My experience with "The Ukulele Site", what's yours been like?

[0live]

Hi folks! I just wanted to share my experience with you all and get your opinions and thoughts regarding my experience.

I decided to buy my first "forever/pro" uke a couple of weeks back. Reading from all the great folks here I was convinced that TUS or Mims would be who would get my business. At first I bought one from Mim, but it turned out that the uke had some things she missed and found during the setup, she reached out directly and offered a discount or a refund, so I opted for the refund since it was not a defect I felt comfortable having (tiny little cracks in the back). She was super friendly and communicative and great customer service overall even though I did not end up getting what I wanted.

Searching on TUS I found one that I really liked so I look at all the information and make my purchase. Checking out in my cart I see that I am not eligible for free shipping (I live in the US but a territory) no biggie, I really want the uke so I paid for shipping. I was curious as to why I was not eligible for free shipping (With Mim I was eligible) so I reach out by email to politely inquire 1) Why I was not eligible for free shipping and 2) If I can add a hard case to my order. The person writing back explained that (1) for Fedex purposes it was considered international and for USPS domestic thus the cost was very very expensive ($200+ with FedEx) and that (2) I could add the case to my order and they would offer free shipping for it/include it in my order. I was satisfied with their response and moved on with everything.

I get a follow up email that if I wanted to keep the included gig bag I would need to pay an additional $90 or leave the gig bag and keep the hard case I purchased. Since I wanted the hard case to protect during shipping I reluctantly agreed since this would be very excessive.

I made my purchase on Aug 21st it appears setup was complete either on 4th/5th of this month (Sep) and the uke was literally put in the mail today Sep 6th. I read that the turnout for non-rush setup was 7-10 days. I estimated that with setup and shipping (since it will be USPS it would take longer) So I assumed it would be fair to expect to receive it around 15-20 days.

Here are my issues and why thus far I have not been very happy with the experience with TUS. I understand that the cost to offer "free" shipping is exorbitant for them and not reasonable. So I was fine with paying the shipping, but found it excessive to quote me $90 for shipping for the gig bag. It was just put in the mail today and I'm not sure what service they used with USPS but the expected arrival is Sep 30th. I am patient, but my issue is that I will be on a family trip until early October and won't be home to open and make sure everything is in order. My fear is that if something happens during the trip that they'll say I took too long to report it or something.

I would not have even minded if they used the gig bag as padding instead of the cardboard insulation lol. Additionally I see that they use ShipStation which discounts rates for businesses, I did some quoting with ShipStation and the costs (overestimating package weight and dimensions) would be less than what was quoted just for the gig bag.

Not as important and very subjective but the communications as well were very dry and straightforward as opposed to Mim which was more conversational and made it more of a real customer service interaction. I understand that written communication leaves a lot out but just a small observation that was noticeable as well.

Is this a normal experience to expect to wait a total of 40 days and the back and forth with the shipping and asking for additional shipping payment when they said they would add the case for free to the existing order? Am I being irrational for being this upset or is this a normal experience?

Also if you've read this far, thank you

 

[Patty]

I think this is the first time I’ve heard anything negative about TUS. My experiences have all been good, but I’ve only ordered small things like strings & so on. The one phone conversation I’ve had was very friendly (I called to ask whether they accepted trade-ins; nope). But since the uke was quickly in the mail, it seems that the long delay is really due to the postal service, not TUS. Too bad they couldn’t stick the gig bag in the package as extra padding.

Edit: You asked about others’ experiences buying a uke from TUS, and my reply here is pretty uninformed.

 

[0live]

I think this is the first time I’ve heard anything negative about TUS. My experiences have all been good, but I’ve only ordered small things like strings & so on. The one phone conversation I’ve had was very friendly (I called to ask whether they accepted trade-ins; nope). But since the uke was quickly in the mail, it seems that the long delay is really due to the postal service, not TUS. Too bad they couldn’t stick the gig bag in the package as extra padding.

Edit: You asked about others’ experiences buying a uke from TUS, and my reply here is pretty uninformed.

I think you were short, sweet and concise with your experience, thank you for sharing.

The uke took a total of 16 days before it was put in the mail and from what I gathered they probably used USPS Ground Advantage and that might be the reason as to why it will take so long.

 

[Mercury59]

Hi folks! I just wanted to share my experience with you all and get your opinions and thoughts regarding my experience.

