Mele Ukes

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My favorite part of Mele was always listening to Peter Delapinia play that chopstick style....wish I could do that! Here he is in the following youtube link that was posted by badbassjd. The jd at the end of his name reminded me of JDMaui.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxh03Wg-fLE
 
I know you guys won't shoot me. This is the reason why it is a no win situation for Mele. If they give a uke away, then they are the good guy but then that tells folks that all you got to do is go online and complain. I really wished I had never sent an email to them. I tried the click thing but it doesn';t work. I'll be home tonight after church, I'll send it then.
We won't shoot the ukulele player. :)

"Giving the uke away" is not the issue. At least in the ten-year-old case that's certainly water under the bridge. The more recent case, maybe.

But the real issue really is the customer service "culture," or lack thereof. Just the very idea that they're afraid that if they "give a uke away" they're going to be inundated with people wanting replacements speaks volumes - either about the corporate mindset regarding their customers or their own perception of the quality of their product - or maybe a bit of both. I don't know anyone who wants to deal with getting a replacement uke. Ninety-nine percent of customers want to take care of their instruments and have them last forever - probably far less than one percent want to see their baby damaged even if they can easily get a replacement.

Now, this is where that corporate mindset thing comes in - if your opinion of your customers is that they're good people who want their instruments to last and therefore they treat them reasonably well - when something happens you replace the instrument. You don't try to second guess whether the customer is trying to rip you off. If they are, so what, they're the one percenters and they're not going to drag you under.

On the other hand, if your opinion of your customers is that they're a bunch of low life's who can't be trusted - that they have to be beat over the head with warranty information because they're just looking for an excuse to screw you. When that cracked uke comes in you immediately assume the worst and react accordingly. The absolute dumbest move you can make because, regardless of whether they are the one percenter who is out to screw you or a "good" customer - you've just created a public relations nightmare.

Again, it all goes back to that corporate culture. You treat all your customers the same. They're either upright folks whom you love and you just take the one percenters in stride - or they're all dirty low-lifes who want a free ride.

Finally, there is another thing that no one has pointed out yet in this thread that I think bares mention - solid wood ukuleles need to be humidified, that's true. But, no well-made ukulele built from properly seasoned wood is going to crack in a month of dry conditions (or a weekend in a cold building as has apparently happened to someone on this thread, for that matter). Manufacturers ship ukes all over the world, sometimes by air. Ukes sit in unheated warehouses and transfer points, in cargo holds, on ramps. If ukes were going to crack because of a cold night, or because of a few weeks without proper humidification, they'd be cracking left and right. It takes time for moisture to migrate out of wood into the air. After a month, you might be beginning to see the action change as the top begins to sink - another month or two, maybe, maybe a hairline crack beginning.

I bought a 40 year old classical guitar from south Florida on eBay - when it got to my dry climate in Texas it took nine months for the bulged by too-much-humidity top to return to normal (and thus lower the action that had been adjusted while the guitar was wet to the point where it I started getting fret buzz).

The fact that the uke in question was so ravaged so quickly should have told the folks at Mele that it was seriously defective - instead they accuse the guy of putting it in an oven. Really? If someone thinks their customers are putting their ukes in ovens maybe they need to find a new line of work!

John
 
We won't shoot the ukulele player. :)
-snip-
The fact that the uke in question was so ravaged so quickly should have told the folks at Mele that it was seriously defective - instead they accuse the guy of putting it in an oven. Really? If someone thinks their customers are putting their ukes in ovens maybe they need to find a new line of work!

John

If I recall, did the Mele "representative" say it LOOKED like it had been baked in an oven? Nobody accused him of doing that, but the assumption was he must not have cared for it properly or it wouldn't have gotten that way. I dont agree completely but, w/e...

Still waiting with bated breath for that email :p this forum decides whether or not I want to get a Mele xD
 
If I recall, did the Mele "representative" say it LOOKED like it had been baked in an oven? Nobody accused him of doing that, but the assumption was he must not have cared for it properly or it wouldn't have gotten that way. I dont agree completely but, w/e...

