Got my Kamaka back and it is still not right

I got my Kamaka uke back from the factory last week, where I had sent it for repairs to a seam that was opening up. They fixed the seam and also refinished it (there had been a bubble in the finish from the last time they refinished it so they fixed that too, as well as some scratches on the back).

I was really happy to get it back but bummed that they had switched out my saddle to a compensated one without asking me, and had left some gritty, white cloudy spots in the finish in places.

I called to tell them and was told, "I don't know what to tell you, you will just have to send it back." luckily, they then put Chris Kamaka on the line and he apologized and said he would buff the uke for me and switch the saddle back. He said I could try buffing the swirls out with my polish kit. I did and it worked so now I just needed the saddle swapped back. Since it cost me almost $100 bucks to ship it last time, I'm glad I am going back to Hawaii next week and can just take it with me.

So I was playing it yesterday and noticed that now the SEAM is coming apart again! Once more, you can feel where the book matched top parts meet. I dont know whether to scream or cry but I am frustrated as hell. They charged me $104 for the repairs, and the uke was delivered back to me only 9 days ago and is already the seam is raised again - I'd say about half the length it was when I sent it in, though it isn't as deep yet.

I don't want to be without it another six weeks, and I certainly don't want to pay again, or pay another $100 to get it shipped back to me. I don't know whether to call and tell them (she will probably just say the same thing again), or just take it in on Monday. I know I'm a pain in the butt to them, but nine days and $104 in fees later and it is already doing the same thing again.

Edit: a friend mentioned it could be due to the hot/dry weather here in LA. I'm hoping that is the case and I have it with a humidifier now. Hopefully that will seal it up again.

Auwe Staci. You have been so patient with this but Kamaka has to make things right. They should do it free of charge and throw in some swag or a refund to boot. You are their most loyal patron and it pains me to hear of your tribulations. God luck!

I agree, Kamaka should make things right.

There's no excuse for that kind of workmanship especially with their reputation. Be patient (I know, easier said than done) and in the end your Kamaka Uke will be perfect!...

Aloha WW... oh yes, take the uke with you to Kamaka and talk to them face to face and show them the problems. That way everyone will be on the same page with the repair!!!
Good luck! I was just there, picked up my repaired vintage pineapple and they did a wonderful job, very happy with the repair. Talked with Fred Jr & Chris and they were pleased with the repairs done.

I don't believe the humidity levels drops that low in L.A. for too long. Perhaps for short periods but I've never had an issue with cracking on my ukes. If the humidity drops way low then I throw in a few clay humidors but that's about it.

How disappointing that the seam has returned. I imagine that if you show the seam to the people at Kamaka (rather than just tell them about it on the phone) they'll realize that they didn't fix as they had promised. Since you paid to have the seam fixed and the seam is still broken, Kamaka shouldn't charge you to fix it again (and they really shouldn't charge you for shipping it back again, either). They seem like really nice people. I've met Chris, who borrowed my ukulele teacher's stand-up bass to perform at the Northern California Ukulele Festival this past April, and he seemed really nice. I'm betting that they'll take care of you.

Seems like they could learn a thing or 2 from KoAloha. Sorry about your problems, I know how frustrating it can be when your baby is sick.

strumsilly said:

Seems like they could learn a thing or 2 from KoAloha. Sorry about your problems, I know how frustrating it can be when your baby is sick.

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Yeah, I don't mean to disparage their ukes, I think they make fantastic instruments. Everyone knows I'm a Kamaka fangirl fanatic. I like my KoAloha a lot, but I absolutely LOVE my Kamaka. That is why it is so frustrating for me to have to possibly turn it back over for more time in the shop.

And Chris Kamaka is a real sweetheart. He and Fred Jr. were both cool to me. I have had both good an bad experiences with the front office staff though. So yeah, if there is one area where I do think KoAloha stands head and shoulders above Kamaka, it is in their customer service/repair work/warranty issues.