I decided to buy my first "forever/pro" uke a couple of weeks back. Reading from all the great folks here I was convinced that TUS or Mims would be who would get my business. At first I bought one from Mim, but it turned out that the uke had some things she missed and found during the setup, she reached out directly and offered a discount or a refund, so I opted for the refund since it was not a defect I felt comfortable having (tiny little cracks in the back). She was super friendly and communicative and great customer service overall even though I did not end up getting what I wanted.

Searching on TUS I found one that I really liked so I look at all the information and make my purchase. Checking out in my cart I see that I am not eligible for free shipping (I live in the US but a territory) no biggie, I really want the uke so I paid for shipping. I was curious as to why I was not eligible for free shipping (With Mim I was eligible) so I reach out by email to politely inquire 1) Why I was not eligible for free shipping and 2) If I can add a hard case to my order. The person writing back explained that (1) for Fedex purposes it was considered international and for USPS domestic thus the cost was very very expensive ($200+ with FedEx) and that (2) I could add the case to my order and they would offer free shipping for it/include it in my order. I was satisfied with their response and moved on with everything.

I get a follow up email that if I wanted to keep the included gig bag I would need to pay an additional $90 or leave the gig bag and keep the hard case I purchased. Since I wanted the hard case to protect during shipping I reluctantly agreed since this would be very excessive.

I made my purchase on Aug 21st it appears setup was complete either on 4th/5th of this month (Sep) and the uke was literally put in the mail today Sep 6th. I read that the turnout for non-rush setup was 7-10 days. I estimated that with setup and shipping (since it will be USPS it would take longer) So I assumed it would be fair to expect to receive it around 15-20 days.

Here are my issues and why thus far I have not been very happy with the experience with TUS. I understand that the cost to offer "free" shipping is exorbitant for them and not reasonable. So I was fine with paying the shipping, but found it excessive to quote me $90 for shipping for the gig bag. It was just put in the mail today and I'm not sure what service they used with USPS but the expected arrival is Sep 30th. I am patient, but my issue is that I will be on a family trip until early October and won't be home to open and make sure everything is in order. My fear is that if something happens during the trip that they'll say I took too long to report it or something.

I would not have even minded if they used the gig bag as padding instead of the cardboard insulation lol. Additionally I see that they use ShipStation which discounts rates for businesses, I did some quoting with ShipStation and the costs (overestimating package weight and dimensions) would be less than what was quoted just for the gig bag.

Not as important and very subjective but the communications as well were very dry and straightforward as opposed to Mim which was more conversational and made it more of a real customer service interaction. I understand that written communication leaves a lot out but just a small observation that was noticeable as well.

Is this a normal experience to expect to wait a total of 40 days and the back and forth with the shipping and asking for additional shipping payment when they said they would add the case for free to the existing order? Am I being irrational for being this upset or is this a normal experience?

Also if you've read this far, thank you

Yeah, keep away from shipping anything from the U.S. The prices charged by these shipping companies can only be described as gouging.

 

[keenonuke]

Welcome to the Ukulele Forum. I've bought three ukuleles from TUS in 2019. And currently they are helping with communication to a luthier who no longer sells customs directly to individuals.

I do remember the turnaround for those 2019 orders as taking longer than expected but well worth the wait.

I have found calling and talking with the folks at TUS pleasant and supportive. Perhaps a phone call would help. They may be willing to work with you. Perhaps the difficulties with the Maui fires impacted them?

Good luck

 

[kerneltime]

I will let the folks at Theukulelesite defend themselves but I have nothing but positive experiences with them. That said, Mims is awesome but she is just one person and she limits how many ukes she sells each week. Theukulelesite is one of the top sellers of ukes and I can understand why they might come across as a bit more dry.

I have received ukes from many many folks and Theukulelesite has probably the most well-packed shipments. I don't think they would even consider using a good padded bag as packing. Depending on the uke, the padded gig bag might have been included in the order originally out of their margins in the sale, so asking for more might make sense.

 

[rainbow21]

I have had positive experiences with ordering from them.

That said, it is not entirely clear if your experience qualifies as "negative" yet, though your feelings are not positive. It sounds like your main concern is the time frame for "something being wrong" due to your travels. I would just call them and let them know that this is the situation and ask them how to deal with it in the unlikelihood that something is wrong. If they say "tough", then that would be a "negative" experience (and I would be surprised).