Still waiting with bated breath for that email :p this forum decides whether or not I want to get a Mele xD

WEll, if you take the email or the word of a few disgruntled folks or those of us that are very happy with our Meles, that is your choice. I lvoe mine and will buy a few more Meles just b/c I love them. Here is the email. is this going to be a magic pill? Nope. It does shine light on two stories. Not sure who they are but I am certain one is the bighead (who hasn't returned).
After looking at his pictures, I wouldn't have accepted the return. I went this week and looked at other makers warranties and the Mele warranty is pretty much standard. Ultimately it is up to the maker or business to decide whether or not they want to honor the warranty. I respect their decision based on my personal experience.
Read the whole email. My favorite part is the end. Last two paragraphs.
Aloha John,

Thank you again for your support and for bringing to our attention messages on the UU site. Here are a few thoughts which you may quote if you like.

Uke story in question:

First of all, here's the link to our product warranty statement that you will find in our homepage:
http://www.meleukulele.com/shopcontent.asp?type=terms This warranty is pretty much industry standard.

I remember this customer but not the specifics of the communication or exchanges.

From the pictures that the UU member posted online, I think it is clearly evident to anybody who knows anything about ukuleles or any handmade solid wood instrument that this is a classic example of what happens to an instrument that has been subjected to an extremely dry environment. If you will note from the pictures, the wood shrinkage and cracks can be seen throughout the instrument -- the 2 places on the back plus the open center seam, koa crack on the side, koa and ebony wood movement on the sides, etc. Therefore, in this case, the warranty is null and void. However, despite that determination, we offered to repair the instrument free of charge.

The koa wood we used to build that instrument not only was harvested years before we got it, but stickered and air-dried for a MINIMUM of three years once it was in our possession. So his allegation that it was not properly seasoned is as baseless as it would be with any of our ukes.

He states that he owns 20 guitars and knows how to care for his instruments. But in this particular case, the instrument clearly had been subjected to extreme dryness in our opinion. What we know after 20 years' experience is that the probability of wood movement due to dryness is a function of the following: 1) Location: here in Hawaii there's almost no incidence of wood movement brought about by lack of humidity. West Coast areas too, are mostly OK except for certain dry areas like Palm Desert, California. The East Coast is the most likely to experience dry conditions. 2) Time of Year: the spring and summer seasons are not likely to be as problematic as fall and winter. 3) Type of wood: koa, the least stable and most susceptible to shrinkage. 4) Care & Feeding: knowing how to take care of your instrument and actually doing so, using humidifiers when necessary, and playing and inspecting your instrument regularly will prevent issues from cropping up. So, in the instances when we hear of our instruments developing cracks or open seams, we can reliably assume that 1) The instrument is in an East Cost or desert-like area, 2) It's winter time or a hot, dry summer. 3) Usually, it's a koa ukulele. 4) The instrument has been exposed to dry conditions (see 1, 2.)

Just yesterday, we shipped another Mele koa soprano to a repeat customer from New York. I spoke to him on the phone and reminded him to be sure to keep the instrument humidified. He said, "Yes, definitely. My place is so dry right now that I am having to put 5 humidifiers in each instument case just to raise the moisture level to 40%".

Now consider this true story; On January 9, 2010, we received an order online for an all koa soprano with a hardshell case. We shipped it to our customer in New Jersey, in mint condition, within a couple days. In less than 3 weeks, on Jan. 26, we received an email from this customer informing us that he noticed the back seam of the uke starting to open up. Was this a case of the wood being "not completely conditioned", as LenieC claimed about his Mele? Probably not, as it was a vintage Kamaka dating back at least to the 1980s. It was, however, the East Coast and in midwinter, which makes it not very surprising. If Kamaka offered a lifetime warranty, would they be liable for replacement or repairs?


Other UU member Story:

First of all, here's the link to our Shipping & Returns policy:
http://www.meleukulele.com/shopcontent.asp?type=shipping Again, this is pretty much industry standard.

