Sweetwater Deals in General

[blazingrythm]

I got a bad feeling about Sweetwater when my brother sent me a gift certificate from them for $200.00.
The sale rep I dealt with wouldn't budge on a VI I wanted and I even tried to have my brother cancel his gift certificate.
They made it so difficult that I ended up getting something that Guitar Center would have given me for a fraction of the price.
On the phone with Sweetwater the sales person was obnoxious, pushy, and not flexible to any counter offer I gave.
GC offers great deals through GC Pro and even give the option of post production tax reduction down to 3%.
Sweetwater might save you money on sales tax but GC Pro is who I buy my products through these days.
I just got Altiverb 6 from GC Pro for only $400.00 a few weeks ago.
I highly doubt Sweetwater could beat that price.
I secretly hate both of them but GC Pro is the lesser of the two evils!

[qwerty]

I've had nothing but fine experiences dealing with Sweetwater. I know its business but they actually treated me like they care AND their prices seemed to be as good as any that I could check and compare with on the internet. I suspect that they might match anything verifiable on the web but that never became an issue because I haven't yet seen anything that looks legit to match. They seem to be reputable and intent on protecting that reputation.

[bayswater]

I got a bad feeling about Sweetwater when my brother sent me a gift certificate from them for $200.00.
The sale rep I dealt with wouldn't budge on a VI I wanted and I even tried to have my brother cancel his gift certificate.

What exactly was the problem? They wouldn't accept the gift certificate in payment?

[Frodo]

I'm trying to figure out the exact problem, too.

If you buy from GC locally in LA, you're going to be hit for as much as 9.x% on sales tax. Depending upon what you're buying, that could far exceed shipping costs which, from Sweetwater, tends to be free quite often.

If you are looking to *beat* a deal offered elsewhere, it might be just a matter of courtesy to ask the vender if they can or would beat the deal. If they can't, no biggie. The smart shopper is always the victor and comes away smiling every time.

[James Steele]

Yeah... and I'm trying to figure out why you post in the Digital Performer forum to rip on Sweetwater. Is this some sort of a test? They help carry the water for this board by running an ad here and on top of it, they do a giveaway exclusively for members of this board, and suddenly here comes a post with no other purpose than to rip on them. Whatever man... I just don't get why you think this is the place. Of course, I delete this and now because there's an ad I'll get accused of favoritism, so I'll let your slam that just comes out of the blue stand, but it's really strange.

It does however get moved to the OFF TOPIC forum where it belonged all along. Please post in appropriate forums in the future.

[billf]

I have the exact opposite opinion. I've been a long term customer of Sweetwater for years and years, and never had a complaint about them. I've also tried out GC several times, and each time resulted in frustration.

[donreynolds]

Sweetwater has always did me right. They do have low prices but it is true however that they don't always deal because they figure their prices are already fair and their guarantee, free shipping and technical support outweigh a small difference in price from competitors.

I always look for a good deal and several times have found it elsewhere, but 90% of the time, I deal with Sweetwater when I need something.

[BradLyons]

Hello--I'd be happy to look into the situation and try to understand everything that's taken place. I have a "connection" with those guys Would you please email me your name and location so I can look at this? My email address is brad_lyons@sweetwater.com

[Jim]

My only complaint with SW is that after I bought stuff from them, they tried to assign me a buddy for life. Sales Engineer, he called himself. Some might appreciate the personal touch. And I indeed did appreciate the follow-up communique to ask if I was satisfied with my purchase. But, that's enough. The idea of assigning me a personal adviser isn't for me. I do my own research, and generally buy on price. I generally don't need support after the sale. I can figure out practically anything on my own. I'd guess that in one purchase out of three that I make, SW has the best deal. Like Frodo said: Free Shipping. That often can compensate for slightly higher prices than say Music123 or other Web stores. Overall, my experiences with them have been positive.

[Phil O]

My only complaint with SW is that after I bought stuff from them, they tried to assign me a buddy for life.

Sweetwater definitely has a sales model that's a little different than other companies. I don't think you HAVE to talk to your "buddy" when you call, but I could be wrong. I'm sure Brad could clarify this.

A few years back (before Brad was my buddy), the sales engineer I had was leaving the company. I was assigned someone new and this guy was a jerk. I called and asked to speak to a supervisor and basically told them, "this guy is a jerk" and they put me in touch with someone else who I was very happy with. If you're unhappy with Sweetwater, simply shop somewhere else. If you're unhappy with your sales engineer, complain. I've had 4 or 5 sales engineer buddies since I've been doing business with Sweetwater and only encountered one jerk so far. I hope you're reading this, you jerk!!

