Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/06/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  So I ordered a $500 guitar from Sweetwater, and it was delivered on June 1st 1:56pm but I didnt see the email that it was delivered until June 11th and even so the guitar was not delivered at my address. Tried to file a claim with ***** but nothing was done, and then in order for Sweetwater to send a replacement for my guitar they need a police report. I went to my local precinct to file it, they took done the serial number and gave an incident report and number said that this is all you need to give Sweetwater for a replacement. Sent Sweetwater the incident number but they said it wasnt good enough and still needed the police report. I am unable to actually get a police report because the precinct said that they need more information about the package being stolen (what time it was stolen, the details of who stole it, etc). So now Im going through this back a forth exchange with Sweetwater and the Police to try and find a solution, but to no avail nothing is working.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/16/2025

  Thanks for reaching out and we're very sorry for the poor experience. We've been in touch with the customer and have shipped them a replacement. We believe we have resolved this issue with the customer!

  
  
  ****** ******
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ******************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/25/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Called this business today to order a guitar and needed some other equipment. The person who answers the phones is ******. My salesman is **** ******. When **** is away from his phone ****** take over handling the phone calls but statesI dont have any product knowledge or cant really give advice about purchasing products. Well then why is he answering the phones??? I dont get it. And if my regular sales person is busy then he should have some idea of what hes talking about. Thats just not good customer service. I spent about 6000 dollars in .a 2 week span for guitars and this is how I get treated? Not good. ******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/09/2025

  Hi ****,

  Thanks for your note and I believe this is related to a similar BBB complaint that you've sent in. Braeden works with **** as his assistant. He is not a sales engineer, so would not have the same product knowledge that a sales engineer would have. **** is very busy, and Braeden helps to manage his day to day and assists **** with helping with customer issues. That said, when it comes to product related knowledge, a sales engineer would be the best person to speak with. 

  That said, more broadly, i believe this is the 5th or 6th BBB complaint that you've submitted, which makes me believe that you continue to be frustrated with Sweetwater. We want to try and help you and provide you with a great experience, but we also seem to be letting you down. Perhaps our model is not the right fit any longer. Perhaps there is a retailer out there that would provide the experience and technical knowledge that we seem to be missing on our end. We really don't want that to happen, but I also don't want you to have to continue to go to the BBB because you're disappointed in our service.

  Happy to connect with you directly, so please don't hesitate to reach out using the contact information from below!

  Thanks

  
  
  ****** ******
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ******************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/15/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The complaint is resolved after I spoke to the person from Sweetwater.  Please close the case as soon as possible.
  
  Thanks you,
  ******* *****
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/04/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  
  

  Thank you.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/12/2025

  Hello,

  We're very sorry for the poor experience and for the poor communication. Our team has been in touch with the customer and have ensured that we got this resolved. We've also addressed the internal failures that led to the issue in the first place!

  Thanks

  
  
  ****** ******
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ******************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/01/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Portable Camera on 4/3/2025. I was called by a representative at the company named ***** that informed me my order would be shipping out within a week or two. I paid $519 for the camera (not including tax.) One month later and I have still not received my order. Then, on 5/1/2025, I was contacted over text message by ***** informing me that my product has increased in price from $519 to $619 and I would have to pay an additional $100 if I still wanted my order. I would like the company to honor the original price I paid of $519 and ship me the product as soon as possible as it's now at least 2 weeks past the promised date.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/02/2025

  Hello,

  We've been in touch with ****** via phone and will ensure that we honor the original price when the order was originally created. We're very sorry for the trouble, and for the delays. Sadly, these are out of stock at a lot of places, and we're simply waiting on more to arrive. The vendor has adjusted their ETAs a few times, and we're regrettably, at their mercy when it comes to replenishment! As soon as we get them in stock, though, we'll get it shipped out at the original price!

