The Starving Musician - SANTA CLARA — Attraction in Santa Clara

I love these stores but I had a tottaly funky unprofessional experience that I feel needs follow up by management. I hate to qualify myself but I imagine I’m in the top 3% of “good customers” considering how much I spend on gear.

I purchased an expensive guitar at the Santa Cruz location. Got it home and didn’t love it, so I looked at the inventory in Santa Clara and noticed a few things I’d like. So I returned the guitar in Santa Cruz with receipt within their policy time frame and I bought and purchased a more expensive guitar and another Amp. Took ten minutes I was happy they were happy so I thought....

When I returned to Santa Cruz a few days later to sell a guitar I just had sitting around, I was vibed hard by one of the managers that mentioned one of the staff in Santa Clara called to reprimand Santa Cruz management because I was saying negative things to the Santa Clara Staff about the Santa Cruz location. If you know me, you know I’m an easy going carefree teddy bear. To be mean or wish anyone Ill will especially at their job would go against anything Im about.

It’s a bunch of uptight music store employee drama and that’s really unfortunate. I don’t have energy to get to the bottom of it but it felt like it was hurtful to the kid in Santa Cruz. If that’s the type of leadership that’s running around, I feel bad for the kids working their.

I love my local SM, I rock a bumper sticker for gods sake. I love all the folks I get to chop it up with every time I stop by to drop off a couple hundred bucks. So take it from a good customer and keep your negativity and your sh**...

I wanted to upgrade my keyboard. So my music teacher recommended I go to the Guitar Center. I went there today. My experience there was pretty good. However the price point I was looking at was relatively high and I didn’t like that the sales person kept telling me I could finance the sale even though I told him I would never use financing for a keyboard.

So I went down the street to The Starving Musician. I am beginning to love The Starving Musician as much as I love my favorite used bookstore, Recycled Bookstore. I felt totally comfortable at The Starving Musician even though I am a novice musician. Alex answered all my questions thoroughly, excellently, and patiently, even though my price point was low and I had a lot of questions. I felt no pressure and no convincing, just honest support. I love that the sales people there do not work on commission. And I love the chance to recycle used gear. Next time I’ll go to The Starving...

Not a good experience.

I went to see a cello at this store. I was thinking whether to rent or buy as I needed it for a year. They convinced me that rent is better option because I can use 60% of the rent paid towards buying any instrument in the store after I return it. So I went for rent instead of purchase even though rent was almost the cost of instrument over a year.

When I returned the rented cello, they said the 60% credit applies only for the same instrument and not other instruments.

Why would I buy back same instrument I rented for by applying 60% credit while I could have bought to begin with.

Every person has their own policies in the store which are not consistent with each other. They tell one thing while customer is buying and back out afterwards.

I was going to buy a couple of instruments but now I would be making purchase from different store. Never returning here.

Don't recommend to anyone....