So you brought the guitar back to the dealer? Did they give you any options there to exchange it?

what are the expectations that havent been met?

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

FMIC is better at warranty issues than any other company I've dealt with. They take care of their responsibility and you, as a customer, must take care of yours,as well as the dealer. The process is explained well on this website. IMHO!!

yep right under the support tab above.
we still dont know if he tried to return it to the store and what they told him if he did.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

I took it to my Luthier, who is custom shop certified by Fender, and he said it can be as simple as a $20 part or as expensive as an $1800 part. I took my chances because I fell in love with how a certain guitar plays and Fender said they will cover it. I was also never informed that if it was this specific part it would take a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks. My biggest concern now is what happens when it is outside the 1 year electronic warranty... I can't afford to spend almost 2 grand to fix a guitar that isn't worth that anymore. It is hit or miss on the Rolland motherboard, if I get another lemon I'm screwed. This is where a lot of my faith in Fender is waning. I want to keep this guitar, but I don't think I'll be able to because of reliability and possible cost issues.

In customer service only one question needs to be asked to the consumer, "How would you like this resolved?" That doesn't inherently imply that what is asked of the manufacturer will occur, but every consumer is different. I just can't stand being told that I "might" have my guitar back in a few months.

To have a reliable and working product and have any issues with it resolved and taken care of in a timely manner.

[quote="Phaxtor"]I took it to my Luthier, who is custom shop certified by Fender, and he said it can be as simple as a $20 part or as expensive as an $1800 part. I took my chances because I fell in love with how a certain guitar plays and Fender said they will cover it. quote]

well there is your problem. you didnt follow the return plan set up by your dealer. you skipped the dealer and went to the repair center. had you went to the dealer they could have either refunded your money or started the case for you.
ok so how long have you owned the guitar? how long had you had it before the problem happened? how much time between when the problem happened until you took it in to get it looked at and sent off?

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

I had the guitar at home for an hour last Friday, Fender on the phone that evening and into the repair shop this Monday. Fender requires that you go to an authorized Fender repair shop to start a warranty claim on a guitar. My Luthier was on the phone with Fender while I was in the shop and started the warranty claim before I walked out of the door. I did follow the return plan set up by my dealer... I still have 24 days to return the guitar. I usually expect things to work longer than the first day :\ Fortunately the guitar was playable, I just couldn't use any of the Rolland functions.

ok these things take time. your NOT looking at nuts and bolts here.
your looking at in the guitar world is a uncommon part.
so fender has installed a part on their guitar that a 3rd party company has
"told" them was a good part. now the part is bad and fender has to ask them why too,
BUT, fender will test it and make sure their ducks are in a row before they go off yours or anybody elses word that the part is bad.
they arent gonna go and confront, and come back with their tales between their legs and looking like idiots because the part wasnt bad.
its business, nothing personal.
i honestly dont think your gonna be waiting months for this. there is now way.
what might have happened is that 3rd party relises that the part is faulty and they are redesigning a new part in its place. if thats the case yeah it might take that long for the product to be released and for fender to get a shipment. it could very well happen like that. if it is the case then yeah your one of the poor saps that got stuck with this, and its a "shiot happens" case that fender cant be heald responsible over. they arent in control of how these parts are made.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Also, that particular model has been discontinued for some time now. This could also slow the repair process down. Should have just asked for your money back and informed the store you may purchase it if and when it is repaired. Still time to do so.

Good luck in whatever you do my friend!

ok heres the deal now that we know more.
if you wanted your cash back, you should have went to the dealer and said so.
you just bought it that day right?
i would have taken it directly back to the dealer and had them deal with the headache, or gotten my money back. you had every right to do this.
so instead of doing that you took it directly to a luthier/repair center.
not a good move. that tells everybody you want it fixed and not a return of your money.
did they not tell you how long it would take or could take before you shipped the guitar?
see, there were two routes to take and you gotta stand beside the one you picked, and see it through to the end.
you can possibly have the dealer call the fender luthier and let them talk it over. since they are a fender repair center, maybe they can work it out now since fender has the guitar, which is where it will end up anyways, maybe the dealer can get the story from the luthier, call fender and get their take on it too. the the dealer might ask for a credit, and you get your $$ back that way. to make it a win/win, offer to buy a new/different fender from the dealer with the refund or a portion of it so hes not out a sell too.
dont hold your breath on that but it is a win/WIN/win for everybody involved here.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

The guitar doesn't get shipped, my Luthier is a Fender custom shop warranty repair center. The part is already ordered, Fender does take his word on it. Fender outsources all warranty claims to authorized warranty shops. They never see the guitar themselves. I don't want it returned. I stated it would be nice if Fender offered something else when they have to take my guitar for months. It will take minimum 6 to 8 weeks because the part has to be custom built for the guitar since it is out of production. Fender is doing the bare minimum. They have a warranty that they are required to honor that states no time frame. I would never expect less. I have gone through warranty claims with countless other manufacturers and this one is turning into a nightmare imho.

how is fender doing the bare minimum? you said yourself the part is custom made geez.
what else do you seriously expect fender to do here? what do you suggest?
you dont want to get your money back, which is a direct end to this whole mess, but you want to keep it. ok so in keeping it you know the details of that already and thats what you choose to do. ok so whats the complaint? fender is doing their part in correcting their end. what else do you expect over and beyond that?
you have a choice and you made it. its that "you made your bed now lay in it".
dont want to be so blunt but dang. ok so, what else is it that you think fender should do that they arent already doing? give you money back? give you a amp? give you a loaner?
give you a factory tour? what is it you think they should do?

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

Who is it that you expect will lend you a guitar in the mean time if you didn't go back to the dealer? your Luthier? Sorry mate, I feel for you, but you didn't handle this very well.

I agree with everyone on here... It sucks that the Roland Strat went out on you. But, you should have:

1) Taken it back to the store and got a refund.
2) Taken it back to the store and let them send it to Fender for service (warranty).

To skip out of the service plan and go to someone else is not good and you end up with nothing for a few months.

Sorry...