There have been much said about Davy not sending the pipes in time. I had to wait for quite a while, and was about to give up hope on the chanter I had ordered from him, but then suddenly I recieved it.
I just want you guys to know that even though he is way behind schedule, and makes promises he can’t really keep, he is working and processing orders. The chanter I recieved was beautiful and plays very well.
I deleted several posts that followed the OP.
From ANNOUNCEMENTS:
One of the ongoing debates on the forum is whether the forum discourages negative feedback about instruments and instrument makers. Some argue that the forum ought to warn potential consumers against purchasing less-than-desirable products or from dealing with instrument makers with bad customer service. Others argue, as cogently, that there is potential for unfair criticism, even abuse, of instrument makers. I think both groups are correct.
This is a complex problem with no tidy solution. Subjectivity and individual tastes apply to judgment of instruments. The experience of the person giving the opinion is huge, but difficult to judge on the forum. Even customer service is highly subjective and some argue that Americans make unrealistic demands re: customer service. (I have seen–from my American perspective-- completely egregious business practices defended on the board. (So he’s taken your money, is a year past promised delivery date, and won’t return your calls or email! What do you people expect?))
We do not have a complete and clear set of guidelines on posting about negative comments; and what I’m writing now won’t provide it. But, it’ll be a start!
Let’s start with 3 basic principles.
Comment only from personal experience. No “people have told me…”, “other players have said,” etc. It may well be true that a poster here has stood around with a half-dozen very fine musicians and all of them said that Instruments by X are dreadful. And, admittedly, that would be useful for someone to know if they’re about to buy an X instrument. But allowing the reporting of 2nd hand feedback is a problem. Let’s say I order a whistle from Barack McCain and he takes too long to deliver and then I’m disappointed and unhappy with Barack McCain’s return policy. If I post about that and stick to the facts, I think that’s fair. However, it’s all too tempting, in my fury at BM, to remember that someone sent me an email a year ago and said they didn’t like BM’s whistle and for me to then post something like “People are constantly telling me BM’s whistles are crappy.”
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Regarding instruments, provide opinions but give enough detail about the basis of your opinion to be useful. This should be known to most users by now as the Pepsi rule. No global dismissals or disparaging works, like “His flutes are crap.” If you think they ARE crap, you must say why. What’s crappy about them?
Regarding complaints about customer service, stick to factual descriptions of what has happened (to you) and avoid summing up with characterizations such as “Barack McCain is a thief and swindler.” If BM has handled 100 customers well, and screwed up with you, you don’t have the right to call him a crook. You DO have a right to say what happened to you and why you’re unhappy about it.