xmusic r such as pain ....

120_Minutes · 25-05-2010 01:14PM

Mallavogue wrote: »

I have no affiliation with them just think they do a good job !

rrrrrriiiight.

Rigsby · 25-05-2010 01:15PM

Mallavogue wrote: »

G'day guys ! I'm a newbie here just came across this thread. I've been living here for about 8 years and have always got my stuff in Music Technology Ireland in the city centre, spent quite a bit with them and always found them fantastic to deal with, you just phone or email them and tell them what you want and they do everything at the same price as those thomann guys and can supply all their stuff as well as stuff they dont supply, even small orders like strings etc, their site isnt great but dont let that put you off, just bang em off a mail info@musictechnology.ie, just a heads up for ya, and before you ask I have no affiliation with them just think they do a good job !

Hi there and welcome to "boards"

Had a quick look at their site : http://www.musictechnology.ie/home.asp I know you said it was not great, but I could not find any basses listed under guitars, nor a string section. While I have no doubt they are as good as you say, if they are going to have a site, then they should list their complete stock.

darrenw5094 · 25-05-2010 03:12PM

Mallavogue wrote: »

G'day guys ! I'm a newbie here just came across this thread. I've been living here for about 8 years and have always got my stuff in Music Technology Ireland in the city centre, spent quite a bit with them and always found them fantastic to deal with, you just phone or email them and tell them what you want and they do everything at the same price as those thomann guys and can supply all their stuff as well as stuff they dont supply, even small orders like strings etc, their site isnt great but dont let that put you off, just bang em off a mail info@musictechnology.ie, just a heads up for ya, and before you ask I have no affiliation with them just think they do a good job !

Better off just telling us straight up, that you are from Music Technology. Otherwise you get shot down and then banned........or burned, depending our mood.:D

Orando Broom · 25-05-2010 04:29PM

Mallavogue wrote: »

G'day guys ! I'm a newbie here just came across this thread. I've been living here for about 8 years and have always got my stuff in Music Technology Ireland in the city centre, spent quite a bit with them and always found them fantastic to deal with, you just phone or email them and tell them what you want and they do everything at the same price as those thomann guys and can supply all their stuff as well as stuff they dont supply, even small orders like strings etc, their site isnt great but dont let that put you off, just bang em off a mail info@musictechnology.ie, just a heads up for ya, and before you ask I have no affiliation with them just think they do a good job !

How come their website is so scattered?

Drummerboy08 · 25-05-2010 06:31PM

After taking another read of this thread, I'm not so sure.

The guys in X Music have been in this business for years, so I dont buy the whole "X Music is in its infancy, give us a chance". The main men over there have been aroun the block before, so how hard is it to get right? I do agree with posters here - I think the type of person who they have employed (wrong attitue, not enough experience, etc) is causing alot of the problems here.

If queries were followed up on properly, then I'd imagine a large section of the complaints here wouldnt happen again. In saying that, its up to each dept head in X Music to ensure this is being done properly. Following up on an email, or incoming call is a very easy thing to do. I know if my manager caught me slacking off on my follow ups, I'd have my hole kicked.

I also agree with X Music's stock problems - again its not that hard to keep a shop stocked properly with items that will turn over very quickly. This also should be very obvious to Aidan and the lads. In saying that, the last time I had to order anything from them (24" Remo Ambassador) it took around a week to come in. And then they called me to say it was in. Still, tis should be a lesson learned after 2 years of trading, and countless years combined in the industry.

Now, here's the tricky part. With all of the complaining and X Music bashing, I dont think anyone here would wish to see the shop being closed down. As a young fella, I used to love just walking around the drum dept in Musicmaker just looking at all the gear. If anything, it encouraged me to get more involved in music. It would be a shame for future musicians not to have a massive and potentially great store like X Music around, for this very reason. On top of that, if X Music were to go, it means worse value for money to the customer - you and me.

So, if your reading this Aidan or other senior managers in X Music, I think you should take on board whats been said in this thread.

- Improve your customer service practices straight away. It should cost you very little to do this. Improve your staff's attitude to customers. Make sure every email and call gets followe up on - its not only good practice, but it could make you more money.

