Bad "The Axe Palace" Experience

[The Axe Palace]

Sorry, but if I buy a new amp from an online dealer, I am expecting it to come in factory packaging, period. If I go into a store and buy the floor model, that’s one thing. So I have to ask - why did you open the Engl in the first place if it was being solid as brand new?

99% of amps we ship do go in their original box. Sometimes if a box has damage, water damage, etc we’ll ship it in a better box.

I don’t think opening up an amp so we can test it and photograph, turns it into used amp. Many companies actually require we test when they come in, otherwise if there’s a problem they won’t take it back. We are a physical brick and mortar shop.

That said, even if you disagree with that, we granted this person a refund when he asked for it. So I don’t really understand why the need for so much hatred for someone that didn’t do anything wrong. We shipped him a brand new amp that was in an alternate box, and then granted him a refund when he asked for it. There’s literally nothing to be outraged about and go on a crusade to smear us for five years over.

PS. We didn’t relist his amp, that is a lie. The guy doesn’t understand we get shipments from ENGL all the time.

 

[DSS3]

he’s claiming you left our paperwork, cables, etc - do you deny that?

Did you relist the amp as brand new when he returned it?

 

[The Axe Palace]

he’s claiming you left our paperwork, cables, etc - do you deny that?

Did you relist the amp as brand new when he returned it?

As I mentioned in the above reply, it was not relisted as brand new. The point is, again, even if I concede that it was shipped it in an alternate box or a power cable was missing, we promptly granted him a refund and took care of it. So I ask again: why is this person going out of his way to smear us for five years over something so benign? No one got scammed. There was no grand conspiracy to fraud anyone. It was a fluke where a box had water damage, so we shipped it in a different box, the amp arrived in perfect condition, but he wasn’t happy so we refunded him.

 

[DSS3]

Your edit came after my post, I’m not trying to misconstrue your statements.

If what you’re saying is true then that’s fine - I disagree with your practice of opening and remixing amps but that’s another story.

I will say, the way you defend yourself makes you come across as kind of an asshole and like you have baggage over these deals. Since they’ve been dragging you for half a decade as you’ve claimed I’m sure that’s frustrating.

But can you imagine Dave Friedman giving them the public down dressing they’re getting? No, he’s going to say as few words as possible and let the rest of his reputation speak for itself. You could do the same and save yourself time and energy, but you don’t. That’s odd - just as a person. Your priorities seem off.

 

[The Axe Palace]

Your edit came after my post, I’m not trying to misconstrue your statements.

If what you’re saying is true then that’s fine - I disagree with your practice of opening and remixing amps but that’s another story.

I will say, the way you defend yourself makes you come across as kind of an asshole and like you have baggage over these deals. Since they’ve been dragging you for half a decade as you’ve claimed I’m sure that’s frustrating.

But can you imagine Dave Friedman giving them the public down dressing they’re getting? No, he’s going to say as few words as possible and let the rest of his reputation speak for itself. You could do the same and save yourself time and energy, but you don’t. That’s odd - just as a person. Your priorities seem off.

Dude I have been ignoring these posts for years. This is the first time I have responded to something like this in a very long time. A good customer of mine texted me this morning telling me about this. When I saw the same guy is still harassing me over this ridiculous ENGL thing, I’m only a human being and I felt the need to defend myself. I’m sorry if me doing that is making me look worse, I don’t know what to say. I guess I’ll just step away and let everyone pile on. Have at it.

 

[The Axe Palace]

I disagree with your practice of opening and remixing amps but that’s another story.

I

I have a sincere question for you, no aggression or attitude implied. What would you do in my position, if companies that you are an official dealer for, told you that if you don’t test/inspect an amp within two weeks of receiving it, that you can’t return it if it ends up being damaged or being DOA? Wouldn’t you rather someone test an amp to make sure it’s OK, rather than have your time wasted getting a defective product and then having to return it?

I respect your opinion, but try to understand where I’m coming from.

 

[DSS3]

I have a sincere question for you, no aggression or attitude implied. What would you do in my position, if companies that you are an official dealer for, told you that if you don’t test/inspect an amp within two weeks of receiving it, that you can’t return it if it ends up being damaged or being DOA? Wouldn’t you rather someone test an amp to make sure it’s OK, rather than have your time wasted getting a defective product and then having to return it?