This UU member ordered, from our website, a Mele all mahogany soprano 2-hole ukulele. Price was $199, plus $23 for shipping totaling $222 which he paid for through Paypal. He emailed a request that we install geared tuners, normally a $40 upgrade, and we did it for free.

Next, we received an angry and highly offensive e-mail detailing what a terrible instrument we had sent him. Ironically, we are especially proud of our Mele mahogany sopranos -- Bill Tapia played a Mele mahogany soprano and his first reaction was: "sounds better than my Martin!"

We were shocked, but we responded civilly, as follows: " We are refunding your purchase as you requested, less our $23 shipping charge. Sorry that the uke didn't meet your expectations but it is most definitely not used or a "second". Actually, it is custom-made for you, with the geared tuners you requested at no charge which should have been a $40 upgrade. As clearly stated in our return policy on our website, refunds do not include shipping charge.

As a matter of fact, it is not at all uncommon for businesses to state that they will refund in full EXCLUDING shipping cost. Here's just one example: the Ebay seller (beachcamera) I just bought a camera from. (This ebay seller BTW has some 167,000+ feedback). To quote this "Top Rated" Ebay Seller's

Return Policy: "Refunds are applied to the payment method used at the time of purchase 5-10 days after receipt of the returned merchandise. We will only refund the value of the merchandise returned, not the shipping charge."

We promptly refunded the full purchase price of $199 (despite the fact that the instrument had been customized for him which would technically have invalidated any return options). He totally disregarded our return policy and demanded that the $23 shipping cost be paid back to him. He opened a dispute with Paypal for the $23 shipping charge. At that point, rather than make an ugly situation even uglier, I decided that he must need that $23 more than we did and let the claim stand. He prevailed in disregarding our return policy yet he continues to make us out to be villains in the matter.

In closing, we have been in the business of building solid wood instruments since 1992. That's a pretty long time. In fact, when we started, there were only a handful of prominent ukulele companies -- Kamaka, Sunny D, Maui Music. John Kitakis was only offering instrument repair services (no Koolaus and no Ponos), no Koaloha, G-String, Kelii, Kanilea. I remember many years ago when Jim Beloff came to our store and spoke of his dream of someday building Maccaferri type affordable ukuleles. The only uke brand from China was the Hilo brand ukulele -- imagine a world without the Kala, Lanikai, ukes... With almost 20 years in business, I'd like to say that it's been so far a richly rewarding experience. To date, we easily have over 30,000 satisfied customers, many of whom have become good friends. Each and every year, we continue to do great business with much of our sales derived from referrals and repeat business. And for as long as the ukulele keeps gaining in popularity, Mele Ukulele will remain committed to making better and better ukuleles.

I truly hope that people will ignore the badmouthing and check out our products and our customer service for themselves.

We wish everyone peace.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Rock
Mele Ukulele
 
If I recall, did the Mele "representative" say it LOOKED like it had been baked in an oven? Nobody accused him of doing that, but the assumption was he must not have cared for it properly or it wouldn't have gotten that way. I dont agree completely but, w/e...

I'd have to go back and reread several posts - I was thinking the original complainant said something about accusing him of mistreating the uke (when he asked why they returned a poorly repaired uke instead of replacing it). I might be mistaken.

In any case, my actual point was that the ukulele simply hadn't been in the customer's hands long enough to suffer that severe damage under anything approaching normal - or even casually careless - conditions. At that point the corporate mindset kicks in. If you like your customers you assume you let a bad one out and you make it right with profuse apologies - and you might even get repeat business from that customer. If you don't like your customers you assume they're stupid clods who mistreat ukes in hopes of getting new ones. (Not even sure what the point to that would be, actually; if I have a good uke I'm not going to want to damage it so I can get another, right?) To continue with that mindset, you don't dare replace the ukulele because it might start a flood of requests for replacements (and at this point I think I'd begin asking myself if my products are really that bad...).

