Mele Ukes
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pdxuke
Well-known member
Here's one more thought:
here in the Pacific NW the department store Nordstroms is known for taking any returns--any--forever. No questions asked.
The most famous story is the guy who rolled in 4 tires and asked for his money back. The manager gave him a refund. And here's the thing--Nordstrom doesn't sell tires. But they do value their reputation, and if the guy thought he bought them there, Nordstrom was going to make sure they kept him as a customer for life.
here in the Pacific NW the department store Nordstroms is known for taking any returns--any--forever. No questions asked.
The most famous story is the guy who rolled in 4 tires and asked for his money back. The manager gave him a refund. And here's the thing--Nordstrom doesn't sell tires. But they do value their reputation, and if the guy thought he bought them there, Nordstrom was going to make sure they kept him as a customer for life.
strumsilly
Well-known member
from their ebay ad :A fabulous gift for yourself or someone special, the Mele concert is set up by a top professional luthier and has great tone, intonation and playability. It will delight one and all for many, many years to come. Read our LIFETIME WARRANTY at meleukulele.com
went there and couldn't find it???
went there and couldn't find it???
Here is their warranty from their website. I think they edited it after my complaint, LOL! As i stated, I did take excellent care of the uke but what does this warranty say? If you take the uke anywhere outside of 100% humidity it'll probably crack.
Warranty
As stated on the hang tag that comes with each Mele Ukulele, "All Mele Ukulele instruments are guaranteed to be free from defects in quality of materials and workmanship. If your instrument fails, we will repair or replace it as we see fit." We feel that this is a clear and comprehensive warranty. It is incumbent on the customer, however, to bear in mind that your Mele Ukulele is a fine handmade instrument constructed from top quality tonewoods and hardwoods.
Although it may cost far less than a handmade guitar, violin or other fine stringed instrument, it is of equal quality and requires the same kind of care.
The solid woods of which your Mele is constructed have been very carefully dried and seasoned before being cut and planed to their present thickness. The wood is naturally hygroscopic, meaning that it will soak up moisture in humid climates and lose moisture under dry conditions. In very hot or cold temperatures or any time relative humidity falls below 40% (common in mountain & desert climates and in heated homes and apartments), your ukulele will dry out and the wood can warp or crack.
This, of course, is very serious damage and IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY.It can, however, be easily prevented by keeping your instrument in its hard case and using a good quality humidifier.
You can find these in our store or on our website (or at any good music store), and we will gladly instruct you in their proper use. We recommend those made by Herco and Planet Waves, and we also suggest you add water to them once a week rather than every other week, as the instructions advise.
An instrument that has warped or cracked due to extreme temperatures or dryness is usually not repairable. Even in cases where a repair can be performed, it usually will cost more than it would cost to buy a replacement instrument, especially on high-quality handmade instruments (like your Mele) where the sides, back, top, and neck and tail blocks are solidly fitted and glued together and cannot be non-destructively disassembled.
The best we can do in such a situation is to offer a replacement at a discounted price. Of course, we would much rather see you and your Mele live happily ever after! So please take good care of your Mele Ukulele! If you treat it well, it will treat you well for a long, long time to come!
Warranty
As stated on the hang tag that comes with each Mele Ukulele, "All Mele Ukulele instruments are guaranteed to be free from defects in quality of materials and workmanship. If your instrument fails, we will repair or replace it as we see fit." We feel that this is a clear and comprehensive warranty. It is incumbent on the customer, however, to bear in mind that your Mele Ukulele is a fine handmade instrument constructed from top quality tonewoods and hardwoods.
Although it may cost far less than a handmade guitar, violin or other fine stringed instrument, it is of equal quality and requires the same kind of care.
The solid woods of which your Mele is constructed have been very carefully dried and seasoned before being cut and planed to their present thickness. The wood is naturally hygroscopic, meaning that it will soak up moisture in humid climates and lose moisture under dry conditions. In very hot or cold temperatures or any time relative humidity falls below 40% (common in mountain & desert climates and in heated homes and apartments), your ukulele will dry out and the wood can warp or crack.
This, of course, is very serious damage and IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY.It can, however, be easily prevented by keeping your instrument in its hard case and using a good quality humidifier.
You can find these in our store or on our website (or at any good music store), and we will gladly instruct you in their proper use. We recommend those made by Herco and Planet Waves, and we also suggest you add water to them once a week rather than every other week, as the instructions advise.
An instrument that has warped or cracked due to extreme temperatures or dryness is usually not repairable. Even in cases where a repair can be performed, it usually will cost more than it would cost to buy a replacement instrument, especially on high-quality handmade instruments (like your Mele) where the sides, back, top, and neck and tail blocks are solidly fitted and glued together and cannot be non-destructively disassembled.