I respect your opinion, but try to understand where I’m coming from.

This really isn't that hard - receive the the amp from the company, open the box carefully, inspect it, playtest it, and put the product right back in the box with all of the paperwork/tubes/cables/etc (you never responded to that question - did you forget these things?), and then put that taped up box back on a shelf until a customer buys it.

If the box gets fucked up in shipping to you to the point where you wouldn't pass that onto a customer, either contact the manufacturer to get a replacement box or entire replacement amp OR put the broken/damaged box in another un-branded box. Don't put the brand new amp in another brands box - that's just weird.

Based on the fact that you put it in another brand amp box, lost cables/manuals/paperwork in the process, I would find it hard to believe that the amp wasn't out on the shop floor for demo purposes or shop-owner funtime. Not a lot of confidence that it is actually "brand new" at that point.

 

[The Axe Palace]

This really isn't that hard - receive the the amp from the company, open the box carefully, inspect it, playtest it, and put the product right back in the box with all of the paperwork/tubes/cables/etc (

That is exactly what we do.

Again, in this one fluke circumstance, the original box was damaged. That doesn’t mean that’s a regular practice. My priority at that point was to get him the amp in perfect condition so he could enjoy it. Sadly, the box thing enraged him, and we refunded him promptly. Still fail to see the reason for this being a 5 year bitter vendetta.

I have no memory of there being a missing cable or whatever. Again… we refunded him promptly, the box discrepancy and any supposed missing contents would not be intentional. We ship hundreds of high-end amps and guitars out every year without incident. We are an ENGL dealer. We are in the business of selling new products. When we have a demo or b-stock product, it’s marked as such.

I give up talking about this, it’s absurd.

 

[DSS3]

Sorry [name removed], but this is where you turn out sounding like kind of an asshole, or at least not entirely genuine/worth extending benefit of the doubt to in this scenario. I would be pissed, too, if the dealer left out OEM materials like he is describing on a brand new purchase, and despite your near picture perfect memory of the rest of the incident, you've responded here with a "I have no memory..." (and only when asked a third time about it).

 

[napalmdeath]

It's really sad to see this vitriolic nonsense is still being spewed here. We've never once in our history screwed over a single customer, not try to make things right whenever a mistake was made, refused a refund, etc. Several people posting in this thread are mentally unstable and outright lying. We have thousands of rave reviews on just about every marketplace/review site on the internet, for a good reason. Before listening to miserable trolls, do your own research.

@napalmdeath: I can't believe 5 years later you're still ranting and lying about this. One final time: We shipped you a brand new ENGL Fireball. You were enraged that we shipped the amp in a different box due to the original box incurring damage. That does not make it a used amp. Nonetheless, we promptly refunded you once you complained, so what is the issue? The level of hatred and vitriol you have for someone who sent you a brand new product, and refunded you once you complained, borders on insanity. We've been an ENGL dealer for 10 years, and no one ever had an issue with any amp we've shipped out, other than you. Seek mental help, immediately.

@njhelmet4000: You have a legitimate gripe, although I think that should be more with G&L than us. We promptly placed your order with G&L once you made it. G&L had *major* issues during the pandemic, were shut down for a while, had several orders we placed slip the cracks, I couldn't get our reps to answer emails or phone calls most of the time, etc. It sucks, we were caught in the middle. I should have communicated better during the process, but we were so in the dark that it was tough at times. That said, we have never refused any refund in the case something goes wrong. You never needed to threaten us to get a refund, a simple phone call or emailing asking for one would have sufficed.

@katsumura78: None of that story sounds familiar or remotely plausible given that every single guitar we receive, we open up, inspect, have our licensed luthier/technician set it up to the customer's specs for no charge. Every single guitar on our website specifically has a "Setup Instructions" box for this exact reason. This is something we're well known for, and just about every customer knows about. So something had to have been lost in translation here or was miscommunicated here. You're welcome to PM me with more context, as this is news to me.

