Soren P.

I've been shopping at Thomanns for many years. Once it was a good store. But now they have reached a critical mass for size, where they obviously do not care about the customers anymore.

In recent years, they have begun selling guitars that have already been sold at least once, as brand new. You can see it on the guitar if it has been sold before. There may be strings other than specified, there may be special settings and there may be DNA tracks after the previous owner! Naturally, I return this kind of guitars, as I do not want to buy used. The system has worked in part because of somewhat easy returns with package collection at my home. But just try to hear this story:

I ordered a Framus guitar that arrived in very bad condition. Due to bad packaging from Framus, a strap lock (metal piece) had loosened from the guitar and rattled around in the inner guitar bag and ended up on the edge of the guitar, where it made a big chin. There was also a black stripe from a marker under the lacquer somewhere else on the body.

Of course I do not want such a defect thing, so I wrote to Thomann about the problem. A Kafka like process started. They would have me to photograph all the packaging, wrapping and the guitar. I should also fill in a note and go down to the post office and let them sign that it was their fault that the damage to the guitar had occurred! I do not work for Thomann, so I made them aware of that. Then a fermented process began: Thomann has a Danish department, but only for sale! If there is something wrong, the Danish department will only send things on, and you have to write it all back in English. In total more than 30 mails were exchanged! I felt it as an assault.

Eventually they became convinced that I would not perform the required tasks. They then sent a return label to Postnord, ie. Where I by myself would be draging the package down to the post office. I am old, the post office is far away and the box is big. I have no car and it can not fit on the bike.

Thomann offered me a label for a UPS pickup, IF I PAYED. I have no other options, so I had to eat it. 30,- euro to look at a defective guitar. That is too expensive. And it was extremely unpleasant with the humiliating contact with customer service.

If Thomann answers this, you should be very suspicious if they do not lay flat down and apologize, but instead try to explain their way out of this mess. Mail order is a matter of trust. Would you trust Thomann after this?