- Got the store stocked properly. Again, it shouldnt cost you too much wedge to do this right. And it means the customer in most cases will get what they want.

- Sign up for a commercial account. Get on here, start talking with your customers, critics, whoever. This will be the best couple of euro you will ever spend. Respond to critiscism and offer a service.

I honestly hope the guys in X Music are reading this thread. It would be a shame for everyone if we lost this store, for all kinds of reasons.

A V A · 25-05-2010 06:59PM

drummerboy very well said

i dont want xmusic to close down by any means its just they need to buck up on their customer service etc.think what you said about being inspired by being amongst the music gear is totally right
good post drummer boy:)

Marshall Ireland · 25-05-2010 08:17PM

Marshall Ireland would like to assure boards users that we do not represent one Music Store but all Irish Music retailers representing our products. I hope that we can be of help to Marshall users when seeking advice for service or their nearest dealer. We cannot and do not sell to the public.
Since we joined boards recently we have already helped a number of Marshall users and I hope you guys we have helped will come forward and testify that this is the case!

Johnny Storm · 26-05-2010 05:18PM

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

- again its not that hard to keep a shop stocked properly with items that will turn over very quickly..

I'd imagine that's actually pretty difficult.
I agree with the rest of your post.

Drummerboy08 · 26-05-2010 06:00PM

Johnny Storm wrote: »

I'd imagine that's actually pretty difficult.
I agree with the rest of your post.

Its actually not that difficult. Stock the stuff that sells. Approach the distributor to take a risk and stock some of the items that dont sell as often.

Sergio · 26-05-2010 08:03PM

Another option that Xmusic might want to look into is selling gear on credit with interest free payments over 12months.
Alot of the big retailers in the UK offer this to theit customers and i think it would encourage people to buy irish.

Drummerboy08 · 26-05-2010 08:09PM

Colinboy wrote: »

Another option that Xmusic might want to look into is selling gear on credit with interest free payments over 12months.
Alot of the big retailers in the UK offer this to theit customers and i think it would encourage people to buy irish.

Thats opening a whole other can of worms. While its a good idea, the level of debt in this country is amazing. I dont think XMusic's bank or creditors would be too happy as it would be too risky for all involved unless a financial institution were involved.

Where would they get the funding to do this? Especially interest free?

darrenw5094 · 26-05-2010 08:13PM

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Thats opening a whole other can of worms. While its a good idea, the level of debt in this country is amazing. I dont think XMusic's bank or creditors would be too happy as it would be too risky for all involved unless a financial institution were involved.

Where would they get the funding to do this? Especially interest free?

If they sell a guitar for €1000 they get paid €1000 in cash on the spot.
If they sell the same guitar on credit over 12 months interest free, they still get paid €1000.

Personally i think that sales right now is stores priority. Not milking people for every cent possible.

Welease · 26-05-2010 08:33PM

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Thats opening a whole other can of worms. While its a good idea, the level of debt in this country is amazing. I dont think XMusic's bank or creditors would be too happy as it would be too risky for all involved unless a financial institution were involved.

Where would they get the funding to do this? Especially interest free?

Going interest free can make them a lot more money than not offering it (where minimum payments apply).. The principal has been heavily exploited in credit cards, and is obviously why stores around the world offer it.

Essentially, people look at the minimum payments involved, and base their spend on that amount. 2K worth of kit in a single payment is seen as a major expenditure.. 20 quid a week for 2 years isnt..

The ability to initially fund the change need not be that drastic, as the necessity is actually based on having sold equipment that otherwise would be sitting in stock (which in many cases has already been paid for by the business)...

But as you say, I'm not sure I would be happy giving unsecured credit to a lot of people in this country at present

Drummerboy08 · 26-05-2010 08:47PM

darrenw5094 wrote: »

If they sell a guitar for €1000 they get paid €1000 in cash on the spot.
If they sell the same guitar on credit over 12 months interest free, they still get paid €1000.

Personally i think that sales right now is stores priority. Not milking people for every cent possible.