  Thanks

  
  
  ****** ******
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ******************************************************************
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/26/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Ive been buying musical instruments from this company for years with no issues. All of a sudden I go to make a purchase today with my card and the *** tells me it went through no problem. Then 10 minutes later I get an email saying the order declined and the order was put on hold. I called the bank and they said it was blocked temporarily because they just wanted to make sure that there was no fraud on the card. The full purchase price was 1181 and some change and that it would now go through no problem since I called to verify the order. I go to call back sweetwater and they are closed till 11am Sunday morning so everything is on hold. First of all no one called me to make me aware there was a problem with the payment?? I could have straightened it out right there and put the order through. They embarrassed me and Im a good loyal customer who has spent thousands of dollars there on various guitars there over the years only to be treated like a thief. I pay my bills. It was very embarrassing and then they close for the night with no one calling me back. Terrible customer service and furthermore I am not a thief

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/29/2025

  Hi ****,

  Thanks for your review and for sharing your experience. If you recall, I responded the last time, so wanted to respond again this time to personally apologize for what happened with your recent purchase. I'm also sorry for any embarrassment that we may have caused. Hopefully, you know, this is certainly not intentional. This all may have happened as a result of timing, between when the sales engineer placed the order, and when we were finally notified that the card didn't initially get approved. Typically, the sales engineer, ****, would have been notified right away, but if he was out, the other sales person who took the order, may not have known, if he had simply processed the order and moved on after the call. Obviously, not ideal, and an opportunity for additional training. 

  We shouldn't have treated you like a thief, and you've clearly done business with us for many many years, and we're very grateful for that. We would never take that for granted. If we can somehow make things up to you, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly. 

  Sorry again for the trouble and I look forward to hearing back from you!

  
  
  ****** ******
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ******************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/15/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

   

  Thank you ******, I have not got the return label yet and I am out of town, but I let **** know that I hadnt gotten anything yet. Appreciate you taking care of this. 

  
  

  Thank you.

  either so they can give me another credit to fix the s**** and guess by who? *************. NO thanks. My only other option was to get a replacement (no thanks dont want another cheap made guitar), in house credit BUT i would have to pay a restocking fee for a guitar they know they wont actually restock. I have been using Sweetwater through my former entertainment employers for over 30 years and now a customer and I am thinking that this 2 year warranty is literally not worth the paper its written on.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/17/2025

  ***,

  I'm very sorry for the poor experience, and that you had to go outside of Sweetwater to get action taken on the guitar that you bought. Ideally, we would have done more to take care of you, and again, I'm very sorry for the poor experience. Rest assured, we take seriously, and will be addressing it with those involved.

  Your sales engineer has reached out to you and has set up the return, including sending you a return shipping label. We will not charge you any return shipping, nor will we charge you a restocking fee. Ultimately, we want to do right by you, and hopefully these steps show that.

  Sorry again for the trouble, and if we can help further, please don't hestiate to reach out!

  Thank you for reaching out to us and for sharing your concerns related to the recent changes with our privacy policy. First and foremost, at Sweetwater, we are deeply committed to building long term relationships with our customers, based on trust and credibility.  One of our core philosophies in achieving that goal is to protect your personal information at all costs. 
  
  We are humbled and grateful that you have trusted us with your information and as your source for gear. We strive to provide each and every person with an incredible experience, and we can assure you that we would never take that trust for granted. We recognize that changes to our privacy policy can cause some concerns, which is completely understandable.
  
  We understand and respect your request to change your personal preferences and we've taken the necessary steps to remove all non-pertinent information from our records. 
  
  We appreciate you reaching out and if we can help further, please don't hesitate to write.
  
  Thanks,
  
  ****** ******
  Director of Customer Service
  ********************** Inc.
  Phone:  *********************
  ***********************
  ***************, IN  46818
  ******************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/15/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hi Mr. *******
  
  Very much appreciate the explanations and extra care on behalf of Sweetwater.  I accept this resolution pending the refund of these amounts (as you have mentioned in your suggested resolution) once Sweetwater receives the items via the AIRBILL that has been mailed to me:
  
  Original order cost: $611.64 USD
  Duties incurred: $140.98 CAD
  
  I have included the payment receipt for the duties incurred from *** for this order.  Once again, very grateful for this resolution.
  
