Is Guitar Center Legit? Reasons for Reliability

Buying online today has never been easier, and trust is at an all-time high. Most people have their credit card numbers saved to at least one retailer. But it’s still a great idea to do your due diligence when you’re about to buy from a business you haven’t done before.

Some musicians spend a lot of money all in one shot. So it’s important to know, is Guitar Center legit? Will you have decent sales experience?

It’s a good idea to check the reliability of retailers. Guitar Center is one of the biggest in the US and has more stores than anyone else. But can they be trusted to be reliable?

Is Guitar Center Legit?

Yes, Guitar Center is a reliable retailer for both online and in-store purchases. You can feel safe when buying from them as they have a good reputation. Especially when it comes to customer satisfaction. But with any sale, it’s always best to know what you are purchasing. Make sure to understand the sales agreement.

But it’s best to get to know a retailer, or any website, that you plan to buy from. This article is designed to touch on its history and who they are as a company.

History

Guitar Center had a humble beginning in 1959. This is when an entrepreneur named Wayne Mitchell took a chance on a passion. With the rise of bands like the Beatles, Mitchell knew that the guitar would be popular.

His store started out selling organs in Hollywood, California. But he quickly opened the first brick-and-mortar store at the rise of new music.

His gut feeling was right and the next thing he knew, it was time to expand across the US! Guitar Center grew and would begin to sell all sorts of musical instruments. Even create relationships with musicians.

Today they have a store in every US city and are selling just as much online as any other retailer. They also serve musicians in other countries internationally.

Ownership

The brand is now a very large entity owned by a corporation still located in California. Guitar Center Holdings was incorporated in 2007. It also owns other brands like Musicians Friend and Woodwind Brasswind among others.

They have 290 locations across the country and over 10, 000 employees. This company is focused on serving musicians. All with great products and customer support.

Charities

Not only do they sell instruments to musicians, but they also help people get established. Guitar Center has created a Music Foundation. It helps get music and instruments to those in need.

Since 2005, their mission has been to provide education, gear, and more. They believe in the power that music brings and the community it can form.

How Is Their Customer Service?

Guitar Center has not only focused on selling gear to musicians. They have also been focused on bringing them together. They were one of the first places to connect famous artists and beginners.

With many instrument clinics and educational programs, there was something for everyone. Customer service is very important to them. But let’s explore some reasons to believe this. Starting with the bad news first.

The Negative

The first thing a person will normally do is look for reviews on a company or product. While it can be very helpful, sometimes it’s also not an accurate representation. If you look at Trust Pilot, you will see that Guitar Center has a rating of 1.5 out of 5. There are 216 reviews at the time of this writing.

Site jabber also has a poor rating of 2 out of 5 from 101 reviews. So far, you would think that this makes Guitar center a bad place to deal with. But these are 317 responses from the thousands of people who they deal with weekly.

Anyone who has a poor experience will normally want to lash out. Those who have good experience don’t say much. At Least not to sites that are not Guitar Center

The Positive

A person’s experiences are more likely to be left as reviews on the actual company website. So is Guitar Center legit, it’s better to visit them directly. When we do, we can see that people who have bought have left reviews under each product. They are not all good, customers do have issues.

But when we dig in and take a look, we can see that most people had issues with the products, not the company itself. We see customers also mentioned how well their issues and problems were dealt with. This tells a different story, and from verified buyers!

It looks to me like Guitar Center treats its customers well. Will they win it every time? No, but they get it right more than they don’t.

Is Guitar Center Shipping Good?

When it comes to shipping, Guitar Center does a good job of making sure the items are packaged well. In most cases, when buying new, the items are already in the manufacturer’s packaging. This is normally quite robust, designed to take a beating when shipped.

Depending on the service level you paid for, the items are shipped pretty quickly. They offer different options provided by the carriers they use. But if you really want something fast, you can normally have it the next day if you live in the USA.