Still waiting with bated breath for that email :p this forum decides whether or not I want to get a Mele xD

Heh, heh. This is purely a guess on my part but I suspect that maybe Cheryl further shot herself in the foot with the email. John certainly seems reluctant to be the messenger and, as he put it, he's sorry he wrote her... Maybe she's working on e-mail 2.0. - LOL

John
 
I'd have to go back and reread several posts - I was thinking the original complainant said something about accusing him of mistreating the uke (when he asked why they returned a poorly repaired uke instead of replacing it). I might be mistaken.

In any case, my actual point was that the ukulele simply hadn't been in the customer's hands long enough to suffer that severe damage under anything approaching normal - or even casually careless - conditions. At that point the corporate mindset kicks in. If you like your customers you assume you let a bad one out and you make it right with profuse apologies - and you might even get repeat business from that customer. If you don't like your customers you assume they're stupid clods who mistreat ukes in hopes of getting new ones. (Not even sure what the point to that would be, actually; if I have a good uke I'm not going to want to damage it so I can get another, right?) To continue with that mindset, you don't dare replace the ukulele because it might start a flood of requests for replacements (and at this point I think I'd begin asking myself if my products are really that bad...).



Heh, heh. This is purely a guess on my part but I suspect that maybe Cheryl further shot herself in the foot with the email. John certainly seems reluctant to be the messenger and, as he put it, he's sorry he wrote her... Maybe she's working on e-mail 2.0. - LOL

John

it's posted. The delay has come from me spending all weekend grading papers and looking for a house with a pregnant wife who is ready to have a baby anyday now. I have spent a total of 12 hours in my house this weekend and that was simply to sleep.

I am sorry that I wrote her b/c I do not see them winning. Those that want to see them fail have already made their minds up. THose that choose to support Mele have already made our minds up.
 
it's posted. The delay has come from me spending all weekend grading papers and looking for a house with a pregnant wife who is ready to have a baby anyday now. I have spent a total of 12 hours in my house this weekend and that was simply to sleep.

Heh, heh. So, it was a bad guess. :)

Congrats on the baby, BTW.
 
If we're taking sides, I'll camp with Mele ^.^ if things went how they say, I can see where they are coming from. If you recall, the pictures we saw posted are about "10 years" later? So you can imagine that the damage has gotten MUCH worse if, as he described, it has sat in a case for years. So perhaps he may be over exaggerating the original separation and cracking? And if Mele did offer to repair it free of charge, well, I wouldn't ask for more considering something like that was at least partially caused by personal failure/error/lack of education. Thats where I stand, and I would have no problem buying an ukulele from Mele in the future. After I buy my dream uke ;)
 
If we're taking sides, I'll camp with Mele ^.^ if things went how they say, I can see where they are coming from. If you recall, the pictures we saw posted are about "10 years" later? So you can imagine that the damage has gotten MUCH worse if, as he described, it has sat in a case for years. So perhaps he may be over exaggerating the original separation and cracking? And if Mele did offer to repair it free of charge, well, I wouldn't ask for more considering something like that was at least partially caused by personal failure/error/lack of education. Thats where I stand, and I would have no problem buying an ukulele from Mele in the future. After I buy my dream uke ;)

Mele was my first dream uke. Then I saw a KoAloha (PoiDog's) here on UU. I was struck with the koaloha bug.
 
Other UU member Story:

First of all, here's the link to our Shipping & Returns policy:
http://www.meleukulele.com/shopcontent.asp?type=shipping Again, this is pretty much industry standard.

This UU member ordered, from our website, a Mele all mahogany soprano 2-hole ukulele. Price was $199, plus $23 for shipping totaling $222 which he paid for through Paypal. He emailed a request that we install geared tuners, normally a $40 upgrade, and we did it for free.

Next, we received an angry and highly offensive e-mail detailing what a terrible instrument we had sent him. Ironically, we are especially proud of our Mele mahogany sopranos -- Bill Tapia played a Mele mahogany soprano and his first reaction was: "sounds better than my Martin!"

We were shocked, but we responded civilly, as follows: " We are refunding your purchase as you requested, less our $23 shipping charge. Sorry that the uke didn't meet your expectations but it is most definitely not used or a "second". Actually, it is custom-made for you, with the geared tuners you requested at no charge which should have been a $40 upgrade. As clearly stated in our return policy on our website, refunds do not include shipping charge.

