Online purchase, expected set up?

[donkeysled]

Purchased a Sigma 000 £300 online. I would normally buy in shop, try a few, chat to the staff, get guitar set up etc, but I totally fell in love with the little 12 fretter...
Turned up very quickly, but its totally unplayable.
Am I expected to set it up myself or should I expect the shop to have looked at it?
If it was played in the shop, the faults would be obvious.
After receiving products into the shop, from overseas, I would have thought adjustments to trussrods etc would be a normal thing?

Regards

[monquixote]

Online stuff is generally pile it high sell it cheap so they don't normally set it up.

Depending on the make some come from the factory half decent others are total basketcases.

[mart]

I wouldn't expect an on-line bought instrument to arrive well set-up, but I think it would be reasonable to contact the shop and tell them it's unplayable and arrange for them to do something. They may play ball; and you've got nothing to lose.

[guitargeek62]

They have to play ball... if it's within 7-days of receipt! Distance selling law will cover your ass there

[ICBM]

Send it back.

If they moan about it, insist - it's your statutory right - and perhaps make the point that properly inspecting and setting up a guitar before they send it out costs less than two courier deliveries.

It's about time online dealers stopped getting away with this kind of service while undercutting bricks-and-mortar places that have to compete on price while the standard of customer care is often overlooked.

[/slight rant]

[zenzeypher]

If it's that unplayable id send it back, chances are the messing about to get it playable wont be worth the effort and could be ongoing and it could just be a bad apple.

...The next one could be worlds better.

I think you have 30 days to spend with to make up your mind...but I would out of the box expect something half playable.

[donkeysled]

Thanks for feedback, as I thought really.
Funny thing though, they are insisting on photos of said problems before they will accept it back...
Not making it easy.
I would have just said 'Sorry, send it back, lets try again'...

[zenzeypher]

you dont need to send photos, in fact nothing needs to be wrong with the guitar at all to send it back;

http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/consu...stance-selling

you can just change your mind...I can't image taking a few shots is too much of a hassle tho, just placate them..although some times a shit guitar is just a shit guitar ~ aint gonna get that on camera.

[Rox]

I seem to remember it said that Martin ships guitars with a deliberately high action, so the dealers set them up to the customer's needs.

Of course, that's a problem if the customer doesn't get to see the guitar first...

[ICBM]

Funny thing though, they are insisting on photos of said problems before they will accept it back...

As zenzeypher said, that's not the legal requirement.

They have to take it back regardless of what the problem is, or even if there is one. Don't waste time taking photos and/or letting them dispute what the problem is, since if they stall you for long enough you'll be outside the statutory return time.

Insist on a full refund if they won't replace it with another one immediately.