Guitar Center — Local services in Los Angeles

I eventually decided to share my unfair experience at Guitar Center lessons, specifically on how their terrible policy and customer service, and how they kind of took $300 dollars from me without permission or notice.

Background: I was taking drum lessons and found out that my drumming instructor also teaches music software (GarageBand), something I was also interested in. Guitar Center has a monthly promotion day where all instrument lessons are offered at a discounted price.

After I found out about the software class, I asked the sales team whether I could take two different types of lessons under one account (setup for my drumming class). The answer was yes, but they advised me to register a separate new account to better manage the classes, so I did, and another. At this point, I have three accounts. However, something I did not know and they should have explicitly told me about is that all accounts AUTOMATICALLY renews itself for the class sessions, which means the next month after I started new accounts with them, my credit card got billed THREE TIMES, each having four sessions. I texted the sales team and their response was that all the information was sent via email on the day I signed up for my first session, which I should have known this. I asked them whether I could cancel the accounts, and have been told that once I do, all the classes will expire after 1 month. In our future texts, all I got was: there is nothing we can do on our end. Would you STILL like to cancel your accounts?

This was terrible. However, I eventually convinced them to merge all my accounts into one, and two weeks later, got a refund on 1 session and half of another session. This is why I still appreciate the team for the effort they put in my case.

At this point, I have 8 sessions, $200 worth of classes on my account. I am a student and this is close to my final weeks of the semester, so I did not have time to take the classes. Because of the expiration policy, I thought my classes would just be there as long as I do not cancel my account and keep paying them each month. So later mid November 16th, I got charged again, with 12 sessions in my account.

HOWEVER, as I called in earlier this week, I was told that my account was expired and cancelled due to inactivity for 3 months, and that all my classes were gone. My question is: HOW is my account inactive, when I just got charged a month ago? If my account is inactive for 3 months, I should have never gotten charged last month!

I texted the sales team and was told that they didn’t even know my account was expired before it expired. THEY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW!

So at this point, I lost my account with Guitar Center that had $300 worth of lessons, and was told there was nothing they can do about it. They gave me a customer service number to discuss my case, and the customer service person told me Guitar Center lessons are managed on a store-to-store basis.

Guitar Center has left me very disappointed and helpless, and I really feel bad that Guitar Center would treat their customers like this.

I just want to share my experience and help as many people as possible. My instructor was passionate and professional, but the management is just terrible. Still can’t believe this is happening. Feels like I have been scammed...

Extremely Disappointing Experience at Guitar Center Sunset Blvd

Before posting any type of negative review, I always try to reach out to the business directly first. I emailed both the store manager and copied the CEO of Guitar Center two weeks ago about this experience and have received no response whatsoever. This lack of follow-up only reinforces my disappointment with this location.

I've been a loyal Guitar Center customer for decades, shopping at locations across the US without issue - until my visit to the Sunset Boulevard store.

I called ahead to purchase a microphone and was told to ask for a specific employee when I arrived. During our transaction, that employee was constantly on her phone, which was incredibly unprofessional and disrespectful.

When I returned to the recording studio where I was recording, the owner and head engineer immediately noticed the microphone box had been opened. I called the store to ask why I was sold an opened product, and the employee claimed it was "the last one" and had been opened "to make sure the item was in there." This explanation makes absolutely no sense - why would a sealed manufacturer's box need to be opened to verify its contents?

To make matters worse, I received the wrong model entirely. Perhaps if the sales associate had been paying attention to the customer instead of her phone, this mistake could have been avoided.

I called back and requested to speak with the store manager, and the person who answered said that she was one of the managers, and when I related what happened, her response was simply "What do you want me to do?" - hardly the professional customer service I'd expect from a manager addressing a legitimate complaint.

I suspect I was sold a returned or used item in repackaged packaging. I received the wrong product, dealt with distracted staff, and encountered dismissive management. This experience was so poor that I felt compelled to write my first negative review of Guitar Center after decades of being a satisfied customer.

The Sunset Boulevard location needs serious improvement in customer service training and management oversight. I'll be taking my business elsewhere in the future.

Somebody is no doubt going to reply to this message with a perfunctory apologies, and my preemptive question is, why didn't you reply to my initial email...

As a longtime customer of this place I was very unpleased with the customer service I received from two employees last night. I went in to the store to exchange an item I bought online. Upon my arrival and me going to drums this gentlemen Julian and his co worker Hannah are talking loudly and obnoxiously. Their body language and tone of voice clearly stated that they did not want to be at work. I stated to Julian that I wanted to exchange my item and pay the price difference for another item I saw online. According to their website they had the item in stock in their store. Without even checking the website or going to check the back in the inventory. Julian ( the store employee states rudely) " Not everything you see on the website we have here, We might not have it". I asked him he he would not mind checking. He then calls his employee Hannah. Upon calling her and telling her to go check. She rudely states " UGH DO I HAVE TO" and rolled her eyes at me while saying that RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. She dazes off into the the drum section and walks around. Does not go to the back until 5 minutes later. Comes back out right away and says we do not have it. I knew she did not check. I then ask Julian if there is a manager or someone in charge and stated that "He was in charge". I then asked for a corporate number as I no longer felt comfortable speaking to him and he rolls his eyes at me and smirks while doing it. ( GM you can check the cameras) This all happened in the time frame of 8:10-8:45pm on Tuesday June 7, 2022. No one should go into a store and feel un-welcomed yet be talked to like I was. I mentioned my problem to security. The security stated that " Yeah Julian is like that" If any manager is seeing this I hope this is taken into consideration and better customer service trainings are provided for employees. This can better help assist them to assist customers ;Yet provide much more...