warranties what they are and aren't

With so much better expectations on quality etc peoples idea of a warranty have sometimes gone of the roof....For example replacing a instrument that was bought secondhand for alledged defect although mentioned here is NOT the norm. Warranties are against most major manufacturers defects. Some are easy to spot. A bridge flies off... tuner peg doesn't work...electronics fail or don't work right, neck breaks off....These are easy to determine....Others....action??? high or low,,,buzzing..for how is it played, strings changed etc. cracking..proper care and humidification..user error. Light spot in grain?? Hmmm. With all the variables I would be sending back 50% of all ukuleles i buy and receive if i were looking for 100% pristine perfection as ukuleles as a whole have not reached that level of sophistication. even with customs i find character as i call it in almost every one....showing they are handmade one by one...every ukulele manufacture with their warranty requires the buyer to burden the cost of shipping in repair....Kamaka, Kanilea, Koolau, Koaloha and G string all do and they need most times to determine cause and whether warranty covers said repairs. Most will not even cover cracking...as many factors could cause that....Using what is reasonable is what the rule of thumb is. Saying you kept the ukulele in its case all winter in a heated home with a humdifier sounds great until you find out you needed to add water every few days to the humidifier. As a car needs oil for maintenance the big demand for now all Solid Ukuleles are making for a rush of purchases by consumers who don't research enough about proper care for their instrument. it was easy when most were laminate but increasingly the demand for solid instruments and people wanting to play in Utah, Arizone or temperate climates where dry house heating and AC are always a factor makes these problems all more formidable. 10 years ago solid koa ukes as a commanplace in the east coast and arid areas etc was a rarity...now its a norm. I find that most makers do there best to keep the consumer happy. Keep in mind I comment on this as if you guys want perfection...you can get it but higher cost will soon be reflected by the manufacturers to cover the quality control needed.....anybody ever worried just how it plays and sounds...to me that is still the number one issue in my mind....

Very well said and understood...

I'm sorry that I've ranted in the other thread about my ukulele now!

I do understand that no uke is perfect, but at the same time it was quite upsetting for me to find a not so small crack inside a new first hand ukulele that I've owned for only a few weeks that I took the time to take good care of it. I don't I was wrong to ask Pono or my local store about the warranty.

Very well written Michael.

Thanks, MGM, for pointing out the way things really are.

You forgot to mention what isn't covered. Sitting on an ukulele -- no. Dropping it -- no. The list goes on...

sukie said:

Thanks, MGM, for pointing out the way things really are.

You forgot to mention what isn't covered. Sitting on an ukulele -- no. Dropping it -- no. The list goes on...

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I was wondering who was going to bring up "Sitting on the Uke".

Its all about humidity it seems. I think the real problem is everyone in the East coast almost forced to buy sight-unseen.

DeG said:

I was wondering who was going to bring up "Sitting on the Uke".

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Ya gotta! It's way too funny.:biglaugh:

DeG said:

I was wondering who was going to bring up "Sitting on the Uke".

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My two years old son almost did that if I was not watching him.

Very well written and informative, hopefully people will read this prior to ranting and raving on the UU. It is not fair to the manufacturer's especially when they are willing to take care of most of these problems. :shaka:

Does anyone have the cliffnotes for the first post?

Myala509 said:

Does anyone have the cliffnotes for the first post?

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In a nutshell, take care of your uku and learn to appreciate the little differences that make your particular uku unique.

Myala509 said:

Does anyone have the cliffnotes for the first post?

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They can be found on ebay. I can't believe what they are saleing for. I'm a little weary because they are so cheap. Must be fakes.

Warranties/faults

It is clear that some people use uke forums as a means of applying pressure on dealers/manufacturers when they are dissatisfied with a uke. Sometimes the dealer/manufacturer responds (for the sake of their good name) by offering an exceptional service, well beyond reasonable expectations. Then there is a frenzy of posts about how great they are. Have they thought where this could lead?

It is time sellers of new ukes stood up to this kind of manipulation, and simply stated their case clearly. Provided they deal with the situation promptly, and within the terms of the warranty, that's fine. If it involves returning an instrument at the customer's expense, so be it. That is what you do when you buy from a local store. If you choose to buy on line from an outlet hundreds of miles from your home, be aware that in the event of your needing to return the goods, it WILL involve you in extra expense.

I like buying on line, I've bought at least eight ukes that way, and I've never had a problem, but if I did I would expect the responsible party to respond properly. I would only complain to my fellow ukers, via a forum, if I had been treated badly by a supplier.

Give the Trade a chance - be reasonable.

Ukantor.

There is a balance to be struck.

