Anyone ever deal with LRC Guitars out of Orlando??

[harddriver]

Thank you for the compliment. LRC has harmed their own business reputation through poor practices.

To simplify things, all that really needed to happen was: "hi this is shawn/rj from LRC. We are really sorry we allowed ourselves to take on a backlog of work that created excessive time frames for our customers to receive their instruments. We are working hard to get this sorted out asap and will be more cognizant of our turnaround times in the future so we can better care for our clients. With love-shawn/rj"

I would think that would be a better approach than calling on your personal friends and associates from the Orlando area to defend you on a guitar website.

How these people operate they don't deserve anyone's business.

A delay? be communicative
A refund? follow through within a decent timeframe

This place seems incapable of doing either of these things which is the hallmark of a bad business.

My luthier is a little flakey on delivery times too, but he also only takes payment when the job is done and he has never charged more than he quoted the job for. He always says he's been fixing guitars long enough he can say what it cost by looking at it, and so far he has always lived up to that motto.

 

[Swanny]

I had written a very detailed description of my “LRC Experience,” but it ended up being two pages long. So, here is the short version. He’s worked on two instruments for me. As others have said, the work is excellent. My first business experience with him was pretty good; the second was terrible.

On the second job, I was promised 6-8 weeks, and I got the thing back at week 45 (after months of inaccurate, misleading communication). I will never do business with this guy again, nor will I ever recommend him.

He’s in way over his head and cannot manage a business backlog or communicate professionally. He touts seven staff on his web site and, as per his email autoreplies, half of them are “out on tour,” or, “have other business commitments,” or, “Wally is MIA.” Wally is MIA? How less professional could anyone be? You do not slag your staff in a broadcast email.

Getting to RJ, he’s always on a cruise ship, or working a show or he’s sick or some other kind of personal mishap. It’s constantly one thing or another. When you read about his shop rules and watch the videos that explain his operation, they make sense. He cuts the figure of someone who is very buttoned down and well organized. He is not.

Here’s the bottom line on LRC. He treats the “pros” like gold. If you’re a “Joe” like me, you are just not important. In my business, almost the same thing; big customers, small customers. We make every single customer know they’re important. All I can say is, buyer beware.

 

[parr0t]

I had written a very detailed description of my “LRC Experience,” but it ended up being two pages long. So, here is the short version. He’s worked on two instruments for me. As others have said, the work is excellent. My first business experience with him was pretty good; the second was terrible.

On the second job, I was promised 6-8 weeks, and I got the thing back at week 45 (after months of inaccurate, misleading communication). I will never do business with this guy again, nor will I ever recommend him.

He’s in way over his head and cannot manage a business backlog or communicate professionally. He touts seven staff on his web site and, as per his email autoreplies, half of them are “out on tour,” or, “have other business commitments,” or, “Wally is MIA.” Wally is MIA? How less professional could anyone be? You do not slag your staff in a broadcast email.

Getting to RJ, he’s always on a cruise ship, or working a show or he’s sick or some other kind of personal mishap. It’s constantly one thing or another. When you read about his shop rules and watch the videos that explain his operation, they make sense. He cuts the figure of someone who is very buttoned down and well organized. He is not.

Here’s the bottom line on LRC. He treats the “pros” like gold. If you’re a “Joe” like me, you are just not important. In my business, almost the same thing; big customers, small customers. We make every single customer know they’re important. All I can say is, buyer beware.

I get the same impression from this shop. He comes across as a bit too elitist, in my opinion. Thanks for sharing your story. I think the least we can do is share our feedback here so others can read this thread before deciding to do business with him.

 

[Swanny]

I get the same impression from this shop. He comes across as a bit too elitist, in my opinion. Thanks for sharing your story. I think the least we can do is share our feedback here so others can read this thread before deciding to do business with him.

Thank you. I've tried very hard for almost 2 months to get over this and let it go. The problem is, there aren't many people in Florida who can even do high-level assignments on acoustic guitars. Maybe a half dozen.

 

[parr0t]

Thank you. I've tried very hard for almost 2 months to get over this and let it go. The problem is, there aren't many people in Florida who can even do high-level assignments on acoustic guitars. Maybe a half dozen.

100%! I’ve tried to remain patient and give this process space to resolve, but the lack of consistent communication and follow-through has made that increasingly difficult. The reason I brought my instrument to a small independent shop was because I was intentionally trying to avoid the kinds of issues that can come with larger, less specialized operations. Literally had to drive 1 hour away from the outskirts of downtown Orlando since I've been burnt waaay to many times by clownish operations in my 10+ years of living in the area. I also knew the work wasn't going to be cheap. But for the price, I was expecting a whole lot more.

What’s been especially frustrating is that there are very few people in this area who reliably handle higher-level acoustic guitar work, so I made a deliberate effort to trust a shop that presented itself as capable and dependable. Well, I was wrong.