As a matter of fact, it is not at all uncommon for businesses to state that they will refund in full EXCLUDING shipping cost. Here's just one example: the Ebay seller (beachcamera) I just bought a camera from. (This ebay seller BTW has some 167,000+ feedback). To quote this "Top Rated" Ebay Seller's

Return Policy: "Refunds are applied to the payment method used at the time of purchase 5-10 days after receipt of the returned merchandise. We will only refund the value of the merchandise returned, not the shipping charge."

We promptly refunded the full purchase price of $199 (despite the fact that the instrument had been customized for him which would technically have invalidated any return options). He totally disregarded our return policy and demanded that the $23 shipping cost be paid back to him. He opened a dispute with Paypal for the $23 shipping charge. At that point, rather than make an ugly situation even uglier, I decided that he must need that $23 more than we did and let the claim stand. He prevailed in disregarding our return policy yet he continues to make us out to be villains in the matter.

I know I said I wouldn't post on this thread any more, but since Mele has dishonestly reported what happened I feel it necessary to respond.
1st you say I sent an "angry and highly offensive e-mail" ... What planet are you on?!
All I did was name all the flaws on the instrument you sent me. You make it sound like I was cursing you and making inappropriate comments. I have never corresponded to you, or anyone for that matter in that way. I do not appreciate this down right lie. Interestingly I believe Mele made the same accusation on the other person with a return.
2nd I ordered the soprano with geared tuners, which I was told there wasn't any extra charge.
I guess that is "customized". The thing I don't understand is why this matters...
...I sincerely hope you weren't planning to sell it to someone else after I returned it. Let me remind you of the problems: overall finish was poor and uneven, matte finish had shiny spots in high wear areas (that's why I asked if it was used), several scratches, trim down the neck was chipped in several place...and a couple other things I no longer remember.
3rd I wasn't returning the uke simply because I didn't like it ... I was retuning it because you sent me one that was used or a factory second....or judging by its appearance possibly both: a used factory second. Are you saying I should still be required to pay the shipping on it.
To be clear to all those who read this, buy shipping I mean Mele deducted the original shipping cost to me from my return, and I still payed the return shipping of the uke back. OK, I know some companies make you pay for the return shipping, but making me pay for the shipping of a defective uke to me really is too much, and I actually couldn't see any legitimate seller doing that.

Mele clearly has lied about my interaction with them, so can only assume they are lying about the one with Bighead. It appears they interpret any return as "offensive" & "angry". If you get a defective uke from them, they think it is appropriate to make you pay the cost of shipping that defective uke to you...plus the return shipping.
If you are OK with that, then buy a Mele.
 
...Sorry that the uke didn't meet your expectations but it is most definitely not used or a "second". ...

Sigh. Sometimes I hate being proved right. :(

People don't order things hoping to find them inferior. Something made this customer think he had received a uke that was used or a second. The customer service gurus describe the complaining customer as giving one a gift. Two gifts, really. They're giving an opportunity to restore faith in your product or service and they're giving an opportunity to discover where your product or service could stand improvement. It's a gift because for every customer who complains there are several others who have exactly the same concerns but never voice them - they just go away never to be seen again, and they may not complain on a public forum but they will certainly tell their friends about their negative experience.

The customer wasn't complaining of something subjective, like maybe he thought the action was too high or the wood should have been prettier. The customer thought he had received a used uke or a factory second! That pretty strongly implies a clear defect or damage. Did this customer have unreasonable expectations? Quite possibly, but we'll never know, now. In any case, it seems fairly clear that an opportunity to improve was missed.

I don't think Cheryl's message is going to change many minds one way or the other but for me it pretty much seals the deal that I probably won't be buying a Mele any time soon. Not because I necessarily think they're bad instruments - but simply because the corporate mindset revealed by her email and JDMaui's posts is not one I have much interest in dealing with.

John
 
Paul D, it is possible that the customer being referred to is not you...

