; every age groups' got 'em!

And no, not all 15 year olds are this way... of course not!

But the rampant and more vitriolic forms of disrespect (it's more than the simple rebelliousness of prior generations) that seem to be part of growing up in certain societies at this particular point in time is going to mark this generation of 'young-uns' for a long, long time to come.