Yes, but X Music would have to foot the 1000 euro bill on the first day. Multiply that by 10 people with 10 guitars and you suddenly have 10,000 euro out in unsecured loans. Thats 10k X Music have to dig up from somewhere to cover that cost. Fair enough they get it back, but it will take them a year.

Welease wrote: »

Going interest free can make them a lot more money than not offering it (where minimum payments apply).. The principal has been heavily exploited in credit cards, and is obviously why stores around the world offer it.

Essentially, people look at the minimum payments involved, and base their spend on that amount. 2K worth of kit in a single payment is seen as a major expenditure.. 20 quid a week for 2 years isnt..

The ability to initially fund the change need not be that drastic, as the necessity is actually based on having sold equipment that otherwise would be sitting in stock (which in many cases has already been paid for by the business)...

But as you say, I'm not sure I would be happy giving unsecured credit to a lot of people in this country at present

It can, but I'd seriously doubt their bank would allow them to do this. 1000 euro in an unsecured loan times god knows how many people is leading yourself down a long road to bankruptcy.

There would have to be some form of security involved.

If you need a loan to buy some gear, why not go to the local credit union?

Welease · 26-05-2010 09:03PM

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Yes, but X Music would have to foot the 1000 euro bill on the first day. Multiply that by 10 people with 10 guitars and you suddenly have 10,000 euro out in unsecured loans. Thats 10k X Music have to dig up from somewhere to cover that cost. Fair enough they get it back, but it will take them a year.

It can, but I'd seriously doubt their bank would allow them to do this. 1000 euro in an unsecured loan times god knows how many people is leading yourself down a long road to bankruptcy.

There would have to be some form of security involved.

If you need a loan to buy some gear, why not go to the local credit union?

I do agree with you on the unsecured credit.. I personally wouldnt start doing it right now..

but just to clarify..

Only the restocking costs them money.. the current stock has been paid for, and is actually costing them money sitting on the shelves.. So they can actually afford to move it on whatever terms make sense to them. It wont convert 100% of their business to credit, a big percentage (like me) would still pay cash in full for items, but it can and does entice those who will never have access to 2K (or whatever) in a single transaction.

The credit union is an option for people, but that takes a degree of planning that the average debt laden muppet can't be arsed to undertake.. It's why car dealerships etc. all offer finance offers onsite.. you can afford 20 quid a week mate.. everyone can.. sign here

Anyway.. we are getting waaay off topic

Rigsby · 26-05-2010 09:53PM

Colinboy wrote: »

Another option that Xmusic might want to look into is selling gear on credit with interest free payments over 12months.

While it seems like a good idea, this has not been an issue with people complaining about X Music. Most, if not all complaints, as far as I can see, have been about customer service. This is one of the cheapest problems for them to rectify. People seem to have the money to buy what they want, but are put off by the very low standard of treatment they receive (not replying to phone calls, emails, and the general "couldn't care less" atmosphere that exists there) This results in the customer going elsewhere, usually onto the Internet to part with the money that otherwise would have gone to X Music.

Mallavogue · 27-05-2010 03:59PM

Guys, just to clarify some issues on finance.

The way finance works in these situations be it cars, music equipment, furniture or anything else in the commercial world is that it is always done through a third party, ie a financial institution.

Mister salesman says you can have this little shiny beauty in your greasy paw for just 20 quid a month for the next whatever amount of years just fill out this form. They will be offering different options eg,

Pay nothing for 2 years and then your payment starts, so you will end up paying the capital and the interest eventually.

Or, they might offer interest free over 12 or so months.

In either case the form has to be filled out by the customer with bank details etc, and then sent to be processed by the financial institution, most used to offer a decision in 24 hours although I’m not sure what its like these days (done this **** in a past life)

If it gets accepted you get to take your whatever home and your repayments start whenever. The financial institution then pays the supplier the full amount but only in the case where the repayments are being made with interest. In the case where they are interest free, the supplier takes the hit, ie they get the amount that the purchase cost less the interest total so it this case interest free can make a huge difference to a suppliers profit margin especially if they are working off tight margins. But the supplier does not take on the risk of the loan, that’s for the financial institution.

