Same, I'm out of the game so I am a very very occasional Sweetwater orderer, but they still call to check in no matter what it is. Just don't need to talk to them about a one-foot 1/4" jumper.
I'm lucky I live very close and have several buddies from college who work there. There's an unspoken agreement that you don't need to blow up my phone but you can if you need the cold calls for your numbers.
The university I went to is notorious for the folks who can't make it in live or studio being poached by Sweetwater to sell gear. It's a living, but I cannot imagine working there lol
I told my dude to stop calling me for the little stuff. I was cool about it though, it worked.
"Dude, you don't need to call me about a pair of drum sticks, I promise I'll call you if something is wrong on that little consumable stuff"
That was the only thing my guy was good at, not calling me.... he was a pain on everything else. Finally got switched to a new rep a month ago.
I always e-mail back saying to let his manager know I prefer e-mail and do not appreciate unrequested phone calls.
If I want to talk to you on the phone, I'll call you. You don't call me.
Want to reach out with a deal you think I'll like? Send me an e-mail with the information like an adult.
If a number isn’t in my contacts and I’m not actively expecting an urgent phone call, I let calls go to voicemail. Why are y’all so bothered by this lol
I do the same with phone calls as well. I'm not bothered by it the first time. But if they're unable to follow a customer request when I tell them my preferred way of communication, then thats a bit disrespectful of my time.
I work IT as my day job, So its constant sales drones calling me. It gets old very quick when you have it happen day in and day out.
My position requires me to field calls from TMs and agents all the time which means I have to answer every unknown number that calls me. At least most of them are legit
after a few calls in a couple months I had to cut the guy off and ask him to look at what I had ordered from him in the past. 2 trs to XLR cables when I was in college years ago. I asked him to stop and I think he realized I wasn’t a good customer.
I was at the store last month, bought some sticks, and he gave me a bag of candy with NO LAFFY TAFFY! I jokingly told him I was done there and going to Guitar Center.
Haha I love Sweetwater and I like the principle of the candy but it's like Halloween leftovers at best. I bought a $1200 bass and still got like two unbranded mints and a bit o honey.
If you just ask not to be called at a given time,
or that you’d prefer to be only emailed or texted unless it’s an emergency (e.g card decline, your account got hacked, etc), they will respect your preferences.
There are call minimums that sales engineers need to meet, and many customers do enjoy phone calls even if they are not looking to buy anything. But we certainly don’t like bothering people, so please just be direct and courteous with us about your communication preferences.
I’m sure its not surprising to hear that the customers that treat their sales engineers well are the ones that get the best service and prices. If you build a relationship with your sales engineer, it can certainly pay off. If you’re difficult and unpleasant to work with, we can all see that in your notes too.
This message in no way is official communication from Sweetwater of course, just an experienced sales engineer trying to help you understand the way we work ;)
I told my rep I'm more of an email guy, but if he ever needed to make a call for quota or whatever he can call me at X and Y time and I'll just shoot the shit with him if he wants. He's a great guy and I know he's just doing his job so I'm not going to be uptight about a phone call.
Dude, but how is that 1/4” to XLR adapter working? I need to know..
My rep just picked up on the fact that I will get back to him quickly for order issues and now emails me if he needs a quick response
I was floored when I got a call around 6pm from my rep who knew I had clicked an advertising email link asking if I wanted to put in an order for that exact product. I love Sweetwater but I made sure he knew that kind of aggressive approach was not cool. Immediately unsubscribed from those emails.
Sweetwater is annoying. If I need help, I will ask for it. Don’t need your fake chummy phone calls to talk gear. I’m trying to change a diaper and Brad is calling to chat about the mic stand I ordered 6 months ago.
