Musikhaus Thomann e. K.

I purchased a guitar which had a number of faults which are very obvious and should not have passed Quality Control at The Factory, or Thomann's own checks prior to sending it to me. The black paint on two of the holes for the neck screws is chipped. – This neck has either been removed, or the paint was chipped at the factory. The blue stain has bled into the wood-coloured binding in the upper cutaway. The screws and washers which hold the neck to the body are tarnished. The guitar has 3 pickups, one of which is missing the plastic film protection that comes on all pickups of all new guitars. At the time of placing the order, there was a B Grade Guitar on offer from the seller. When I returned to the seller's website to report the faults, the B Grade was no longer available. - I strongly suspect that the seller sent me the B Grade, despite that I paid full price for a brand new unused and fault free item! I am 59 years of age. - I have played guitar for 50 of those years, have been to university to study Jazz and Popular Music Performance and have been a successful Full Time Professional Guitar Teacher since 2003. I have owned played and handled many guitars. I contacted Thomann to attempt to resolve this. - The only resolution that they have offered, was for me to return the guitar at my own cost and to additionally incur customs clearance charges! Thomann claims that the faults are minor imperfections which are common on a guitar at this price point. - I don't consider them to be minor at all. I purchased the same make and model guitar from the seller on 20/07/2020 at a similar price, which is flawless. – Three of my students have the same make and model of guitar, which are flawless. The same make and model of guitar is well reviewed independently and there is no suggestion of common faults of any nature. – Once I opened a PayPal claim for a full refund and return at Thomann's costs, they agreed to take the guitar back and supply a postpaid label. The guitar was returned to Thomann's UK address as per their own label, which they and DHL Tracking have confirmed. – However, Thomann are now refusing my refund until the guitar is returned to Germany, clears Customs and arrives back at their German address. -This stance has no basis in morals, or legislation! Like many businesses, you don't see the worst until something goes wrong! - This is like when The CEO of The Ratners Jewellery Empire committed Business Suicide when he stated that his Company sells cheap rubbish!