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"I bought two Hohner S32 melodicas from AMS. The ordering process is quick and easy, they e-mail you an order confirmation then provide a tracking number once your items have shipped.
I think I ordered over the weekend and they shipped it on Monday, had it at my doorstep at the end of the week.
Well one of the melodicas broke the day I received it, there's a button that opens up a vent to release any moisture, and it's held into place by a tiny tab that's maybe 1/16" thick and made of plastic when it should be metal. The plastic tab cracked right at its joint so the button now sits loose and the vent is always open making it either very difficult to produce sound on some keys, or impossible on others. Not AMS's fault, just a cheap product by Hohner, it's something very minute, but enough to ruin the entire instrument. I suspect the only reason the other one hasn't broken yet is because I gave it to my little sister and never explained the moisture vent to her. So anyways, I filled out the RMA form and got a response back saying there was nothing they could do about it, and was given the phone number to Hohner.
I was aware when I placed the order that "returns" weren't allowed, but I had no idea that included exchanges. If you walk into any store and go to the customer service desk they'll ask you, do you want to return or exchange? It's pretty well established that return means refund and exchange means exchange, but apparently to AMS non-returnable means they never want to see it again.
I glanced at the list of exclusions in their return policy and saw that "Personal use items that are used in the mouth or in the ear cannot be returned once opened due to health laws." Again, the word return is used so I assume that means no refunds, which I can understand because you can't sell something that's already been in somebody's mouth. But I can't understand why a broken item can't be replaced with a new one regardless of whether somebody has put their mouth on it or not.
So I e-mail them again confused asking whether to them returns and exchanges are the same thing, and I went back and read through the entire exclusion list and found this: "Certain items must be exchanged directly through the manufacturer if they are found to be defective. This includes tubes, strings, pickups, replacement speakers, raw speakers, drum heads, drumsticks, cymbals, cowbells, and harmonicas."
So I guess technically it's my fault for not reading through every word of the policy, I suppose they expect all their customers to read it before placing any order. I just dropped it and went to Hohner, who I still haven't heard back from by the way, and I don't blame them cause if every manufacturer had to deal with each individual user that had a problem with a product, rather than dealing with it in bulk through retailers (which is how probably every business other than AMS operates), it'd be chaos.
Some time later a package arrived at my doorstep when I hadn't ordered anything, checked the label and it was from AMS, and inside was a brand new S32. I stopped checking my e-mail after I just assumed they weren't going to help me out any, so the new melodica arrived without me even knowing it was on the way.
The last e-mail I received said something along the lines of, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to put my mouth on something somebody else has already used, and to answer your question, I wouldn't want to either, but why would you have to? Do you need to double check whether an item stated as non working really is? What would be the point of going through the trouble to pay for shipping and return an item that works perfectly fine for an identical one?
Well, all said and done I thank the folks at AMS for circumventing their return policy and replacing my broken item with a new one. A previous reviewer called AMS the Newegg of musical supplies. Well in my experience Newegg has a completely hassle free RMA service, and if an item is only warranted directly through the manufacturer, they clearly state it in the item description and don't make the customer jump through hoops or read a wordy return policy to find that out. They'd still replace it either way if you simply asked though.
I wouldn't hesitate to order from AMS again, but I would hesitate to order certain items from them. I think it'd do them a lot of good to do a little updating to some of their descriptions rather than slapping everything together into one long list and adding a small hyperlink."
"I've only placed two orders with this company, both within the last three weeks, but based on my experience I consider these folks "the Newegg of the musical merchandise online sellers."
By that I mean items are in stock; they're shipped same day (or next if you order too late in the day for them to process, package and get in FedEx); their site has order progress info; a tracking number is provided immediately; there's no problems with credit cards or anything else; and everything arrives well packaged and as expected.
PLUS free shipping on orders of $49.95 or more, and that's easy enough to do.
I highly recommend this seller for what it's worth.
"Very pleased with this online musical instrument dealer. Prompt delivery and email updates with tracking #s. Well packed and absolutely no problems at all. I wish all of the "big guy" online music sites would look at how this company does business and learn a thing or two. I'm currently involved with an order from Music123 and so far I've found them to be pretty clueless about everything involved in an online purchase. They did manage to charge my CC immediately though insuring that they get their money for an item that they still have not shipped after one week...Sorry to mix this good review for American Musical with a bad one for Music123 but I feel a need to warn others about them. I did make the mistake of not checking Music123's ratings here before placing the order. After looking at other's experiences I see that I never should have ordered from Music123.
