Philip Kubicki

[3notesAbar]

Having bought a new Ex-Factor bass is a cool experience. Did some slight adjustments and the bass plays like a million bucks. But it didnt stop there... I emailed the maker regarding buying a replacement nut from them. Reason being, the nut is made of Phenolic and its a weird shape. So i was hoping for a pre-cut one. Heres a pic of the headstock:

But as it turned out, Philip (Kubicki) replied personally that he'd have to install the nut on the bass itself and cut grooves for the string with specific gauges. The nut itself would cost 10 USD. Now, that isnt too much is it??

I replied and asked, does the 10USD include shipping or no? I was prepared to pay more of course. But he said, its inclusive. Then i replied that I'll send (cash) US$20 over, because I'm in Singapore. If theres extra cost, I told him to bill me or inform me whenever.

NOW THATS SERVICE. We don't see much of this in Singapore, and we probably should, solely because I know quite a few people who'd pay for good service. Aside from those who won't pay for a good job, I say its time we see more of such service from the bigger vendors. Kudos to the smaller retailers.

 

[edo83]

Congrats on your acquisition of the Kubicki together with rottenramone. Well, i suppose the local big retailers don't really give a heck to such "minute" details. It's just a source of income for them, i doubt their sales philosophy even includes top notch customer service as 1 of the points.

On the other hand, local small retailers are offering much better before & after sales service from my own experience. Heck, even States boutique guitar/pedal makers offer 5 star service. They have customers around the world and tons of emails. Even then, their service and "willing to help" attitude are top notch because they know what musicians are looking for...they are equipped with the relevant knowledge to advice and suggest.

Look at Keeley's sales for eg. as compared to the big retailers here, if they can make the effort why not local retailers? Maybe their mindset is that locally play music cannot make it why make so much effort to do it?

Can i complain when i wanted a black Dimarzio pickup, but they only had cream colour? Wanted to place an order but wasn't guaranteed that it will arrive even after near 7 months of wait? At that time only 1 shop had dealership, it pissed me off big time......they just wouldn't care. There are other issues but that's another case for another time :lol:

 

[3notesAbar]

Well thats retaliers woes. Shipments! But its not related as far as i'm concerned. I'm referring to after sales service and repairs. Cheers

 

[edo83]

hehe, i guess for me it's all equally impt. nvm, let's hear more from the other softies

 

[thor666]

Can i complain when i wanted a black Dimarzio pickup, but they only had cream colour?

Heh. mine went the reverse case. i would say the shop u're referring to really markets Dimarzio really badly. some people don't even know they're carrying Dimarzios.

 

[wangdexian]

That's really great service, and all of that just for a nut. I can imagine what sevice he would give if it was a major problem! Bravo!

 

[jumbofret]

When you inquired about getting a new replacement nut, did you remember to state that you are from S'pore in the 1st place? Maybe he assumed that you're from the US, and gave you the US price, inclusive of shipping. Cos shipping across the US nation is cheap.

 

[3notesAbar]

I didnt, but then i replied that i'd send 20USD since i'm from SG, and he didnt say that it wasnt enough, he only replied that I'd have to get the nut cut in Singapore anyway, since it has to be installed onto the bass first.

At first only one thumbs up, now got 3!

 

[rottenramone]

..

Philip Kubicki will personally answer all questions about his instruments, no matter how trivial.

How I know?

Cos I did...

 

[3notesAbar]

Yeah its true, if i made shitty instruments, i wouldnt give them much thought, much less answer trivial inquiries!

 

[jumbofret]

Congrats on getting a unique bass... These are instruments for those who lead, not follow...

Pardon me for saying this, but I am unable to see the "good customer service" you mentioned. Could you enlighten me on the subject?

Cheers
Jumbofret

 

[jumbofret]

3notesAbar, you have made a mistake! There's nothing special in your scenario... Purely due to a poor understanding of the terms "shipping" and "customer service". And also poor communication from the customer, which is you.

 

[3notesAbar]

Maybe your standards are too high for someone like me to comprehend.

 

[exin]

This shows one thing about singapore customer service .. it's lousy. I'm worked in a customer service line before and i know. Some people just DON"T CARE at all. But solely it's also on the customer's part also sometimes ... who wants to attend to a customer that gives you a black face ... grunts and does NOT say THANK YOU at all? Demoralised you after a while, but of course we as Customer Service officers have to do what we are supposed to do even though we are not being reciprocrated for our actions. Americans are passionate about what they do, that's why the guitar manufacturers over there offer such high quality servicce.

Personally i have emailed some American manufacturers before, most of them were really really really really really really really really nice ... and they answer all my questions with all politeness and gave me what i wanted. I got a bad experience with Warmoth once though .. but i figured they had so many emails to answer that maybe that's why the guy didn't answer me properly. I typed a super LOOOOONG email and requested them to provide some details for me .. but they answer only some questions and the rest they didn't even bother telling me anything on it. At least if they told me that they didn't know i would have preferred that also.

Singapore music shops really don't care sometimes .. or their product knowledge is sooooooo bad that sometimes you wonder whether what they are telling you is the truth or not ... example of a shop at bras brasah that sells sports and music stuff .. the people there have kosong product knowledge about their guitars man ... i only get accessories from them because it's cheap there .. but now they push the prices up so high that even Davis sells cheaper than them. There was once i wanted to get a natural wood polish from them .. and i asked the salesgirl regarding a Jim Dunlop conditioner .. she told me that it was for natural wood .. i was so paranoid that i didn't get it from them. At the end of the day i found out it was true lah .. so much for being paranoid.

