What Happened To Them

[furashgf]

So, today, there I was calling "Folk of the Wood" to see how my trade in + cash for MM-2 Mandolin was going, only to find out that "the number has been disconnected." Does anyone know what happened to them? I'm fearing I might be out a large chunk of change, unless I misdialed several times in a row.

[DorothyD]

Their website says they have moved to a new location...in New Mexico. Their toll free number is disconnected but their regular number-505-336-1111-is still working. I hope this helps. That's a real shock when you have money tied up. Good luck!
Dorothy

[maroon]

I would not worry. I was out there in February and was told then that they would be moving to some new space on the outskirts of town within a few months.

I wonder, however, if they may have decided to cut their toll free number out to save money given that so much of their business comes over the net. It doesn't seem like moving should cause a toll free number to go down.

[mmukav]

I'd e-mail them. Mickey has always answered e-mails quickly, so you should be able to get info quickly that way.

[furashgf]

All is okay - I spoke to them and they said it was an accident, and the'll be fixing it. Thanks all - I've been w/out mando for a month now and I'm getting ansy. I'll post again once my MM-2 arrives!

[beachbum]

Hey, I feel your pain. I ordered a sweet pea from them a month ago. They thought they were getting them in right away and charged my credit card. Weber is still building the sweet peas. I tried to call the toll free number yesterday and it didn't go thru. I also was a bit concerned but my past experience with them had been great. I called the regular number and talked to James. They are having phones moved and the toll free number wasn't working yesterday. The good news on my sweet pea is Weber is finishing it up and James is going to ship it second day for free as soon as it comes in (should be next week). My utmost faith in them is restored!

[avanti]

I wouldn't deal with any retailer who charges your credit card before the merchandise ships.

[furashgf]

PS - please mail me about the sweat pea. I've fantasized about one.

[Lee]

You fantasize about a sweet pea?

[beachbum]

They offered to credit my card but I told them if they upgraded my shipping for free I would be happy.

I'll let you know about it as soon as it comes in. I've heard they are alot of fun. I did lay my hands on a sweet pea uke that was shipped to me by another store instead of the mando. It was real cute but that "my dog has fleas" tuning didn't cut it for me! If you want one, plan on waiting or order quick. Evidently Weber builds ~80 at a time then doesn't build anymore until that have that many on order. They are finishing up this batch this week.

[furashgf]

Well, they're so cute. If I had a subnoteboook, a cup of espresso, and a weber sweet pea, my collection of miniature devices would be complete.

[Lee]

One those Jamie Wein's built picollo mandolins would be kinda cool if teensy is your thing.

[mandowood]

I have debated posting on this topic for a while,but I feel i must. I would not buy anything from Folk of the Wood ever again. I purchased an instrument there with what I was told was a radiused fingerboard and tonebars. It came to me with a flat board and x bracing- and my situation only got worse from there. Anyway, my point is this- I took my hard earned money elsewhere (what I could get back) and am very happy. I know there are plenty of better, and more honest dealers in the world (see Dale Cater or Greg Boyd). Just my experience, but I feel I have no other recourse but to warn other folks.

In their defense, they have a very helpful website, and Tradd is the best- a great player and very helpful- he's also a great instructor.

Good luck to you, whatever you decide. I'll tell you one more time- Dale and Greg Boyd are the best!

[folkofthewood]

Mandowood purchased a Weber beartooth from us earlier this year. He got the beartooth and decided that he wanted a beartooth with a radius fingerboard and the tonebar bracing which with our full trade in policy would allow him to trade it back and only pay the difference in price between the stock beartooth and the custom that he wanted, and at no point during this transaction did we say that the beartooth he purchased had a radius or tonebar bracing. He got a good deal on the beartooth that we sent to him, and when he decided he wanted a beartooth with the upgrades he expected us to give him the same price on a mandolin with custom UPGRADES that were not on the other mando that he recieved. He then decided to cancel the order all together so we went above and beyond what our store policys and gave Mr. Wood a full credit minus the shipping and accesories that MR. Wood Kept. Where our policy clearly states that there will be a full IN STORE credit on all returns. This is the url for our policy policy page www.folkofthewood.com/page443.htm]fotw policy page DEALERS BEWARE OF THIS CUSTOMER YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE HIM HAPPY!!!

[mandowood]

I'm not exactly sure how to respond to the above post, except to say that this has been a terrible experience- but I am very happy now- and will be for a long time. It's difficult to handle a he said/he said situation. My version of this story is quite different.

Anyway, I am very sorry it happened. I hope it doesn't happen to anyone else. I was very excited to do business with Folk of the Wood based on the positive reviews on their website (best there is, in my opinion), it just didn't work out that way. Lesson learned on my part...

I guess this brings up an interesting point- what should the expectations be of a customer for the dealer they work with? And what about the expectations of a dealer for a potential customer?

[BenE]

This isn't the first discussion on FOTW on this site....

[mandofiddle]

And I'm sure it won't be the last...