Just so there is no confusion let me sum up by saying American Musical - Good................Music123 - Bad"
This review was modified by 1955dave on March 29 2007 05:36:06 PM
"I couldn't be happier with American Musical Supply. I ordered a Crate GLX212 amp for $200 less than every other seller. They offer an "easy payment plan" option on purchases over $250 so your credit card is billed in 3 or 5 (depending on price) monthly payments. There was a $9 shipping fee (most items ship free) because it is big and weighs 60lb which I think is very reasonable. It was shipped the next day and arrived double boxed and in perfect condition. Shipping was fast because they have locations in NJ and NV. I will DEFINITELY buy from them again!"
This review was modified by shutterpuck on March 26 2007 02:56:40 PM
"I cannot recommend American Musical Supply highly enough!
Even though their store is located on the other side of the country from Washington State, they have a shipping warehouse in Nevada, so items almost always arrive here within 3 business days.
They ship fast! My orders are always processed by the end of the next business day if I order late, and usually the same day if I order early.
Aside from all that, their customer service is INCREDIBLE. I've been buying from them for years. I ordered a guitar from them that had the wrongs specs posted on their site, and they paid for return shipping and refunded my entire balance. They've always been happy to accept returns without needing an excuse, and always cross-shipped exchanges.
Every item I've ordered, and I've ordered a lot from them over the years, has been perfectly and expertly packed with additional boxes and cushioning in addition to the manufacturer's packaging.
Best of all THEY HAVE NEVER SHIPPED ME OPEN-BOX, USED OR "B STOCK" advertised as new product. Every product I've ordered has come factory sealed! I can't tell you how many times I've ordered "new" product from other online music stores and received open-box, returns, demo product, and similar B-stock.
The 45-day return policy rocks! Also, with most products they give you an extra year of extended warranty coverage in addition to the manufacturer's warranty -- be sure and check when you order. That is so kewl!
The prices are pretty much the same everywhere with online musical instruments, since manufacturers usually contractually require dealers to abide by "MAP" (Manufacturer's Advertised Pricing) pricing. As everyone pretty much knows "list" pricing is meaningless for musical instruments, but the MAP pricing is the same everywhere. So aside from shipping charges, which are usually free on orders over $50 or $100 depending on the dealer and time of year, the main difference is in the service.
Great return policy, delivery of factory-sealed merchandise when advertised as new, quick shipping and tracking, excellent packing, plus usually extra warranty, fantastic customer service, make American Musical Supply a total winner.
I've tried 'em all: Musician's Friend, Sweetwater, zZounds (bad bad bad), 8thstreet (the absolute worst -- terrible customer service, constant shipping of B-stock advertised as "new," and insulting when you want to return something). Sam Ash, Music 123, Sameday Music (I think these might all be essentially the same company) have all been good.
I like samedaymusic too, BTW: Quick shipping and 60-day return policy.
American Musical Supply has 'em all beat for me though. Their great customer service, nearby shipping warehouse, free extra warranty, consistent delivery of factory-sealed product, expert packing, and 45-day return policy, adds up American Musical Supply always being my first choice!"
This review was modified by Chickenhead on February 16 2007 11:22:08 AM
"Ordered my Yamaha keyboard (PSRE-303) on Monday, item shipped on Tuesday (free ground shipping, by the way), package arrived on Thursday.
Overall, the price of the keyboard was very good, and combined with the free shipping and the "Survival Pack" that was included (had an AC adapter, foot pedal, extended warranty), it was one of the best deals that I could find. The transaction went through smoothly, I received my package in excellent condition and I'm very satisfied with my order.
"Purchased Ibanez RG370dx. Guitar fully assembled with new strings, ready to go out of the box. It had to be tuned ofcourse. Shipped the next day, got it 3 days later with free shipping."
