Guitar Center — Local services in Monroeville

I. I signed up to get a free lesson. There just do this to lure you in. your first lesson is basically a 15 min session just to talk about pricing. It's not actually a lesson AT ALL. The lessons were only 30 min. I paid $100 for the month to have a total of 2 hours of lessons. The lessons were not structured. At lot of the time was wasted. 30 minutes is a short time and the lesson should've been structured. My teacher played more than me in my lesson. I didn't want to continue and I was charged for a second month without a phone call, without a text, without an email...letting me know that I would be charged. I called to say I no longer want to take lessons and I wasn't sure why I charged. I was told I was in a subscription program, which I was not aware of. Mind you, I HAD NOT TAKEN ANY OF THE LESSONS THEY CHARGED ME FOR! CRYSTAL (the associate at the store) was very nasty with my on the phone. Refused to cancel and refund me what was taken from me. She told me there was nothing she could do AT ALL. I called customer service headquarters and they told me to go to the store because they should be able to cancel. I went to the store in person and let CRYSTAL know her customer service skills were poor. She ended up telling me that she could submit a ticket, but this happens to customers ALL THE TIME. Please remember that she initially told me there was NOTHING ELSE SHE COULD DO! She lied over the phone! She then said she was going to get the store manager. I spoke with the store manager and he said he understood but there was also NOTHING HE COULD DO IN THE STORE. His name was ROB. ROB told me he could submit a ticket, which I'll be checking back on. He said CORPORATE told away the store managers ability to refund for lessons. RIDICULOUS. He said that corporate would be in touch in a couple days but not over the weekend, so I should receive an update soon.I also got ROBs card and the number for CORPORATE. I appreciate him submitting a ticket, but I would appreciate my money back even more. I'll be calling corporate myself as well, and we'll see how this plays out. I also disputed this matter with my bank and I have submitted as FRAUD, because it is.

BOTTOM LINE: DONT TAKE LESSONS HERE. ITS NOT WORTH THE MONEY AND ALTHOUGH THE STORE MANAGER WAS KIND, THE ASSOCIATE CRYSTAL KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

JUST SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GO SOMEWHERE BETTER. WHERE THEY ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT YOU AND STRUCTURE THEIR...

Definitely a one stop shop that has everything you need to get started. The only downgrade is due to the service at this location. They are very well staffed, but only one person seems to actively be working to help everyone. The manager makes you feel like an annoying fly at best if you ask for any assistance, and the other workers just stand around behind the hidden corner desk. What should’ve been a 30 minute in and out trip ended up being over an hour just because of the time spent waiting for the one young man to run around the whole store trying to juggle everything himself. He was very knowledgeable, very respectful, and honestly provided a fantastic service. It’s completely unfair to him that he has to do so much work and so many people were just standing around. Promote that guy to manager and demote the older guy who is the manager (We asked him for help first… he may feel like somehow we didn’t belong in the store because we were looking for equipment for young musicians just starting out (our children). Meanwhile, what this snooty manager didn’t know is that I am on the board of a music arts nonprofit and my husband is the lead singer of a rock band haha… you have to wonder if the manager even knows how to play a single instrument.)

Again, I strongly recommend to guitar center to promote the knowledgeable young man. He ran around helping every customer in there in such an empowering way. He spoke to my children like they were already professional musicians. That is who you need running the store. We need more musicians in the world, not store managers that create social roadblocks for...

UPDATE : They have relisted the guitar on their website. It's listed as fair condition with slight cosmetic wear. DON'T BUY FROM MONROEVILLE GUITAR CENTER !!!!

My wife bought me a used cheap beginner guitar online(325.00) for Xmas. It was the same model and year of my first guitar so I knew it wasn't going to be top quality it was more for sentimental purposes. It was damaged in shipping. It was put into a single box with very little padding. The neck pocket cracked. I returned it immediately to the Monroeville store. I recently went in that store and noticed the same guitar was on the wall being sold for the same price. Not the same model but the same broken guitar. I asked to look at it and it had the crack running through the neck pocket. I looked on line and the listing for it says minor cosmetic flaws, fair condition. No mention of the crack or picture of it. I asked the manager what the deal was and first he said when things are returned to the store because of damage they're stuck with them and still have to sell them. I voiced concerned about how selling a broken guitar for the same price it was before it was broken was wrong not to mention it's a beginner guitar so you are screwing over some one that doesn't know any better. He then changed his story to it was probably a mistake, someone saw it sitting behind the counter and put it on the wall by accident. I have been shopping at the store since the 90s when it opened. I do not trust them anymore and will never buy anything...