For a "10 day" setup, I consider it business days, not calendar days. Ten days took us to yesterday since Monday was a holiday. And so it was shipped on the 12th day after the order. I consider that reasonable. The shipping costs are what they are. No use saying they use this company or that one and that you could get it cheaper. I paid $235 to ship one from Hawaii. Shipping time is out of their control... we had two separate shipping threads where we all anxiously tracked the packages to the members here, lol.

Mim is likeliest the friendliest and best communicator in the business. As long as they were not rude or unfriendly, then again, so be it.

The one issue in question is the gig bag and whether the hard case was a separate purchase or an upgrade. And was this settled before or after the ukulele was shipped already, thus incurring a separate, and expensive, shipping cost.?

 

[Arik]

I have purchased several ukes and accessories from TUS and overall it has been a great experience. Sometimes their shipping cost are a bit more than other retailers if you don't meet the $400 threshold but many times they have specific stuff that others don't. Examples would be different brands of strings, Gotoh tuners, hard cases, etc. If I really want it I end up eating the cost because I know it's going to good people. If I do order a uke I normally load up with everything that I could possibly need. This way I don't have to pay additional shipping.

Also, with ordering a uke, sometimes the setup takes a while. They are a high-volume music shop so they get slammed. After ordering a few ukes from them I know that it will take some time but everything being done is top-tier work. I watch their podcast weekly and those guys are working all the time, into the night. Last week Andrew and Corey were talking about helping do the setups because their setup crew was slammed.

I have also purchased from MIM and she is a sweetheart and jams stuff out super quick. As others said, she does operate at her capacity to offer the premium service so closes her online shop if she gets backed up. This way she can make things more manageable for her one-person operation.

 

[ploverwing]

You can completely ignore this response, as I do not have personal experience with TUS, and am expressing my thoughts and opinions on your situation in general.

I would agree with the suggestion to call: that seems to be the right course of action for a lot of these small businesses. You have a concern about a potential issue; a phone call to discuss that, to just let them know you won't be able to examine the ukulele in a timely fashion, would probably go a long way to relieving your concerns.

As for shipping, I suspect that it is what it is. I spoke with UkeLogic strings (I think it's Joel?) and wondered why the heck shipping was so expensive: the answer was Hawaii. Now, to be fair, I'm in Canada, so it is an international shipping rate, but apparently, shipping from Hawaii is a lot less straightforward cost-wise, and something that small businesses really struggle with.

I can tell you're concerned, and, fair enough, you've spent a fair amount of cash on this purchase. I do think a call to their business will help a lot.

 

[Steedy]

I've purchased more than two dozen instruments from The Ukulele Site over the past 12 years, and have had nothing but great experiences with them. Andrew Kitakis and his team are the best in the business as far as I'm concerned. They've always been fair in their dealings with me, and have always provided excellent customer service. I'm pretty sure they work their butts off for their customers and I'm one who appreciates it.

 

[badhabits]

First, the gig bag thing seems weird and your experience is not normal... but I think your situation is going to be different than most of us, given that you are located in US territory and not the CONUS. That alone will affect shipping, costs and delivery time, as you've probably already experienced with other companies... for example, shipping to/from Hawaii is quite expensive, and some mail order companies won't even ship to Hawaii from the mainland. Free shipping almost always has exceptions, and usually includes HI/AK/international (for US companies)... another example, people in Hawaii don't get free amazon prime shipping and don't get next/same day delivery.

TUS doesn't ship quickly or even within a few days unless it's a rush order, and the timeframe can vary based on their workload (also consider Hawaii time, lol). In terms of their email communication, tone is subjective like you said, but they ALWAYS respond (unlike others) and usually in a timely manner despite the time difference. I've been sent photos several times, upon request and not, when that might answer a question better. Their packing is top notch, better that any others... they know what they are doing here. No recycled or barely fitting boxes. I wouldn't worry too much about damage, but then again I don't know where you are located. Granted the timeframes seem to be prolonged (although you ordered 8/21 which was only 16 days from the time you posted, so maybe not that bad, esp considering there was a US holiday in between) but I never order anything to arrive while not home. If your package hadn't been sent you could have messaged them to hold shipping to arrive after you return... I think I did that with my first uke from them. Emailing/calling now wouldn't be a bad idea, to let them know you can't inspect the order soon after delivery. But if there happens to be damage I am sure they will take care of you (they are not like a certain other seller).

 

[rreffner]

I’ve ordered 3 ukuleles over the past year and have had great service and their setups are spot on. They are my go to store, satisfyingly my UAS.

 

[don_b]

I’ve only ever had great experiences with TUS, ymmv.