As with all products and services, perfection is rare. A manufacturer and supplier does his best to provide good quality. As has been observed, quality costs in time and materials, so if one expects top-notch materials and near-perfect build quality one must expect to pay for it.

That said, I believe it is the duty of the seller to ensure that a ukulele is fit for purpose - i.e., fit for the purpose of being strung with a range of commercial uke strings, being kept in a climate whose temperature and humidity fall within a reasonable range, and being used to make music. If, for example, the fretting of an instrument or the positioning of a bridge is inaccurate to the extent that the instrument cannot be adjusted to play in tune with acceptable intonation then the instrument is demonstrably unfit for purpose.

If, however, the instrument plays out of tune and intonation is poor due to high action, then this is a case of adjustment being needed. The instrument is not inherently unfit for it purpose. Set up is an area where manufacturers sometimes make small savings by leaving adjustments that can be done on a DIY basis by many retailers or purchasers.

One of the buyer's duties is to research the market before making a purchase: to learn what level of quality is the norm within his budget.

Another duty of the buyer is to find out how the instrument needs to be kept and maintained. The analogy with car maintenance earlier in the thread is valid in context.

Mike mentions some things that are warranty issues and some that are not. A newbie player will often not be able to tell the difference. It is, therefore, unavoidable that they will ask for advice about perceived problems in communities such as UU.

What John says about people using forums to put pressure on manufacturers is true, and that is not just the case where musical instruments are concerned. Part of my day job (internet marketing) involves managing the online reputations of clients. Customers in all areas of commerce have realised that the web has given them a voice. Businesses have often been slower to cotton-on to this new empowerment of consumers.

For good or for ill, virtual "word-of-mouth" can make or break a business. The only way to influence it for the better is to provide promptly reactive service and to address customers issues. If the customer raises the issues publicly (on a forum, for example) then it is often a good idea to deal with the issues publicly - by smiling and going the extra mile. Arguing with customers, or trying to tackle negative publicity by the use of lawyers is a losing strategy. Mr Nice Guy wins the PR battle every time.

I make no judgment about the rights or wrongs of the situation. I am saying, from a position of informed, professional, expert knowledge, that that is how it is.

But not all whinges on forums are complaints intended to pressurise sellers. Many are simply the heartfelt cries of the uninformed who are devastated to find that there is "something wrong" with the instrument they had such high hopes for.

From a buyer's point of view, I support the posting of issues with instruments. Such posts provide a valuable reference when potential buyers want to research. A switched-on seller/manufacturer will look out for such posts and respond to them in a prompt and positive way. Thus taking ownership of the situation and turning a complaint or poor review into a PR coup - and being seen, in public, to be the good guy.

In many, many cases the complaints will be unfair, and the fault will lie with the customer. But the manufacturer/seller will never win by attacking from that angle. No matter what the seller does, readers of complaints posted online go away with one of two impressions:

a) The seller sorted the problem out straight away and took care of the customer.

b) The seller did NOT fix the issue and take care of the customer.

I'm afraid I can't agree with John about standing up to the manipulation. This stuff is my daily professional battleground and I've seen the casualties of that strategy.

Google may be a great source of traffic and revenue. But it (and forum search boxes) are also your enemies, as they can return search results full of complaints to be read by the buyer who is researching his next purchase.

You need to make sure he goes away with impression (a) from the options above.

Just to add: MGM is obviously does things the right way. His reputation is rock solid. When one sees his name in a thread, even one describing a problem, one goes away knowing that he is the good guy.

His business, no doubt, reaps the benefits of that wise investment in customer service.

ukantor said:

It is clear that some people use uke forums as a means of applying pressure on dealers/manufacturers when they are dissatisfied with a uke.

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I agree with your post and have seen this happen in other arenas as well. The only qualification I'd like to make is that I think in some cases, people are not trying to be manipulative -- they just run into a problem, are upset, and go where they can get immediate feedback (is this as bad as it seems? has this happened to anyone else? am i overreacting? etc.). But yes, people should keep in mind the points that you and Mic make. This can get out of control.

Being from from a business/online background myself, very well said buddhu!

Thanks for clearing up some things that people have been wondering about for a long time, MGM!

I wouldn't say that UU has a lot of folks who complain while fully expecting the company to feel bad for them and step outside their warranty in order to help them. I'm sure it happens, but I think buddhu's right; most complaints about a uke are usually an innocent "help, something's wrong with my uke, what should i do" and it's usually other members who suggest they get in touch with the company.

Still, I'm glad this thread was posted so in the future people won't have unrealistic expectations of what the warranty entails after seeing one or two outstanding cases.

Warranties and guarantees are like impromptu speeches

Not worth the paper they are written on.