Sorry, just an angry old man moment there.

Anyway, Sweetwater has been my go to place for gear for many years. I think it's unfortunate that the OP had a bad experience, but I get the feeling that his/her complaint might be questionable.

Phil

[BradLyons]

Correct---the way we do things is quite unique. Some question or even make fun of the term "Sales Engineer". Well speaking for myself---I'm NOT a clerk, I'm not just a "sales guy". My resume is LONG and DEEP, with a great deal of experience all over the business. I'm knee deep in live sound and concert production, television and radio broadcast, studio recording, and other avenues of this industry as an actual user. I'm an audio engineer---who has put my experience to work for my clients. I've been in this business for a little over 20-years having received an early start at age 14. I've toured professionally, have played with some major names, etc. My point is this..... IF you already know everything about every product, you have access to all of the products, to try them out, compare side by side, you have access to the top inside people at the manufacturers to gain inside product insight and knowledge of what's coming down the road, etc. If you don't need someone on your side when the product goes haywire or you have to deal with the manufacturer.... If you absolutely do not need any level of technical support for your studio or live system, if you don't need to have your guitar inspected and tested, or whatever....then certainly you wouldn't need someone like myself.

However most of my clients do need this and understand the why. I don't work with just those making music for a hobby--I work with some of the biggest names in this business! I deal with some of the most advanced systems you can imagine, and some of the most costly too. These guys come to us and to me for that knowledge and input, to know that they have someone they can depend upon. You see, online research is only opinion---it's not real knowledge. Now this isn't to say there aren't knowledgeable people out there---that's certainly not true at all. BUT getting through the real B.S. and getting FACT and EXPERIENCE is certainly different from OPINION and CONFIRMATION of purchase. BUT in the end if you're not comfortable with someone that is looking out for your best interests and looking to assist you as a partner for your audio needs, that's okay too---just let the individual you're working with know. We can be flexible here, ya know.

WITH ALL OF THIS SAID.... I'm sorry for the experience that the original poster has experienced. I'd be happy to look into this and try to understand from both sides what has happened. WE're human here, we're not perfect. Besides, I know that even I will upset a few once in awhile on those opinions or indifferences of them. There is a reason I don't match prices.....it's in that first paragraph.

[Elektroakoustika]

I also will throw in my appreciation for Sweetwater and their company. While the Sales Engineer thing is not normal, I find it as a very nice way that Sweetwater shows their respect for their customers. Do they call too often? Maybe, but it still means that they care about individual customers and want to keep their customer relations high.

Now I don't always buy from Sweetwater, but I do buy from them often. And I've had nothing but great experiences from them. And I think Brad has really given a lot of great input on this board about recording and which mics, preamps, interfaces to buy for your situation. Whenever I've gotten help from Brad whether its directly or indirectly, I like to buy from Sweetwater because one of their very knowledgeable associates just helped me.

And the fact that they offered a giveaway specifically for MotuNation is just plain awesome. Lets see Guitar Center do that. (By the way, I've had more trouble with Guitar Center than many other places)

Just my two cents

-ea

[newrigel]

I like getting them all in price wars he he...
Who ever beats the others price I go with but I have never just went to one place for all my needs... no company can sell everything!
I just find the cheapest on the net then find stores that meet or beat the competition then once the dust settles... buy it!
I do like munching down the candy while I'm setting up the new gear though!

[BradLyons]

I like getting them all in price wars he he...
Who ever beats the others price I go with but I have never just went to one place for all my needs... no company can sell everything!
I just find the cheapest on the net then find stores that meet or beat the competition then once the dust settles... buy it!
I do like munching down the candy while I'm setting up the new gear though!

You're right--NO ONE can carry every product line!

[kgdrum]

SW is not usually the cheapest place to buy but most times they are very close in competitive pricing,when you figure in the free shipping w/real support/customer service,I will happily give a better company such as SW a few more $$ for a better overall experience.
Most times SW prices are very fair.
If I get a killer deal on a product they will not or can not match then I have to follow either my heart or wallet,recently I was shopping for a Mic Pre and got an amazing price from a retailer that I am sure SW would not have been able to match,this doesn't make a them bad retailer,they have the same right to want to make a profit as we do in wanting a deal.