A Warning To Anyone That Buys Gear On Line.....

guitarweasel

guitarweasel

Ambassador of Groovy Gear
Fallen Star
Country flag
I just found this out the hard way. Almost all the online music stores, Musicians Friend, Sweetwater, AMS, Zounds, etc uses Synchrony Bank when you want to make payments of any kind.

Here's the problem, if your payment is due say January 26th and you pay on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd your payment is kicked back to the previous month, you'll get a conformation number and an email saying it was posted to your account, but it's for the previous month. You have to pay after your bill is generated on the 3rd.

I was just on the phone with them, talking to three different account reps trying to find out why they sent me a delinquent notice. It got very ugly, finally the 3rd rep cancelled my late payment fees, the first two did nothing but argue with me, it was insane, made me insane.

The moral is, if you use Synchrony Bank, pay AFTER the 3rd.

Wow, I need a drink......
 
I feel your frustration Wease... On a slightly different note, I ordered some new pots for my bass on eBay. The store is actually only 12 km away, and I ordered and paid for the pots on the 20th of December. It's now the 7th of January, and I still haven't received them.
I could have crawled that 12 km on my knees over broken glass, and still got there and back before today... eBay says it should have been delivered no later than the 3rd of January.
If I haven't got them by close of business on Monday, they are getting a very nasty phone call, a visit, and a very negative review on eBay...
 
guitarweasel said:
I just found this out the hard way. Almost all the online music stores, Musicians Friend, Sweetwater, AMS, Zounds, etc uses Synchrony Bank when you want to make payments of any kind.

Here's the problem, if your payment is due say January 26th and you pay on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd your payment is kicked back to the previous month, you'll get a conformation number and an email saying it was posted to your account, but it's for the previous month. You have to pay after your bill is generated on the 3rd.

I was just on the phone with them, talking to three different account reps trying to find out why they sent me a delinquent notice. It got very ugly, finally the 3rd rep cancelled my late payment fees, the first two did nothing but argue with me, it was insane, made me insane.

The moral is, if you use Synchrony Bank, pay AFTER the 3rd.

Wow, I need a drink......
Click to expand...

Synchrony has one goal in life...and that is to make you somehow Fvck up your payment schedule so they can start dumping late fees and back interest on you...
I have 4 Synchrony accounts so I know them well...I make sure to set up auto pay for all my 0% interest deals so they are responsible for taking the money on the correct day...no coming back and blaming me for being late and trying to recoup 34 months interest on a 36 month 0% interest deal...I also have a direct deposit into my checking just to cover the Synchrony payments...
 
Agree with you there...I am under no contract with DTV and since The Dick Heads at AT&T took over I'm once short step from dropping them.
I called last month to renew some discounts and the A-Holes wouldn't budge...first time in 15 years...so I dropped everything but basic service...I can get most everything
online with Hulu+ anyway...
 
frankblade said:
Not me I have had more than one

crdditor take out multiple payments in the past and then keep running them after I was overdrafted luckily my bank took up my slack and didn't make me pay another couple hundred in over drafts I refuse to make auto matic payments hell no I send checks pay early when possible. I'm tired these peoples money grubbing games I got my house my cars my damn good credit they wanna cross that line and try tarnish my credit guess what IM going to dispute it and
win .
Click to expand...

I'm only set up to allow one minimum due payment a month. They touch more than that and lawsuit is coming...already won a handsome some from PayPal for dipping in my banl without authorization...
 
frankblade said:
Did they have you on hold over a hour like dtv did me I went gonzo then calmed down and their VP has a nice email waiting on him Monday morning
they even refused to let me speak with a supervisor bad mistake.
Click to expand...

They tried...and gave me two girls from India that spoke craptastic English...I bitched enough and got a supervisor in the states. She tried to smooth me over but it was too late!
 
Sp8ctre said:
I'm only set up to allow one minimum due payment a month. They touch more than that and lawsuit is coming...already won a handsome some from PayPal for dipping in my banl without authorization...
Click to expand...

I have a special purpose bank account with $1.00 balance to keep it active. That's the account linked to my Pay Pal. When I purchase via Pay Pal, mid transaction I move the appropriate amount into said account. I always have $1.00 at risk, LOL.

Regarding interest free purchases, if it's in any way possible to stretch and actually pay cash do so. At the last minute before payment ask for further discount. Those interest free deals are never the best price.
 
Last edited:
gasket said:
I have a special purpose bank account with $1.00 balance to keep it active. That's the account linked to my Pay Pal. When I purchase via Pay Pal, mid transaction I move the appropriate amount into said account. I always have $1.00 at risk, LOL.

Regarding interest free purchases, if it's in any way possible to stretch and actually pay cash do so. At the last minute before payment ask for further discount. Those interest free deals are never the best price.
Click to expand...

THAT is a FINE Idea!!!
 
I have four music store cards thru Synchrony. Thanks for the tip. I'm like to bill my bills early, so this is something I am going to have to remember about Synchrony...
 
I do the same usually, Tony.

I like to see and touch what I'm about to buy.

Although when I got my SG Special, the wife went to a store she's been dealing with for over 20 years, and got the sales guy, who is a guitarist she's known and trusted for 20 years, to go through the stock until he found one that was "perfect". (He's an awesome guitarist, and a very good friend of our family - We get massive discounts on every instrument we buy there!)

He definitely picked a good one, as i haven't had an ounce of trouble with it since day one, it stays perfectly in tune for days, and is perfectly balanced.
The only guitar related thing I've bought online lately, is some pots, which as I said in post #2 above, I'm still waiting for.

I only bought them online as I have a busted ankle and can't drive at the moment. Otherwise I would have driven there and picked them up.
 
I much prefer to play/test a guitar before buying it. But, all too often it seems the model/version/color I want isn't in the local stores or there is a great online sale. Either way, the heads up about Synchrony is an eye opener for future purchases for sure. When I buy online I try to buy from MusiciansFriend as much as possible as they have never given me the first problem returning things and they've always paid for the return shipping too. Or, my second choice Guitar Center as I can just take it back to the local store...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top