venting

[snare4life]

I am sure I am opening myself to some flaming, but I just feel the need to do this,


Let me just say first off I love Pearl, Their drums and hardware served me well in my 12 years of teaching. This is rant is about the customer service and logistics of Pearl that has let me down,

Here is the story:

Our present battery drums are pretty much shot. After 10 years of usage both indoor and outdoor, the drums are at the end of the their life. The shells are folding, the hardware is slowly breaking, to answer any questions out there yes, we took care of these drums like they were our babies.

Last June we got approval for a new set of drums. Dream come true. Since our present drums were custom from Pearl I jumped at the chance to do the same with this new set. Knowing full well that we are looking at a 6 month waiting period. I knew I could nurse our present battery for another 6 months.

The order went through beginning of July 2008. 4 ffx snares, cranberry fade with chrome, 2 sets articulite big block sixes, same finish, and 6 basses 16" thro 28" (minus the 26"). We got told through our dealer that it will be a 6 month waiting period. We accepted it. After all we only order new drums every 10 or so years. Might as well do it right.


Fast forward to January. After calling the dealer on where our new drums were. expecting them in for our upcoming indoor season. We got little answers, about a day later my band director gets a phone call from Pearl.
Not good news, The order was sent to Pearl months ago but never filled...
They assured us it was their fault not the dealership. Needless to say we were not happy. Pearl rep was very apologetic, promised us some swag and air shipping to get us the drums in May. After discussion with the director we felt like we had no choice. We accepted, and I prepared myself for some equipment malfunctions. By now the shells on our 16" bass were starting to fold, and out tenors looked more like a set of stop signs rather then drums.


We made it through our indoor season, our years of care of the drums paid off. All through out the indoor season, I pressured my director to call the contact at Pearl and make sure the order is being filled. Same answer every time, the order is being processed. May rolls in, and still no drums. By now I am losing faith in Pearl. Finally the answer comes back. End of May beginning of June. We are now in that time frame, and I am hanging onto a thread that we will get them as promised..


I am beyond frustrated. This process for me has been going on for over a year. I just want a specific date. I know they are worth the wait. I just can't accept any more delays.

I just needed to get this out of my system in hopes somebody at Pearl will read it and step up the customer service.

[Damo]

I went through something similar a few years ago, changed brands and never look back.

I do have every belief that your drums probably are not far away!

Hang in there!

[drummer111]

hey snare 4 life

welcome to the forum! pearls customer service is number one for a reason trust me this is probably the best place to put this problem as it is frequented by key pearl employee's every single day. im pretty sure that your problem will be solved just give it time. as for the 1 yr waiting period it seems weird. Keep your head up you will get your equipment and it will be what you wanted.

[Damo]

pearls customer service is number one for a reason
Says who?

I see this comment thrown around a lot, probably because its near-on impossible to justify or prove otherwise, but customer service experiences are different for each person.

Was there some kind of official award given to Pearl for customer service that you could direct me to?

[Bombita]

Says who?

I see this comment thrown around a lot, probably because its near-on impossible to justify or prove otherwise, but customer service experiences are different for each person.

Was there some kind of official award given to Pearl for customer service that you could direct me to?

Don't forget we are in the PDF, the very same place were Demon Drives are the best pedals ever made on earth...

[drummer111]

Says who?

I see this comment thrown around a lot, probably because its near-on impossible to justify or prove otherwise, but customer service experiences are different for each person.

Was there some kind of official award given to Pearl for customer service that you could direct me to?

read the stories here about it about the different companies out there ie

TAMA where they probably have no customer service because a lot of people cannot get a hold of them.

Yamaha company so big they will have you go to the dealer then the dealer call

these are a few.


and the only reason that you do see people posting up there problems on the pdf and why you do see it alot is because pearl WILL help there customer on a one on one basis and I know this for a fact. I on many occasions have had key people in the pearl team help me!! even in person and on the spot!

Don't forget we are in the PDF, the very same place were Demon Drives are the best pedals ever made on earth...

now bombita dont get me wrong I personally right now am not even playing a pearl kit but i do have one and i just have to say that some people may have there opinions even if you do search you will find post on people who hated the pearl demon drive so yeah...




and snare 4 life ill send this post to a marching specialist at pearl so he can get back to you!!