The best we can do in such a situation is to offer a replacement at a discounted price. Of course, we would much rather see you and your Mele live happily ever after! So please take good care of your Mele Ukulele! If you treat it well, it will treat you well for a long, long time to come!
silverjet
Member
No problems in the desert....
I've owned a solid mahogany Mele Tenor since July and can report that there have been absolutely NO problems with the instrument, even here in the Sonoran Desert.... Really nice ukulele.....not as warm and full as my Kanilea, but definitely more punch and presence. Really one of the better buys out there, IMO!
I've owned a solid mahogany Mele Tenor since July and can report that there have been absolutely NO problems with the instrument, even here in the Sonoran Desert.... Really nice ukulele.....not as warm and full as my Kanilea, but definitely more punch and presence. Really one of the better buys out there, IMO!
musiccityuker
Well-known member
Maybe. maybe not.
We don't know bighead. Our introduction to him was a blast at the past and a slam on a company and it's owners that a lot of us really appreciate. So, yes... we react! We just have to assume we're hearing all the facts. If so, he has a good argument. If not... our friends are being dissed. Sometimes one Herco dehumidifier isn't enough. I use three in every case and I live in the sticky south. My Meles are many years old and in excellent condition. So many variables could cause that problem.
We don't know bighead. Our introduction to him was a blast at the past and a slam on a company and it's owners that a lot of us really appreciate. So, yes... we react! We just have to assume we're hearing all the facts. If so, he has a good argument. If not... our friends are being dissed. Sometimes one Herco dehumidifier isn't enough. I use three in every case and I live in the sticky south. My Meles are many years old and in excellent condition. So many variables could cause that problem.
Mistakes happen, but what really counts is how a company responds to them. In Bighead's case, and to a lesser degree mine, IMO Mele fails
haole
Well-known member
This, times a million.
musiccityuker
Well-known member
Bighead...
There's a great tutorial on the Taylor Guitar site to show you how to fix this yourself... or at least make is sooo much better than it is. Check this out ... http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/features/woods/Videos/video.aspx?file=Humidity_2_High.wmx
I had a cracked uke once (my fault). It looked a lot like this one. I followed their tutorial to the letter. It worked. And yours is repairable... at least to a large extent. Best of all... it's a FREE process that'll take less than a week and very little effort. Good luck... your uke is still alive!
There's a great tutorial on the Taylor Guitar site to show you how to fix this yourself... or at least make is sooo much better than it is. Check this out ... http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/features/woods/Videos/video.aspx?file=Humidity_2_High.wmx
I had a cracked uke once (my fault). It looked a lot like this one. I followed their tutorial to the letter. It worked. And yours is repairable... at least to a large extent. Best of all... it's a FREE process that'll take less than a week and very little effort. Good luck... your uke is still alive!
Gmoney
Well-known member
Since this OLD (last post before today 11-02-2009) thread was resurrected, I think that this will be my last post to it. Its a bummer that Mele seems to have delivered a uke sometime in 2000 that was defective & possibly failed to live up to its own values & stated warranty in effect at the time. But... this thread (again IMO) still has a bit of hyperbole such as:
Note that the also quoted Mele warranty states:
The 40% is what many of us are told repeatedly on this forum is the bottom end of safe for our solid wood instruments. I would guess that 100% humidity might also actually do some damage (storing your uke in a full bathtub seems contraindicated).
And finally, at least for me, I'll respond to this:
At the time of the problem, I would have made every effort to get the product replaced w/as little cost to me as possible, as long as I thought I had taken care of the instrument to the best of my ability. Then, if I ended up being the "loser" of this transaction, I'd think twice before buying again from that same mfg/maker. And, then I'd get over it.
Note that the also quoted Mele warranty states:
The 40% is what many of us are told repeatedly on this forum is the bottom end of safe for our solid wood instruments. I would guess that 100% humidity might also actually do some damage (storing your uke in a full bathtub seems contraindicated).
And finally, at least for me, I'll respond to this:
At the time of the problem, I would have made every effort to get the product replaced w/as little cost to me as possible, as long as I thought I had taken care of the instrument to the best of my ability. Then, if I ended up being the "loser" of this transaction, I'd think twice before buying again from that same mfg/maker. And, then I'd get over it.
pdxuke
Well-known member
Yes, I agree. Again I have no experience with Mele. But human nature being what it is, I just wonder why this thread keeps coming up again. Since I'm a former New Yorker, I think, "because there's some truth to it." Ha.
I may be wrong. I hope I'm wrong.