 

[Swanny]

100%! I’ve tried to remain patient and give this process space to resolve, but the lack of consistent communication and follow-through has made that increasingly difficult. The reason I brought my instrument to a small independent shop was because I was intentionally trying to avoid the kinds of issues that can come with larger, less specialized operations. Literally had to drive 1 hour away from the outskirts of downtown Orlando since I've been burnt waaay to many times by clownish operations in my 10+ years of living in the area. I also knew the work wasn't going to be cheap. But for the price, I was expecting a whole lot more.

What’s been especially frustrating is that there are very few people in this area who reliably handle higher-level acoustic guitar work, so I made a deliberate effort to trust a shop that presented itself as capable and dependable. Well, I was wrong.

If I ever have another assignment like this, I will probably take it to Kenny Blount in Sebring. He's got a terrific reputation. I've talked with him by phone. Very friendly, works from home. Turns out, I didn't need him. He's on the Martin web site.

 

[parr0t]

If I ever have another assignment like this, I will probably take it to Kenny Blount in Sebring. He's got a terrific reputation. I've talked with him by phone. Very friendly, works from home. Turns out, I didn't need him. He's on the Martin web site.

I will keep that in mind. Thanks!

 

[Swanny]

Well that's three satisfied customers so far.....

4

 

[VonBonfire]

4

Sorry to see that bro. This thread seems to be becoming a clearing house for people trying to get their stuff back.....

I think all he'd need to have done is be up front about his wait times as well as providing some basic communication and this could've been avoided. Instead you are given excuses, which are something that sound the best to the person making them. Now it's coming back to haunt him. Unfortunate for all parties involved.

 

[shredi knight]

LRC???...

Odd name for a guitar shop.

 

[parr0t]

Sorry to see that bro. This thread seems to be becoming a clearing house for people trying to get their stuff back.....

I think all he'd need to have done is be up front about his wait times as well as providing some basic communication and this could've been avoided. Instead you are given excuses, which are something that sound the best to the person making them. Now it's coming back to haunt him. Unfortunate for all parties involved.

Yeah, that’s exactly what it feels like: a bunch of us just trying to get their property back. At this point, I think the best move is to coordinate instead of everyone dealing with this individually.

If multiple of us are in the same situation, we could try to set a specific date/time to meet at the shop together and request our instruments back in person. To keep things clean and above board, we could also ask for a civil standby from local police so everything stays documented and there’s no room for misunderstandings. The goal wouldn’t be to escalate anything. Just to have a neutral presence while we retrieve our property. Thoughts?

 

[Swanny]

Sorry to see that bro. This thread seems to be becoming a clearing house for people trying to get their stuff back.....

I think all he'd need to have done is be up front about his wait times as well as providing some basic communication and this could've been avoided. Instead you are given excuses, which are something that sound the best to the person making them. Now it's coming back to haunt him. Unfortunate for all parties involved.

I got mine back, only after contacting and lining up a different Luthier. After I had him lined up, I booked an appointment at LRC to pick it up on 2/28. In the remarks to the appointment, I said to stop working on it, I'm picking it up. I got an email from the new office manager, telling me that RJ is not available on 2/28 and could I please reschedule for 3/7, which I did. I drove over from St. Petersburg, knocked on the door at 10AM sharp and there was nobody there! So, I sit in the car and wait. About 10:15 someone shows up but, It's not RJ. Nor was it any of the rock stars on his web site.

This was the final insult. RJ is supposed to present the instrument himself and run through the work performed. This guy had no f**king clue where my guitar was, much less what work was done. I had to rummage around, looking for my case, among dozens. After about 15 minutes of that, I peered into the shop area in the back and saw about five others. Mine was one of those. Now, I have to look it over myself and assess whether or not he'd worked on it. The good news is that work appeared to have been done, although I've not yet looked inside with a mirror. I'll do that next time I restring it. But for now, the work done is what I wanted.

 

[parr0t]

I got mine back, only after contacting and lining up a different Luthier. After I had him lined up, I booked an appointment at LRC to pick it up on 2/28. In the remarks to the appointment, I said to stop working on it, I'm picking it up. I got an email from the new office manager, telling me that RJ is not available on 2/28 and could I please reschedule for 3/7, which I did. I drove over from St. Petersburg, knocked on the door at 10AM sharp and there was nobody there! So, I sit in the car and wait. About 10:15 someone shows up but, It's not RJ. Nor was it any of the rock stars on his web site.

This was the final insult. RJ is supposed to present the instrument himself and run through the work performed. This guy had no f**king clue where my guitar was, much less what work was done. I had to rummage around, looking for my case, among dozens. After about 15 minutes of that, I peered into the shop area in the back and saw about five others. Mine was one of those. Now, I have to look it over myself and assess whether or not he'd worked on it. The good news is that work appeared to have been done, although I've not yet looked inside with a mirror. I'll do that next time I restring it. But for now, the work done is what I wanted.

That’s honestly wild. Glad you at least got yours back and it looks like the work was done. The part that really gets me from your story is having to basically hunt your own instrument down and not even have the person who worked on it there to walk you through anything. That’s not how this is supposed to go.

