Alba Low D

Whistle
1

Haven’t been around here for a bit due to a fried motherboard, but wanted to share my experience acquiring my first low D-an Alba non-tunable.

I ordered directly from Alba the first week in February and received it a month later-not bad.

I did attempt to email them a couple of times, both directly and through the form on the website, and never received a reply-not good. I place a high value on customer service and Alba’s is decidedly lacking.

When it did arrive, it was a thing of beauty. The Alba is a very pretty whistle. I was disappointed in the tone and volume, but I put it down to my own inferior ability. It was later that I discovered that it was actually due to a crack in the top part of the fipple block that caused part of it to be raised up and shortening the airway. I repaired this myself rather than trust sending it back to Scotland to a company that didn’t answer emails. It does sound wonderful now and is everything that I had hoped for when I ordered it.

In short, the Alba is a beautiful whistle that plays wonderfully, but if I decide to get another Alba, I’ll probably order it from Big Whistle due to their customer service.

2

I too had a similar experience with Alba whistles. I ordered a Vibe and a standard Low D via their website. While I did receive them in about four weeks, I received no response to any of my numerous emails both via the website and using the email address I was given in my automatically generated order confirmation. When I received it, the standard low D was covered in some type of mold or mildew and had allot of unprofessional looking tool/machine marks and scratches. Under normal circumstances I certainly would have exchanged it for another, but like yourself, did not feel it was worth the aggravation of trying to get a hold of them. Not impressive, especially when compared to the great customer service one gets from makers like Colin Goldie, Mack Hoover, Maurice Reviol…etc.

3

Sorry to hear about your disappointment with the service from Alba.

On the two occasions that I have bought Albas I received them in perfect condition and very quickly (certainly within a week or two).

When my tunable A seized up I contacted Stacey ( the maker) who offered to fix it, which she did promptly and without charge.

Patrick

4

I too have had excellent response and service from Stacey. Sorry you didn’t find that to be true, but glad to note that you like the whistle anyway.

5

Sorry you had a communication breakdown of sorts. I agree, communication is key.

My ordering experiences with Stacey have been first rate. I do know that she had a computer die on her; maybe that contributed to the problem.

Best, Cyril.

6

I had trouble with a stuck slide on my Alba a year or so ago. Stacey answered my question very quickly on her website.

I’m sorry to hear about those troubles.

It sounds like Stacey may be experiencing the sort of problem that can confront any small business. If a business is run by just one or two people, there’s only so much time to get everything done. Unpredictable ups and downs (illness, mechanical failure, family problems, etc.) can make it difficult or impossible to keep up with the needs of customers.