ComplaintsforJim Laabs Music

• Initial Complaint

  07/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On October 20, 2022, I ordered an Excalibur hardshell accordion case with wheels (model number *******) from Jim Laabs Music Store. I paid $153.75 via **** card ($139.00 plus shipping). On November 11, 2022, **** Laabs advised that the case I ordered was not available but a different case would cost about $60 more. I replied on December 14 that I was happy to pay the additional money. **** advised via email on December 14 that the cases would arrive in January 2023. **** replied that he would let me know when they arrive. On June 13, I sent a followup and was sent pictures of the molds in the factory. On September 12, 2023, **** told me to expect a November 2023 delivery date. On December 25, 2023, I offered **** the option to substitute a different item since it was beginning to look as if the advertised item would remain unavailable. On January 14, 2024, **** last communicated with me to advise that the accordion case would arrive in March 2024. I sent two additional followups (May 14, 2024 and May 29, 2024) with no reply. I don't believe there is any chance of receiving the item I ordered so would request a refund. Note that the **** card that I used in this transaction was compromised so I now have a card with a different number.

  

  Business response

  07/03/2024

  We apologize for delay in receipt of these accordion cases. We have been waiting a long time ourselves to receive them, and they are finally on the way. **************** has decided he wants a refund and does not want to give us his updated credit number. We are, therefore, sending him a refund via check in the mail (copy attached).

  Jim Laabs Music

  Customer response

  07/10/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me, contingent on receipt of the actual refund check. 
  

  
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased:Schiller Elite Conservatory Oboe. #******* for approx $899 after speaking with someone at **************. They told me these are good oboes and are regularly purchased by universities. He assured me they were German made. I ordered on 3/31 and received about a week later (was out of town - so didn't try it out until around 4/6)The first key was stuck in the down position. I emailed the company and received the following email (in all caps) **** Laabs Mon, Apr 8, 7:29PM to me HI XXXXX (removed my name)THAT IS INTENDED THAT WAY NOTHING YOU NEED TO DO ON THAT I WILL GET YOU FURTHER EXPLANATION ON THAT FROM MY TECHNICIAN BUT THIS IS THE WAY ITS SUPPOSED TO BE --**** I took this to a local music store - they said with the absence of a serial number, they cannot validate that it is German made - and also it's not good quality. I called the business at 1:29 PM CST on 4/22 and asked them how to fix it and was yelled at, berated and told that it was a fine oboe, it's german and it sounds like my local music store is lazy. I informed him I would be opening up a complaint - and then I would contact my credit card company if we could not work something out because this is a defective item that was not as advertised.

  

  Business response

  04/25/2024

  We were waiting to respond for confirmation that ***** had indeed sent the oboe back as she indicated she was doing. Having not heard anything further, our response is as follows: upon receipt of the oboe at our store, we will refund the price of the oboe ($885.00), but not the **** or shipping. Thank you, Jim Laabs Music

• Initial Complaint

  02/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I placed on order on the seller's website on 12/3/23. A partial order arrived at my house on 12/27/23 with a drum stand missing. The seller has been unable to fulfill the order since then, keeps making excuses and has been pushing a possible shipping date more and more in the future (April, per last email from 2/26/24). I have asked the seller 2x to refund me the money for the item he has not been able to procure, and cannot guarantee to procure in the near future. The seller is refusing to refund me the already paid $99 item cost + $24.48 shipping (total of $123.48) via PayPal (original means of payment). I am asking you to assist me to get my refund. Thank you.

  

  Business response

  02/29/2024

  Regarding stand customer was waiting for; our apologies for delay. We issued a Pay Pal refund for $99.00 this morning and have just issued an additional Pay Pal refund for $24.48. Customer received notification of refunds via email.

  Customer response

  03/01/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I attempted to purchase a clarinet from this business January 29, **** at approximately 7:15. The business responded with an email confirmation and order number *****. Then another immediate email stating that item has been sold and would I consider another brand and asked who the clarinet was for. So immediately went to the reviews on this business to discover that is how they operate and getting in touch with someone is almost impossible. I've called several times today, and I get sent to a voicemail. The ********* store did answer, only to tell me they do not handle the online sales whatsoever. I just need my money back. This is putting me on a horrible position.