To anyone reading this unfortunate thread: not everything you read on the internet is true. Do your own research. Look up review websites, Reverb reviews, eBay reviews, BBB, social media, talk to the companies we work with, whoever, and in the unlikely event you'd still have any concerns, just visit the store or contact us and it's highly unlikely you won't have a great experience.

It's really sad to see this vitriolic nonsense is still being spewed here. We've never once in our history screwed over a single customer, not try to make things right whenever a mistake was made, refused a refund, etc. Several people posting in this thread are mentally unstable and outright lying. We have thousands of rave reviews on just about every marketplace/review site on the internet, for a good reason. Before listening to miserable trolls, do your own research.

@napalmdeath: I can't believe 5 years later you're still ranting and lying about this. One final time: We shipped you a brand new ENGL Fireball. You were enraged that we shipped the amp in a different box due to the original box incurring damage. That does not make it a used amp. Nonetheless, we promptly refunded you once you complained, so what is the issue? The level of hatred and vitriol you have for someone who sent you a brand new product, and refunded you once you complained, borders on insanity. We've been an ENGL dealer for 10 years, and no one ever had an issue with any amp we've shipped out, other than you. Seek mental help, immediately.

@njhelmet4000: You have a legitimate gripe, although I think that should be more with G&L than us. We promptly placed your order with G&L once you made it. G&L had *major* issues during the pandemic, were shut down for a while, had several orders we placed slip the cracks, I couldn't get our reps to answer emails or phone calls most of the time, etc. It sucks, we were caught in the middle. I should have communicated better during the process, but we were so in the dark that it was tough at times. That said, we have never refused any refund in the case something goes wrong. You never needed to threaten us to get a refund, a simple phone call or emailing asking for one would have sufficed.

@katsumura78: None of that story sounds familiar or remotely plausible given that every single guitar we receive, we open up, inspect, have our licensed luthier/technician set it up to the customer's specs for no charge. Every single guitar on our website specifically has a "Setup Instructions" box for this exact reason. This is something we're well known for, and just about every customer knows about. So something had to have been lost in translation here or was miscommunicated here. You're welcome to PM me with more context, as this is news to me.

To anyone reading this unfortunate thread: not everything you read on the internet is true. Do your own research. Look up review websites, Reverb reviews, eBay reviews, BBB, social media, talk to the companies we work with, whoever, and in the unlikely event you'd still have any concerns, just visit the store or contact us and it's highly unlikely you won't have a great experience.

The fact is, yes, it's a stupid box, and silly. But, can't you just be honest, (for once), and say "we took it out of the box, put it on the sales floor for every swinging dick to demo it, and threw the box away". That would be honest. "Demo" would have been more appropriate than brand new. But, first you blamed your shipper, then it was lost, and a different story each time. I didn't even get a power chord, because it was probably still plugged into the wall. They come with spare preamp tubes, didn't get those either. And, it had obvious signs of use. I don't like liars, and you, my friend, lied on a number of occasions. Then, to put an exclamation point on your great business practices, you relisted it as "brand new", right after you got it back.

And, "Engl won't warranty an amp that hasn't been opened and inspected is another crock of shit lie. I've bought other Engls since, that were absolutely factory-sealed.

 

[napalmdeath]

That is exactly what we do.

Again, in this one fluke circumstance, the original box was damaged. That doesn’t mean that’s a regular practice. My priority at that point was to get him the amp in perfect condition so he could enjoy it. Sadly, the box thing enraged him, and we refunded him promptly. Still fail to see the reason for this being a 5 year bitter vendetta.

I have no memory of there being a missing cable or whatever. Again… we refunded him promptly, the box discrepancy and any supposed missing contents would not be intentional. We ship hundreds of high-end amps and guitars out every year without incident. We are an ENGL dealer. We are in the business of selling new products. When we have a demo or b-stock product, it’s marked as such.

I give up talking about this, it’s absurd.

You refunded me promptly after I reminded you you had possession of the amp. A return that I paid return shipping for, BTW.

I can post our conversations and everyone can see your lies.

The fact is, this amp was a demo, off the showroom floor and you sold it as brand new. PERIOD. That's shady, and dishonest. You just come up with lie after lie after excuse after lie, and that's what infuriated me. You can't tell the truth, it's not about a box, it's about ethics and integrity. Neither of which you displayed in this instance.