But that HF3 just speaks to me -- the sound, the dimensions, the playability. And I still love their history. Heck, I have tons of their tshirts, three of their Reyn Spooner aloha shirts, and I even have that Norman Rockwell-esque artwork of Sam Kamaka framed in a koa frame in my office. So Kamaka fangirl. Yeah. But currently a frustrated/disappointed one.

I know they will make it right, it might just take a while. And while I agree with Ronnie, it seems odd that humidity could cause it to start to reopen so soon, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that is the issue and it will fix itself so I can just go in Monday and get my old saddle back.

Thanks a lot for the comments guys. I love UU for a lot of reasons (lessons, buying tips, etc.) but the sense of community is so great here. While my family knew I was frustrated, I knew that here on UU I would find a group of people who could feel my pain. You guys rock. Thanks for being an ear to vent to, and a shoulder to lean on during my frustration.

Aw, Staci, I'm so sorry to hear that. I know how much you love this uke.

Makes me wonder if after two failed attempts at a factory repair, the uke didn't have a defect from the get-go.

I really hope they get it right, and soon.

itsme said:

Aw, Staci, I'm so sorry to hear that. I know how much you love this uke.

Makes me wonder if after two failed attempts at a factory repair, the uke didn't have a defect from the get-go.

I really hope they get it right, and soon.

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Thanks, I appreciate it. In fairness to Kamaka though, they have only tried to repair it once. The first time it was in their shop was just to go from a satin to gloss finish.

Try to find Chris and talk to him directly, I guess that he probably doesn't aware of the horrible custom service in front of his shop/customers. I didn't mean to fingerpoint at somebody, but hey... you paid the money and deserve a quality service back. If there is any improvement area for Kamaka's customer service, there is also our responsibility to remind them.

Hiya Staci,
Sorry again to hear about your repair issues with Kamaka. I also tend to be very patient and nice/polite when dealing with people involving customer service issues. And as you know, I am also a Kamaka fan. But there comes a time when the squeaky wheel gets the grease. All you are asking for is what you have already paid and waited for, a repair and refinish done right. When YOU pay to have your ukulele refinished(twice!), and you are told that YOU should buff out the imperfections after you get it back, that is unacceptable. And when the repair fails after nine days, same deal. They should pay for the shipping both ways and take care of the problems ASAP.

Kamaka is not doing thenselves any favors with their customer service . The bar has been set high by KoAloha and most other manufacturers. But what you are looking for is not above and beyond service. You are just looking to get what you paid for.

I just checked the humidity in Los Angeles and Honolulu.

Both were 63% so humidity is not a factor.

Yes indeed

dkcrown said:

But what you are looking for is not above and beyond service. You are just looking to get what you paid for.

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Well spoken, thank you.

Gillian said:

I just checked the humidity in Los Angeles and Honolulu.

Both were 63% so humidity is not a factor.

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Wow, I'm surprised it is that high. Although I'm in Pasadena where it is usually drier, and hotter than LA. Case in point, we had weather around 100 degrees the last few days (before cooling off today) while my Mom in Culver City was about ten degrees cooler.

So I examined the uke again today and I think the best way to describe it is that it almost feels like a bump or lump in the spot where the seam repair was done. It isn't pulling apart (hence the humidifier wasn't doing much to "close" it). It just feels raised in that area, and actually like a bump in the uke. It doesn't affect the sound at all, or the aesthetics. If you didn't run your hand over the injured part you wouldn't even know it was there.

I figure I have to take it in on Monday to get my old "non-compensated" saddle put back on it, and I'll just have them feel it. I have a horrible feeling that they are going to say it is just like a scar, something that is inherent in how they fixed it. If it never opens up and is just raised I suppose I can live with it, rather than have them do a second attempt at fixing it.

But part of me kind of feels like for $100 it should be like new -- not with a little lump in it. I guess that is what I get for babying that uke. Only I will ever know the imperfection is there, and I guess I can get used to it. Unless of course, it is a mistake and they will repair it for me. I'm certainly not spending another penny there -- if they will fix their repair for free so be it. But between the $100 in shipping and $100 I paid for the repair I'm not really eager to drop more cash on it if it won't damage the uke and is purely a cosmetic lump.

wickedwahine11 said:

But part of me kind of feels like for $100 it should be like new -- not with a little lump in it.