[AL PERCIVAL]

snare4life - is this for Souderton H.S. in Souderton, PA?

[Razorfish]

I suspect there's more to the story. There always is.

[AL PERCIVAL]

I suspect there's more to the story. There always is.

Correct. Sometimes we can drop the ball it happens and sometimes it can be the ISD school district shopping around for best pricing, getting the school funding finding a dealer having the order placed and by the time we see it that can be a year later. Plus if its a special order custom finish add 4-6 months to the wait.

[Razorfish]

Yeah we had this weird finance officer at my last job. You'd do all the paper work, get it signed off by everybody, do everything required in the policy, submit it. It would never get done and you'd call the vendor like a month later and they'd say it was never ordered and act like you were crazy. You'd have to hunt this one finance guy and hound him like 5 times before he'd complete it and submit to purchasing. Turns out he was task with reducing cost and that's how he did it. He figured if it was really important people would just bug him over and over. If it wasn't that important they wouldn't and it would never get purchased and he saved money. hahaha

[vicfirthrules10]

not saying that Pearl is great either, but we have the same issue at my high school with Yamaha getting our new drumline. at first i think we ordered in like May expecting the drums for the fall season. then they say by november. then january. then we finally got them in may. sure we did get 4 snares, 3 tenors, 6 drums, and 5 basses, 16,18,22,26,28", i think that's the bass sizes. in dark cherry fade, black chrome hardware. a thing of beauty. very sweet.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w38/ryan47060/snare1.jpg

[Damo]

read the stories here about it about the different companies out there ie

TAMA where they probably have no customer service because a lot of people cannot get a hold of them.

Yamaha company so big they will have you go to the dealer then the dealer call

these are a few.
I dont need to read it here. I see it everyday.

Customer service standards are a region-specific issue. Here in Australia, the companies you named are not seen this way.

When we're talking about customer service, it needs to be considered on a Global scale not just for the American market.

[AL PERCIVAL]

I dont need to read it here. I see it everyday.

Customer service standards are a region-specific issue. Here in Australia, the companies you named are not seen this way.

When we're talking about customer service, it needs to be considered on a Global scale not just for the American market.


You are correct. I've heard a few horror stories from consumers in other parts of the international community concerning our product, lack of communication, long delays etc... All I can do is try to direct those issues to the right folks so their problems get resolved in a timely manner.

[trickg]

Based on what I have read here on the forum, it seems to me that when this kind of SNAFU happens and Pearl is at the center, when everything gets ironed out and all of the details are learned, it's usually the dealer who messed something up - Pearl can't fill an order that they don't get.

I wish I had a customer service story about Pearl I could tell, but I don't. The reason? I've never had a single iota of my Pearl gear fail for any reason whatsoever. My 800 series hardware is 5 years old, has been lugged out and used a minimum of twice a month since I've had it and it's still going strong, and I have not had a single solitary issue with any of the Pearl drums I have owned - my fusion sized SMX shell pack, my Bronze Sensitone Elite and the Steve Ferrone signature snare that I owned for a little while. It has all been stellar gear that looks and sounds fantastic, and I get positive comments about both all of the time. I am a Pearl player for life.

I hope everything resolves out - it could be that Pearl simply got really busy and something fell through the cracks somewhere, and if that is the case, Al Percival will get to the bottom of it ASAP - something else I have seen time and again on this forum.

Good luck with it!

[snare4life]

snare4life - is this for Souderton H.S. in Souderton, PA?

Correct,

I just re-read my rant, I apologize, I made it sound a little more harsh then it really is. The frustration is just mounting, not just from me. but my director. who basically trusted my decision to go with this custom order. As well as my kids who are so excited about the new drums. It is now becoming a standard joke. Any time a package comes to the band room. I hear "oh those must be the new drums." even the parents and the school administration is asking now and then when are the new drums coming in.

There really is not much more to the story then what I have said. Except that I did all the leg work and research, the dealer we used is basically the main marching percussion dealership on the east coast. They are Pros at handling orders like this. We have been using them for many years and are well trusted in the industry.