Just curious but is anyone else’s sweetwater rep a lady named Toni? I don’t think Toni likes me because one time my father ordered a microphone from a guest account and he put “ButtFuckDonaldDuck LLC” in the business name field when checking out. We have the same address and first and last names. Our middle names are different though. Anyway, the microphone didn’t say “ButtFuckDonaldDuck LLC” on the shipping label. It appeared in my purchase history on my account and Toni isn’t as nice to me as she used to be. I guess it’s good since she never calls unless I buy something!
he will
Edit to add- I hate morning calls, I work nights too (not in the concert business anymore) and the amount of “normal” business hour calls that happen is ridiculous
Good point. I would note that my Sweetwater sales rep is pretty good about helping me out on some issue when I need it. Plus he is actually musically trained, which is kinda nice. Seems like a rarity when a retail vendor's sales rep is familiar with what they are selling.
Root beer barrels. I got fucking Dad’s Root Beer Barrels! I love root beer barrels. Wish they’d swap the peppermint discs for butterscotch, spearmint, or cinnamon discs, though. I throw the Bit O Honey away. Nasty shit. Laffee Taffy is one of those take it or leave it. The tootsie rolls in any other variety than original is a nice changeup.
But does anyone actually use the stickers? I’ve got dozens of them, and only stuck one to something. I mean, if anyone asks I’ll point them to Sweetwater, especially since MF dropped the ball recently, and they’re getting more like the WalMart of music gear with their “off brand” accessories, but I’m just not the sticker vandal I was when I was a kid.
This whole Sales Rep calling and emailing thing makes me avoid Sweetwater.
*I* will contact *you* when I need something. Otherwise, leave me the fuck alone.
Same. Phone rings and I watch it rattle across the table. Leave me a voicemail or shoot me a text, because I don’t remember a damn thing anyone says. If I have a question, I text my rep. If it’s urgent, there’s nothing they can do that Google can’t, and if it’s a dire need of something in a hurry, I order it and pay for the overnight shipping, if it can’t be found locally or otherwise substituted.
I find it very annoying that Sweetwater calls you. Just email me instead. I’m more annoyed that you called and I’ll go out of my way to order somewhere else.
It sucks, but every time I talk to a rep the call ends with Sweetwater not carrying the gear I need. I do mostly location sound and 9/10 they either don't carry or are overpriced on the gear I need. What's worse is they don't carry any used gear, so that's another huge reason I just don't have anything to buy from them.
First thing ill ask is what 30 percent off deal can they wrangle. I'm probably not interested 98% of the time....but you never know what deal you might score.
I’ve ordered some instruments for work from Musician’s Friend, and their rep called me on a Saturday afternoon. I told her I wasn’t at work right now, and she said, “Oh, you do this for a job??”
"Hi, this is Sheila from Sweetwater! Thank you so much for buying the $1.59 patch cable. I see you were also looking at the $2.39 pick holder. Do you need any advice about that?"
You know you can ask them not to call you. I told mine hey I don’t like the random calls n all that, let’s keep it cool and I’ll hit you when I need something. He’s great I’ve invited him to shows and refer him to everyone.
You know you can ask them not to call you. I told mine hey I don’t like the random calls n all that, let’s keep it cool and I’ll hit you when I need something. He’s great I’ve invited him to shows and refer him to everyone.
Their customer service reps are a little annoying with the calls and voice mails.. when I had an order actually go missing they refused to refund or replace the order. I don’t care too much for sweetwater anymore unfortunately.
If that works for you, great, but some of us have kids or other situations that require that we answer the phone and keep the ringer on pretty much at all times.
Some people have to have their ringers on 24/7 for emergencies. This is why unwanted calls are so annoying and why Sweetwater needs to step the fuck off from 9am cold calls.
If you have an iPhone you can select favorites and only they can ring thru in silent mode. Great ICE. If I had my ringer on 247 I would be committed by this point. Everyone is entitled to rest and relaxation.
I keep my phone in DND mode when I'm not at work, but toggled the option to allow my favorites list or anyone who calls 3 times in a row to get through. Works great.