" Very very best shipping. Very helpful customer service. I order a Casio PX500 digital Piano from them, the price is very good and they shiped my piano the next day using ground shipping, gave me the track number by email. 1.5 weeks later, my piano still not arrive. I checked UPS web site and found it seems the shipping is stucking somewhere in UPS. I then sent a mail to American Musical Supply to mentioned such situation at midnight(12am at CA), they response the email right after 5 minuts and said they'll ship another one few hours later using 2 days air shipping by their cost. Then my piano arrived in few days later.
I don't really care about the delay of the shipping as this is not their fault, what important thing is their response time is very fast and willing to help you to solve the problem.
This store is definitely a trustable on-line store, I'll recomment it to any of my friends.
"I ordered a bass cabinet from AMS because they had the best price around on it....with the free shipping, I received it in less than 24 hours! Even though they're not too far away (New Jersey to Massachusetts), getting it on a truck less than two hours after my order is amazing. It was well packed when I received it, but one of the corner pieces on it was broken in transit. I emailed customer service and they replied on the weekend and sent me out a replacement for it. They didn't make me RMA the whole thing, they agreed to just send me out the piece, free of charge, via airmail. Awesome customer service. I could not be more pleased with how things went."
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![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"I\u0027ve only placed two orders with this company, both within the last three weeks, but based on my experience I consider these folks \u0022the Newegg of the musical merchandise online sellers.\u0022<br><br>By that I mean items are in stock; they\u0027re shipped same day (or next if you order too late in the day for them to process, package and get in FedEx); their site has order progress info; a tracking number is provided immediately; there\u0027s no problems with credit cards or anything else; and everything arrives well packaged and as expected.<br><br>PLUS free shipping on orders of $49.95 or more, and that\u0027s easy enough to do. <br><br>I highly recommend this seller for what it\u0027s worth.<br><br>","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/American_Musical_Supply\/comment\/314041#comment314041","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/American_Musical_Supply.jpg","store_name":"American Musical Supply","username":"trangler","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"Very pleased with this online musical instrument dealer. Prompt delivery and email updates with tracking #s. Well packed and absolutely no problems at all. I wish all of the \u0022big guy\u0022 online music sites would look at how this company does business and learn a thing or two. I\u0027m currently involved with an order from Music123 and so far I\u0027ve found them to be pretty clueless about everything involved in an online purchase. They did manage to charge my CC immediately though insuring that they get their money for an item that they still have not shipped after one week...Sorry to mix this good review for American Musical with a bad one for Music123 but I feel a need to warn others about them. I did make the mistake of not checking Music123\u0027s ratings here before placing the order. After looking at other\u0027s experiences I see that I never should have ordered from Music123.<br><br>Just so there is no confusion let me sum up by saying American Musical - Good................Music123 - Bad","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/American_Musical_Supply\/comment\/308849#comment308849","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/American_Musical_Supply.jpg","store_name":"American Musical Supply","username":"1955dave","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"I couldn\u0027t be happier with American Musical Supply. I ordered a Crate GLX212 amp for $200 less than every other seller. They offer an \u0022easy payment plan\u0022 option on purchases over $250 so your credit card is billed in 3 or 5 (depending on price) monthly payments.<br>There was a $9 shipping fee (most items ship free) because it is big and weighs 60lb which I think is very reasonable. It was shipped the next day and arrived double boxed and in perfect condition. Shipping was fast because they have locations in NJ and NV. <br>I will DEFINITELY buy from them again!","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/American_Musical_Supply\/comment\/308265#comment308265","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/American_Musical_Supply.jpg","store_name":"American Musical Supply","username":"shutterpuck","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"I cannot recommend American Musical Supply highly enough!<br><br>Even though their store is located on the other side of the country from Washington State, they have a shipping warehouse in Nevada, so items almost always arrive here within 3 business days.<br><br>They ship fast! My orders are always processed by the end of the next business day if I order late, and usually the same day if I order early.<br><br>Aside from all that, their customer service is INCREDIBLE. I\u0027ve been buying from them for years. I ordered a guitar from them that had the wrongs specs posted on their site, and they paid for return shipping and refunded my entire balance. They\u0027ve always been happy to accept returns without needing an excuse, and always cross-shipped exchanges.<br><br>Every item I\u0027ve ordered, and I\u0027ve ordered a lot from them over the years, has been perfectly and expertly packed with additional boxes and cushioning in addition to the manufacturer\u0027s packaging.<br><br>Best of all THEY HAVE NEVER SHIPPED ME OPEN-BOX, USED OR \u0022B STOCK\u0022 advertised as new product. Every product I\u0027ve ordered has come factory sealed! I can\u0027t tell you how many times I\u0027ve ordered \u0022new\u0022 product from other online music stores and received open-box, returns, demo product, and similar B-stock. <br><br>The 45-day return policy rocks! Also, with most products they give you an extra year of extended warranty coverage in addition to the manufacturer\u0027s warranty -- be sure and check when you order. That is so kewl!