Re: New Guitar Center Policy?

Master Betty <never@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
"RichL" <rpleavitt@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:se-dnc5kU8l7nmjXnZ2dnUVZ_uydnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Twibil <nowayjose6@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
After having a good working relationship with GC for almost 20
years, I was just informed by our local GCs new manager that GCs
are all going to feature in-house guitar techs from now on, and
that he'd continue to send me the repair work "that's above our new
tech's level" (meaning everything except routine string changes) if
I'd start kicking back 20% of my profits on those referral repairs.

We will pass gently over what I told him in reply. There's no need
to frighten the children and the horses.

But after a bit of thought it suddenly struck me that the whole
thing sounds more than a bit fishy: I can see GC thinking that they
might make a few bucks from doing their own in-house repairs, but
demanding kickbacks to refer work is just plain illegal the last
time I looked, and I find it difficult to believe that a well-known
national corporation would try to do something so stupid and would
memorialize the kickback demand in an email to boot.

In short, I suspect that the new GC manager is thinking that he may
be able to skim a bit for himself off the top of this "new policy",
and I'm curious to hear if anyone else out there has heard anything
about CG's new in-house tech idea in general and in the 20%
kickback fee for out-of-store referrals in particular.

In any case, I've been working with GC so long that some of the guys
who I used to work with at the retail level are now well up into the
GC heirarchy, and I'm going to be tactfully asking them what's going
on, and, if GC is truly trying to demand kickbacks, how they think
they're going to get away with it.

I'll pass along any further developments as they, er, develop.

~Pete

P.S. Since GC is paying their new tech the same basic-poverty part-
time wage they pay their floor salesmen, the new techs are extremely
unlikely to have any idea of what they're doing.

Tread cautiously.

Sounds to me like the new manager has got sticky fingers.

If I were in your shoes, I'd place a call to a regional manager and
ask him about GC's "new policy".

Me, I rarely go near the place. I've gotten a few things from them
in the past (NEVER an instrument!) 'cause my son used to get "pro
discounts" but that policy was discontinued too.



I'd rather go to GC than some of the over priced boutique shops here
in Austin.

Well, yeah, but I've got other choices. A couple of fairly good-sized
mom&pop-owned places, plus a used instrument store that carries a huge
selection. I like to shop in person for the big stuff. For accessories
& the like, I'll use sweetwater if they have what I want.


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: New Guitar Center Policy?
    ... make a few bucks from doing their own in-house repairs, ... kickbacks to refer work is just plain illegal the last time I looked, ... I suspect that the new GC manager is thinking that he may be ... time wage they pay their floor salesmen, the new techs are extremely ...
    (alt.guitar)
  • Re: New Guitar Center Policy?
    ... make a few bucks from doing their own in-house repairs, ... kickbacks to refer work is just plain illegal the last time I looked, ... I suspect that the new GC manager is thinking that he may be ... time wage they pay their floor salesmen, the new techs are extremely ...
    (alt.guitar)
  • Re: New Guitar Center Policy?
    ... make a few bucks from doing their own in-house repairs, ... kickbacks to refer work is just plain illegal the last time I looked, ... I suspect that the new GC manager is thinking that he may be ... time wage they pay their floor salesmen, the new techs are extremely ...
    (alt.guitar)
  • Re: New Guitar Center Policy?
    ... make a few bucks from doing their own in-house repairs, ... kickbacks to refer work is just plain illegal the last time I looked, ... I suspect that the new GC manager is thinking that he may be ... time wage they pay their floor salesmen, the new techs are extremely ...
    (alt.guitar)
  • Re: New Guitar Center Policy?
    ... make a few bucks from doing their own in-house repairs, ... kickbacks to refer work is just plain illegal the last time I looked, ... I suspect that the new GC manager is thinking that he may be ... time wage they pay their floor salesmen, the new techs are extremely ...
    (alt.guitar)