I suspect im going to have issues with my local Fender dealer regarding an on going problem with my 62 hot rod strat
They have been really helpful till a couple of hours ago when i suggested i might be looking for a refund as the problem is still not rectified 2 months after i purchasd the guitar. In that time they ve had it in 3 times and the forth time it went to there tech for investigation. Had a fret dress and set up. 20 mins later the fault re appeared while i was in the shop with it.
Has anyone got an e mail contact for consumer relations in the Uk? Or do i go through the US based consumer relations link?
Cheers all.

Hi dC01 if you scroll to the bottom of the page under "About Fender" click on contact information that should give you a UK email, best of luck

Thanks.

Wait, what's wrong with it?

Bare with me then. Bit long winded

In November of last year i got a new 62 hot rod. The first one had a severe fret raising issue so the guitar was replaced by the dealer. Waited about 3 weeks for another one. But was well worth the wait. Much much better guitar. Played nicer,quicker neck,more resonant etc etc. Thats when it all went wrong.
After about 3 weeks its started buzzing all over the neck, and on most of the strings. I expected that following a bedding in period. Took it back to shop for a set up. Picked it up couple of days later and it played better than when i first had it. Then about two weeks later the buzzing returned, but worse and mainly on d and g strings, all the way up the neck. Again returned it to shop. and again played lovely. But then again, 2 weeks later. Buzz returns. Again it goes back with various discussions with the shop of settling in. Which i accept to a point . Then once again, the buzz returns. I must ad. as the buzz worsens the action feels higher, and i did check the relief on the neck. .014"". Checked it again two days later. .018"? I also noticed the neck was sitting crooked in the body, with the bass side about 1.5mm lower in the body than the treble side. And with a noticable difference on the under side of the neck heel with a very tight gap bass side. visible gap treble side.
On the fourth and most recent visit to the shop they said that they would send it to there luthier to be looked at. I then spoke to there luthier at length regarding the issues with it.
I got the guitar back today following a two week wait and according to the tech it was ok. just needed a fret dress and a set up. The neck was still crooked in the body which was dismissed by the shops staff.
The manager and the the instore guitar tech noodled on it for a couple of mins and both said it played fine. And once i got my hands on it, it did play really well. I played in the shop for about 20 mins. And in that time it turned from a lovely playable instrument, into something that resembled an angry bee the fret buzz was that bad. Same as before. if not worse. I showed the manager and tech, and they both agreed the the buzz had returned and it was not like it 25 minutes before. The manager said he would then send it to Fender for assessment. I said ok and how do i stand for a refund or replacemaent if it comes back the same again. Within a blink of an eye, i got the "all strats buzz" and "our tech says nothing wrong with it". Well i can assure you there is. The guitar had developed a bad bad fret buzz within 20 minutes following a guitar luthiers attention. I was not playing hard at all. just some chords and scale runs.
He had witnessed the guitar totally change infront of him but denied any problems once i mentioned refund or replacemant. In general they have been good all the way through. But i ve lost a bit of faith in this guitar and just want the issue sorted.
If it was a gradual coming on of a buzz i would still probably buy that its settling in. But the buzz came on like a switch.
So the guitar going back to Fender and will wait for a response. But i can forsee the response will be that "set up and its fine" Well, its not fine at all. Give it a week and it will be back.
I just see me having a bit of the battle with the shop now.

And just to add. I ve got 3 other strats of varying price range from a squier to a Custom Shop , and not one of them buzz as bad as this or had as many issues.

Sounds like bad neck truss rod or poorly cut neck pocket, either way it doesnt fit together. I wouldnt feel comfortable either, I'd want at least a new neck on it. Sucks you got a lemon and you're without the guitar and cash until it gets sorted. I would try the contact info here and maybe it can help push your local dealer to make it right. Best of luck, keep us updated.

Telephone: (480) 596-7195
Fax: (480) 367-5262
E-mail: consumerrelations@fender.com

Cheers mate. Will do. They reckon they ll have a response from Fender by Friday. So I'll have to wait and see.