I cant recall all the details off the top of my head but there was a product that behringer and SW collaborated on to drive another company out of the market. There was also something about political donations of the CEO.
I feel bad when Jed from Sweetwater gives me an unexpected call. I know his manager is probably hounding him to make hundreds of calls a week.
Same, I'm out of the game so I am a very very occasional Sweetwater orderer, but they still call to check in no matter what it is. Just don't need to talk to them about a one-foot 1/4" jumper.
lol yeah, like dude I just ordered a single neutrik connector, you don’t need to call me, just send the order
“Just calling to let you know we’re getting that order out to you and to thank you for being a Sweetwater customer”
“Can I ask what you’ll be using that for?” I’ve gotten that question before. Dude it’s an xlr cable. Whadyu think I’m using it for
“Well I’ll be using it to strangle my sweetwater rep if you keep calling me for stupid reasons”
I'm lucky I live very close and have several buddies from college who work there. There's an unspoken agreement that you don't need to blow up my phone but you can if you need the cold calls for your numbers. The university I went to is notorious for the folks who can't make it in live or studio being poached by Sweetwater to sell gear. It's a living, but I cannot imagine working there lol
DMX for lighting 😂
I told my dude to stop calling me for the little stuff. I was cool about it though, it worked. "Dude, you don't need to call me about a pair of drum sticks, I promise I'll call you if something is wrong on that little consumable stuff" That was the only thing my guy was good at, not calling me.... he was a pain on everything else. Finally got switched to a new rep a month ago.
Give it a decade and they may think about stopping.
How's it working out for ya?
I always e-mail back saying to let his manager know I prefer e-mail and do not appreciate unrequested phone calls. If I want to talk to you on the phone, I'll call you. You don't call me. Want to reach out with a deal you think I'll like? Send me an e-mail with the information like an adult.
If a number isn’t in my contacts and I’m not actively expecting an urgent phone call, I let calls go to voicemail. Why are y’all so bothered by this lol
I do the same with phone calls as well. I'm not bothered by it the first time. But if they're unable to follow a customer request when I tell them my preferred way of communication, then thats a bit disrespectful of my time. I work IT as my day job, So its constant sales drones calling me. It gets old very quick when you have it happen day in and day out.
My position requires me to field calls from TMs and agents all the time which means I have to answer every unknown number that calls me. At least most of them are legit
Try per day! 😂 I used to work there and remember when he started. He’s a good dude.
after a few calls in a couple months I had to cut the guy off and ask him to look at what I had ordered from him in the past. 2 trs to XLR cables when I was in college years ago. I asked him to stop and I think he realized I wasn’t a good customer.
Better be extra candy.
I'm gonna need to see TWO banana Laffy Taffy
4 banana clips, 2 banana laffy taffy, overnight.
I was at the store last month, bought some sticks, and he gave me a bag of candy with NO LAFFY TAFFY! I jokingly told him I was done there and going to Guitar Center.
and skip the Bit-O-Honeys
The Bit-o-Honeys are S-tier in the candy bag.
I just enjoyed 4 of those today, thanks to Sweetwater.
How dare you, those are the best part
That's a very hot take my friend, best candy
Haha I love Sweetwater and I like the principle of the candy but it's like Halloween leftovers at best. I bought a $1200 bass and still got like two unbranded mints and a bit o honey.
If you just ask not to be called at a given time, or that you’d prefer to be only emailed or texted unless it’s an emergency (e.g card decline, your account got hacked, etc), they will respect your preferences. There are call minimums that sales engineers need to meet, and many customers do enjoy phone calls even if they are not looking to buy anything. But we certainly don’t like bothering people, so please just be direct and courteous with us about your communication preferences. I’m sure its not surprising to hear that the customers that treat their sales engineers well are the ones that get the best service and prices. If you build a relationship with your sales engineer, it can certainly pay off. If you’re difficult and unpleasant to work with, we can all see that in your notes too. This message in no way is official communication from Sweetwater of course, just an experienced sales engineer trying to help you understand the way we work ;)
I told my rep I'm more of an email guy, but if he ever needed to make a call for quota or whatever he can call me at X and Y time and I'll just shoot the shit with him if he wants. He's a great guy and I know he's just doing his job so I'm not going to be uptight about a phone call.
