NUD and Shout out to KoAloha for their Outstanding Customer Service

Mezcalero

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In November I purchased a used KoAloha Red Label Tenor from a fellow UU member. The origin was outside of the U.S. and even though I had reservations, I engaged in a pretty lengthy dialogue with the seller before finalizing the purchase. The instrument was described as being in 99% new condition. I didn’t expect perfection, but I expected the instrument to be in good playing condition. Once the payment cleared on Paypal, seller agreed to send the package fully insured. That is where the first problems began. The seller decided on their own that insuring the instrument was too expensive, so they did not insure it. The problem with this option was that the carrier did not offer any tracking service for uninsured packages, not to mention if something happened to the instrument on the long journey from China to the US, there would be no recourse with the Carrier. So, I waited . . . and waited . . . . and waited . . . . . and then one day (4 weeks later) it arrived. I was obviously excited and opened it up for inspection and a bit of strumming. Aesthetically it was fine, with no major blemishes found. But as I looked at the neck and bridge I noticed that the saddle had been shimmed all the way down to where the strings were actually sitting directly on the bridge. This was a big concern for me since there was no break angle at all behind the saddle. When I check out a new instrument one of the first things I do is play single notes up the neck on the A string to check the intonation. By the time I got to the 5th fret it was already out of tune. At the octave it was painfully off. Upon further inspection it was easy to see that the top had extreme bellying and there was no way to address the intonation problem with the saddle already having been shimmed down to nothing. So, I contacted the seller and initiated a dialogue about my concerns. The seller claimed to be shocked and couldn’t believe the extreme terms I was using, such as unplayable and painfully out of tune. They tried to convince me that my expectations were not realistic. Having used paypal was starting to look like a wise decision. The seller had tried to convince me to use family and friends, but being overseas I insisted on doing it with paypal protection. On a whim I decided to call KoAloha and see if they thought it was something they might be able to fix. I spoke with Griz and pretty quickly he agreed with my conclusion that there was a problem. Then a magical thing happened. He said “The warranty on Red Label instruments follows the instrument and not the original owner” I am not exaggerating when I say I was shocked (in a good way) to hear this. So, he instructed me where to send the instrument. Once he received the instrument he concluded it was unrepairable and offered to build a brand new one. To this day, I am amazed that KoAloha did this for me. Even more amazing, is the fact that my case is not an isolated one. I have read on UU threads of at least two other members who had entirely new instruments built for them when their instrument encountered serious problems. I cannot thank them enough or say enough good things about the customer service I received from KoAloha and Griz in particular!

Here are a few photos and a sound sample of the newly built instrument:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8f0f2xaqk92g00q/KoAloha Red Label sample.mp3?dl=0

IMG_5329.jpgIMG_5330.jpg
 
I've heard so many nice stories about Koaloha. If I ever had the money to purchase a K brand, they would be right up there on my list, if only for the customer service. The new uke looks and sounds amazing, too.
 
I'm pretty sure the original uke was mine. Lol. Man, KoAloha is the best!
 
Not a great story to hear as I don't like these things to happen between seller and buyer but wow I am moved by koaloha. Unbelievable. I'm sure kanile a and kamaka would be like this.
 
Nice to hear another example of the amazing KoAloha warranty. Congrats on the beautiful KoaAloha. The tone and your playing are great.
 
Very nice story, and the uke sounds great. I love the tone and clarity.

i had a similar experience with Griz and Brian. I bought a new tenor that went dead on the A string. I was really disappointed and thought that i was stuck with it. I wouldn't sell an instrument that i though wasn't right. I spoke with Griz who said to send it to them. He had a look and agreed that it wasn't right and sent me a new one.

Great company to deal with and best warranty in the business.
 
KoAloha aloha indeed :).
 
What a great story, and confirmation of your decision to buy a Koaloha.

It looks and sounds beautiful.
 
Good for you and kudos to Koaloha for their excellent service. Shame on the seller for being deceitful. It is a lovely sounding instrument Kevin, congratulations.
 
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Had a similar interaction with KoAloha and Griz. My favorite people in the world.
 
He said “The warranty on Red Label instruments follows the instrument and not the original owner”

The best part about the warranty is that it is offered on ALL their ukuleles. Even their factory seconds! A few years ago I bought a factory second from a fellow UU'er and it was great. After a few months of ownership I took it out of the case and noticed that there was a line in the headstock. I turned it over and saw that the line went all the way through and all the way down the neck. It didn't break the finish, so I had no idea what it was. I took a picture and sent it to KoAloha. They got back to me and said that occasionally there is a small flaw in the wood and it splits. It would absolutely be covered by their warranty and that they had a few seconds available. I sent it to them and they sent me a wonderful replacement. Like the original one I sent back to them, I have no idea why it is a second. I can not find a single thing wrong with it! Great company with amazing Aloha spirit!!
 
With all of these warranty coverages, do you still have to pay for shipping back and forth or do they provide a paid way bill?
 
That's a great warranty and a great company. Congrats!

(Shame on the person who sold you a dud.)
 
With all of these warranty coverages, do you still have to pay for shipping back and forth or do they provide a paid way bill?

In my case, I was so happy there was a solution I gladly shipped the original to them on my dime. But they paid to ship the new one back to me. I think if I had asked they would probably have offered to pay for my shipping costs as well. I didn't feel inclined though, as they had converted a horrible experience into a very positive one.
 
I'm pretty sure the original uke was mine. Lol. Man, KoAloha is the best!

I saw your old post Matt, and thought it might be the same one. But it said no international shipping, so I figured they must have made a small batch of these in May 2012.
 
I saw your old post Matt, and thought it might be the same one. But it said no international shipping, so I figured they must have made a small batch of these in May 2012.

I bought it from MGM. Was there a pick up in it? If so, Mike added it for free due to a snafu; bless his soul. I think it was resold after I let it go, if memory serves correct.
 
I bought it from MGM. Was there a pick up in it? If so, Mike added it for free due to a snafu; bless his soul. I think it was resold after I let it go, if memory serves correct.

Yeah, the original had L.R. Baggs 5.0 which they reinstalled in the new one. The original was a world traveler then, because it made a stop in Taiwan before going to China :)
 
Very impressed with KoAloha and their warranty. Shame on the seller. They KNEW for sure there were issues. This is the kinda thing that has me shy away from a very long distance transaction. Good for KoAloha. I will support them in the future!
 
The fact that the seller is an UU member kinda makes it worse.
KoAloha on the other hand went above and beyond here!
(like always it seems :))
 
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