Hope you got another guitar in the meantime, they take their sweet time.

Hi dc01: I stand to be corrected but I believe in the first place you would contact Fender's Consumer Relations in the US, who will certainly be able to forward you to a UK department if appropriate. I don't recall instances of the general public dealing direct with Fender UK, at least to begin with. Here's the page you need:

http://www.fender.com/en-GB/support/art ... -relations

However. I doubt this is going to get you anywhere useful. Under both Fender's warranty and UK consumer law the contract you created by making a purchase is with the shop - do I remember right, was that PMT in Romford? So all dealings have to go through them; you are unlikely to succeed in going over their heads direct to Fender. But I guess it is always worth a try: occasionally a word from the manufacturer might oil the wheels, perhaps.

Something to bear in mind is that your statutory rights under UK consumer law far exceed anything Fender's warranty guarantees you. Their warranty really exists to smooth over the inconsistencies in consumer rights in a country such as the US, where laws may vary considerably from state to state. Here in the UK our consumer laws are strong and clear and are your best protection, so it is good to know what they are.

Here is a useful website:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentc ... /index.htm

If you take a browse around that site you will discover that a vendor is legally bound to supply you with a product that is fit for purpose. In the event that it isn't they must organise its repair or replacement - but not always a refund. Your part of the sales contract is that you agreed to part with your money and in some situations you won't get it back. Refunds do happen, sometimes by law and more often at the shop's discretion, but more normally if you've given up on a product you will be offered a credit note rather than your money back.

That is why shops tend to become twitchy if you start talking about refunds: they know they are moving into a confrontation situation and are preparing themselves for things to get nasty. Much better to keep things polite and calm: it is nearly always the best way to get satisfaction.

However, if things do arrive at an impasse then unlike many countries we have several methods of resolving the issue without the need to escalate to legal action. Towards the bottom of this page you will find links for contacting Consumer Direct, an official body; and failing that the Financial Ombudsman:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentc ... /DG_195361

Neither of those routes will cost you anything - but they will be time consuming and tiresome. I so strongly suggest you work the issue through in a friendly way with the shop instead: it is likely to be the simplest route. If it's not too late, make them your ally rather than your enemy - though of course I understand it doesn't always work out that way.

Good luck - C

EDIT: typo.

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Oh, another thing to consider: did you pay with a credit card? If so, your card provider certainly offers various kinds of protection. Well, well worth giving them a ring and asking for details. Ultimately, this is the route by which you are most likely to actually get your money back, if that's the way you want to go.

However, when it comes to an argument about how much buzz is acceptable on a guitar neck - a subject neither government agencies nor credit card companies are likely to be expert about - it's a tricky issue to say the least. Again, sorting it in a friendly way with the shop is the easiest course.

Cheers - C

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Update. I managed to speak to someone on the phone at Fender Uk this morn. I explained the last 3 ish months events and the issues I was having with the guitar. I also praised the shop for there best efforts in resolving the fault. But I could foresee problems getting the fault resolved to a final solution and the reasons why. I asking asked what my options were if I was not satisfied with the dealers work to sve the issue, even though it had been faultless till now.
The man I spoke to checked his records and even confirmed he had records of the first one I returned due to the raised frets. Regarding the second guitar. He spected that the neck had a fault and should be replaced. Checked stock there and then. And said he would contact the dealer and instruct them to replace the neck. The other option was a lengthy test period at fender for the guitar. But because of the waiting time. A replacement neck would be a better option as the cause of the fault is neck related. An hour later I got a call from the dealer saying that a new neck was on the way and the guitar will be ready as soon as possible.
I probably have burnt my bridges a bit with the dealer, but I could feel a point of logger heads coming on.
Also I would like to congratulate and say thankyou to fender for an excellent customer service.

Excellent - there ya go!

...Let's hope neck number three works for you the way you want.

Good luck - C

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Yipee, a new neck will do it. I dont think the dealer should be pissed though, if anything it shows they cant f... with you by try to pull a quick one, now they know you're a knowledgeable buyer.