The Steel Guitar Forum

Erv, If I were running my business in a shameful way I would appreciate you telling me so.

My wife tells me so every day!

Open letter to Emmons Co.

In this world where now communications has no limit and Internet gives everything in "real-time", almost immediately, everybody who build and sell things, has to have some rules (like it or not), if they want to remain in the business world (some are only polite, education rules).
In this world where Big Manager of big Company (you can see for example Car Company) are obliged to make a public conference to explain their mistakes in front of all the other just because they made some manufactoring defect, and quickly retire, retract the cars to remedy because of this, is not longer thinkable that some Company with such big Names don't want to do so, hiding their head under the sand, just thinking that their mistakes and bad behaviour will not be shown to everybody sooner or later.
This introduction is just to arrive to my single case, problem.
Is not possible that a Company like Emmons Co. that build and sell instruments from generation, goes so deep in a hole just because doesn't want to consider that they could have made a mistake, sending an instrument that were not the one that we all used to know, in terms of building, mechanical and esthetical parts, and claiming, expecting (with blackmail) that the Client for having it back (that was sent back to the Company because THEY ask to do it) have to still pay everything about the shipping and other things.
Is not possible that the Emmons, after his own admission about the problem the guitar had, suddenly close all the communications for 7 months, for then appearing again (after other kind of pressure) and deny everything.
Emmons admit that during the assembly of the psg, this thing didn't work out very well (instruments was asymmetrical with mechanical problem), but who is building PSG for all about all his life cannot pretend not to notice about it, beeing this so evident and then trying to find the excuse to the shipping (unfounded).
Rebecca Lashley write :
The only thing Ron Jr. was seen that the right endplate was moved a bit and pushing the Ant '... We had machiniest are watching EndPlate and noted that when the rest of the body against the plate need a bit 'further down the processing ".
It's not my problem, I say.

Now another consideration :
At the beginning they are talking about a mistake. But the matter become more bad if you add also "superficiality" and "intention".
The intention of giving away an instrument for which the builder couldn't ignore it had some problems (for same admission of Emmons, it had some structural mechanical problems).
All, every, Emmons PSG has a polished pedal board, like all the others metal, iron, parts. In my first red psg was satin.
If you order an instrument with some specifications, these one should be given, otherwise the client has to be informed beforehand.
(my personal thought, maybe this was another reason for giving it away, to a poor far away italian boy who doesn't know anything about a pedal steel guitar..)
Strange the fact that with a waiting list of 12 months for a new one, that PSG was in stock.
Really want to know if that red psg they would have sent it like so to JD MANESS.
I'm not a really good player, but I can understand if an instruments is of a good quality or not, like the others 2 Emmons that I have, are.
Then, if we add that the pedal board that we are talking about was sent by me to them together with the red psg to be replaced and they said they never received it or that maybe was stolen during the shipping (!!!), saying me that I have to buy another one, disproving an e-mail from them in which they said like so :
"Please forward the new mailing address and details.... Per Ivano request, he changed the color to Derby Black... Pedal Board has also been buffed... Talk to you soon.
Regards,
Ron Lashley"
but of course after all these months they forget about it, and even if I sent back their e-mail, they didn't even tried to answer me..................the picture is complete.
After all, if is the Emmons that made mistakes, why is the client the one who have to pay ? Besides, this is the 3rd purchase from them, is so difficult to say something to understand what's going on ?
Instead, after a mail that I received in august 2009 telling me that the psg was ready for shipping, total silence began.
All my request for an explication, all my e-mails, were wasted in the air, and so the attempts of reaching them by phone.
Total silence for 7 months. And till today I didn't receive any explication.
Then, the 20th of february, maybe after the clamor because of my post in the forum and the outrage of the members, came this mail :
PSG has been shipped freight collect... The receiving agent has all the details and will contact you once the shipment has arrived.....
Ron Lashley
no other relevant information till another mail of 19th march.
At the end of the story after paying everything, instrument and shipping (june 2008), and then paid again for the shipping back (december 2008) and then agin paid for the shipping back from usa to here (april 2010), after 7 months of silence, in which I asked for some words from them, and after receiving a blackmail (or you pay the shipping or you pay for this new psg that I'm sending you) : Rebecca Lashley say : Now you can pay $3400.00 or the lower shipment cost. I can also contact customs to let them aware of you cheating your own government? Again this not the same PSG as originally shipped. This PSG is a LD10L III black. ).Now I finally received the instrument, but I'm having a psg without pedalboard, that I will to buy, and I have only a lot of angry, bitterness, and a a remarkably amount of stress.
All this seems to be part of an horror film, but it's the sad reality.
For all this I never received, and I mean never, from Emmons Guitars in the person of Ron anf Rebecca Lashley any kind of words of regret or apology for what happened, but only blackmail and insults.
With their irresponsible and provocative behaviour were able to void the joy of receiving a new instrument, and people like me that love pedal steel guitars or any other instrument, can understand me, not to mention the extra cost I've incurred.
If all this will be under silence the thing could happen again. I'm tired of being "good" and because of this I decided to write this "open letter", with everything that will follow.
All that I wrote here is well documented by the mails that I had from them, and also by pictures that can prove it. Everything will be at everybody disposal.

Ivano Malavasi.

Thank you for sharing your story Ivano.

I do not think it will be forgotten quickly.

I am sorry you had to go thru all this and hope you can get your guitar purchase completed finally and put this behind you and get back to enjoying music.

World is full of different people, each with their own opinion.
I must admit that I consider myself a sensitive one, and from the beginning what Mr. Erv have said about us (sometimes rude, sometimes bad, sometimes other things that I don't want to say) always hits my sensibility, so I prefer not to answer. Sometimes it is better to ignore.
I must also say that he have the right to say what he said, because who give him, and you all, the certainty that what I said is true ? you don't hear the other part, so, is normal that he doubt everything.
As about me, I always tried to be honest, nice and keep me calm and explain what was happening.
Someone believe, others not, that's life, I have to accept this. For sure we were not here to make trouble or to insult anybody. We act honestly and know what we did (in my opinion), but from Emmons, IF I might be so bold, we didn't receive the same thing, the same behaviour.
In my opinion.

Paolo I think most sensible people on this forum beleive you, empathize with you, and respect the patience, calmness and integrity you and Ivano hvae displayed throughout this ordeal.

With some fans of any product, politician, sports team, etc....there is a disconnect with reality that allows them to blindly and often inappropriately defend wrong doing. They are called 'fanboys' in the gaming world. There will always be one or two. Im sorry you had to encounter them in this instance, you are right not to respond to them or take their insults seriously.

I think you have our respect and admiration for the way youve handled this. You certainly have mine.

I like what Cal had to say. Very tastefully done
and next time I'm in Nashville I will go out to
a club to watch you pick and I'm am gonna purchase
an amp cover from your wife. As far as the boys from
Italy. You guys are # 1 with me and have earned
my RESPECT.

Ivano, I can tighten up the grammar and sentence structure in your letter if you'd like. While it contains much important info, it is a bit difficult to understand in places. The offer is there if you want.

With this post I think I will close my Emmons Story.

I think it will remain the regret of a sad story, about this Company.

Besides, I’ve earned a lot, knowing a new world of nice and good people of this Forum, that tried to help me in every way, giving me their solidarity, and reading all their post of every kind, I had the opportunity to think and see the story between different point of view.

I’d like to think that if I have received only a part of my guitar, this happened because of you.


Thanks.

Ivano.

Ivano Malavasi wrote:With this post I think I will close my Emmons Story.

Since Ivano's guitar was the subject of this topic, I have honored his request by closing it.