Am I making a reasonable request?

Okay, going against the grain here, but it seems pretty obvious to me that if this is the type of service you require, you need to either buy an instrument from Mim or choose a model that already has individual photos on the website in question.
 
I think I know the dealer in question here based on what you're looking for. I think, just my personal opinion, that this dealer is getting to the point of thinking they are doing their customers a service by selling their instruments to them.

You are absolutely not asking too much to see more pictures of the instrument. Also, price point shouldn't be an issue here either because if they decide to sell this brand at this price point, they should be willing to answer the questions and requests from potential customers. To see how the business/customer relationship should really work, contact MIM's Ukes.

Jim
 
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Here's the reply I got to an inquiry on an instrument from a well known dealer, Their Reverb listing had a pic of a nice example of this model, but I wanted to make sure that was the exact one. It wasn't, but they sent pics of the one they had, which was not as nice looking. IMO, if you're the customer, you should be able to see the exact instrument you are buying.

Thanks for your interest! With new instruments, we usually take a photo of the first one we receive, and we no longer have the one pictured in our listing. That being said, the one we do have sounds absolutely wonderful. It's got an impressive amount of volume!
I'm attaching some photos to this message so you can see what it looks like.
I hope this helps! Please feel free to let us know if you have any more questions.
 
My two cents......It's not unreasonable to want a nice looking uke, regardless of the price range. $400-$500 is nothing to sneeze at. You said in your OP that they sent you pictures of two of the ukes they have and those two didn't float your boat. How many more of that model do they have? Maybe those are the only two they have?Maybe they know their inventory, and those two were the best of the lot? On the other hand, you stated that you weren't blown away by Mim's pictures either, so maybe it's hard for you to get a visual sense of the ukes from pictures. In any case, it's clear that email communication isn't working for you, so I'd say get on the phone and talk with these guys. If there's a big time difference between them & you, figure it out, and call early in their business day. Be prepared to spend some time talking to them and be very clear in what you're looking for, in sound as well as looks. Maybe they have something else that might fit your needs better? If you step up your game with phone communication and you aren't satisfied with their response, then it's not a good fit, and look elsewhere.
 
If you tell us the uke and the seller, we could give a better answer. Both have an effect on how things work. As you suggested, having ukes in boxes piled in a store room can make it a challenge to get the box, unpack the uke, take a picture, and then put it back. There's also the issue of unpacking and repacking - depending one the uke. Will the buyer want a uke that has obviously been unpacked and repacked?

Since the ukes get a setup, not being unpacked would be a red flag.
 
Since the ukes get a setup, not being unpacked would be a red flag.

That was my thought, too. They will be unpacked and repacked, because even without a setup, the seller would hopefully be checking to make sure that the ukulele hasn't been damaged before shipping it.
 
I think I know the dealer in question here based on what you're looking for. I think, just my personal opinion, that this dealer is getting to the point of thinking they are doing their customers a service by selling their instruments to them.

You are absolutely not asking too much to see more pictures of the instrument. Also, price point shouldn't be an issue here either because if they decide to sell this brand at this price point, they should be willing to answer the questions and requests from potential customers. To see how the business/customer relationship should really work, contact MIM's Ukes.

Jim

If it's the one I think it is, I completely agree.
 
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That was my thought, too. They will be unpacked and repacked, because even without a setup, the seller would hopefully be checking to make sure that the ukulele hasn't been damaged before shipping it.

I think most ukes are set up when ordered then shipped out
 
I think most ukes are set up when ordered then shipped out

I don't know if every place that sells ukuleles does a set up, (I think you might be referencing some place specific?), but I would hope that every seller would at least do a quick check to be sure that they're not shipping out a damaged ukulele. So, we're in agreement, if I understand you, that the ukulele would be unpacked and then repacked before shipping.

So, to OP's issue, yes, it takes time for a seller to unpack a ukulele and take a photo, but it shouldn't be a big deal. Spending $400 to $500 is a big deal for many/most people, so it's fair enough to ask to see a photo of a specific ukulele before buying it, especially when OP offered to pay first and buy one.

I suspect I know which seller is being referenced, and while some people have good luck in contacting them and working with them, I haven't. I've given up on them. But maybe I'm thinking of the wrong place.
 
Haha, HMS is very responsive in person and on the phone but, yeah, email ain't their thing.

IMO, if a business is not going to answer, don't put a contact form on your website, and don't list email as a way to contact you.
State that you'll only respond in person or to phone calls.

If you're an internet business, at least in part, people expect to be able to contact you through a contact form or email and get a response, especially with time differences that can make it very difficult to contact some businesses during the hours that they accept calls. And even then, I found that phone calls during business hours don't necessarily work, either. Sure, businesses can be busy with in person customers, or on another call, but if a message is left, someone should be returning the call.
 
I suspect I know which seller is being referenced, and while some people have good luck in contacting them and working with them, I haven't. I've given up on them. But maybe I'm thinking of the wrong place.

It would be nice to know for sure, rather than casting a shadow on several sellers.
 
My money is on HMS.
 
It would be nice to know for sure, rather than casting a shadow on several sellers.

Can't cast a shadow when no one is mentioned. This isn't meant to be a review of a seller and it is nice that no one is mentioned.
 
IMO, if a business is not going to answer, don't put a contact form on your website, and don't list email as a way to contact you.
State that you'll only respond in person or to phone calls.