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This is the part of you that should do the talking when you take your ukulele to Kamaka. i'd hand them the ukulele and ask them to diagnose the problem. If they give you a diagnosis, ask them how they think the problem happened. Then, in a nice way, you should tell them that you thought the repair wouldresult in a like-new instrument because they never said it wouldn't. I think that if the repair was going to leave a "scar," you should have been told either before the repair was made (if they knew the repair would result in a bump) or once the repair was completed. If they shipped it out with the bump, they didn't repair it properly, and they should have told you about it beforehand. If the bump showed up after they shipped it to you, then the ukulele may have some other problem that may or may not have been caused by the repair. You're entitled to the ukulele you paid for, which didn't have the bump.

This is probably a bad way of putting it, but KoAloha has a much more liberal policy. If you are the original buyer, unless you just run over it with a car, they fix it no questions asked. If you're NOT the original buyer, from what I understand, they normally fix it anyway. Not knowing the Kamakas, I can say for sure the Okamis know where there bread and butter come from and they take care of that. I'm NOT saying the folks at Kamaka have lost sight of that, but when I read the answer you got when you called, "I don't know what to tell you, I guess you'll just have to send it back." I was astounded. I'm just used to the Aloha that's an everyday thing at Koaloha, I just thought all the Hawaiian uke makers were like that. You don't have to talk to them face to face either. Phone or email will do. It stinks that you're having problems with your prized instrument.

I just got back from Kamaka, where I spoke with Chris Kamaka directly. I have to say, while some of their customer service is hit and miss, Chris Kamaka is a wonderful guy. For starters, he swapped out my saddle (removing the compensated one and putting the regular one back on).

Then he came out and told me that he had examined the uke, and he wasn't sure what is causing the raised bump at the seam. He thanked me for bringing it to his attention, and said that I should keep an eye on it for a few more weeks to see what happens. He said that it is not a structural issue that would affect the sound, but if it gets worse he will definitely take care of it and fix it.

The bad news is that he thinks fixing it might require replacing the top entirely if the last fix didn't work. To which I exclaimed, "Oh no! But I love my curly koa!" He smiled and said that he would replace it with koa of similar curl. I asked if I should just leave it now, but he said not yet, to keep watching it.

To be honest, if my head wins put, I would say I should have them fix it again, even if that means losing my current top. But truthfully, my heart says no. It isn't affecting the sound, and aesthetically, if you don't feel it you would never know it was there. And I would hate to have them replace the koa top with wood I didn't like as much, and to have it done sight unseen.

So I told him I will be back in Oahu in October and if it changes I will leave it with them then, I am actually hoping it just stays the way it is, just because I love the looks and sound of this uke so much, and such a radical "plastic surgery" would change the entire nature of this uke. But I am really glad I took it in, so at least he knows the issue exists, plus, it confirmed I wasn't crazy as he acknowledged it wasn't perfect, so at least he is on notice.

Thanks for the update, Staci. That is a true dilemma you have. I would hope that it stays stable and doesn't need replacing. Not only will it change the look of your uke, it will obviously change the sound of it as well. Did he say that if it stays stable, they could take care of the "bump" in the seam for you? How did you make out with the cloudy finish issue? Were you able to buff it out or did they take care of that for you?

dkcrown said:

Thanks for the update, Staci. That is a true dilemma you have. I would hope that it stays stable and doesn't need replacing. Not only will it change the look of your uke, it will obviously change the sound of it as well. Did he say that if it stays stable, they could take care of the "bump" in the seam for you? How did you make out with the cloudy finish issue? Were you able to buff it out or did they take care of that for you?

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Naw, I think it is either live with the bump or have the whole top replaced. He said he could try to repair it again from scratch I guess, but it would probably necessitate the replacement since whatever they did this time caused the bump. I should mention it isn't a huge lump, but it is noticeable if you run your hand over the seam area.

As for the white gritty cloudy stuff, I was actually able to get all of that off myself, so the finish is fine now.