When to send uke back? Advice PLEASE

Dbhughes

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I wanted to upgrade to a quality ukulele that I could play day in day out without problems. After a lot of research I purchased The Rebel for $715. Since arriving, this ukulele has been very disappointing. Nothing huge just little thing after little thing. Pooling finish, frett buzz, lousy intonation etc. I thought maybe putting a high g on could revive it. The tuner almost fell out it was so loose. Just got done spending a lot of time and effort trying to tighten it but it still rattles. The frets are not very good. I respectfully disagree with Mr. Bazmaz about the frets not reaching the edges of the fretboard. I think this increases the need for them to be dressed properly. I hate sending things back and briefly thought about walking outside and throwing it straight in the trash. I may try to sell it for $350 (half price) as I think that is all it is worth. Looking for advice on what I should do. I am not listing dealer or model because I do not want to bash an organization based on one ukulele.
 
Some years back I bought a not inexpensive Uke from a shop in the U.K. who’s good reputation goes before it. There were a number of things wrong with that Uke but all of them I could and did put right. To be honest and in hindsight I was foolish: that Uke was bought mail order and as such I had the right to simply send it back for a refund. I suggest that you don’t make my error and contact the seller to return the instrument ASAP, or if not return to secure compensation.

Edit. There is a possibility that you might not have to pay return shipping costs and that is something to explore with the vendor and the payment method provider.
 
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I would definitely agree with sending it back. I've dealt one or two flaws with mid or even high-end ukuleles that I was able to either fix myself or having a luthier fix them for me, but if you're experiencing a considerable amount of flaws then I would send the instrument back. Especially if the frets themselves are faulty I wouldn't try to deal with that myself.
 
Is this a dealer that incudes set up services? If so, you certainly should send it back - who knows, maybe it got moved to the "done" shelf by mistake.

If the dealer does not include set up (or charges for set up for that matter), I would send it back and think twice about doing business with that dealer in the future.
 
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I wanted to upgrade to a quality ukulele that I could play day in day out without problems. After a lot of research I purchased The Rebel for $715. Since arriving, this ukulele has been very disappointing. Nothing huge just little thing after little thing. Pooling finish, frett buzz, lousy intonation etc. [...SNIP]

Send it back. You're not happy. At that price, you should have no fret buzz, good intonation, and a decent finish. Even if it were a blem (which it wasn't) you should still have had a decent setup with no buzz and fairly good intonation.
 
This is why I buy new. Don't pass up the perk of being able to return it. Even if you have to pay return shipping, you'll get back a lot more than the $350 you want to sell it for. Get out while you can. Don't buy from this seller again if they'll send out something like that.
 
Even if you have kept it for a while, contact the dealer and tell them that you want to return the ukulele and explain why. If it's within their return timeline, they should offer a refund. If it's beyond the return timeline, they may be willing to accept it back minus the shipping and a restocking fee. Of course, if you ask for a store credit, they will be more amenable than refunding money.

You tried to live with it, but it isn't working, so try to return it. The worst they can do is say, "No."

I'm rather surprised about the Rebel. It has a very good reputation.

Good luck.
 
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I'd return it. I don't think shipping cost will be higher than $350, so definitely return it.

The problems you listed are (like you said) minor; but if this is going to be your "day in day out" uke, then it should be something you are happy with. From your post, this ukulele doesn't sound like it is.
 
Fret buzz and lousy intonation are plenty enough reason to send it back. But I have to wonder why these things weren't caught during the setup. I love my Rebel, it's my favorite uke. The quality and tone are excellent. If yours is not then it should go back.
 
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