  

  Business response

  01/31/2024

  With regards to *****'s purchase, she has been credited today, January 31st. Her calls yesterday went to our bookkeeper's voice mail, and it was her day off. We have spoken with *****, and she knows the credit has been issued.

• Initial Complaint

  08/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Made an online purchase of a Hardshell accordion case on 10/22/22. On 10/24/22 **** Laabs replied that it is not in stock but another brand (Travelmate XR) will be available shortly, so I agreed to that. On 1/4/23 I inquired of the status and he replied it was about 6 weeks out. On 4/19/23 I asked again and he said it would be ***** 7/5/23 I told him that unless he can guarantee that I will be getting the case in the next 2 weeks to cancel the order and return my money. I got no reply. On 7/25/23 I asked again to cancel the item and return my money. Still no reply, so I called and left a message with the lady that answered the phone. She said he will return my call in 2 days. He never did. I called again a few days later and left a message. On 8/14/23 I left an online complaint on their website to please reply to my requests or I will contact the BBB. I still have not heard from them as of today 8/17/23.Amount owed is $153.75 Thank You

  

  Business response

  08/21/2023

  Regarding ******************* accordion case purchase, we apologize for the delay; some things are still taking time to come in. We have issued a credit for $153.75 and called him to let him know we have done so.

• Initial Complaint

  06/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In January I ordered a Glockenspiel. A few days later I emailed to cancel the order. At that time I was told the order had already shipped. I had not received confirmation that it shipped.The Glockenspiel never arrived and I was told by the shipping company that it had an incorrect address attached. I was then told by **** that there would be a $180 re-stocking charge. There was never a mention of a possible restocking fee. $180 is too much money for such a charge.I did not file a complaint immediately because I first filed a complaint with my credit card company because I had not received the item, nor had I received a credit. I didn't receive the credit until 3/22/23. At first I was thinking that I hadn't been charged the re-stocking fee. Then I got caught up in other life matters. I need to be reimbursed the $180 restocking fee as I was never notified that there might be a problem. I never received the item because it was returned to the shipper because it had an incorrect address. And, because I cancelled the order within a reasonable amount of time, not having been informed it was shipped.

  

  Business response

  06/22/2023

  ********************** ordered and was charged for a glockenspiel on January 17, 2023. It was picked up by the shipper the next day, so it was on the way to him when he decided he wanted to cancel the order. He received and refused the shipment when it arrived, and it was returned to us. We credited all but $180 to cover shipping to him and the return freight. We have checked with the shipping company and found that since he refused it right away, they did not charge us a return shipping fee. Therefore, we could do a partial refund of $71.00 and keep $109 (the original shipping and handling fee) for having shipped the product immediately upon charging his card. Upon ************************** confirmation that this is acceptable, we will issue the credit.

• Initial Complaint

  12/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On Nov 21, 2022 I purchased an accordion from Jim Laabs Music Store, ************* **, paying $1506.00.I am very dissatisfied with this accordion and am attempting to contact ****, the Mgr at this store to find out how to return it and get a refund. Beginning Dec 6th at 5:47 pm I've made many phone calls, left numerous voice messages and submitted emails through their website. Dec 7th at 3:25 pm I submitted a website message to the *** Laabs store in **, seeking assistance with my situation. I received no response even though I got a computer generated Thank You, indicating my message was submitted/received. Dec 8th at 4:35 pm I called the ** store and again was transferred to ****. Got his recording. I had to leave a voice message in which I again stated my dissatisfaction with the accordion and said I needed instructions on how to return it. I also asked him to return my call ASAP.Given I had no successful results from other messages I left for ****, at 4:40 PM I telephoned the ** store attempting to get assistance with this matter. ***, who answered the phone, told me he can not do anything to help me. After my repeated expression of my desperation, he offered to take my name and number and, "if" he sees **** he will give him my contact information. I provided the information.To date I have received no acknowledgment of my attempts other than my previously stated computer response to website submissions.

  

  Business response

  12/12/2022

  We have communicated with *******, and she will be purchasing a different model accordion. We apologize for the delay; we are very busy with the Christmas season, 40 foot containers of product arriving and a slim staff to do it all. Thank you.

