Double Bass Problem with a Luthier (Roland/Emanuel Wilfer content)

T

Tyronimo

Jun 3, 2017
73
59
4,591
Costa Rica
#1
Hello everyone,


Last year I talked by email and bought a double bass to a recognized Luthier in Germany, it was supposed that in December of last year he was going to send it to me, but this person has only made excuses every time I needed to know about my double bass and when he was going to send, now he does not answer emails or WhatsApp.

I've been waiting since December for him to solve this, but all he said is that he needs some documents to be able to send the double bass outside of Germany.

This makes me think many things but the main ones are:

Could it be that he still did not have my contrabass ready and he just lie and wanted to buy time to finish it? (Since apparently he gives a lot of importance to the people with whom he has big business but to little individual buyers like me he leaves us aside)

Could it be that somebody supplanted his identity and that I did not send the money to the Luthier, but that I send it to some hacker?


In any of the cases I'm tired of waiting for him to lie to me with the date on which he is going to send me my double bass (when he did it ... because now he does not even answer)

This situation makes me feel as if I was asking to the Luthier donations or to gift me the double bass, but it's not like that! the contrabass has been canceled since September or October of last year...

PayPal can not make a refund because it has been a long time since the payment, and the bank says that they can return the money if it is verified that he has not sent the double bass,

I just want to have the double bass in my hands and be happy...

I'm already talking to the German embassy and checking the reliability of the Luthier and his company ... I will not stand with my arms crossed like a fool, that I live on the other side of the world does not mean that I will not try to fight for my double bass or at least for the money I paid back almost a year ago.


This Luthier does not know the damage it causes to me (physical and emotional) by deceiving me in this way during this time...


Be careful when trusting someone.

Sorry for my english, its not my native lenguage
 
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#2
Was the instrument going to be made for you? or were you buying a completed instrument??
Has he actually received the funds you sent? or does he claim you haven’t sent?

I would not have paid everything up front for a bass “to be built” but hey.

if you have paid him, have proof of that, and have proof of genuine attempts to negotiate the completion of the deal, i don’t think anyone would mind if you named the luthier here.

if he’s genuine, he’ll want to maintain a good reputation and sort you out. Or give his version of the story.
 
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#3
Matthew Tucker said:
Was the instrument going to be made for you? For me, yes. or were you buying a completed instrument??
Has he actually received the funds you sent? or does he claim you haven’t sent? Yes.

I would not have paid everything up front for a bass “to be built” but hey. I paid the 50% that he asked for in advance, and the other 50% paid it when the luthier said that my instrument was almost finished, and that was in October of 2017.

if you have paid him, have proof of that, and have proof of genuine attempts to negotiate the completion of the deal, i don’t think anyone would mind if you named the luthier here. I have proof of everything. But PayPal can no longer make me refunds, I begged the Luthier to return the money and he did not want to, he promised to send my double bass at the beginning of this year and he did not either. I do not trust him anymore. I feel very bad. For now I will not name the Luthier until the German embassy makes a statement about it.

if he’s genuine, he’ll want to maintain a good reputation and sort you out. Or give his version of the story.

That makes too much sense, but now I'm afraid of everything, then he takes legal action against me for saying his name here and taking it as a "defamation" and that I'm ruining the business ... You know how people are in the times we live.
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#5
You’re not defaming him. As long as you have good-faith proof that your version of the story is what happened, you’re basically just giving a negative review.

This kind of story happens all the time, in all sorts of industries. Too bad it happened to you. I doubt the embassy will be of any assistance, and unless you speak German and frequent European lutherie sites, I doubt anything you do on the Internet is likely to affect his business either.

Work on verifying that he hasn’t sent the bass. Then the bank can try to do its thing, at least.
 
#6
Please go ahead and name him. I bet I know who it is already. There is a certain guy who orders from me from time to time, but never pays his bills until my wife, a lawyer, sends him a proper lawyer's letter. I have been too soft to ask him to pre-pay, but no more. PM me if you want my wife to send him a letter for you. She might ask for some money, but it might get things done:D
 
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#10
Picton said:
Robobass is offering a German lawyer with experience handling recalcitrant German luthiers. I’d jump on that.

I’d say that’s going to be the absolute best thing you could possibly get out of this thread. Certainly MUCH better than the German embassy. Good luck.
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That’s a good offer. Even if it costs you a few bucks, it should get straightened out.
 
#16
Matthew Tucker said:
Was the instrument going to be made for you? or were you buying a completed instrument??
Has he actually received the funds you sent? or does he claim you haven’t sent?

I would not have paid everything up front for a bass “to be built” but hey.

if you have paid him, have proof of that, and have proof of genuine attempts to negotiate the completion of the deal, i don’t think anyone would mind if you named the luthier here.

if he’s genuine, he’ll want to maintain a good reputation and sort you out. Or give his version of the story.
Click to expand...
Matthew speaks the word of plain truth, as he always does!
 
#18
I just saw this thread. I've dealt with Roland Wilfer and have known him for many years. He's a wonderful man who's up to his ears in orders. From all the shops and people I know who have ordered from him, I've never heard one negative word about him, other than instruments taking longer than expected. The bass I ordered from him took months longer than expected, but I figured that these are quality hand made basses that sometimes take longer to get out than expected. I hope your issues have been resolved. Please let us know if that is not the case, as I'm thinking of ordering another bass from him.
 
#19
B String said:
I just saw this thread. I've dealt with Roland Wilfer and have known him for many years. He's a wonderful man who's up to his ears in orders. From all the shops and people I know who have ordered from him, I've never heard one negative word about him, other than instruments taking longer than expected. The bass I ordered from him took months longer than expected, but I figured that these are quality hand made basses that sometimes take longer to get out than expected. I hope your issues have been resolved. Please let us know if that is not the case, as I'm thinking of ordering another bass from him.
Click to expand...


He does not give reasons about my double bass, he does not even answer the mail or try it to communicating with me ... Almost two years ago I made the full payment of my instrument and nothing ... I do not recommend him to anyone
 
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