And, funny you had no stock on a FB100 until mine was back in your shop, and listed a brand new one same day. Coincidence? Doubt it.

 

[napalmdeath]

99% of amps we ship do go in their original box. Sometimes if a box has damage, water damage, etc we’ll ship it in a better box.

I don’t think opening up an amp so we can test it and photograph, turns it into used amp. Many companies actually require we test when they come in, otherwise if there’s a problem they won’t take it back. We are a physical brick and mortar shop.

That said, even if you disagree with that, we granted this person a refund when he asked for it. So I don’t really understand why the need for so much hatred for someone that didn’t do anything wrong. We shipped him a brand new amp that was in an alternate box, and then granted him a refund when he asked for it. There’s literally nothing to be outraged about and go on a crusade to smear us for five years over.

PS. We didn’t relist his amp, that is a lie. The guy doesn’t understand we get shipments from ENGL all the time.

You use stock photos for your amps, c'mon.

And read the dates. I didn't pop in here to vent again after 5 years, somebody bumped the thread asking questions.

I've been long over it. But when you chimed in calling me out, it made my skin crawl with your sugar-coated bullshit.

 

[DSS3]

You use stock photos for your amps, c'mon.

Was this the one? seems to be the only listing for an FB 100 in the time period that matches. Are we supposed to believe any part of this description would lead anyone to believe the amp wasn't "brand new"? How did the listing look when it got relisted after you returned it? In 2014, would this have really been in a warehouse in the box, or was this out on the showroom floor for demoing?

https://web.archive.org/web/2014031...uitar-amps/heads/engl-fire-ball-100-head.html

 

[MetalHeadMike]

I'll reiterate that I had a less than acceptable experience with [name removed]. I side with napalmdeath and believe he is in the right here. Sorry [name removed], but in my one dealing with you, I walked away feeling quite unhappy.

I won't waste my time going into detail as I've spewed about here in the past, but truth, honesty, and integrity are not words I associate with your business character. The vibe I got can be associated with words like: liar, slimy, unethical, egotistical. No dog in the fight here what so ever, just another honest customer experience.

Based on reviews, Axe Palace has a substantial customer base with many satisfied folks, but those of us that have had a bad experience seem to be consistent in the words we've chosen to use to describe your character. Maybe you've changed and that would be commendable, but all I have to go by is the memory of my one past bad experience.

 

[DanTravis62]

Big yikes.

 

[napalmdeath]

Was this the one? seems to be the only listing for an FB 100 in the time period that matches. Are we supposed to believe any part of this description would lead anyone to believe the amp wasn't "brand new"? How did the listing look when it got relisted after you returned it? In 2014, would this have really been in a warehouse in the box, or was this out on the showroom floor for demoing?

https://web.archive.org/web/2014031...uitar-amps/heads/engl-fire-ball-100-head.html

I bought it through Reverb, and he used stock photos.

 

[Smash]

[mod edit]
Unacceptable sexual ad-hom joke removed per request.

not really. I ordered a custom guitar through him. And a little after, I read all the horrible shit that is written about [name removed] at Axe Palace. I was worried I was going to have to make a trip to Boston after the whole thing was said and done. Luckily, though we had some issues with my guitar not coming exactly as ordered, (I have heard this from a lot of people ordering from Jackson Custom Shop). He didn't screw me or anything. He knocked off some money for it not coming like I asked. But I love that fucking guitar and chose to buy it cuz it looked bad as fuck. I could tell in the picture that it also didn't come with the correct pickup. He offered to send me a free one after it came and I took it out to check, or he would have his tech put a new one in then, but I just wanted to get the guitar. So, he was always cool with me. Not trying to defend him or crucify him. But just another point of view.

 

[glip22]

Seems hit or miss with the reviews. I bought a few amps from him. One had a small issue, not his fault ,plus I didn't like it. He worked out a good exchange deal for me on a new Engle Artist and I was happy. Bought pickups three times from him with zero issue. Sorry others had problems with him.