To add more to the history. I am not rookie at these types of orders. I ordered the present battery we use. Sequoia red custom shells, ordered in June of 2000 and received them at the end of November. So really no difference in what I am doing now as compared to what we ordered then.

This whole thing started in march of last year. I had to show my director and School administration that our present battery is coming to the end of its life. I was given the go ahead to get bids from 3 different dealerships. By the beginning of June I had the bid approved and ready to submit. Since the fiscal year ends the end of June. July the order got pushed forward. I did have it confirmed that it was sent to Pearl through the dealer. And you all know the rest.


I have been using Pearl my entire drumming career, I love all the products I own or have worked with. This is the first time I have run into a situation with Pearl. I understand everybody makes mistakes, and its not like the drums are actually made here. Things fall through the cracks no matter what company it is. Poop happens, I guess I am just impatient, and frustrated, and to add there, is more complications to come,... as I found out tonight.

Thanks for reading my babble and letting me vent. I was just hoping somebody would read this and maybe give me some hope that I can believe they are actually on their way.. That and my kids are bugging me for the swag promised. haha kids..

[trickg]

I'm going to pass along a tidbit that was passed to me by a good friend and former boss of mine:

This too shall pass

He passed it along to me when things were falling down around my ears when I was supposed to close on my new/current house. We had set things up as a contingency that we had to settle with our buyer on our old house first, only their loan work was all screwed up and it took almost a week before they had their ducks in a row, which prevented us from being able to close, which in turn screwed up our plans for moving our household items to the new house, etc. It was a mess.

In any case he sat me down, told me, "this too shall pass" and explained to me that while it seemed like a huge deal at the time, it would work itself out one way or another and life would resume to normal in less time than I thought. He was right.

Eventually that order will be filled and when the drums come in, it will have been worth the wait. By this point next year everyone will be stoked about how the new gear looked and sounded and all of the stress and frustration in dealing with the long order and and wait time will be a distant memory.

[snare4life]

I'm going to pass along a tidbit that was passed to me by a good friend and former boss of mine:

This too shall pass

He passed it along to me when things were falling down around my ears when I was supposed to close on my new/current house. We had set things up as a contingency that we had to settle with our buyer on our old house first, only their loan work was all screwed up and it took almost a week before they had their ducks in a row, which prevented us from being able to close, which in turn screwed up our plans for moving our household items to the new house, etc. It was a mess.

In any case he sat me down, told me, "this too shall pass" and explained to me that while it seemed like a huge deal at the time, it would work itself out one way or another and life would resume to normal in less time than I thought. He was right.

Eventually that order will be filled and when the drums come in, it will have been worth the wait. By this point next year everyone will be stoked about how the new gear looked and sounded and all of the stress and frustration in dealing with the long order and and wait time will be a distant memory.

Very true, I know for a fact its well worth the wait. What makes things even more difficult. We are in the process of moving high schools. A new one was built and everything must be out old school by June 17th. I was informed tonight that the new drums will have to be re-routed to the new high school which is not open to us just yet. Which means if they come in in July I might not get to see them till band camp... in August. So I am hoping they come this week or next week so I can least check the order..

To add our tenors are close to imploding. What sucks is they still look amazing from a far but close up.. stop signs..

[AL PERCIVAL]

Correct,

I just re-read my rant, I apologize, I made it sound a little more harsh then it really is. The frustration is just mounting, not just from me. but my director. who basically trusted my decision to go with this custom order. As well as my kids who are so excited about the new drums. It is now becoming a standard joke. Any time a package comes to the band room. I hear "oh those must be the new drums." even the parents and the school administration is asking now and then when are the new drums coming in.

There really is not much more to the story then what I have said. Except that I did all the leg work and research, the dealer we used is basically the main marching percussion dealership on the east coast. They are Pros at handling orders like this. We have been using them for many years and are well trusted in the industry.

To add more to the history. I am not rookie at these types of orders. I ordered the present battery we use. Sequoia red custom shells, ordered in June of 2000 and received them at the end of November. So really no difference in what I am doing now as compared to what we ordered then.