  Kind Regards,
  *******
  
  * did not receive the package until 04/07/2025, 17:42, which is two days following when the original return to cancel the order was submitted. Following multiple delays in shipment because the Return to Sender request was received by *** only once I had already paid duties, and the package crossed the border. Once the package was received, it arrived completely damaged, with the boxes inside damaged. Despite this, when I e-mailed **** requesting a return authorization number and label for this order, I was informed the boxes received were "flawless", but that they would provide a return AIRBILL shipment label to return the item. As it turns out, Sweetwater is shipping these labels to me via *** standard instead of forwarding them via e-mail. I am still awaiting my return shipment label, and eventual refund, despite providing ample communication. I have yet to also be assigned a Return Authorization Number, and feel this cancellation and return process is highly suspicious.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/17/2025

  *******,

  Thanks for submitting your BBB review. I'm very sorry for the poor experience and for all of the hassle in getting the products back to Sweetwater. I do understand why you'd be upset, but rest assured, we're going to make everything right for you. 

  To give a little context, we do ship incredibly fast, so it's not uncommon that an order could be placed and picked/packed and given to ***** very quickly. This can often make it tough to try and "pull the order back" to cancel. That appears to be the case here. We did ask *** to return the package, but that service is not always guaranteed, so when that happens, we need to step in and do everything we can to make things right. In this case, because of the international component, we don't have a way to email shipping labels from *****, so we have to manually send an "international return airbill," which is what was ultimately sent to you via ***. Hopefully, once that arrives, you'll be able to get that back to *** so we can get it returned here.

  In addition, we're going to make sure that we fully refund your original purchase of $611.64, and we can refund any duties/taxes you had to pay as a result. Simply let me know how much those were and we can take care of that as well. If you incur and return shipping costs, we'll reimburse those too. One way or the other, we're going to make you whole!

  Sorry again for the trouble, and if we can help further, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly!

  Thanks,

  ****** ******
  Director of Customer Experience
  Office: ************ 1046
  ******************************************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/21/2025

  Hi *****, 
  
  Currently rejected the response as awaiting feedback on the following items: 
  
  1. In e-mail correspondence, you mentioned that accounting needs to get back to you regarding use of ****** as a means of reimbursement for the duties incurred.  Any updates on whether that is possible or when that reimbursement is scheduled for? 
  
  2. Received the ***** Air Waybill from Sweewater (which is great) and had two questions:  
  
  2.a. Currently, there are no slips of any kind inside the return package (i.e., just the items ordered and bubble wrap), as Sweetwater provided only an Air Waybill.  Is there anything that needs to be included inside the package in terms of slips to ensure Sweetwater knows the return order number this package is associated with? If so, if you can please provide those slips to include inside the package, that would be greatly appreciated.  
  
  2.b.  Do I just fill out the remaining items required on the Air Waybill (e.g., From information, Shipment information, etc), and then just bring the sealed package to ***** with this Air Waybill?  Or is something more required? 
  
  Kind Regards,
  *******
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/18/2025

  Thanks *******! To clarify for the BBB, he has accepted our offer, but the case is showing as "rejected."

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/29/2025

  I responded to the complaint on 4/18 stating that the customer and I were in direct conversation and that we had resolved the issue, we simply needed to wait for his items to be returned to Sweetwater. They were returned as of yesterday and the customer has been fully refunded.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/29/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution met all my requirements.  Certainly want to thank Mr. ****** from Sweetwater for all his assistance and efforts during this return process. 

  
  

  Thank you BBB Folks for all of your efforts during this return process.  Means a great deal. 
  
  Kind Regards,
  *******