If you're an internet business, at least in part, people expect to be able to contact you through a contact form or email and get a response, especially with time differences that can make it very difficult to contact some businesses during the hours that they accept calls. And even then, I found that phone calls during business hours don't necessarily work, either. Sure, businesses can be busy with in person customers, or on another call, but if a message is left, someone should be returning the call.

If they are too busy attending customers and regular duties, unless this is an unforeseen emergency, they should at least hire a part timer to keep on top of emails if they regularly can't keep up.
 
Since the ukes get a setup, not being unpacked would be a red flag.

Normally you do the setup after the customer puts the money in your hand. Otherwise you'd waste time doing setups twice. The customer might require special strings, saddle upgrade, higher or lower action, pickup, etc.
 
Normally you do the setup after the customer puts the money in your hand. Otherwise you'd waste time doing setups twice. The customer might require special strings, saddle upgrade, higher or lower action, pickup, etc.

I meant as regards a customer being upset that the box was opened and then resealed. They should all be opened, checked and then resealed.
 
At this point in time I’m the only person that does our website stuff photo video etc. I can’t afford to hire anyone right now, but I want to start listing all ukes individually above 4 or 500. We started doing that with some already but that’s my goal with all of them.

I struggle to keep up with emails but I work on them daily. Joel, Corey, and Veronica do too through their work week. My apologies for the delay, we are trying to be as great as we can at customer service, that’s the only way we’ll make it. With Pono we’re right in the same building as them so chances are we can find one you’ll like as long as they have stock. (I tried to find this and see an email thread where Veronica sent pics of a few ATD on Monday, not sure if that’s you but I don't see a reply on our end)

It costs our business $40-$60 per instrument for our setup departments work that we don’t charge for. I also take the time to record and edit instruments/performances and discussions which is arguably not “worth it”. While I hope these things matter, I realize that other stores don’t invest the same way as me, and can afford to be better in ways I can’t. But I’ll always work to improve, and hopefully we’ll continue to be a viable service to the community.

And no, our customers are doing us the favor. We are just trying to do right by them in appreciation of their support.
andrew@theukulelesite.com
(808)781-9168
 
Its reasonable for the shop to balance the needs of all of the customers of the shop.
Which is what seems to be happening in this case.
The shop gives everyone gets the same opportunity, if you don't take your opportunity when your turn comes up, you go to the back of the queue. That is how a shop is fair to all of the customers. Sometimes the shop will be busy and wont have a lot of time for each customer, sometimes there will be only one customer and the shop will have all day to help the single customer. That is business.
If you want to buy a ukulele that has such high demand that it has almost sold out, you need to buy it while it is in stock. If you dilly dally and vacillate there wont be any left to buy. You can focus on what is reasonable or you can focus on getting the ukulele.
The other customers of this mystery shop for this mystery ukulele are probably very pleased that they have had an opportunity to buy the last of the stock of this ukulele, they wont think it is unreasonable to get some service themselves. They are now probably waiting on delivery or already have their new uke and are playing it all day. And they know it wont look the same in 10 years because the wood will age and change colour anyway.

A) I have never been to a shop of any kind where, if I asked for help, I went to the end of the line.
B) If the look on a uke that varies greatly is important to a buyer. it is ridiculous to think that a uke they would not find pleasing is better than not getting the uke which doesn't satisfy.
C) Focusing on getting the uke you really want is ALWAYS more important than just getting the uke.
 
Funnily enough, when I read the original post my immediate thought was, “I bet he’s talking about a Pono ATD from HMS.” I got my ATD from them, and I did so knowing that the grain patterns can very pretty dramatically. I did not ask for a picture, although I thought about it. In the end, I decided that it was the sound I was most concerned about. I just added a comment when I placed the order briefly describing what I was looking for and it came pretty close. I was satisfied. That doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s reasonable for you to ask for pictures Until you find the right one. It’s gonna be your uke after all, not mine. Just know that you may never actually find the exact ‘right’ one.

I don’t want to speak for Andrew. He’s already done that for himself up above. What I will say is that I’ve never had a problem working with them. I actually recently started a thread about my experience with them. That doesn’t mean I’ve never had a missed email. It’s happened a couple of times, but I’ve also emailed a lot. I firmly believe that they are great people that are trying to do the best they can for the ukulele community while continually trying to hold the tiger by the tail.

My advice, as several have suggested, is to pick up the phone and call. If you’re not satisfied with the results, you’re perfectly within your rights to move on.

Good luck, and wherever you get the ATD from, if that is indeed the uke you’re looking for, I think you’ll be pleased. Oh yeah, and try the Worth Browns. They sound great on the ATD.

Good luck!
 
The pickier you are (and there's no reason why you shouldn't be picky) the longer it may take to find the one that winds up being yours.
My advice is to be patient. Mim helped me out immensely when I went for my 1st "serious" uke. She looked and looked until she found the right uke for me, that was about 6 years ago, I think, and I still have it. She had only just met me, and told me I was the 1st member of TBUS (our club) that she had met. She knew that this sale had the potential to mess her up with a large club, or create many more loyal customers. I've met her and corresponded with her many times since then, and I'm here to tell you that she's more than decent.
Whomever you choose to buy from is just as important as the individual uke you want. The sellers, the really good ones, like Mim and HMS, know that you'll likely buy again, and they want to make you a loyal, happy customer.
They understand that no purchase is unimportant.
Happy hunting, let us know what you get...
 
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