I went to Fretted Instruments in Homewood, Alabama, last weekend and the following Monday. Both experiences were disappointing. I sent an email to the contact address on their website and a facebook message on that Monday. Now, a week later, I have not gotten any sort of response.

The message is as follows.

Hi, I’m Adam. I visited your store twice in the last few days. Both times I was near ready to purchase an acoustic guitar, especially today. Both times I was treated as though I was inconveniencing the young man running the store.

I came in Saturday, at 3:20. I did not know that the store was supposed to close at 3pm. I came in and the young man was sitting in a chair next to the front window focused on his phone. When I came in and began looking around he didn’t say a word. I looked at a couple of Martin acoustics and wanted to play a couple of them. I asked if I could use a tuner and he let out a loud breath, didn’t answer, stood up and found a tuner behind the counter and handed it to me. Again, I did not know that the store was supposed to be closed. As I’m enjoying trying out an Eastman e10d the young man begins turn the lights off, starting with the front window lights, and then the lights through the entire house, leaving only the lights above me on. I asked if it was time to close up and he said “Well, we were supposed to close at three.” I apologized, put the guitar back up, and quickly walked through the back two rooms with acoustics, in the dark, to try to see (unsuccessfully) what other models you had in stock. I then wished him a nice afternoon and left.

I came back today, on my lunch break, hoping to find a more helpful salesperson, as I checked your website to make sure that your store was supposed to be open. The same young man was working today, as well. He was seated next to the front window focusing on a laptop computer. I walked over to look at the acoustics in your front room. I asked him if he had any opinions on any acoustics under a thousand dollars. He replied “What about’em?”. I asked, “do you have any preferences? favorite models?”. He said “Taylor. Eastman. Alvarez.” and that was it. I asked to borrow a pick and a capo. Again, he did not answer. He just looked around for a moment at the countertops, presumably to see one that he could tell me to get myself. I found a pick but he had to put down the laptop and get up, with another loud sigh, to find a capo for me. I played with a Martin and then went back to the Eastman e10d. I asked him if he could do the marked price ($839) out the door. This was the first time he addressed me as an equal, saying that he could do $900. I thanked him for his time and left.

I also have a small business and I would never treat my customers so rudely. I don’t understand how you can have someone representing your store who treats customers this way. I’m really not interested in getting him into hot water but I believe it would behoove the owners (presumably, you) to make sure that these sorts of things do not turn away other customers.

I am not angry, but I am very upset that I have to purchase the Eastman e10d online when I wanted to purchase it from your store. I would much rather buy it locally, even though, all in, the online price is $50 lower than the $900 price that the young man gave me.

I’ll get off of my soapbox now. I just wanted to express how disappointing my experience in your store was on Saturday and today.

Have a good evening,
Adam

About an hour ago I had one of the most poignant moments of my life to date: As the sun rose “Mumford & Sons – After the Storm” was playing and I looked out of the window to see my very-elderly neighbor (who, with his wife, had, two months ago, their twelve-year-old dog let to sleep) hobble down his steps, and painstakingly carry take the garbage out to the curb. I am destroyed. God bless Love: all that matters.