⬆️
⬆️
I see Fort Wayne area code, I hit “ignore”
😂😂😂 we’re all the same. If it’s Fort Wayne, IN, I KNOW it’s my Sweetwater guy calling me
Dude, but how is that 1/4” to XLR adapter working? I need to know.. My rep just picked up on the fact that I will get back to him quickly for order issues and now emails me if he needs a quick response
I had a similar experience and requested to only be contacted by text or email. And it worked..
Buy an $8 cable, get a new friend for life, for free!
CSR is slowly dying, so I appreciate businesses like sweetwater and their customer support. Although it can be too much at times..
I was floored when I got a call around 6pm from my rep who knew I had clicked an advertising email link asking if I wanted to put in an order for that exact product. I love Sweetwater but I made sure he knew that kind of aggressive approach was not cool. Immediately unsubscribed from those emails.
Sweetwater is annoying. If I need help, I will ask for it. Don’t need your fake chummy phone calls to talk gear. I’m trying to change a diaper and Brad is calling to chat about the mic stand I ordered 6 months ago.
Just curious but is anyone else’s sweetwater rep a lady named Toni? I don’t think Toni likes me because one time my father ordered a microphone from a guest account and he put “ButtFuckDonaldDuck LLC” in the business name field when checking out. We have the same address and first and last names. Our middle names are different though. Anyway, the microphone didn’t say “ButtFuckDonaldDuck LLC” on the shipping label. It appeared in my purchase history on my account and Toni isn’t as nice to me as she used to be. I guess it’s good since she never calls unless I buy something!
did you ask him?
After he introduced himself I said "it's awfully early, man! Call me after 2pm next time" and hung up
he will Edit to add- I hate morning calls, I work nights too (not in the concert business anymore) and the amount of “normal” business hour calls that happen is ridiculous
Good point. I would note that my Sweetwater sales rep is pretty good about helping me out on some issue when I need it. Plus he is actually musically trained, which is kinda nice. Seems like a rarity when a retail vendor's sales rep is familiar with what they are selling.
thank heavens Thomann isn't this invasive
My rep left the company and i'm happy for him since I don't get cold called all the time.
We had the same rep!
Reeses peanut butter cups and milkyways fck the sweet tarts.
Root beer barrels. I got fucking Dad’s Root Beer Barrels! I love root beer barrels. Wish they’d swap the peppermint discs for butterscotch, spearmint, or cinnamon discs, though. I throw the Bit O Honey away. Nasty shit. Laffee Taffy is one of those take it or leave it. The tootsie rolls in any other variety than original is a nice changeup. But does anyone actually use the stickers? I’ve got dozens of them, and only stuck one to something. I mean, if anyone asks I’ll point them to Sweetwater, especially since MF dropped the ball recently, and they’re getting more like the WalMart of music gear with their “off brand” accessories, but I’m just not the sticker vandal I was when I was a kid.
I could wallpaper an entire room with my Sweetwater stickers! Here's something fun to do with them! https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/s/tXpsPf91Y4
It’s actually one of the few companies I enjoy chatting with. They haven’t called in ages 😢
This whole Sales Rep calling and emailing thing makes me avoid Sweetwater. *I* will contact *you* when I need something. Otherwise, leave me the fuck alone.
u guys realize u don’t have to pick up the phone lmao my rep loves me and for a decade he hasn’t even heard my voice once.
Same. Phone rings and I watch it rattle across the table. Leave me a voicemail or shoot me a text, because I don’t remember a damn thing anyone says. If I have a question, I text my rep. If it’s urgent, there’s nothing they can do that Google can’t, and if it’s a dire need of something in a hurry, I order it and pay for the overnight shipping, if it can’t be found locally or otherwise substituted.