This whole thing started in march of last year. I had to show my director and School administration that our present battery is coming to the end of its life. I was given the go ahead to get bids from 3 different dealerships. By the beginning of June I had the bid approved and ready to submit. Since the fiscal year ends the end of June. July the order got pushed forward. I did have it confirmed that it was sent to Pearl through the dealer. And you all know the rest.


I have been using Pearl my entire drumming career, I love all the products I own or have worked with. This is the first time I have run into a situation with Pearl. I understand everybody makes mistakes, and its not like the drums are actually made here. Things fall through the cracks no matter what company it is. Poop happens, I guess I am just impatient, and frustrated, and to add there, is more complications to come,... as I found out tonight.

Thanks for reading my babble and letting me vent. I was just hoping somebody would read this and maybe give me some hope that I can believe they are actually on their way.. That and my kids are bugging me for the swag promised. haha kids..


No worries venting is fine we don't take it personal here.

To make you feel a bit better, I found your school order. We received the official order in February 2009. It was a custom lacquer request special order so we ask to allow 4-6 months delivery. Your school order is tenatively due in mid June. I see it on our container which shows it is on its way here to Nashville.

See, all better? ;)

[Bombita]

No worries venting is fine we don't take it personal here.

To make you feel a bit better, I found your school order. We received the official order in February 2009. It was a custom lacquer request special order so we ask to allow 4-6 months delivery. Your school order is tenatively due in mid June. I see it on our container which shows it is on its way here to Nashville.

See, all better? ;)

Now THAT'S taking care of a customer.

[snare4life]

No worries venting is fine we don't take it personal here.

To make you feel a bit better, I found your school order. We received the official order in February 2009. It was a custom lacquer request special order so we ask to allow 4-6 months delivery. Your school order is tenatively due in mid June. I see it on our container which shows it is on its way here to Nashville.

See, all better? ;)

HAHA yeah least I know. but it does make me want to ask what happened with the order? According to my band director, who ever he talked to at Pearl did state the order slipped through the cracks and since we had to wait the drums will be air shipped to us.. I am assuming once they arrive in the states air shipped. And what my kids have been bugging me for some Pearl gear?

Thanks for checking for me I really does help. now I can make arrangements at the new high school

[Damo]

You are correct. I've heard a few horror stories from consumers in other parts of the international community concerning our product, lack of communication, long delays etc... All I can do is try to direct those issues to the right folks so their problems get resolved in a timely manner.

Actually Al, the wholesaler for Pearl here in Australia (MusicLink) IMO does a very good job of promoting and servicing your product. I was just speaking in terms of a general nature, that the wholesaler has a HUGE bearing on what peoples perception of a brand will ultimately be - As you would know, many issues regarding promotion/marketing, warranty, custom ordering and wait-times stem from the dropped-responsibilities of the wholesaler.

Pearl, or any manufacturer for that matter, would certainly not be my first port of abuse if I was having problems getting a product. :)

[AL PERCIVAL]

^ Thanks Damien. :)

[snare4life]

*UPDATE*

So, we got our drums the other day. Of course I was very excited to check them out. Got to school and the band director and I got right to it. We noticed some damage to the boxes, specifically the 28" bass and one set of tenors. We opened the tenors and luckily the box had space on that side and the drums checked out ok. Unfortunately not so lucky for the 28" bass. Right away the top lug looked funny, as I got closer you could see the shell looked "punched" in, almost a finger width. It's unusable, we moved on to the snares, the finish looks amazing, but when I pulled the drums out.. no chrome.. which.. yeah... we did pay extra just to have the snares chromed and they did come with the standard finish.. as we unbox the rest of the basses I noticed they look different from the 28". the 28" is a burst, which is how I've seen on Bostons 2008 drums. But the other drums had fade right red left black. completely different then the 28" the second thing I noticed is now all the drums in some way have Pearl decals on them. Tenors in the bottom of the shells, basses right above the badge. snares on the side like they have been for years. the other thing is our finish on the bass rims is a matte as compared to the high gloss. really looks odd.