 

[fantom]

I have a sincere question for you, no aggression or attitude implied. What would you do in my position, if companies that you are an official dealer for, told you that if you don’t test/inspect an amp within two weeks of receiving it, that you can’t return it if it ends up being damaged or being DOA? Wouldn’t you rather someone test an amp to make sure it’s OK, rather than have your time wasted getting a defective product and then having to return it?

I respect your opinion, but try to understand where I’m coming from.

I have no horse in this game.

But from what I can read, you didn't have the original packaging. You assumed the customer would be ok with whatever packaging you did have, and you didn't communicate clearly or set expectations before shipping the amp. Then the customer paid for the return shipping due to having different expectations. Honestly, you both had a different view of what was appropriate. Neither is right or wrong or really needs so much defensive posturing.

I think it is ok for a customer to want the original packaging on a high ticket item. In the future, consider talking to the customer before you ship the item? It's only 1% of transactions. Explain the situation and decide what to do with the customer involved. Worst case you lose a sale because you can't agree on a resolution, but you avoid having to argue on the internet.

They come with spare preamp tubes, didn't get those either

Fwiw, I bought an Engl around 2002 from a different US dealer, and it didn't come with spare tubes. Come to think of it, I've never bought an amp that had extra tubes in the box. Not saying you are wrong, just saw this statement and was a bit surprised.

And not that it matters, but Engl branded tubes I had were noisy as hell. Not sure why anyone would want to keep the original ones or care about them.

 

[katsumura78]

It's really sad to see this vitriolic nonsense is still being spewed here. We've never once in our history screwed over a single customer, not try to make things right whenever a mistake was made, refused a refund, etc. Several people posting in this thread are mentally unstable and outright lying. We have thousands of rave reviews on just about every marketplace/review site on the internet, for a good reason. Before listening to miserable trolls, do your own research.

@napalmdeath: I can't believe 5 years later you're still ranting and lying about this. One final time: We shipped you a brand new ENGL Fireball. You were enraged that we shipped the amp in a different box due to the original box incurring damage. That does not make it a used amp. Nonetheless, we promptly refunded you once you complained, so what is the issue? The level of hatred and vitriol you have for someone who sent you a brand new product, and refunded you once you complained, borders on insanity. We've been an ENGL dealer for 10 years, and no one ever had an issue with any amp we've shipped out, other than you. Seek mental help, immediately.

@njhelmet4000: You have a legitimate gripe, although I think that should be more with G&L than us. We promptly placed your order with G&L once you made it. G&L had *major* issues during the pandemic, were shut down for a while, had several orders we placed slip the cracks, I couldn't get our reps to answer emails or phone calls most of the time, etc. It sucks, we were caught in the middle. I should have communicated better during the process, but we were so in the dark that it was tough at times. That said, we have never refused any refund in the case something goes wrong. You never needed to threaten us to get a refund, a simple phone call or emailing asking for one would have sufficed.

@katsumura78: None of that story sounds familiar or remotely plausible given that every single guitar we receive, we open up, inspect, have our licensed luthier/technician set it up to the customer's specs for no charge. Every single guitar on our website specifically has a "Setup Instructions" box for this exact reason. This is something we're well known for, and just about every customer knows about. So something had to have been lost in translation here or was miscommunicated here. You're welcome to PM me with more context, as this is news to me.

To anyone reading this unfortunate thread: not everything you read on the internet is true. Do your own research. Look up review websites, Reverb reviews, eBay reviews, BBB, social media, talk to the companies we work with, whoever, and in the unlikely event you'd still have any concerns, just visit the store or contact us and it's highly unlikely you won't have a great experience.

At this point we’re talking over 7 years ago so of course it’s not going to sound familiar, sent a JPXI 7 string and I ordered juggernauts from your shop. There was nothing lost in translation because you called me when it was done and ready to ship. Telling me it was impossible to wire it up like a JP6 model. Sure man….I have no ill will towards you and your business but don’t pretend like you’re not an asshole at times. I didn’t ask for the impossible and hell your tech did a great job but not what I asked/paid for. No biggie, the guitar is long gone and I even bought an amp from you years later a JP2C. You give good deals and have some solid guitar runs but to say the experience is enjoyable would be pushing it. Not asking anyone to kiss my ass either but if I’m dropping some dough and you give me flack about a specific request you agreed to then I have a problem.