Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought a Roland TM-2 and during the course of learning about its capabilities, I am not happy paying so much for so few features. I spoke with ***** at Roland corp and was told they would be figuring out a way to buy back. Well, that was October 27th. I was assured by *****, He would get back to me on this. I haven't heard back.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/30/2022

  Roland was contacted by ******************** about the model ***2 and that he felt there were features missing on this product. Our support specialists confirmed that the items ******************** was looking for were not in this model and they are not part of the design of this model.
  
  We asked ******************** if he was told that this model had these features before he purchased it, or if he had seen any advertising indicating these options being included and he said this was not the case.
  
  We spoke to the product specialist that ******************** is referring to (*****) and he indicated that he confirmed for the customer that there was nothing wrong with the ***2 and that any refunds would have to come from the dealer that ******************** purchased the module from. He also promised to check with our sales team to see if they could contact the dealer on this. The dealer was contacted, and they have not heard from this customer about this issue. We have encouraged ******************** to contact the dealer and that they should be able to offer some amount of money on a trade-in towards another product that *** suit his needs.
  
  Because there is nothing wrong with the ***2 and because there appears to be no indication that the customer was told that these features existed, Roland cannot offer a direct refund, but we still encourage ******************** to contact the dealer he purchased the ***2 from for the possibility of trading it in as we mentioned.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/09/2023

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I was assured by ***** that he was checking with his team to see about a buyback of the unit or trade in. The unit was purchased for over $300 and has the capability of similar units valued for less than $100. So you can see that I'm not happy spending $300 with limited features. I want my money back.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/30/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/12/30) */ Roland was contacted by************* about the model TM-2 and that he felt there were features missing on this product. Our support specialists confirmed that the items************* was looking for were not in this model and they are not part of the design of this model. We asked************* if he was told that this model had these features before he purchased it, or if he had seen any advertising indicating these options being included and he said this was not the case. We spoke to the product specialist that************* is referring to (*****) and he indicated that he confirmed for the customer that there was nothing wrong with the TM-2 and that any refunds would have to come from the dealer that************* purchased the module from. He also promised to check with our sales team to see if they could contact the dealer on this. The dealer was contacted, and they have not heard from this customer about this issue. We have encouraged************* to contact the dealer and that they should be able to offer some amount of money on a trade-in towards another product that may suit his needs. Because there is nothing wrong with the TM-2 and because there appears to be no indication that the customer was told that these features existed, Roland cannot offer a direct refund, but we still encourage************* to contact the dealer he purchased the TM-2 from for the possibility of trading it in as we mentioned. Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2023/01/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I was assured by ***** that he was checking with his team to see about a buyback of the unit or trade in. The unit was purchased for over $300 and has the capability of similar units valued for less than $100. So you can see that I'm not happy spending $300 with limited features. I want my money back.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2023

  For all the reasons described in our December 30, 2022 reply, Roland ** will not offer a refund to ******************************* at this time. But as discussed previously, we still encourage ******************** to contact the dealer he purchased the ***2 from for the possibility of trading it in for a different product."
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 19311773
  
  I am rejecting this response because: please understand that I could easily drop a lawsuit for the verbal agreement that you made. However, I'm going to let this go because you showed me that Roland does not keep their word. Therefore, I will not be buying any Roland products in the future.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/18/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought a Boss GT-100 Guitar Processor from Roland on October 2020. Shortly thereafter I started experiencing sound problems (sound would cut out suddenly, only to return within 10 seconds to 5 minutes) and attributed it to an intermittent wiring issue in my guitar because surely it couldn't be my new Boss product. After nearly two years of chasing ghosts and fruitless trips taking my guitar to shops I discovered it was my Boss by accident. During a gig my sound cut out on a DIFFERENT guitar... meaning the issue was probably not the guitar. A few minutes later while trying to troubleshoot I accidentally kicked the Boss unit and the sound instantly came back (!). I was able to replicate this a few time confirming that the Boss unit was the issue. After searching online I discovered others with this same issue. Some people report having to "drop" the unit a few inches to clear the issue (?!). Yikes. This is where my complaint starts. I tried contacting Boss/Roland to see if my unit is under any kind of warranty (as their website was confusing and not helpful). I called them and could not navigate to a human within their phone menus, so I found a place where the system said I could leave a message and someone would return my call. I left a message on October 3, 2022. I also went on their website and entered a request for service on October 3 (the request is supposed to be read by a Roland staff and I'm to be contacted). I did not hear back from them for a couple days so I called back on October 5, and left messages again on their support phone number and their main corporate phone number, again with their system telling me someone would return my call. It is now October 18 and still no response in any way whatsoever... and there's no way for me to complain. I think after this display of poor customer service they should replace my faulty unit (warranty or not) with a better model that doesn't have the same problems... or a refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/09/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/12/02) */ Roland has reached out to ************* with no response so far. We have left our service department phone number - ********************* so he can call us back but have not received any contact so far. Roland also has a network of service centers nationwide that could inspect and repair the GT-100 - this link can be used to find a service center in a user's area that can help with this issue also: https://www.roland.com/us/support/service_repair/service_centers/ Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2022/12/08) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I appreciate Roland attempting to reach me. Indeed I can confirm that they called me once on 11/21 (7 weeks after my initial contact attempt, so 49 days later) and again 11/29. I work at a classified government lab where personal electronic devices are not permitted, so I was not able to receive the call but they did leave voice messages on both occasions with contact info. I have attempted to call that number on several occasions beginning on 12/2. Unfortunately, every time I call that number it rings until it forwards to an answering system, and frankly leaving messages with Roland is how we got in this BBB complaint in the first place. It is not lost on me that several weeks passed with no contact from Roland until I filed a complaint, and only THEN was an effort made to contact me, so I'm a bit reticent to settle for contact info that does not connect me to a human being. I can also confirm that on 12/8 I finally received a response to my online service request. This would be over nine weeks (64 days) after I filed the online request for service (as I was prompted to do by Roland's pre-recorded customer service phone system). In the phone messages or service request response from Roland I would have appreciated (1) detailed explanation of the cause of the excessive time it took to attempt to contact me, (2) acknowledgement that their attempts came only after I filed a BBB complaint, (3) information regarding exactly what corrective actions were being taken to ensure this mishap cannot plausibly occur again, and (4) a personal assurance from an executive level of the service department that this does not represent Roland Corporation's commitment to its customers. The actual GT-100 unit, in my mind, is completely a secondary matter. Equipment will fail. Musicians need to know that a company will stand behind their gear and provide timely support when needed. Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2022/12/19) */ Our service department has now sent the return authorization information to the customer via email. Our service manager has also approved a no charge repair for this issue. Roland apologizes for the wait to get the information back to you on this and appreciates your feedback and help resolving this issue.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/04/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I submitted a rebate at the beginning of April 2020 for $150 following the purchase of a ****** ****** drum set and *************************** together from *************. The ****** rebate*************** said it can take 6 to 8 weeks. On 6/29/20 I received info stating "Your request (#XXXXXX) has been received and is being reviewed by our support staff". On 6/1 they stated "All rebate processing has been pushed back indefinitely due to the pandemic. They are not able to process any rebate submissions since the office where the rebates are being sent to is closed due to the mandated shutdown in *********** As soon as they are able to return to the office, the rebate submissions will begin processing again and you can check the status." Over the course of the last 2 years I have been passed ****** to many folks, ultimately ending the same way, they stop replying to emails and voicemails. I have all the emails over this time, names of who I spoke with and what they said, including an expectation of the next steps. Then, as always, NOTHING. After COUNTLESS attempts to rectify this and being much more patient than the situation merits, we are at a loss of any other option. Any additional information needed can be supplied upon request. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/05/2023