Now I can imagine in the current climate a lot of these applications would be refused and I suppose the old line springs to mind “Please don’t ask for credit as refusal often offends” and I suppose at the end of the day Mr supplier does not want to offend / embarrass Mr customer.

And something completely off topic, does anybody know where you can rant about Eircom and NTL or Chorus or UPC or whatever the f*#k they’re now called ?

Drummerboy08 · 27-05-2010 05:55PM

What he said ^^^

Sergio · 27-05-2010 10:51PM

i think buying stuff on credit would be agood option for people.all the big retailers in the uk are doing very well out of it at the moment.
I bought anew amp last year and saved €700 euro on it buyin it in the uk compared to what xmusic quoted me!

Rigsby · 28-05-2010 08:28AM

Colinboy wrote: »

I bought anew amp last year and saved €700 euro on it buyin it in the uk compared to what xmusic quoted me!

The trouble is that you end up paying the same price in the end, and possibly a little more when buying with credit here.

raindog.promo · 30-05-2010 05:28PM

I've had good customer service and got good deals while in Xmusic. Prices are ok on a lot of items, not so on others.

The search function on the website is terrible I think, no matter what I put in the first page of results always seem to be guitars. Things being in stock or on their website are a bit hit and miss, and this would be why I do use Thomann and musicstore a fair bit. I call into xmusic when the opportunity arises, I would like to see it do well.

Vomit wrote: »

They never have what I want and they never answer my emails.

I've found this on occasion. Not replying to emails, you might as well have an automatic response that tells the sender to "Just **** off, eh?"

PaulieBoy · 31-05-2010 05:18PM

Having finished work a bit early and with some cash in pocket I did a detour to Xmusic to get some stuff.
I do like a browse about the shop looking at all the candy, browsing done and stuff in hand I stand at the rather empty checkout with cash clearly in hand and wait, and wait and wait and wait.
Standing there for several minutes feeling like a complete idiot I finally put my money back in my pocket and left.
The manager had passed but ignored me, as did the staff member having a chat at the other side of the counter, there was a guy behind the counter but he was having nothing to do with taking money for stuff.
So Xmusic can't blame some conspiracy by shops in town to try shut them down, they can't blame stock, they can't blame staff, management themselves ignored me and my cash.
It's in to town on Saturday for my shopping and back on the net.
Great to be able to turn away hard cash in this day and age.

rcaz · 01-06-2010 03:33PM

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

I dont buy the whole "X Music is in its infancy, give us a chance".

...

- Improve your customer service practices straight away. It should cost you very little to do this. Improve your staff's attitude to customers. Make sure every email and call gets followe up on - its not only good practice, but it could make you more money.

These were my two favourite points.

The first one, the 'infancy' excuse, is just out of order. No shop should be offering bad service like this and asking the customer to pity them. If you went into the shop and met the soundest and most helpful guys imaginable who were just having trouble coping for the first few months, then maybe, but that isn't the case. It's been years.

And the second one, why would it cost any money to do that? The "it could make you more money" line makes this sound like a suggestion, but for anyone in retail, it should be an unspoken obvious and necessary, demand, and messing up on this one is unforgivable.

If the mistakes weren't caused by laziness and so easy to fix, then maybe I'd give XMusic a chance.

Still waiting on that email about my pickups, for anyone keeping score :rolleyes:

yevveh · 06-06-2010 12:43AM

I've been going to X-Music/Musician for nigh on 10 years now and I find them great. Personally there's little I can complain about, though I can definitely see room for improvement. I remember a while back I was ringing around looking for a Korg Pitchblack, I rang all the places I could think of. A guy from Musicmaker rang me back the next day to let me know that they wouldn't have it in for a couple weeks but he'd sort me out a price on the Pitchblack+ if I wanted it. I decided to order the regular Pitchblack off Thomann in the end, but fair play to them for calling me back on such an inconsequential order.

I'll still always go to X-Music because back in the Musician days when I had screw-all cash, the guys there always looked after me and were real helpful. Same now with the current X-Music staff.