Except that Cheryl indicates in her message that she is referring to "the other UU case" or some such thing. I've highlighted it in blue in the quote below:

Cheryl Rock said:
Thank you again for your support and for bringing to our attention messages on the UU site. Here are a few thoughts which you may quote if you like.

Uke story in question:

First of all, here's the link to our product warranty statement that you will find in our homepage:
http://www.meleukulele.com/shopcontent.asp?type=terms This warranty is pretty much industry standard.

I remember this customer but not the specifics of the communication or exchanges.

From the pictures that the UU member posted online, I think it is clearly evident to anybody who knows anything about ukuleles or any handmade solid wood instrument that this is a classic example of what happens to an instrument that has been subjected to an extremely dry environment. If you will note from the pictures, the wood shrinkage and cracks can be seen throughout the instrument -- the 2 places on the back plus the open center seam, koa crack on the side, koa and ebony wood movement on the sides, etc. Therefore, in this case, the warranty is null and void. However, despite that determination, we offered to repair the instrument free of charge.

The koa wood we used to build that instrument not only was harvested years before we got it, but stickered and air-dried for a MINIMUM of three years once it was in our possession. So his allegation that it was not properly seasoned is as baseless as it would be with any of our ukes.

He states that he owns 20 guitars and knows how to care for his instruments. But in this particular case, the instrument clearly had been subjected to extreme dryness in our opinion. What we know after 20 years' experience is that the probability of wood movement due to dryness is a function of the following: 1) Location: here in Hawaii there's almost no incidence of wood movement brought about by lack of humidity. West Coast areas too, are mostly OK except for certain dry areas like Palm Desert, California. The East Coast is the most likely to experience dry conditions. 2) Time of Year: the spring and summer seasons are not likely to be as problematic as fall and winter. 3) Type of wood: koa, the least stable and most susceptible to shrinkage. 4) Care & Feeding: knowing how to take care of your instrument and actually doing so, using humidifiers when necessary, and playing and inspecting your instrument regularly will prevent issues from cropping up. So, in the instances when we hear of our instruments developing cracks or open seams, we can reliably assume that 1) The instrument is in an East Cost or desert-like area, 2) It's winter time or a hot, dry summer. 3) Usually, it's a koa ukulele. 4) The instrument has been exposed to dry conditions (see 1, 2.)

Just yesterday, we shipped another Mele koa soprano to a repeat customer from New York. I spoke to him on the phone and reminded him to be sure to keep the instrument humidified. He said, "Yes, definitely. My place is so dry right now that I am having to put 5 humidifiers in each instument case just to raise the moisture level to 40%".

Now consider this true story; On January 9, 2010, we received an order online for an all koa soprano with a hardshell case. We shipped it to our customer in New Jersey, in mint condition, within a couple days. In less than 3 weeks, on Jan. 26, we received an email from this customer informing us that he noticed the back seam of the uke starting to open up. Was this a case of the wood being "not completely conditioned", as LenieC claimed about his Mele? Probably not, as it was a vintage Kamaka dating back at least to the 1980s. It was, however, the East Coast and in midwinter, which makes it not very surprising. If Kamaka offered a lifetime warranty, would they be liable for replacement or repairs?


Other UU member Story:
First of all, here's the link to our Shipping & Returns policy:
http://www.meleukulele.com/shopconte...?type=shipping Again, this is pretty much industry standard.

This UU member ordered, from our website, a Mele all mahogany soprano 2-hole ukulele. Price was $199, plus $23 for shipping totaling $222 which he paid for through Paypal. He emailed a request that we install geared tuners, normally a $40 upgrade, and we did it for free.

Next, we received an angry and highly offensive e-mail detailing what a terrible instrument we had sent him. Ironically, we are especially proud of our Mele mahogany sopranos -- Bill Tapia played a Mele mahogany soprano and his first reaction was: "sounds better than my Martin!"

