"So I ordered an autoharp, it came to me not working (new and not working). I asked for a refund, but it wasn't offered, I was offered a warranty replacement. I felt ripped off because his website clearly says that returns are allowed up to 45 days and I requested the refund. Due to the fact I could never reach him on the phone we apparently had a miscommunication. After we started the warranty replacement program, it turns out he can't get the original item I ordered. He requested that I change my original review and I have done so at his request. He felt that I misrepresented his side of the story."
"I ordered some Grover tuning pegs. They were allegedly processed on 2/13/15, but after two weeks, I hadn't received them. Finally arrived 3/9/15. I contacted Ben about it after the initial delay. The initial response was slower than I would have liked, but he refunded me and did make a sincere effort to work it out."
"I placed an order for a guitar that was not yet in stock. The timeline did not end up working out for me and I had to cancel. It's my understanding that they are a small company and so do not have a giant inventory on hand. However, if you are willing to wait they have good prices on lots of harder to find instruments."
"Great communication, and best price online. Did a lot of searching, found they had the very unique Minarik guitar I was looking for. Their site was current, still had the beauty. Was told it may take a few days, as they were small, but within a couple of days, FedEx tracking and got the beauty today. Well protectively packed, even FedEx didn't drop kick it here, like they did another guitar I got earlier this year. Couldn't be more pleased. Great folks. Will keep their site in my view. Dale Leichsenring"
"Great website and great prices. My order was processed as promised and arrived when promised. Good transaction."
"I looked everywhere both locally and online for an Octave Mandolin. I found the one I wanted at instrumentalley.com at about 1/2 the price anywhere else. Free shipping, and an additional $10 off. It arrived in perfect condition, three days after my order! The packaging was excellent -- easy to open the box and easy to slide out the packing and the instrument. It is wonderful. I wrote an email to them and Ben there, wrote me back a very courteous email. Thank you!"
"Had a Problem with this order but the company decided to return my payment and did so very nicely. i will shop with them again."
"I've been taking bluegrass banjo lessons for about a year on Skype and decided to upgrade. When I asked my instructor for recommendations, he suggested that I might think about getting a Gold Star. I found Instrumentalley when I looked for banjos on line, and their prices for Gold Stars looked good. I asked my instructor about the models & he said the price of one of them (which I ended up getting) gave me a lot of value for the money. I ordered it & it arrived in perfect condition in a beautiful case. I couldn't be happier & would recommend Instrumentalley to anyone."
"I called Instrmentalley about this parlour Blueridge BR 371 and, being a fingerstyle player, I asked them to take measurements from the E to E strings at both the neck and at the sound hole for me. Kind of an odd request but Ben did it without hesitation. (Most shops seem a little irritated by this request.)
I bought guitar from them because of their helpful attitude, willingness to put a certain string on for me and they had the best price on the internet.
The guitar arrived when they said it would and it was absolutely perfect. Best sounding and looking acoustic guitar I've ever owned. (And I've owned a few!) Flawlessly setup.
That's it for me. No need to purchase another acoustic guitar. Ever. That's the one.
Thanks Ben.
"
"As I went searching for the perfect gift for my ukulele-playing spouse, I happened upon InstrumentAlley.com and their Gold Tone Banjoleles. Wow - what a gorgeous instrument and I knew it was the perfect gift. It has not disappointed the gift recipient. She cannot stop playing it! It came packaged beautifully, promptly and in excellent condition. And it sounds fantastic. I will definitely purchase from InstrumentAlley.com again."
"I had been looking for a guitar for my Husband for a while online, and someone told me about instrument alley, so I gave them a look, and WOW they had great prices, great customer service, and the exact guitar he wanted at the absolute lowest price and free shipping, so if you want the best this is the best place to go in my opinion hope you try them the next time you need an instrument or accessory for the one you have thanks and happy shopping"
"Hopefully this review will help you decide whether or not you want to do business with Instrument Alley. I want to share the facts (not simply emotions) and let you decide on the rating.
