Hey, it’s an odd coincidence: I was sitting in the Nashville airport’s “Gibson Cafe” when I was perma-banned from the Heritage (Guitar) Owners’ Club.
Long-time readers of this blog will remember that Heritage Guitar was the company formed by four long-time Gibson employees when that company abandoned its unionized Kalamazoo facility in favor of the right-to-work New South. (Here’s a quick catch-up, if you care.) I own more than a few Heritage guitars but I’ve become increasingly disenchanted with the owners community over the past two years. There are simply too many people trying to rip other people off, whether by failing to ship guitars, shipping damaged guitars, attempting to lowball injured Vietnam veterans (true story), or simply acting in an unpleasant and fractious manner.
So tonight I lost my patience with one of the forum’s worst scam artists and called him out on it. I might post the exchange here at some point, it makes for amusing reading. I was summarily banned for doing so, but the scammer in question was also banned. Which means it was a net gain for the community.
And it was a net gain for me. Much like Facebook, web forums are a real time sink for me. I have a limited amount of productive time left in this old carcass and I need to make the most of it. Tomorrow I’ll be spending some of that time living another childhood dream. Naturally, you’ll have to hear all about it. Thank you for letting me steal some of your time, by the way. It is not unappreciated.
Perhaps a quote attributed to Groucho Marx is appropriate here;
“I don’t care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members.”
ha!! nice one
well that sucks, Jack you’ll be missed over there
I’d rather be driving a Lamborghini anyway…sure beats the hell out of arguing with someone on a forum
am interested in followups and a post of the exchange
-j (charter member of HOC)
Watch your email when I get back home 🙂
xlnt
Subscribed!!
I’m a scammer??? Everybody knows that’s not true.
Well, when you deliver that ass-kicking you promised me, you can add “calling you a scammer” to your list of complaints.
Also, you must think nobody’s ever talked to me about some of your deals. Believe me, I’ve heard enough to last a while.
Brent, i’d sincerely like to hear your side of it, too. maybe here’s not the right place (Jack?), but wherever…
Brent’s free to write whatever he wants, I’m not going to censor him.
good on ya, Jack…
That story about me lowballing smaj the Veteran is a total lie. I was prepared to pay the full $2500….but he wouldn’t give me 4 days to get the $$$ around. Of course then you came in with your big wallet and left me no chance to buy it.
Ok…so where are these bad deals you speak of, i’m really interested to hear this since I don’t recall having to take a guitar back because somebody was dissatisfied.
I would also like to make it know to all of you faithful followers that Jack publicly insulted my wife on a GUITAR forum…..if that’s not a class act, I don’t know what is.
…and jack, the ass kicking I threatened, that’s not just words. not that our paths will ever cross again, but I guess you never know. when you insulted my family, you earned that threat.
I can’t believe I actully invited you into my home, seeing the way you have so harshly abused me in this verbal manner.
Brent, I’m going to post your comment to me from HOC before it was deleted, just so everybody can see how you feel. I never threatened you. I noted that you lowballed a veteran. Which you did. Asking a guy to turn down other offers because you thought you might have the cash in a week, and expecting him to wait on you because you “give so much to the Heritage community”, is unfair. Furthermore, what you’re neglecting to mention is that you also tried to move him on the price even though you knew other people were willing to pay full price. Not cool.
Not to mention the fact that you tried to get me to agree to sell you a $2700 guitar for $900 earlier this year.
I would call that negotiations. There is nothing wrong with asking and if he didn’t want to take the offer that’s up to him. He has the right to say no. I am a Veteran and I find nothing wrong with Brent trying to get a better deal.
Did Brent then have the right to go on the forums afterwards and trash the guy and make him feel unwelcome to ever participate in the club again? Cause, you know, that’s what happened.
I was first in Iine. He had the right to refuse my offer to pay in 4 days which he did. That’s not a lowball offer.
As far as that explorer. How much did you pay for it? I think it was $900?
I’m still waiting for all these stories where I’m a “scam artist” as you put it.
I’m sure all of your regulars are getting bored waiting for you turn me into this crooked no good guitar scamming jerk rod that you make me out to be. Hell I’m surprised the cops haven’t showed up to get me, because according to you, I’m such a crook.
You must really miss posting on the HOC.
I’ve been contacted by multiple members of the club in the past month. If they want to tell their stories I’ll let them. In one case, however, and perhaps this will jog your memory, the buyer reportedly had to threaten you to get you to cover your half of the deal.
Give me names. That doesn’t sound familiar.
If find it funny that you went fishing to try to find bad things about me.
That would have been funny but in truth I had people contacting me.