We were shocked, but we responded civilly, as follows: " We are refunding your purchase as you requested, less our $23 shipping charge. Sorry that the uke didn't meet your expectations but it is most definitely not used or a "second". Actually, it is custom-made for you, with the geared tuners you requested at no charge which should have been a $40 upgrade. As clearly stated in our return policy on our website, refunds do not include shipping charge.

As a matter of fact, it is not at all uncommon for businesses to state that they will refund in full EXCLUDING shipping cost. Here's just one example: the Ebay seller (beachcamera) I just bought a camera from. (This ebay seller BTW has some 167,000+ feedback). To quote this "Top Rated" Ebay Seller's

Return Policy: "Refunds are applied to the payment method used at the time of purchase 5-10 days after receipt of the returned merchandise. We will only refund the value of the merchandise returned, not the shipping charge."

We promptly refunded the full purchase price of $199 (despite the fact that the instrument had been customized for him which would technically have invalidated any return options). He totally disregarded our return policy and demanded that the $23 shipping cost be paid back to him. He opened a dispute with Paypal for the $23 shipping charge. At that point, rather than make an ugly situation even uglier, I decided that he must need that $23 more than we did and let the claim stand. He prevailed in disregarding our return policy yet he continues to make us out to be villains in the matter.

In closing, we have been in the business of building solid wood instruments since 1992. That's a pretty long time. In fact, when we started, there were only a handful of prominent ukulele companies -- Kamaka, Sunny D, Maui Music. John Kitakis was only offering instrument repair services (no Koolaus and no Ponos), no Koaloha, G-String, Kelii, Kanilea. I remember many years ago when Jim Beloff came to our store and spoke of his dream of someday building Maccaferri type affordable ukuleles. The only uke brand from China was the Hilo brand ukulele -- imagine a world without the Kala, Lanikai, ukes... With almost 20 years in business, I'd like to say that it's been so far a richly rewarding experience. To date, we easily have over 30,000 satisfied customers, many of whom have become good friends. Each and every year, we continue to do great business with much of our sales derived from referrals and repeat business. And for as long as the ukulele keeps gaining in popularity, Mele Ukulele will remain committed to making better and better ukuleles.

I truly hope that people will ignore the badmouthing and check out our products and our customer service for themselves.

We wish everyone peace.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Rock
Mele Ukulele
 
This does not pertain to this thread but it is ironic...

...I went into Guitar Center the other day looking for an unused instrument.

John
 
Maybe this thread should be locked now? We've heard from both sides and I doubt any additional information is going to get posted that clears this whole thing up.
 
Her response deserved the Picard Facepalm Award. I think she and JD could benefit from some masters level marketing and management courses, and maybe something to do with supply chain management as well.

I wish them luck with their chosen methodology. (They're gonna need it.)

Sigh. Sometimes I hate being proved right. :(

People don't order things hoping to find them inferior. Something made this customer think he had received a uke that was used or a second. The customer service gurus describe the complaining customer as giving one a gift. Two gifts, really. They're giving an opportunity to restore faith in your product or service and they're giving an opportunity to discover where your product or service could stand improvement. It's a gift because for every customer who complains there are several others who have exactly the same concerns but never voice them - they just go away never to be seen again, and they may not complain on a public forum but they will certainly tell their friends about their negative experience.

The customer wasn't complaining of something subjective, like maybe he thought the action was too high or the wood should have been prettier. The customer thought he had received a used uke or a factory second! That pretty strongly implies a clear defect or damage. Did this customer have unreasonable expectations? Quite possibly, but we'll never know, now. In any case, it seems fairly clear that an opportunity to improve was missed.

I don't think Cheryl's message is going to change many minds one way or the other but for me it pretty much seals the deal that I probably won't be buying a Mele any time soon. Not because I necessarily think they're bad instruments - but simply because the corporate mindset revealed by her email and JDMaui's posts is not one I have much interest in dealing with.

John
 
Oh, man, you just can't make this stuff up.