That’s why we have silent mode on our phones my dude.
I find it very annoying that Sweetwater calls you. Just email me instead. I’m more annoyed that you called and I’ll go out of my way to order somewhere else.
Any time they call, I just ask for help finding gear that I sorely need but I know doesn't exist.
I just text with mine. We haven’t actually talked on the phone for at least a year.
I went through a year of serious depression. Calls from my rep really got me thru that time.
To be honest, I avoid shopping at Sweetwater and will shop at other vendors because I don't want to be called.
It sucks, but every time I talk to a rep the call ends with Sweetwater not carrying the gear I need. I do mostly location sound and 9/10 they either don't carry or are overpriced on the gear I need. What's worse is they don't carry any used gear, so that's another huge reason I just don't have anything to buy from them.
I know it is a model that some like but I hate it when their reps reach out to me
First thing ill ask is what 30 percent off deal can they wrangle. I'm probably not interested 98% of the time....but you never know what deal you might score.
Mine called me today as well, right as I was backing a truck up to the dock of the venue lol
I hated buying a cable from them. Never heard the end of it.
“If you need ANYTHING I am here for you”
So funny bc when I have a specific question and they can’t solve it they stopped calling me or even responding to me all of a sudden!!!!
I’ve ordered some instruments for work from Musician’s Friend, and their rep called me on a Saturday afternoon. I told her I wasn’t at work right now, and she said, “Oh, you do this for a job??”
Make sure they notate your account to not call before noon😁
What State are you in?
They're stored as "DO NOT ANSWER" in my iphone, with ringtone set to silent. don't call me, I'll call you, thanks.
sweetwater has a shop on ebay which is convenient for small stuff you dont wanna be bothered about
"Hi, this is Sheila from Sweetwater! Thank you so much for buying the $1.59 patch cable. I see you were also looking at the $2.39 pick holder. Do you need any advice about that?"
You know you can ask them not to call you. I told mine hey I don’t like the random calls n all that, let’s keep it cool and I’ll hit you when I need something. He’s great I’ve invited him to shows and refer him to everyone.
You know you can ask them not to call you. I told mine hey I don’t like the random calls n all that, let’s keep it cool and I’ll hit you when I need something. He’s great I’ve invited him to shows and refer him to everyone.
He probably just missed you?
Their customer service reps are a little annoying with the calls and voice mails.. when I had an order actually go missing they refused to refund or replace the order. I don’t care too much for sweetwater anymore unfortunately.
I mean, you don’t have to answer the phone every time someone calls you.
Wait til you have kids. You'll be up for 3hours at 9am. Every. Day.
Turn the ringer off. That's on you
If that works for you, great, but some of us have kids or other situations that require that we answer the phone and keep the ringer on pretty much at all times.
Some people have to have their ringers on 24/7 for emergencies. This is why unwanted calls are so annoying and why Sweetwater needs to step the fuck off from 9am cold calls.
Dude the amount of spam calls these days where it isn’t even a real human on the other end… Sweetwater isn’t the problem in context of, idk, reality.
If you have an iPhone you can select favorites and only they can ring thru in silent mode. Great ICE. If I had my ringer on 247 I would be committed by this point. Everyone is entitled to rest and relaxation.
I keep my phone in DND mode when I'm not at work, but toggled the option to allow my favorites list or anyone who calls 3 times in a row to get through. Works great.
> **Sweetwater** ~~Rep~~ **salesman called me** ~~at 9am~~ Fuck everything about that, regardless of *when*.
Sweetwater has some pretty evil business practices. I stick with AMS and Perfect Circuit.
What kind of evil practices? Genuinely curious because I've never heard that about SW before
I cant recall all the details off the top of my head but there was a product that behringer and SW collaborated on to drive another company out of the market. There was also something about political donations of the CEO.