  Customer response

  12/12/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Called ************************* on 09/16/22 regarding an accordion I wanted to buy with my credit card. Agreed to give them a $100.00 deposit after they said the accordion I wanted would be there on 10/16/22. They proceeded to charge me another $100.00 on 09/18/22 WITHOUT my authorization. Called and left voicemails but no answer and now they have blocked my number. Thought EXCALIBUR would be the way to go but *** Laabs is shady and need to recognized for who they really are. Definitely DO NOT recommend doing business with them!

  

  Business response

  11/05/2022

  Regarding the above complaint, his credit card was inadvertently indeed charged $100 twice. For some reason we could not reach him from our business line and had to use a cell phone to get through to him. We spoke with him today and informed him that we would credit his card for $200. We have done so this evening and his order has been cancelled. We certainly apologize that somehow the card did get charged twice. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I am a music teacher at ******************************************************************** in ************, **. I was looking for marching drums that are smaller than usual to fit elementary school kids. I saw drums that fit those criteria on a company website called Trixon. I contacted them and told them we would like to order drums from them, and I contacted them ahead of time because our group is on a time table, we needed the drums by late July. When I first contacted them (his name is ****), he was very understanding at first. I told him we had to ay the money before a certain time. The bank that our school uses only allows us to make purchases under a certain amount, unless we call ahead and tell them we are about to make a big purchase (we are spending close to $3000). I was finally able to pay, but the lady (***) did not seem like she knew what she was doing. They did not give us a paid invoice, which our school needed for records. They finally sent us an invoice, but it did not have the correct school name and address, it was done very poorly. It also did not have the correct item that we wanted. When I called **** back, he was VERY rude, and even hung up on us. He has hung up on us twice. So because of that, I asked for a refund, and very rudely he said ok and hung up. A few days passed and we still have no invoice or paperwork about the cancelled order, and they have not even began to process the refund. I even sent a form showing our correct info, no response. The kids raised that money for new drums, and we cant get our order in with another company until we get the money back. *** Labs music seems very unorganized, and I am concerned that they will not refund our funds in a timely manner. Every time we call, their book keeper (*****) says that **** has not sent her the info. We just want our money back. We understand that it takes a few days to process a refund, but they have not tried to begin the process. Very unorganized and unprofessional.

  

  Business response

  06/22/2022

  A full credit has been issued minus a $60 credit card fee. Customer was agreeable to credit card fee, was informed credit was issued, and has acknowledged that we informed him that credit was issued.

  Customer was aware product was not currently in stock, and we did not want to charge full amount of purchase (only a deposit). When our container of product arrived, it did not include customer's product ordered as expected. Customer called and/or emailed multiple times daily both sales and office staff.

  All of our staff worked to treat the customer with respect. This became increasingly difficult when we were receiving multiple calls and emails daily.

  We are sorry that the product was not available and hope that they can find what they need elsewhere.

  Customer response

  06/22/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Purchased a Trixon Solists Copper snare drum from Laabs Music on February 2, 2022. The snare drum was supposed to be new. The drum was not new. It had scratches, and the copper shell had discoloration and imperfections. I contacted the store immediately via email and I was corresponding with a person named ****. He offered me a partial refund which we could not agree on the amount. So, I asked for a return shipping label which he finally provided on March 1st I shipped the back immediately on March 2nd. It was delivered on March 7th. I have sent several emails to obtain my full refund for this snare drum, which clearly wasn`t as described. And I have got no response. These people have my money and the snare and want my refund of $351.79.

  

  Business response

  03/14/2022

  We have received the snare back from the customer and have issued a refund of $351.79. We looked the snare over when we received it back, and really couldn't discover what he was complaining about. In additional to that, the phone number that was listed did not work, and he would not give us his email address, so it was very difficult to communicate with him.

  Customer response

  03/14/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear 
  
  All lies. First there are several scratches on the drum. And the copper finish had splautchy marks and discoloration. The drum was not new as described. The company had my contact information and chose to delay the refund purposely. Unexceptable behavior by this company constantly denying any issues with this drum. And withholding funds

  
  
  

  
  

  Customer response

  03/15/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  The consumer states the refund hasn't cleared their account as of yet. 

   
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  Customer response

  03/18/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  

*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. ↩