<br><br>The prices are pretty much the same everywhere with online musical instruments, since manufacturers usually contractually require dealers to abide by \u0022MAP\u0022 (Manufacturer\u0027s Advertised Pricing) pricing. As everyone pretty much knows \u0022list\u0022 pricing is meaningless for musical instruments, but the MAP pricing is the same everywhere. So aside from shipping charges, which are usually free on orders over $50 or $100 depending on the dealer and time of year, the main difference is in the service.<br><br>Great return policy, delivery of factory-sealed merchandise when advertised as new, quick shipping and tracking, excellent packing, plus usually extra warranty, fantastic customer service, make American Musical Supply a total winner.<br><br>I\u0027ve tried \u0027em all: Musician\u0027s Friend, Sweetwater, zZounds (bad bad bad), 8thstreet (the absolute worst -- terrible customer service, constant shipping of B-stock advertised as \u0022new,\u0022 and insulting when you want to return something). Sam Ash, Music 123, Sameday Music (I think these might all be essentially the same company) have all been good. <br><br>I like samedaymusic too, BTW: Quick shipping and 60-day return policy.<br><br>American Musical Supply has \u0027em all beat for me though. Their great customer service, nearby shipping warehouse, free extra warranty, consistent delivery of factory-sealed product, expert packing, and 45-day return policy, adds up American Musical Supply always being my first choice!","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/American_Musical_Supply\/comment\/301661#comment301661","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/American_Musical_Supply.jpg","store_name":"American Musical Supply","username":"Chickenhead","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"Ordered my Yamaha keyboard (PSRE-303) on Monday, item shipped on Tuesday (free ground shipping, by the way), package arrived on Thursday.<br><br>Overall, the price of the keyboard was very good, and combined with the free shipping and the \u0022Survival Pack\u0022 that was included (had an AC adapter, foot pedal, extended warranty), it was one of the best deals that I could find. The transaction went through smoothly, I received my package in excellent condition and I\u0027m very satisfied with my order.<br><br>","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/American_Musical_Supply\/comment\/282435#comment282435","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/American_Musical_Supply.jpg","store_name":"American Musical Supply","username":"arkan15","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"Ordered a small mixer in the evening. They shipped it the next day and it arrived 2 days after that. Tested the mixer and it works as expected.","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/American_Musical_Supply\/comment\/277007#comment277007","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/American_Musical_Supply.jpg","store_name":"American Musical Supply","username":"jdpurcell","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"Purchased Ibanez RG370dx. Guitar fully assembled with new strings, ready to go out of the box. It had to be tuned ofcourse. Shipped the next day, got it 3 days later with free shipping.","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/American_Musical_Supply\/comment\/275926#comment275926","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/American_Musical_Supply.jpg","store_name":"American Musical Supply","username":"cmhmp10sd","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":" Very very best shipping. Very helpful customer service.<br> I order a Casio PX500 digital Piano from them, the price is very good and they shiped my piano the next day using ground shipping, gave me the track number by email.<br> 1.5 weeks later, my piano still not arrive. I checked UPS web site and found it seems the shipping is stucking somewhere in UPS.<br> I then sent a mail to American Musical Supply to mentioned such situation at midnight(12am at CA), they response the email right after 5 minuts and said they\u0027ll ship another one few hours later using 2 days air shipping by their cost.<br> Then my piano arrived in few days later.<br><br> I don\u0027t really care about the delay of the shipping as this is not their fault, what important thing is their response time is very fast and willing to help you to solve the problem.<br><br> This store is definitely a trustable on-line store, I\u0027ll recomment it to any of my friends.<br><br>","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/American_Musical_Supply\/comment\/266279#comment266279","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/American_Musical_Supply.jpg","store_name":"American Musical Supply","username":"alexjjkuo","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
![Share](javascript:share_rating({"review_body":"I ordered a bass cabinet from AMS because they had the best price around on it....with the free shipping, I received it in less than 24 hours! Even though they\u0027re not too far away (New Jersey to Massachusetts), getting it on a truck less than two hours after my order is amazing. It was well packed when I received it, but one of the corner pieces on it was broken in transit. I emailed customer service and they replied on the weekend and sent me out a replacement for it. They didn\u0027t make me RMA the whole thing, they agreed to just send me out the piece, free of charge, via airmail. Awesome customer service. I could not be more pleased with how things went.","link":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/American_Musical_Supply\/comment\/190163#comment190163","store_thumb":"http:\/\/www.resellerratings.com\/store\/thumbnail\/American_Musical_Supply.jpg","store_name":"American Musical Supply","username":"kforeman","rating":"5"}, "single");){kind=link}
"I bought two Hohner S32 melodicas from AMS. The ordering process is quick and easy, they e-mail you an order confirmation then provide a tracking number once your items have shipped.