 

[Pirate Jim]

I've read OP's post several times and nothing seems particularly out of the ordinary here. Shipping is usually done on a combo of size / weight so adding the gigbag may well just put the package into the next bracket for cost. They didn't take the time to make friends over email... so? They're not your friends, they're just people selling you stuff. I think OP's clear anxiety about the purchase is throwing their expectations way off.

 

[ubulele]

My experiences with Hawaiian Music Supply (TUS) have been as often problematic as not. Also, while I've found Andrew pleasant and responsive to deal with, the other folks, not so much. Dealing with Mim, in contrast, was always a joy—no problems at all, and she was very generous with her time and advice. If a uke I was interested in were offered by both vendors, I'd choose Mim every time.

 

[badhabits]

My experiences with Hawaiian Music Supply (TUS) have been as often problematic as not. Also, while I've found Andrew pleasant and responsive to deal with, the other folks, not so much. Dealing with Mim, in contrast, was always a joy—no problems at all, and she was very generous with her time and advice. If a uke I was interested in were offered by both vendors, I'd choose Mim every time.

My experience with these 2 sellers is exactly flipped from yours in every way...

 

[ookooleilei]

Never had anything but positive experiences with TUS, even when I've been less than fun to deal with (switching orders from one instrument to another, cancelling items, returns, etc.) -- Veronica has always been extremely pleasant and helpful, and she will pick up the phone to call if it's the more expedient way to deal with an issue. An amazing operation there, and have to agree with others here on their setups and packaging/shipping -- the best in the biz on both counts. Do they take longer than others to do a full setup? Absolutely. Is it worth the wait, in my experience? Absolutely.

 

[Neil_O]

This sounds like a shipping issue regarding shipping from Hawaii to a US territory. Why wouldn't the gig bag cost money to ship?

 

[mineymole]

Mim's customer service is about the best there is. I also had a very good experience from the ukulele lab in Hawaii.

 

[0live]

I have had positive experiences with ordering from them.

That said, it is not entirely clear if your experience qualifies as "negative" yet, though your feelings are not positive. It sounds like your main concern is the time frame for "something being wrong" due to your travels. I would just call them and let them know that this is the situation and ask them how to deal with it in the unlikelihood that something is wrong. If they say "tough", then that would be a "negative" experience (and I would be surprised).

For a "10 day" setup, I consider it business days, not calendar days. Ten days took us to yesterday since Monday was a holiday. And so it was shipped on the 12th day after the order. I consider that reasonable. The shipping costs are what they are. No use saying they use this company or that one and that you could get it cheaper. I paid $235 to ship one from Hawaii. Shipping time is out of their control... we had two separate shipping threads where we all anxiously tracked the packages to the members here, lol.

Mim is likeliest the friendliest and best communicator in the business. As long as they were not rude or unfriendly, then again, so be it.

The one issue in question is the gig bag and whether the hard case was a separate purchase or an upgrade. And was this settled before or after the ukulele was shipped already, thus incurring a separate, and expensive, shipping cost.?

Mostly yes, because I won't be home to receive it and will have to depend on the availability and kindness of a neighbor. But the back and forth and changing of expectations. I did my due diligence prior to ordering and the expectations did not match reality, I would appreciate if they did list "business day" and instead of saying "Free Shipping for all the US" include a caveat for territories (being from Hawaii they would have experience from the consumer perspective of listings including "only to CON US or Lower 48" etc. I would have appreciated realistic timelines and to not be told to go ahead and tell me to purchase the hard case since they will just add it to my order and ship it for free with it to then turnaround and say that if I want to keep the gig bag it would be that much more.

I have purchased several ukes and accessories from TUS and overall it has been a great experience. Sometimes their shipping cost are a bit more than other retailers if you don't meet the $400 threshold but many times they have specific stuff that others don't. Examples would be different brands of strings, Gotoh tuners, hard cases, etc. If I really want it I end up eating the cost because I know it's going to good people. If I do order a uke I normally load up with everything that I could possibly need. This way I don't have to pay additional shipping.

Also, with ordering a uke, sometimes the setup takes a while. They are a high-volume music shop so they get slammed. After ordering a few ukes from them I know that it will take some time but everything being done is top-tier work. I watch their podcast weekly and those guys are working all the time, into the night. Last week Andrew and Corey were talking about helping do the setups because their setup crew was slammed.

I have also purchased from MIM and she is a sweetheart and jams stuff out super quick. As others said, she does operate at her capacity to offer the premium service so closes her online shop if she gets backed up. This way she can make things more manageable for her one-person operation.

