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it's really inappropriate on all fronts. inviting unfriendly banter should be unwelcome.

both are great to work with. this is childish from both sides.

Just a point of clarification -

Maury notes that he doesn't impose a 5% restocking fee, but he does charge for the outbound shipping in the event you decide to ship a guitar back.

Maybe no restocking fee, but a fee nevertheless. I got the privilege of spending a total of $190 in shipping fees ($70 to cover Maury's outbound shipping and $120 to send the guitar back (including insurance)). For a $3500 guitar, that amounts to 5.43%.

In Maury's defense, he does make these requirements clear on his website, but I found the restocking fee comment was a bit disingenuous.

I have no problem buying a guitar from Maury, but only after determining that it is exactly what I want. The trial period is just too expensive.

I'm sorry you feel that way. We truly do not charge any restocking fees and I feel we're not being disingenuous in making this claim. It appears you're mixing up the shipping charges in this scenario but they're independent of our "no restocking fee" claim. We do appreciate the chance to earn your business and I'm sorry this guitar wasn't a good fit.

Thanks Maury,

I guess my point was that a fee is a fee. You can advertise a no-restocking fee but charge for the outbound shipping, or you can have a restocking fee and not look to recop the outbound costs.

Living in a town that has little access to high quality guitars is my problem and I am forced to "buy to try" and then return if things don't work out. Unfortunately, I don't think that I am the only one in that boat and if I can save myself from having to pay the shipping costs both ways for such a trial, I will do so. As I said previously, I spent $190.00 in shipping in order to try a guitar from your shop, which seemed excessive.

You certainly know what it takes to run your business successfully, so my post should simply be taken as food for thought. From what I can tell, the Internet-based Martin suppliers are very price-competitive, with customer service most likely being the decisive factor in sales, especially when prices are in the thousands of dollars. Perhaps a "buyer pays return freight" instead of both ways might generate a few more orders. Who knows.

Thanks for offering these fine guitars for sale. I know that many out there appreciate it.

S. Marley

I appreciate your opinion and your willingness to have a healthy debate. The point I was trying to make is that many retailers charge a restocking fee and deduct return shipping from returns. Since our return policy clearly addresses the return shipping question, we just added the "no restocking fee" advertisement without the need to address shipping a 2nd time. Our claim is simply to distinguish the fact that you won't pay restocking fees, period. We're learning more everyday when it comes to running our business successfully and hearing constructive input from customers like you is a key part.


We'll take a long look at our claims & policies and make some edits if we can think of a better way to explain them. Thank you for taking the time and I do hope we can connect you with a great guitar in the future.

I've purchased from both. No problem either way.
Regarding returns: from a business perspective, there is overhead with shipping guitars to/from. When someone returns, it's a losing proposition for the vendor (either one!). As with any online vendor, let the buyer beware and let the buyer be 'aware.' If you want to try a guitar out before you buy it, my vote is to head to a local store with one in stock. If you're looking for a great deal, check both Jon and Maury out.

I vote for deleting this thread. Both are good business people and we're squabbling over nit-picky things that, in the end, don't really matter. If you disagree, please re-read my thread. It's just business. But this thread is "monkey business."

RM

Don't delete this thread. I'm about a week away from making a purchase and came here to check out Maury's site. I just came from MFG's site.

The fact that a businessman would throw childish posts up on a competitors website pretty much made up my mind where I would go. I can't visit stores, I have to order online. I'm gonna give Maury's a shot based on this, and the respect he seems to garner on most all forums.

My guess is that other's are in my shoes, and might like to see what Jon posted here. Leave it up.

First the terms under which Maury sells are set forth clearly, so there is no surprise or shenanigans.

Any seller will charge shipping for a returned guitar (which was not defective or which properly matches the description).

There are sellers that, additionally, charge a restock fee. That is a separate fee for the sellers 'inconvenience'. It is not recovery of an outlayed expense.