I think I ordered over the weekend and they shipped it on Monday, had it at my doorstep at the end of the week.
Well one of the melodicas broke the day I received it, there's a button that opens up a vent to release any moisture, and it's held into place by a tiny tab that's maybe 1/16" thick and made of plastic when it should be metal. The plastic tab cracked right at its joint so the button now sits loose and the vent is always open making it either very difficult to produce sound on some keys, or impossible on others. Not AMS's fault, just a cheap product by Hohner, it's something very minute, but enough to ruin the entire instrument. I suspect the only reason the other one hasn't broken yet is because I gave it to my little sister and never explained the moisture vent to her. So anyways, I filled out the RMA form and got a response back saying there was nothing they could do about it, and was given the phone number to Hohner.
I was aware when I placed the order that "returns" weren't allowed, but I had no idea that included exchanges. If you walk into any store and go to the customer service desk they'll ask you, do you want to return or exchange? It's pretty well established that return means refund and exchange means exchange, but apparently to AMS non-returnable means they never want to see it again.
I glanced at the list of exclusions in their return policy and saw that "Personal use items that are used in the mouth or in the ear cannot be returned once opened due to health laws." Again, the word return is used so I assume that means no refunds, which I can understand because you can't sell something that's already been in somebody's mouth. But I can't understand why a broken item can't be replaced with a new one regardless of whether somebody has put their mouth on it or not.
So I e-mail them again confused asking whether to them returns and exchanges are the same thing, and I went back and read through the entire exclusion list and found this: "Certain items must be exchanged directly through the manufacturer if they are found to be defective. This includes tubes, strings, pickups, replacement speakers, raw speakers, drum heads, drumsticks, cymbals, cowbells, and harmonicas."
So I guess technically it's my fault for not reading through every word of the policy, I suppose they expect all their customers to read it before placing any order. I just dropped it and went to Hohner, who I still haven't heard back from by the way, and I don't blame them cause if every manufacturer had to deal with each individual user that had a problem with a product, rather than dealing with it in bulk through retailers (which is how probably every business other than AMS operates), it'd be chaos.
Some time later a package arrived at my doorstep when I hadn't ordered anything, checked the label and it was from AMS, and inside was a brand new S32. I stopped checking my e-mail after I just assumed they weren't going to help me out any, so the new melodica arrived without me even knowing it was on the way.
The last e-mail I received said something along the lines of, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to put my mouth on something somebody else has already used, and to answer your question, I wouldn't want to either, but why would you have to? Do you need to double check whether an item stated as non working really is? What would be the point of going through the trouble to pay for shipping and return an item that works perfectly fine for an identical one?
Well, all said and done I thank the folks at AMS for circumventing their return policy and replacing my broken item with a new one. A previous reviewer called AMS the Newegg of musical supplies. Well in my experience Newegg has a completely hassle free RMA service, and if an item is only warranted directly through the manufacturer, they clearly state it in the item description and don't make the customer jump through hoops or read a wordy return policy to find that out. They'd still replace it either way if you simply asked though.
I wouldn't hesitate to order from AMS again, but I would hesitate to order certain items from them. I think it'd do them a lot of good to do a little updating to some of their descriptions rather than slapping everything together into one long list and adding a small hyperlink."