Lanikai warranty customer service review.

Hi all! About 5 years ago I purchased my first and only uke. Im glad I did. I love my little hobby, and recommend it to all. Like most I had a budget which precluded Hawaiian made ukes. So I researched the mainstream brands and settled on Lanikai for 2 reasons: price and warranty. I got a LSM-C for 200 bucks from an authorized dealer. Solid mahogany all around, and a limited lifetime warranty. To this day, with all my new experiences, I still think this instrument possesses a pleasing tone and great playability.

Recently I noticed that the side was separating from the back on top of the small hump. Over a short time this split became larger (about 1 inch), and then a new split developed on the same side, but, on the larger hump. I wrote to Lanikai with 4 picture, which I will try to post here, only to get the following response:

Thank you for choosing Lanikai and I am sorry you have experienced cracking the body of your ukulele. I have shared your images with the head of the company and unfortunately he does not believe these cracks are not consistent with a factory build issue, this wood, or this finish – even after 5 years of use. In turn your warranty claim for a replacement has been denied. Please see our warranty information in regards to cracking. http://lanikaiukes.com/laniblog/warrnty/ .

So, my claim was rejected because cracks in the finish are not covered. Now, I am basically a novice when it comes to musical instrument construction, so, look at the photos and read the warranty and decide for yourself. With that being said, my personal opinion follows:

I completely agree that cracks in the finish should not be warranted for life. I also read the terms and conditions before I bought the thing and I was satisfied with that caveat. I admit that there is a crack in my finish, and, thats not what bothers me. I believe the cracks appeared because the sides are separating from the back where the binding would be. This is what bothers me, especially because they are growing and spreading. So, my opinion is that there is a failure in the construction of the instrument which has also manifested an external symptom. Nevertheless, the main problem is that the side is separating from the back, not the cracks in the finish. Thus, it should be covered.

I share this experience because the warranty is what made it easy for me to trust the manufacturer and drop 200 bucks on a new hobby. Please, feel free to correct me on any technical point I have attempted to make, as I am purely a novice who only wants to help people who are shopping around like I was back then.

Let me know if I did not attach the images properly.

Thanks for reading, and good luck.

"... he does not believe these cracks are not consistent with a factory build issue." That's a double negative. Maybe the responder got it all wrong.

I would not call that a crack judging your pictures. If you are sure that the side is separating from the back, then it is the lacquer that is causing it. Hopefully you sent more than what you provided here as your pictures does not really give evidence one way or the other. If you know for sure it is a separation though, push against the back and have someone take a picture with the gap opened up. Send that to Lanikai for another review.

But if all fails the fix is fairly simple and inexpensive. If the uke is worth it to you go have a luthier check it out.

I wish my 5 year old ukes looked in such great condition!

Damage appears consistent with humidification issues (wood shrinkage, glue joint dried, etc) . Not sure where you live, but it is a solid wood uke and may require humidification. These issues are not normally covered by warranties. As has been said, fixable.

When it comes to Lanikai, I would err on the side of the OP. Could very well be the factory worker in Indonesia did a bad job gluing the back. I've had build quality problems on 3 higher end Lanikai's, all defective replacements from Richmond (Lanikai HQ). 1.Twisted neck, 2. bowed neck, 3. binding falling off & sloppy glue joints. They wouldn't deal with me anymore so I finally gave up. Lanikai got in return, a scathing review on Amazon. I tossed the uke in the burn barrel and chalked it up as a lesson learned.

Skinny Money McGee said:

When it comes to Lanikai, I would err on the side of the OP. Could very well be the factory worker in Indonesia did a bad job gluing the back. I've had build quality problems on 3 higher end Lanikai's, all defective replacements from Richmond (Lanikai HQ). 1.Twisted neck, 2. bowed neck, 3. binding falling off & sloppy glue joints. They wouldn't deal with me anymore so I finally gave up. Lanikai got in return, a scathing review on Amazon. I tossed the uke in the burn barrel and chalked it up as a lesson learned.

Click to expand...

I have no Lanakai experience, so a thread derail... I can't stop watching that avatar! I picked up the movie from the library the other day to watch in honor of its 50th anniversary.

Skinny Money McGee said:

When it comes to Lanikai, I would err on the side of the OP. Could very well be the factory worker in Indonesia did a bad job gluing the back. I've had build quality problems on 3 higher end Lanikai's, all defective replacements from Richmond (Lanikai HQ). 1.Twisted neck, 2. bowed neck, 3. binding falling off & sloppy glue joints. They wouldn't deal with me anymore so I finally gave up. Lanikai got in return, a scathing review on Amazon. I tossed the uke in the burn barrel and chalked it up as a lesson learned.

Click to expand...

And back on thread topic... I have a Lanikai baritone that had a dinged headstock that cleaned up nicely with just a little attention to the finish to prevent further damage. That said, there seem to be an extremely large number of Lanikai "as is" for sale, especially at times on eBay. Would lead one to conclude that their QC may be among the lowest of the mass manufacturers and deserving of a "buyer beware" for the brand... :/

with all solid wood instruments you need to use a humidifier for dry temps...what kind of humidifier are you using...and did you keep the uke in its case with it when RH was below 40%

Macmuse said:

And back on thread topic... I have a Lanikai baritone that had a dinged headstock that cleaned up nicely with just a little attention to the finish to prevent further damage. That said, there seem to be an extremely large number of Lanikai "as is" for sale, especially at times on eBay. Would lead one to conclude that their QC may be among the lowest of the mass manufacturers and deserving of a "buyer beware" for the brand... :/

Click to expand...

I agree: Buyer Beware. I have yet to play a single Lanikai that I thought was worth anywhere near its selling price. I do not normally bash ukulele manufacturers, as I feel most are pretty good at what they do, but these are the epitome of mass produced, numbers are more important than quality, cheap factory-built instruments. From my experience there is no quality control at all. I have seen major defects such as wood separation, warped necks, and dangerously sharp fret ends--enough to draw blood from the fingers of any child who dares to play them--on many of their displays in local music stores. To be fair, if you are willing to weed through the vast majority of junk that are being peddled in big chain stores, you may be able to find a model here and there that, with the right setup, could be a decent playing instrument. But I am not surprised that the manufacturer is unwilling to honor its warranty on an instrument who's back is clearly separating from the sides, and then have the nerve to tell you its a cracked finish.

** To the original poster, I would take a couple more pictures, maybe a little closer if you can, that better showcase the wood separation and send them to Lanikai. Hopefully someone in their warranty department can see that this is not a cracked finish, but a defective build. It also may be the case that they try to reject all initial claims, and then honor the warranty after you become persistent.

It sure looks like a separation as it follows the glue line. The issue now becomes one of care and of honesty...

Are you certain that you kept this solid instrument always properly humidified? If you didn't or you aren't sure, then it's a stretch to attach responsibility to the company.

OTOH if you are absolutely certain the instrument was always properly humidified, then you certainly have cause to complain loudly, and to continue your complaint up the food chain.

A number of people have asked about storage and care, what do you recall?

I'd write back to them with strong emphasis that the issues are not "cracks" but rather, the back separating from the body of the uke. It's not an issue that's ever going to occur from normal use. It's either a build issue, the uke wasn't properly humidified or a combination of both.