David E.

MY NAME IS DAVID EICKHOLT... ON THE EVENING OF APRIL 17 AT THE GUITAR CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE ALABAMA, ANOTHER CUSTOMER AND MYSELF WERE MEETING UP AT THE GUITAR CENTER TO CHECK OUT SOME EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES AND TALK ABOUT WORKING ON ONE OF HIS GUITARS FOR HIM BECAUSE I AM A LUTHIER AND A REPAIR TECHNICIAN, I DO A LOT OF MODIFICATIONS THE NORMAL TECHS DON'T DO. I WAS ALREADY IN THE BUILDING WAITING ON MY FRIEND AND CUSTOMER, MR YOUNG. MR YOUNG IS AN EXTREMELY GOOD GUITAR CENTER CUSTOMER, HE HAS SPENT HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THERE. AS HE ENTERED THE BUILDING, THE MANAGER, TYLER STANSELL ASKED IF HE COULD HELP HIM AND HE SAID THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR ME AND STANSILL ASKED HIM WHAT FOR, NOT THAT IT WAS ANY OF HIS BUSINESS BUT MR YOUNG TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS GOING TO GET ME TO DO SOME WORK FOR HIM. AT THAT TIME TYLER STANSILL TOLD HIM THAT THEY HAVE A TECH THERE BUT MR YOUNG TOLD HIM THAT BASICALLY I WAS HIS PREFERRED TECH AND TYLER STANSILL, THE MANAGER TOLD HIM THAT HE COULDN'T COME TO THE GUITAR CENTER TO DISCUSS SOMEONE ELSE DOING WORK ON HIS GUITARS. STANSILL THEN APPROACHED ME AND TOLD ME THE SAME THING AND THAT WE NEED TO LEAVE THE BUILDING.

FIRST OF ALL, NO EMPLOYEE OF GUITAR CENTER CAN TELL ANY CUSTOMER WHO THEY CAN OR CANNOT TALK TO ABOUT WHATEVER IT IS THEY WANT TO TALK ABOUT. PEOPLE MEET UP AT THE GUITAR CENTER JUST TO HANG OUT AND TALK ABOUT ALL KINDS OF THINGS BECAUSE THE GUITAR CENTER HAS ALWAYS HAD THE VIBE OF BEING A COOL PLACE TO HANG OUT. WE ARE NOW TOLD THAT WE CAN'T DO THAT I ASSUME AND THAT OUR PRIVATE BUSINESS IS NO LONGER OUR PRIVATE BUSINESS. A GOOD MANAGER WOULD HAVE TOLD THE CUSTOMER THAT HE RESPECTS HIS DECISION AND THAT NO MATTER WHO HE DECIDES TO WORK ON HIS GUITARS, HE HOPES THAT HE GETS WHAT HE IS LOOKING FOR AND THAT HE APPRECIATES HIS BUSINESS ANYWAY, ESPECIALLY KNOWING MR YOUNG AND THE FACT THAT HE IS A REGULAR CUSTOMER. I USE TO WORK AT GUITAR CENTER AND THE CURRENT MANAGER AND DISTRICT MANAGER ARE THE MAIN REASONS I LEFT. THEY LIED TO ME AS AN EMPLOYEE AND DO NOT PUT CUSTOMERS FIRST. A GOOD MANAGER WOULD HAVE ALWAYS PUT THE CUSTOMERS BEST INTEREST FIRST KNOWING THAT IF HE TREATED THE CUSTOMER WELL, HE WOULD ALWAYS BE ABLE TO DEPEND ON HIS BUSINESS, MAYBE NOT FOR TECH WORK, BUT DEFINITELY FOR EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES.
AS FAR AS I KNOW, CORPORATE HIGHER-UPS MAY HAVE TOLD HIM TO TREAT CUSTOMERS LIKE THAT, I DON'T KNOW BUT I DEFINITELY KNOW THAT TYLER STANSELL'S ATTITUDE AND DEMEANOR WAS VERY RUDE AND ABRASIVE AND VERY DISRESPECTFUL... NOTHING LIKE HOW A MANAGER SHOULD ACT AND RESPOND. I WOULD HOPE THAT GUITAR CENTER WOULD WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR THE CUSTOMERS NO MATTER WHAT AND ALWAYS PUT THEM FIRST.
I BELIEVE THAT GUITAR CENTER SHOULD VERBALLY AND FORMALLY DISAPPROVE OF MR STANSELLS ACTIONS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE PRACTICES. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE CUSTOMER, MR YOUNG SHOULD GET AN APOLOGY AND GUARANTEED TO NEVER BE TREATED LIKE THAT AGAIN. AS FOR ME, I'VE BEEN TREATED WORSE BY BETTER PEOPLE SO I JUST BRUSH PEOPLE LIKE THAT OFF AND DON'T CARE ABOUT HIS OPINION ABOUT ANYTHING BECAUSE IF HE DID APOLOGIZE, I KNOW IT WOULDN'T BE REAL AND HE WOULD BE DOING IT JUST BECAUSE HE IS TOLD TO SO.
GUITAR CENTER HAS JUST BEEN GRANTED ANOTHER BANKRUPTCY CLAIM SO I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WOULD WANT TO LOSE CUSTOMERS ON PURPOSE. THAT PARTICULAR GUITAR CENTER FIRED THE BEST MANAGER THEY EVER HAD LAST YEAR OVER SOME RIDICULOUS STUFF... DUMB... DUMB... DUMB.

ANYWAY, I WILL POST THIS LETTER ON AS MANY PLATFORMS AS I CAN IN HOPES THAT SOMEONE WITH SOME SENSE AND RESPONSIBILITY WILL ACTUALLY GIVE A DAMN AND DO THE RIGHT THING.