Anything more affordable will be in a few days. They do try and get everything out the same or the next day, depending on when the order was placed.

What Services Do They Offer?

One thing we can be sure about, Guitar Center is not the new kid on the block. Because they have been around for so long, they offer a musician many services that make life easier.

Sales

If you are looking to purchase instruments, they offer many kinds, both new and used. Plus, they have a great trade-up program that really helps players in a pinch!

Guitars
Amps
Drums
DJ Equipment
Recording gear
Software

Those are just to name a few. And with as many locations as they have throughout the USA, you can have what you need pretty darn quickly.

Most musicians will run to Guitar Center to get what they need because they know it will more than likely be there. And if you’re paying for a recording studio, every second counts.

Service

Guitar Center offers a few services that can help a person out. No matter if you are having instrument issues or need something, they can help you.

Repairs
Lessons
Rentals

These services are used at least once by a person, so it’s great to have them close by. Their repair services are done by experienced techs. And you can always get lessons from a professional teacher.

Financing

They have some great financing programs through special offers. Participating in brand incentives as well as a Gear card rewards system! This system allows you to collect points and earn cash back with all purchases.

Sometimes they do promotions that allow you to dodge any interest for many months, too. So it’s a good way to get into the gear you want right away!

Returns

Another reason to deal with Guitar Center is its return policy. They offer a 45-day satisfaction guarantee that will give a customer peace of mind. You can try it out and if you have issues or don’t want it, send it back. Just another reason why they can be a great place to buy gear.

Is Guitar Center Overpriced?

Some people feel that Guitar center is overpriced. But they actually have little control over what they ask for items. Most manufacturers set MSRP values that they ask their dealers to use.

Guitar Center honors this and is competitive with other retailers as a result. If you are looking for a new item like a guitar, you will see that most online stores are asking the same price. This means that they are using the sales price requested by the manufacturers.

If you look at the other services that Guitar Center offers, they are very competitive. This means that they are well-priced because they want to continue to have customers use them.

Problems With Guitar Center

One of the biggest issues with Guitar Center is that they have been bordering on bankruptcy. They carry a level of debt that is continuing to have them go down this road time and again. This doesn’t really affect the average musician like you and me, but it has been news for a while.

Guitar Center BBB

Another issue that they currently face is a terrible better business bureau rating. It’s nearly 1 out of 5 and will cost them a lot of business. The amount of complaints is pretty small, considering they do a lot of business each year. But the rating stinks.

This will turn off anyone who goes looking for this statistic. But most people won’t look at the small number of complaints that set this rating. The truth is, they do drop the ball sometimes, but overall they are a pretty good company to deal with.

Do They Price Match?

Yes, Guitar Center offers a low-price guarantee. But like any other price match offer, it is necessary to bring proof. So if you have bought an instrument and find it lower at another store, get the advertisement and bring it to them.

They will want the receipt for your purchase as well, but you will get 100% of the difference back.

Conclusion

Yes, Guitar Center is a very legitimate company and a fine retailer. We have had some great experiences with them and have been able to get many items in a pinch. When looking to buy an instrument online, always do your due diligence.

It isn’t always about the retailer, sometimes it’s about the quality of the gear you want to buy as well.

FAQs

Is Guitar Center trustworthy?

Most things you read online about Guitar Center will seem bad. They are actually pretty trustworthy and decent to deal with. They sell to millions of customers each year, and a majority of people are quite happy.

It’s the ones who are not, that go online and make sure you know about their experience. It isn’t always great, and they drop the ball sometimes. But over all, you can trust that they will do their best to provide a good experience.

Is it safe to order from Guitar Center online?

Yes, ordering from Guitar Center online is safe. You can expect that your item will arrive well-packaged and timely. They strive to provide a good experience. Most people have a good experience online as it is well automated.

In-store, purchases are also quite good. But it seems that online is a better option for most people who have used this method.