So I'm perusing eBay on my lunch break and what do I find but this "melemaui" auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/MELE-CUSTOM-KOA-TOP-8-STRING-BARITONE-UKULELE-/310293629382?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item483ef109c6

Here's a little snipped of their description of this $1300 baritone (emphasis mine):
[QUOTE ebay_auction]
The top is SOLID koa. The back and hand-bent sides are mahogany, as is the hand-carved neck. The fretboard, bridge and binding are of solid ebony. It's ENTIRELY HANDMADE by our seasoned staff of professional luthiers, many of them second and third generation Spanish guitar builders. Not only will you NOT find a handmade bari in this price range, but you won't find one of this quality and beauty for TWICE the price. Please be aware, however, that we do not strive for esthetic perfection; this is NOT a museum piece. It's meant to earn its keep by being played on a regular basis, and it's designed for tone, intonation and playability, like all Mele products.
[/QUOTE]

So, that pretty much explains a whole lot. I guess Cheryl was telling the truth when she told the customer they don't ship seconds - because apparently Mele doesn't recognize seconds - they just don't even try for esthetic perfection (their own words). I guess their plan is that if you get a uke with chipped or discolored bindings, scratches, etc. - that's just tough luck and you should be happy to have such a wonderful-playing uke...

Call me old fashioned, but if I'm going to plunk down $1300 of my hard-earned money you'd better be at least trying for perfection!

Gaaack!

John
 
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And it could be the case that this is not what they intend to say. Maybe what they mean is "You won't find lots of bling here, but the bling is all in the feel and the tone."

But how it comes out is... as OldePhart said.

Another thing that I took from her response was that either she does not acknowledge or is unaware that multiple ukes that are cracking so quickly cannot just be coincidental cases of customer abuse. I say multiple from the case here, and from the cracked Meles you used to find on ebay. Also in John's case. The uke should have been out of tune and maybe the action all wonky or what have you after a weekend in the cold. It shouldn't have been cracked. I mean Mele was nice about it and they didn't have to give him a new uke per their terms, but at the same time shouldn't it have made the agenda to check why this is happening so quickly? And yes you do get the something for nothing jerk customers, but like OldePhart said, you either see them as the 1% cost of being in business, or you see every customer you have as the lowest common denominator. And that comes out crystal clear in both her tone and in JDMaui's. And dishing on PaulDecember, that's just not on.

John said that she felt that this was a no-win situation. That's only her perception. She chooses to believe that, and so it's true. It was really an opportunity, again, agreeing with OldePhart here. I really wish them luck, and with their customer's luck.
 
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And it could be the case that this is not what they intend to say. Maybe what they mean is "You won't find lots of bling here, but the bling is all in the feel and the tone."

But how it comes out is... as OldePhart said.

Another thing that I took from her response was that either she does not acknowledge or is unaware that multiple ukes that are cracking so quickly cannot just be coincidental cases of customer abuse. I say multiple from the case here, and from the cracked Meles you used to find on ebay. Also in John's case. The uke should have been out of tune and maybe the action all wonky or what have you after a weekend in the cold. It shouldn't have been cracked. I mean Mele was nice about it and they didn't have to give him a new uke per their terms, but at the same time shouldn't it have made the agenda to check why this is happening so quickly? And yes you do get the something for nothing jerk customers, but like OldePhart said, you either see them as the 1% cost of being in business, or you see every customer you have as the lowest common denominator. And that comes out crystal clear in both her tone and in JDMaui's. And dishing on PaulDecember, that's just not on.

John said that she felt that this was a no-win situation. That's only her perception. She chooses to believe that, and so it's true. It was really an opportunity, again, agreeing with OldePhart here. I really wish them luck, and with their customer's luck.

GO leave a uke out in single digit weather for 4 days and tell me what you see. The cracks were not that bad. I didn't notice them until a friend pointed them out.
The cracks that bighead show were pretty serious. Like something was done to the uke.

I have owned over 6 Meles in my lifetime. Mele makes a "players" instrument. It isn't going to be perfect like a Kamaka, KoAloha, kanile'a or ko'olau, butIt will be a quality instrument.

I always say, don't knock it until you try it. meh, it is what it is. Your choice is your choice. my choice is my choice.
 
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