More lame is that .. sometimes when you go around ask .. this time round i'm refering to other music shops .. you can try asking them .. "do you have any fretless bass around" .. and they guy will twitch his eyebrow and say .. " .. ehhhhhhh .. don't think so .. " .. and you clearly saw a Gary Willis signature model that is fretless ... so .. product knowledge also lah ..

anyway .. if Singapore wants to offer high quality service .. they really have to improve their attitude in treating their customers and how passionate they are in what they offer.

 

[3notesAbar]

For the sake of comparison, lets look at singaporean sales staff and someone working in the states for say... F bass (George Fulanetto). I used to work at Guitar workshop and Ranking Sports for short periods of time. Sorry if i step on toes here, but really, its just a job. Theres no lucrative future in such jobs in SG. Passion? All up to the individual, but lets not forget about the making ends meet part of life.

Last i heard of F bass, they had 5 master builders, including George himself. I think they also have a business/correspondence/marketing manager guy. Its a small establishment, and i can somewhat feel that it'll be more satisfying to work alongside your boss as part of a team, instead of being viewed as a 'anytime can quit' sales staff in small/big shops here.

Would the F bass staff know more about F basses than someone working in Ranking sports, with thousands of products in their inventory. Make a wild guess. All the tom dick and harry capa-lang brands are there in one tiny shop. I had to memorize the prices within 2 weeks.... Whoa, i also got to carry freeweights there for delivery. Good workout for a 'music' sales staff!

SHIOK AH. yeah working for F bass must suck la.

 

[jumbofret]

3notesabar, is this how your interaction with P.K went? This is my guess, based on your earlier posts:

3notesabar: Hi P.K, I want to inquire about the price of a replacement phenolic nut for my Kubicki Ex-Factor bass. How much does it cost?

P.K: US$10.

3notesabar: Does that include shipping?

P.K: Yes. However, I would prefer to install the nut on your bass and cut it myself.

3notesabar: Well, I live in Singapore, and I think that is too little! Can I send US$20 for both nut and the shipping cost?

P.K is now thinking "Why couldn't he have told me earlier that he lives in Singapore!" Do you expect him to remember who you are and to know international postal rates?

P.K: I will ship the nut over for US$XX, but you will have to install the nut first and cut it yourself.

I could be wrong though, but I think that your interaction with P.K went along those lines. Anyway, you shouldn't compare small custom shops such as F bass with larger retail stores like Guitar Workshop and Ranking. Their business operations are definitely different in the first place. Also, you have been citing irrelevant scenarios and examples in your posts to illustrate your point. If you don't understand the definition of "customer service", forget it. I can explain, but what's the point if you aren’t open-minded? Like what I have said before, Singaporeans don't understand the concept of customer service and that's why the customer service here is so screwed up. The above post by exin is more relevant and sensible than your posts.

 

[brundisium]

:lol: :lol:

peace

 

[3notesAbar]

3notesabar, is this how your interaction with P.K went? This is my guess, based on your earlier posts:

3notesabar: Hi P.K, I want to inquire about the price of a replacement phenolic nut for my Kubicki Ex-Factor bass. How much does it cost?

P.K: US$10.

3notesabar: Does that include shipping?

P.K: Yes. However, I would prefer to install the nut on your bass and cut it myself.

3notesabar: Well, I live in Singapore, and I think that is too little! Can I send US$20 for both nut and the shipping cost?

P.K is now thinking "Why couldn't he have told me earlier that he lives in Singapore!" Do you expect him to remember who you are and to know international postal rates?

P.K: I will ship the nut over for US$XX, but you will have to install the nut first and cut it yourself.

I could be wrong though, but I think that your interaction with P.K went along those lines. Anyway, you shouldn't compare small custom shops such as F bass with larger retail stores like Guitar Workshop and Ranking. Their business operations are definitely different in the first place. Also, you have been citing irrelevant scenarios and examples in your posts to illustrate your point. If you don't understand the definition of "customer service", forget it. I can explain, but what's the point if you aren’t open-minded? Like what I have said before, Singaporeans don't understand the concept of customer service and that's why the customer service here is so screwed up. The above post by exin is more relevant and sensible than your posts.

Please get a life. Bye.

 

[iansoh]

3notesabar,
i'm not sure if i see the same point that jumbofret is trying to make, but i can't help but agree that there isn't anything fantastic about this kubicki case. in fact i think such is a good example of the expected level of customer service, and the word "special" would be an adjective fit only for cases when someone would go the extra mile for the customer without being asked.

here's my story:
i once emailed John Diggins of Jaydee Guitars for a quote for a replacement bridge for my bass. he replied with the quote and shipping charges, but also asked me what problem there was with the bridge that I needed a replacement. I told him i needed to adjust string action and the bridge saddles wouldn't move cos the screws and screw threads inside the saddles were all damaged by the previous owner. Mr Diggins then said the problem might be solved by replacing the saddle screws only, which he offered to mail to me FOR FREE, all the way from UK. I could then still place the order for the bridge if this doesn't work.

now THIS is what i call customer service. he could have easily made more money out of an ignorant un-savvy person like me, but he didn't. he had to open his mouth, ask me what my problem was, and give me a cheaper solution voluntarily.

 

[jumbofret]

+1 to iansoh! Finally someone who understands! *phew*