TWO FACTS:
1. Everything I ordered (the banjo, mandolin, capo, strings, etc...) I received.
2. It took a total of 31 days. Please read my story...
I placed an order for 8 items on July 15 and made payment thru Paypal that same evening. The morning of July 16 I received email confirmation that my order was being processed. I left a voice mail with a question that day but didn't hear back. On July 18 I read the website directions and emailed specific instructions about the stringing of the mandolin but did not receive a reply. I heard nothing until July 23 (8 days later) when I received an email that my order was being shipped. It arrived on July 29 via FedEx.
Everything I ordered was in the box and was well packed. They had following my instructions from the July 18 email. For $15 each, I paid to have Instrument Alley inspect, string and tune the banjo and mandolin prior to shipping. The Recording King banjo was very impressive and sounded wonderful. I began to play the Kentucky mandolin and discovered a faulty fretwire, so I wrote a rather direct email including pictures to ****@**** on the evening of July 29.
On Wednesday afternoon, July 30, I received this reply, "I’ll be in touch regarding replacement. This instrument was set up and inspected before it shipped so this is very odd."
On Monday, Aug 4 (6 days later), I received this, "A return label was sent to you for the KM-380. Please let me know if you have any questions about the return." I received the label via email and printed it, then packed the mandolin in the original box and shipped it. There was no charge to me.
On Tuesday, Aug 12 (8 days later), I received an email that a mandolin was being shipped back from Saga Musical Instruments in San Francisco. The package arrived on Friday Aug 15 with a letter enclosed that said they repaired my mandolin.
The mandolin strings were in place but the bridge was NOT installed (remember I paid $15 for the set up). After a quick search on YouTube, I was able to place the bridge and tune the mandolin myself.
BOTTOM LINE: If you're a patient person, this scenario probably won't be a big deal. If you tend to be nervous (like me), perhaps spending a little extra money at your local music store will save you your peace of mind. Hope this helps!
UPDATE AS OF 8/26/14 - The salesman at Instrument Alley reached out to me today by email. As a customer that helps greatly. A 3-out-of-5 rating means I was neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. One thing I failed to do was reach out to the salesman FIRST before writing my review. Perhaps this changes things for you the reader, so it's worth sharing."
"I was fairly nervous about purchasing a guitar that I had not played from an online shop I had never done business with, but it was a heck of a deal, which included case and shipping. I decided to take the chance.
Like an idiot, I was hasty in my choice, and I contacted their customer service to ask if I could cancel that order and place a new one. Ben responded immediately, cancelled my initial order, and filled my new order.
My BR-160A arrived via FedEx. Nice, tight, secure packaging. The guitar is absolutely beautiful -- more so than any of the very few I have seen in guitar shops. I have had it for a couple weeks, now, and it plays and sounds wonderful. Very open and sounds a lot older than it is. Took it to a local jam this week and received many compliments on appearance, tone, action, and overall quality.
Ben was very helpful and responsive to my several questions and concerns. I would definitely buy another Blueridge, and if I buy it from InstrumentAlley, I won't be nervous this time; I would buy from them again without hesitation."
"I was looking for a particular guitar (my first, as I am a bassist) and my buddy happened to send me a linke to Instrument Alley. I was excited about them having the particular guitar. The compare info was helpful as were the videos. I went ahead and ordered the guitar as well as th set up which was invaluable! Having somone knowledgeable set up the guitar for a minimal price was high value. I swapped the case out for a more durable one (that was an option) and was so pleasantly surprised when it arrived. The guitar plays like a charm, very nice action, good strings and the big sound I was looking for in a relatively inexpensive guitar."
"I purchased a Blueridge (BR-180A)guitar from Instrument Alley and was totally satisfied with the custome service from start to finish. Communication by email and phone was helpful in determining which instrument I purches. I spent considrable time reviewing all possible sources, on-line and in stores, and did not find any prices that came close to Instrument Alley. The sales person"Ben" was very courteous and helpful. The guitar shipped on Monday ( as promised) and arrived on Sat: Utah/FL."