Still, last year when there was a question about Kala's customer support, Mike Upton was on this site in hours setting it straight. I've never seen a question about Mainland, but my guess is that Mike would be here too. Last week we saw Fred from Kamaka step up and set the record straight.
I guess if I ran the circus, I'd do what I could to make things right. Even at this late date.
The End.
I may be wrong. I hope I'm wrong.
Still, last year when there was a question about Kala's customer support, Mike Upton was on this site in hours setting it straight. I've never seen a question about Mainland, but my guess is that Mike would be here too. Last week we saw Fred from Kamaka step up and set the record straight.
I guess if I ran the circus, I'd do what I could to make things right. Even at this late date.
The End.
Paul December
Well-known member
Easy advice to give
...besides, the guy isn't going-out-of-his-way to bash Mele. All he did was post his (negative) experience, then responded to posts.
Hey, thanks for your condescending comments! I did make every effort to get it replaced ( I was rebuked). I did end up the "loser" in this transaction and I did "get over it". What I thought I was doing however, was warning my fellow forum members that I, at least, did not have a great experience with my MELE ukulele or the company that sold it. Take it for what it's worth. Isn't this thread about MELE ukes?
LenieC
haolejohn
Well-known member
Well, I bought a double puka solid koa from Mele (my 4th Mele purchase). I left it out in my classroom by accident. It was snowing and I grabbed a load of materials to take out to my car, only to discover that the custodians had already locked the doors. My uke was laying on the table by the back door, right next to it's case. Anyways, the snow shut the schools down for four days. When i returned, I discovered a cracked ukulele. My district has been strapped financially for the last few years and one way to save money was turn heat off at night. I didn't know that they did this. THe lows over those four days was single digits. I left my uke out of it's case in single digit weather. I caused the damage with mother nature's help. I contacted Mele and I was offered a new uke or a free repair. Even after I stressed the fact that the ukulele damage was my fault. I decided to take Cheryl up on the offer and I got myself a mahogany 6 string tenor.
I will always be a Mele supporter and every experience I had dealing with them has always been very good. I know that your experience might have been different and I see nothing wrong with asking for the other side to the story.
I'm not calling you a liar, I do not know you or of your experience.
If it ended up the way you describe, that sucks. Will it deter me from buying from Mele again? Nope. I have had too many good experiences with them to stop being their customer.
haolejohn
Well-known member
We have to take your word for the careful care and humidification. I would have contacted them just like you. I would not have slammed them the way you did.
There is a very reputable online dealer that I will not deal with. He mislead me and bashed an ukulele company, but I have never openly bashed him and I won't. It is my one word against others that have had only great experiences. I just figure, I got a bad day from them and move on.
haolejohn
Well-known member
Yes, I agree. Again I have no experience with Mele. But human nature being what it is, I just wonder why this thread keeps coming up again. Since I'm a former New Yorker, I think, "because there's some truth to it." Ha.
I may be wrong. I hope I'm wrong.
Still, last year when there was a question about Kala's customer support, Mike Upton was on this site in hours setting it straight. I've never seen a question about Mainland, but my guess is that Mike would be here too. Last week we saw Fred from Kamaka step up and set the record straight.
I guess if I ran the circus, I'd do what I could to make things right. Even at this late date.
The End.
Thom, this thread was originally asking why Mele wasn't mentioned in the makers or something to that effect section. THe bad rep was posted for the first time today.
I will say that I have tried to get Cheryl to join UU and I think they do have someone that monitors it.
I'll be honest with ya. Kamaka just joined. After how long? Some folks don't have time for online forums.
I'd love to see them here b/c next to koaloha, Mele is my favorite uke.
haolejohn
Well-known member
You did. I think it was just the way you came across. Your very first post here was to bash Mele. You just discovered UU today? It is no big deal. I think there needs to be more of the negatives to companies posted. No one is perfect. No company is perfect. Your experience was your experience. Mine have been totally different.
Hopefully you get the uke repaired. Then again, if it doesn't effect the sound, just play the heck out of that bad boy.
pdxuke
Well-known member
Yea, I get the time thing. It is good that someone with 8000+ posts shares his positive experiences. That's helpful. I do hope Mele joins these boards and lets their own light shine! It would do us all some good and I think it could only broaden the appeal these ukes have to many.
haolejohn
Well-known member
I once brought up a Mele bashing to Cheryl and I was told there are two sides to a story. THat was the only elaboration I got which to me was a good thing. She didn't bash a customer b/c that would appear to be unprofessional. THere are always two sides to a story. I always take a negative and cut it in half and that is what I choose to believe. Until confirmed by both sides.
Now about my 8000+ posts, 7000 of them are worthless.
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