I might need some popcorn for this one
Alright Jacko. Shit or get off the pot! Produce some names and some truth….I’m sick of all this fuckin around.
Stop trying to rip people off and you won’t have to ask me for names to figure out who you had a bad deal with. That’s my advice.
I have probably half a dozen deals with Brent. All above board. All good deals. Brent, stop feeding the troll. This guy isn’t worth the time. Little men that sit behind keyboards will literally say whatever they want. You know who you are.
Well, I know who you are, anyway.
I don’t know where all this “scammer” stuff came from about Brent, all I know is I have bought two guitars, an amplifier, and many guitar accessories from the man, and each and every time, his terms were straight up (in other words he made it clear about what deposit was needed, if any, shipping terms, etc) with no hint of deception. I am not trying to be biased about this situation, just speaking from my own personal experience. On the non business side, I find Brent to be a good human being, a truly nice guy, who has, in fact, supported ME when I was BANNED from the HOC and we continue to be friends. I also like his wife, his daughter and his parents. Brent has probably done more good for the Heritage Guitar community than all the other members combined. I am saying he has not made a mistake or has faults, like each of us have. What I am saying is it is unfair to judge him based on the recent incident between him and Jack.
Will, I agree. Brent’s done a lot for the Heritage community. He’s also been a remarkable pain in the ass for me and a few other people.
I’m sure you remember the public temper tantrum he threw over that Korina H-357.
You know fellas, you’re both good guys perhaps though ,you both show it in different ways. The art of making a deal is to barter, never pay full price if you have to. I’m sure you’d appreciate this Jack, like the stock market, you want to buy low and sell high. You can’t blame Brent for using the art of a bargain. Not all if us can buy at will and not blink an eye like you Jack. Egos were bruised, insults were brash, and threats were unnecessary. We aren’t in Junior High anymore fellas. You don’t have to be this way, either of you. This had gone too far and it needs to stop. I like to think of both of you as friends, so please don’t make this any worse. You both probably won’t get along in the future, but please make you peace now. Christmas is around the corner. It’s a great time of the year to be with friends and family. Forgiveness is in the air. Take advantage of it.
Trying to lowball a disabled veteran and get him to turn down real cash offers for less money later is repugnant. Period.
The exact details of the transaction are only between the three of you. I wish I’d never posted about the guitar when I discovered it on Craigslist
I’m glad you did. Because you did, someone got a fair price for their guitar, which is more important than all this message board ass-kicking that is never going to happen.
Just as I thought, jack, you just blowing smoke. You have nothing. Not that I expected you to anyway.
Now go play race car driver and leave me the fuck alone!
Get smaj on here to say I “lowballed” him. If does its a lie.
So if he doesn’t say you lowballed him, it’s not true.
If he says you did, it’s not true.
Got it.
Well if consider offering him $2500 and asking for 4 days to get the money low balling, then I’m guilty.
You don’t have a leg to stand on. All you are doing is making false accusations and trying to impress all your regulars.
Do you get paid for hits on this blog?
Yes. I’ve already made ten thousand dollars off your comments.
That’s what I figured.
Thank you for displaying your colossal misunderstanding of how the internet works!
That HOC sounds like a total shitshow!
The comments accusations against Brent are just not true.
Jack, you of all people questioning someones character? You asked the people of the HOC to lie for you about different the girlfriends you were bringing to Kalamazoo.
Amazing that you know that without being anywhere near the deals in question.
And I never asked anybody to lie about women, I asked a couple of thirsty-ass old men to stop discussing whatever woman I brought to the previous year’s event with the woman I’d brought to the current year’s event. Example: “I like you so much more than last year’s girl.” It was pathetic and unnecessary. This was apparently too much for anyone to do.
I sincerely hope I never did or say anything of that nature.
Not at all. You’re a very nice person with a very pretty spouse. It was the creepy old guys who couldn’t leave my dates alone.
I’m gonna need more popcorn
Hey Jack; Let’s start a new Heritage club for banned members. 😉
I don’t know about that, man, I hear you’re a troublemaker, what with all your “experience” and “knowledge” with “archtops”. 🙂
Naaaa . . . I don’t make any trouble. I just “do the dance” . . much like most others. There are far more really nice people on HOC . . than there are trouble makers.
I’ve got a Facebook page dedicated to the Exiles
Well ladies and gents, that about does it. The preverbal straw that broke the camels back has come to pass. The outcry of foul by loyal community members speaking out against the oppression of opinions has led to the collapse of the forum. It no longer exists, perhaps to the delight of some here. Here we thought the forum would outlast the company and it was far from true. While it’s not Jacks or Brent’s fault, it was just icing on the cake. Until the next chapter….