It was a $1K+ purchase, and like I said, I understand that the cost might be higher and did not mind paying for the shipping, they are a business and I would not expect them to absorb the cost at a loss for them. I saw that podcast as well. And I want to stress I don't want to bash them for that because I am sure that there are reasons behind that, my being upset comes from the expectation set vs reality. Like you mention with Mim "

she does operate at her capacity to offer the premium service so closes her online shop if she gets backed up

This is what I appreciate set realistic expectations. If it were any other circumstance I would not have minded waiting for a lot more than expected, but my upcoming trip makes this situation a different one. Tough hopefully it will arrive and everything will be in order and ma neighbor will safekeep it so it won't be nabbed by porch pirates.

First, the gig bag thing seems weird and your experience is not normal... but I think your situation is going to be different than most of us, given that you are located in US territory and not the CONUS. That alone will affect shipping, costs and delivery time, as you've probably already experienced with other companies... for example, shipping to/from Hawaii is quite expensive, and some mail order companies won't even ship to Hawaii from the mainland. Free shipping almost always has exceptions, and usually includes HI/AK/international (for US companies)... another example, people in Hawaii don't get free amazon prime shipping and don't get next/same day delivery.

TUS doesn't ship quickly or even within a few days unless it's a rush order, and the timeframe can vary based on their workload (also consider Hawaii time, lol). In terms of their email communication, tone is subjective like you said, but they ALWAYS respond (unlike others) and usually in a timely manner despite the time difference. I've been sent photos several times, upon request or not, when that might answer a question better. Their packing is top notch, better that any others... they know what they are doing here. No recycled or barely fitting boxes. I wouldn't worry too much about damage, but then again I don't know where you are located. Granted the timeframes seem to be prolonged (although you ordered 8/21 which was only 16 days from the time you posted, so maybe not that bad, esp considering there was a US holiday in between) but I never order anything to arrive while not home. If your package hadn't been sent you could have messaged them to hold shipping to arrive after you return... I think I did that with my first uke from them. Emailing/calling now wouldn't be a bad idea, to let them know you can't inspect the order soon after delivery. But if there happens to be damage I am sure they will take care of you (they are not like a certain other seller).

I absolutely understand, it is not often but it does happen with some Mainland companies will charge for the shipping. And like I mentioned before, I would not expect them to absorb the cost of shipping if it is more than they factored into the listing price, 100% reasonable. Hawaii and where I live have similar history with the mainland in more than just how commerce works so I completely understand this. Your comments put some of my worries at bay and hopefully all will arrive without any incidents/accidents and no porch pirate will steal it before my neighbor gets it. I had not considered asking them to hold on the shipping (it seems so obvious now). Thank you so much for sharing it's very helpful.

I've read OP's post several times and nothing seems particularly out of the ordinary here. Shipping is usually done on a combo of size / weight so adding the gigbag may well just put the package into the next bracket for cost. They didn't take the time to make friends over email... so? They're not your friends, they're just people selling you stuff. I think OP's clear anxiety about the purchase is throwing their expectations way off.

If my point was not made clear my apologies, but like I said this is my first experience with them and not the norm dealing with any retailer/business neither large nor small. And my main concern was set expectation vs reality. That is it, and like I mentioned, just a small SUBJECTIVE observation about the communication, I did no infer nor expect to become friends with customer support via email. I am sure they are great wonderful people and it is purely a subjective observation, one which I will happily accept could be wrong and why it was not the main point of the post but just a part of the whole broad experience. The post in general is about a personal experience and how it was perceived not meant to cast judgement on the staff there.

My experiences with Hawaiian Music Supply (TUS) have been as often problematic as not. Also, while I've found Andrew pleasant and responsive to deal with, the other folks, not so much. Dealing with Mim, in contrast, was always a joy—no problems at all, and she was very generous with her time and advice. If a uke I was interested in were offered by both vendors, I'd choose Mim every time.

Thank you for sharing. I understand, I appreciate that type of service as well. I do understand TUS might be different because of the scale and size but that personal touch goes a long way.



I want to be clear, I do not intend this to harm or judge TUS or their staff. I am sure that wonderful people work their everyday and do their best and provide great service to most from what I read. I only posted here to compare and contrast my experiences to others, I think any person reading this will note that I am writing with an inquisitive nature since this is my FIRST experience with them. I truly do appreciate everyone taking the time to read and respond.