So. we did get a hold of the Pearl reps discussed the issues and we have another 28" drum being made. and the chrome is in the works for the snares. just figuring out the logistics.

Over all I mean things didn't go as planned, but we have them and the process is started to fix what we need fixed. I will say the Pearl reps we talked to have been very nice and quite helpful. I will update as things progress, here are some pictures.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/a10er4life/misc068.jpg
snares

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/a10er4life/misc090.jpg
20" bass I believe, maybe the 22"

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/a10er4life/misc075.jpg
28" and 22" if you look close at the top you can see the damage

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/a10er4life/misc093.jpg
tenors

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/a10er4life/misc096.jpg
tenors side shot

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w91/a10er4life/misc097.jpg
left new snare, right our old snare.. believe it or not that drum is 9 years old.

[drummer111]

Hey nice drums as for the 9 yr old marching snare i say damn you guys took care of that snare lol

[timdrums08]

those look fantastic, and sorry about your bass drum and snare hoops etc. when our drums first came in they sent us a red 28" bass and we had all black. When we opened it we were like "wtf?!" fortunately we marched 4 that year so we had time.

[trickg]

I think I'd be a little miffed if I waited extra time due to an order SNAFU, and then having the order not even be correct when I finally got it. However, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the order wasn't screwed up somewhere before it got to Pearl. I just hope that Pearl makes it right, and that they do it in a timely fashion.

[AL PERCIVAL]

I think I'd be a little miffed if I waited extra time due to an order SNAFU, and then having the order not even be correct when I finally got it. However, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the order wasn't screwed up somewhere before it got to Pearl. I just hope that Pearl makes it right, and that they do it in a timely fashion.

We are making it right we're doing over the drums in question.

[snare4life]

I think I'd be a little miffed if I waited extra time due to an order SNAFU, and then having the order not even be correct when I finally got it. However, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the order wasn't screwed up somewhere before it got to Pearl. I just hope that Pearl makes it right, and that they do it in a timely fashion.

Well I can tell you it wasn't screwed up before it got to Pearl. We know what happened, our Pearl rep explained it. Either way they are making it right. Chrome is coming, new bass is being made for us. I am glad its just over with and they are here.

[trickg]

We are making it right we're doing over the drums in question.
That's cool - you guys are always great about standing behind your product and offering up fast customer service once you are aware of the issue. All I know is that over the years I have been a member of this board, when there is some sort of a snafu and things wind up messed up, it's usually the distributor who screwed it up, or who drags their feet contacting Pearl, but then once Pearl is notified, they hook it up and hook it up quick.

That's why I'll always play Pearl drums! :D There may come a day when I feel I need something other than my SMX (not likely, this kit is awesome!) but I'll look no further than Pearl.

[AL PERCIVAL]

That's cool - you guys are always great about standing behind your product and offering up fast customer service once you are aware of the issue. All I know is that over the years I have been a member of this board, when there is some sort of a snafu and things wind up messed up, it's usually the distributor who screwed it up, or who drags their feet contacting Pearl, but then once Pearl is notified, they hook it up and hook it up quick.

That's why I'll always play Pearl drums! :D There may come a day when I feel I need something other than my SMX (not likely, this kit is awesome!) but I'll look no further than Pearl.

Patrick you have probably been one of our great ambassadors for the Sessions series, thanks so much! :)

[trickg]

Patrick you have probably been one of our great ambassadors for the Sessions series, thanks so much! :)
I call it like I see it - I have never looked at my drums as mid-level because of where they were marketed in the Pearl lineup. I looked at them for exactly what they are - 100% maple with perfect bearing edges, a gorgeous, lustrous lacquer finish, and loaded up with professional level quality and features. That's all before I even put a stick or beater to a head - the sound is where it counts, and having heard a couple of other drummers play them, they sound great! You can't hear a badge or a brand name - all you hear is sound, and they have more than enough of that - I can't speak for any other SMX owner, but my bass drum hits you deep in the chest with a deep resonant thump, and the toms sing out with a smooth, round, full tone - truly a professional sound.

Back to the subject, those marching drums are going to be totally boss when everything is hooked up - high quality and made to last!