By the by, for Music Technology you have to ring them or email them. They almost never have anything in stock, they order it in, more or less at Thomann prices. Considering X-Music price match Thomann, there's not much in the difference, though I'd say a few people will argue otherwise

I will say one last thing - if you're in the shop, just go up to the guys and talk to them instead of waiting for them to notice you. It's not hard

LpPepper · 06-06-2010 03:03PM

I'm only a 15 minute drive from Xmusic and so tend to go there maybe 1-2 times a month .

Ive had a few problems with them , some being quite annoying!

Back in December there i was gonna use some money to upgrade a squier strat i had . I decided i wanted a SD Jeff beck in it and so called up Xmusic to see if they had it in stock . They said they had it in stock so i went down a while later . Arrived and went to the guitar shop corner and asked this tall guy with long hair about it (Guy i talked to on the phone). I told him about the pickup and he said he had it in stock . Went looking for it under the counter and couldn't find it ! He then said that they had a shipment of stock coming in in 4 weeks ! He said that he wasn't sure if it was coming in the shipment! So went home and got it off thomann . Arrived 3 days later and went down to Xmusic to get it installed.

When i asked how much it would cost to get it installed he said either the price of the strings or a tenner . I said okay great and left the guitar there.
Came back the monday after and he wanted €40 for it ! Absolute disgrace .... Irish shops need the money and this is how they treat their customers!

Nearly every time i go down there im waiting at the counter for someone to show up and i can't find anyone in the shop !

Though have had some good experiences with them - Went down to get a pedal and this northen irish guy got me a few pedals and sat down for a while playing them , sold the pedal a few weeks later (Boss Mt-2 - horrible pedal) but fair play to em .

When i go down some saturdays this ex Music maker guy is very friendly and sets up any amp i ask for

Just need to have better customer service

Crash Override · 28-07-2010 01:24PM

I'm not sure if this thread is considered dead yet but I'll post anyway.

I was planning on buying practice pads for practicing rudiments etc for my drums.

Comparing the prices to Thomann's I found that the first pad I wanted was only about 3 euro cheaper than Thomann's price and the second was about 8 euro cheaper than Thomann's price. So that's not really a huge difference. Only thing is Thomann will charge me an extra 15 quid for the delivery to Ireland because it's under 199euro total. I'm not sure what XMusic's is (delivery charge).

But just asking anyone who has ordered online with Xmusic... Should I order from them and get my stuff a little cheaper (although reading some of these posts there appears to be a ridiculous waiting time for the stuff) or should I go Thomann which have been nothing but excellent every time I order there for a little more cash?

rcaz · 28-07-2010 02:03PM

I'd do as much as I can to keep it Irish. And if you're saving money, it's a no brainer, isn't it?

Crash Override · 28-07-2010 02:14PM

That's true ultimately it is cheaper and it would be nice to go 'Irish' with the purchases as much as possible however this thread isn't really giving any good incentives to do business with XMusic. Although most people have been unhappy with in-store Staff, I'm pretty sure I read a post about taking 2 weeks to deliver due to problems.

With Thomann, I could order my stuff today and almost definatley get it by monday. It would cost me about 25 quid extra.

Xmusic is 11quid cheaper for the stuff and I don't know how much delivery is.

So really there's not that much in it. I just don't want to have to go through the hassel of delays and problems if indeed, Xmusic are prone to these.

fortuneg · 28-07-2010 05:00PM

If you're from Dublin why not just drop round to X-Music & avoid delivery charges/excuses?

Crash Override · 28-07-2010 05:10PM

fortuneg wrote: »

If you're from Dublin why not just drop round to X-Music & avoid delivery charges/excuses?

Well a return DART to the city centre and a return Luas to Tallaght (I think that's where it is) would cost me close to a 10er. Which could be what the delivery charge is itself.

The other thing is most people on this thread have been complaining about the staff in there so I don't really want to travel the whole way to X-Music to talk to staff who don't really care in first place. I understand I'd get the stuff then and there (assuming it's all in stock which was also another problem that has been mentioned in this thread) but something tells me it's not worth the effort.

xmusic r such as pain ....

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