My experience was that when I had an issue with a guitar I purchased, what I believed to be a factory materials related issue, Maury took care of me, and went above and beyond addressing and solving MY concerns.

Without providing boring details, let me say, shipping was MORE than fair, as was the blood , sweat and tears, and humor, which Maury invested to make me happy with my purchase.

I have purchased a fair number of expensive instruments on line, and have never had this quality of service and genuine concern for making me happy.

I buy with absolute confidence from Maury, knowing, simply, I am going to get eh best price and the best service and will be happy with the transaction, not to mention, most importantly, the instrument. And, I will again.

The instrument will be factory fresh perfect. And at the time, I had several to choose from in Maury's inventory, as well as the help from someone providing their best evaluation among identical models.

Holy Canoli

i realize this thread has been dormant for a little while, but having just ordered from Maury's for the first time, I was poking around the website (while i anticipate the arrival of my new Martin 000-17sm) and stumbled on this thread.

So ... this response is really for you Maury

I had a very good experience on this recent order. Good price, good service from Angelo, etc. But I really appreciate doing business with businesses that make customer service a priority and conduct themselves with a high degree of integrity.

Kudos to you for leaving this thread open and conducting yourself with the utmost class. This thread tells me everything I need to know about Maury (whom I never met).

Not only will i never purchase any product at MFG, but I will make sure to use Maury's Music for EVERY future purchase. You should know that in the long run, conducting yourself with integrity will always be beneficial.

I realize this thread started a while ago, but just now I checked and Maury is cheaper than MFG. Also, the return policy is better. That along with the attitude of the person that started this thread made it clear who I was going to order from.

D18 should be in the mail to me today. Thanks Maury and crew.

Just...wow.

I just bought my very first Martin from Maury.
(D-18 Ambertone)

I sniped MFG and they prices are higher, and the douche starting this thread should realize how much business he's lost by going to his competitors website and trolling..

Humanity needs more Maurys and less 'Jons'.

Just toxic...

Maury, you have my business, sir. And I intend on making many more Martin purchases in the future!

Hi,
I just stumbled upon this post by accident. I realize this is an old thread. I've known Jon for a long long time and have purchased more guitars from him than I care to admit. He has always gone well above and beyond to take care of me and anyone else I know that has bought guitars from him. IMO There is absolutely NO WAY that Jon is the author of that post. I'm sure Maury is a great guy as well. I just happened to discover MFG first way back. Jon treated me right and thus has since been my go to guy ever since. NO WAY did Jon author that post. Nothing in my years and years of countless interactions with Jon would suggest to me that he would do that. Someone played you on this.

Old post,found it by accident, but still relative. I will be buying a new Martin from Maury. You are a classy guy, Maury. That means decent. The world needs that! Why are so many people so angry, and so rude? It's not suppose to be that way. We are blessed with the innate ability to be kind...Peace.

I couldn't read this thread without writing something. MF does not have anywhere near the variety of Martin guitars that Maury has. Maury just give me a terrific price on a beautiful Martin and I bought it. I stopped dealing with MF many years ago. The first thing out of their mouths is " we don't do price matching or negotiation ". Maury is an honest, very competitive dealer and he shouldn't be libeled like this.

Well according to MFG's website, they are closing down and retiring, so this debate can end for good.

Ive been a loyal customer of Maury's for a few years now and have bought around 3-4 guitars from him. He's always understanding, thorough and has patience.I almost went with that "other" guy years back but during my emails with him, he turned out to be a shady ********. I wanted to put a deposit on a real expensive guitar - I think it was like a D41 or something and according to their website, deposits to hold guitars WAS accepted. So I emailed him about this and when he got back to me, he was very short and wanted the full amount and would not accept a deposit. That guy was a liar and only wanted YOUR money and had no personal skills. He also told me flat out that he would NOT beat Maurys Music prices. My reply is extremely late and MFG is no longer in business due to their "retirement" - yeah right and good riddance to that *******. Buy from Maurys and you wont be disappointed - given your not a pain in the *** customer.