  Consumer Response /* (2000, 6, 2023/01/05) */ Since the time this complaint was filed months ago, after over a year and a half of our attempts and countless hours and emails, Roland has finally honored our rebate. We are satisfied, although we hope this business practice is not typical, and this should certainly be looked into. It was a TERRIBLE customer service experience with Roland. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/04/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought a Boss Katana guitar amplifier from Roland (Boss is one of the subsidiaries of Roland). The amp began to malfunction in the past few months. Roland claims to have three service centers in my area (Seattle). I have tried to contact each one with no success--the stores are NOT open for business (I've driven to each one) and no one returns calls. So I tried to contact Roland directly for assistance. None of the links on their homepage connects to anything (dead ends) and there is simply no way for me to contact Roland, nor to get my amp repaired. I just want to get my amp fixed, I want Roland to respond and act like they care about their business and their clients, and do the right thing by connecting me with an ACTIVE service center. Seems simply enough, but they've essentially closed all outside contact to the company AND to their repair services.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/11/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/12/08) */ Thank you for your help with this. Our service department has tried to contact ******** via Phone and Email and have had not been able to speak to him regarding his Katana guitar amplifier so far. They also confirmed that they have not had any issues with the service centers in the Seattle area, but we can also offer to have the amp shipped to our national service center in the Los Angeles area if needed. We are continuing to try to contact ******** to help solve this issue for him. Business Response /* (-10, 9, 2022/12/08) */ We have contacted the customer and are getting his product to us for service.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/08/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Roland spams their customers. The email I used for this complaint was used ONLY to contact ONLY Roland for support. That means ONLY Roland knows this email address.....and NOW they have decided its ok to spam me even though at no point during contacting them did I give them permission or ask them to send me SPAM. The bosses at Roland obviously do not understand musicians and our loyalty to brands. We like what we like and for Roland to operate in this way makes me really want to rethink what instruments I buy next.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/24/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/17) */ Roland Corp. US takes issues of privacy very seriously, and when we received your complaint, we immediately launched an investigation to uncover why you received emails you did not request. We have discovered that an error was made on 2 recent email marketing communications, resulting in some opt-out customers receiving them by mistake. We have addressed the issue, reconfirmed your opt-out marketing permissions, and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/08/23) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/20/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My Fantom 8 keyboard button is having major problems the play button on the sequencer will not work and randomly the sound drops out while playing the keyboard there's glitching sound on all the sound samples and other crazy malfunctions with this keyboard there's a Fantom 8 sticky tag in the back for the serial number that's unacceptable this is an indication that this Fantom 8 keyboard is a refurbished unit I'm mad as hell because I paid for a new Roland Fantom 8 flagship keyboard, not a refurb unit I need a working replacement with total transparency in this matter ASAP! this musical keyboard weight is 61.1 lb and very heavy transporting this product is difficult

  Business Response

  Date: 08/24/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/05) */ Thank you for contacting ****** Corp. U.S. about this issue. ****** is currently working with ********* to have the FANTOM 8 keyboard taken to an authorized service center so it can be inspected and a determination can be made of the issues the customer has brought up. Once the service center has inspected the FANTOM 8, our service department will then assist with repair and will work with the customer on determining the warranty coverage as needed. We have also checked with our sales team and confirmed that this specific instrument (serial # ******* was sold by ****** to the dealer ********* purchased it from as 'new' (not a factory 2nd or refurbished unit).