Complaint Review: Guitar Center - Westlake Village CA

Matt Aurand from Guitar Center online emailed me a coupon for 20% off a total purchase of $49 or more. The email was asking me to "come back" and shop with them because it had been a while since I made a purchase with them. I found an item I wanted to purchase, but noted that another site had the same item for $80 less. I chatted online with Emily Higinbotham and she said they could match the price of $319 as well as discount it further to make that price include tax since the other site did not collect sales tax.

While chatting with her, I lost internet for several days. She sent me an email with her contact information and a reference code to give any associate if she was not available. Once I had internet, I called but she was not available, so I spoke with another associate and gave him the reference code. Once he had the item set up in cart, I explained that I was sent a coupon for 20% off my purchase of $49 or more if I would come back and make a purchase with them. He said he could not make the coupon work. I replied to Emily Higinbotham's email letting her know. She called me the next day and I explained the situation to her.

She spoke to a supervisor named Nate Colby and he said they could not use the coupon code since they price matched the item. I asked if it was the brand and Emily Higinbotham told me it was not, that price matching was one of the situations they excluded the coupon for. She then told me that they could get the excluded brands Fender and Gibson to go through with the coupon code even though they are specifically noted in the exclusions for the coupon.

I asked, if they could make an exception for that situation that is noted in the same place as price matching, why couldnt they make an exception for the price matching too. She said they couldnt. I told her it didnt make sense to exclude all these things and then pick and choose things they would make an exception for just because they can. She said they didnt advertise that they could get the coupon to work on Fender and Gibson even though they were excluded.

So I finally told her there was a Fender brand item that I would substitute, but she said the coupon had expired overnight. I asked her if they could make an exception and allow me to use the coupon that day due to all the confusion in policy and convoluted explanations. She asked her same manager Nate Colby and he told her they could not. I explained how little sense it made to have some exclusions they made exceptions for but did not tell anyone about or "advertise", but would not make exceptions for other exclusions listed in the same place.

I asked how is anyone supposed to know what is really excluded and what is not. She just said again that they did not advertise some of that. My point exactly, inaccurate advertising. I had her ask her manager again if they could allow me to use the coupon that day on another item due to this confusion, but Nate Colby said no again. I really am disappointed with how Guitar Center handled this whole situation.

Their advertising makes no sense, having a list of exclusions for a coupon only to make exceptions for some without even letting anyone know which ones they can do so for and which ones they cannot. Its like false advertising in a way. And, its really odd to send a customer a coupon as an incentive for coming back to give them your business, only to alienate them in the process of a purchase. No wonder they have to email coupons out "begging" for customers to come back and do business with them.