 

[harddriver]

I got mine back, only after contacting and lining up a different Luthier. After I had him lined up, I booked an appointment at LRC to pick it up on 2/28. In the remarks to the appointment, I said to stop working on it, I'm picking it up. I got an email from the new office manager, telling me that RJ is not available on 2/28 and could I please reschedule for 3/7, which I did. I drove over from St. Petersburg, knocked on the door at 10AM sharp and there was nobody there! So, I sit in the car and wait. About 10:15 someone shows up but, It's not RJ. Nor was it any of the rock stars on his web site.

This was the final insult. RJ is supposed to present the instrument himself and run through the work performed. This guy had no f**king clue where my guitar was, much less what work was done. I had to rummage around, looking for my case, among dozens. After about 15 minutes of that, I peered into the shop area in the back and saw about five others. Mine was one of those. Now, I have to look it over myself and assess whether or not he'd worked on it. The good news is that work appeared to have been done, although I've not yet looked inside with a mirror. I'll do that next time I restring it. But for now, the work done is what I wanted.

So you guys are local and still getting fucked around?????????????????? So they cannot even keep track of guitars that are finished to contact the owners that they are done????? WTF!

Did all of you pay up front? Is that what they require? I suspect that is the entire problem here. Since they get paid up front they have no incentive to follow up with the owners to get their guitars back and it seems they aren't keeping track of what got done and so forth.

None of this is cool.

 

[VonBonfire]

If multiple of us are in the same situation, we could try to set a specific date/time to meet at the shop together and request our instruments back in person. To keep things clean and above board, we could also ask for a civil standby from local police so everything stays documented and there’s no room for misunderstandings. The goal wouldn’t be to escalate anything. Just to have a neutral presence while we retrieve our property. Thoughts?

Take a look at post #163.

Might be worth it for you to communicate with a couple other parties still missing guitars here that way you could arrange a good time to do it. I think they could at least have a shop associate there for you to retrieve your guitars.

I drove over from St. Petersburg, knocked on the door at 10AM sharp and there was nobody there! So, I sit in the car and wait. About 10:15 someone shows up but, It's not RJ. Nor was it any of the rock stars on his web site.

One of the clowns asking me what dog I had in this fight because I live in Texas didn't realize is that most of my family and quite a few of my friends are in the St. Pete FL area, never mind some other Orlando players I know and have social connections with. I lived in St. Pete and gigged Orlando and the gulf coast for over a decade. I have no personal experience with luthiers in Tampa Bay outside of basic guitar wiring and setups but if you need future recommendations for someone decent that does real work I could try to get a quality name and phone # for you from someone trustworthy that you could at least reach out to. Either way, best to you in the future.

 

[parr0t]

So you guys are local and still getting fucked around?????????????????? So they cannot even keep track of guitars that are finished to contact the owners that they are done????? WTF!

Did all of you pay up front? Is that what they require? I suspect that is the entire problem here. Since they get paid up front they have no incentive to follow up with the owners to get their guitars back and it seems they aren't keeping track of what got done and so forth.

None of this is cool.

Yeah, I’m local too, and I paid a few hundred upfront. I honestly didn’t realize he had out-of-state customers as well. What makes this hit harder for me is that the guitar belonged to my late dad, so it’s not just a repair issue or money at this point. The lack of communication and the runaround makes it a lot more stressful than it needs to be.

Hearing that even local people are having to chase things down and physically look through the shop for their own instruments is pretty concerning. At a minimum, you’d expect a clear record of what’s finished and some basic outreach when something is ready. I think at this point we probably need to start coordinating and either get some clear answers... or just get our instruments back directly.

 

[Swanny]

That’s honestly wild. Glad you at least got yours back and it looks like the work was done. The part that really gets me from your story is having to basically hunt your own instrument down and not even have the person who worked on it there to walk you through anything. That’s not how this is supposed to go.

I was astonished.

 

[Swanny]

So you guys are local and still getting fucked around?????????????????? So they cannot even keep track of guitars that are finished to contact the owners that they are done????? WTF!

Did all of you pay up front? Is that what they require? I suspect that is the entire problem here. Since they get paid up front they have no incentive to follow up with the owners to get their guitars back and it seems they aren't keeping track of what got done and so forth.

None of this is cool.

With me, I don't recall that he required a deposit at all. In both cases, he told me I would get an invoice for the full amount, within a couple days. He said that, understanding he has my $3,000 guitar, just pay what I think is fair. The first job he did for me was about $1,000, I think I deposited $200. The second job was $562, I deposited half.

 

[Swanny]

Take a look at post #163.

Might be worth it for you to communicate with a couple other parties still missing guitars here that way you could arrange a good time to do it. I think they could at least have a shop associate there for you to retrieve your guitars.


One of the clowns asking me what dog I had in this fight because I live in Texas didn't realize is that most of my family and quite a few of my friends are in the St. Pete FL area, never mind some other Orlando players I know and have social connections with. I lived in St. Pete and gigged Orlando and the gulf coast for over a decade. I have no personal experience with luthiers in Tampa Bay outside of basic guitar wiring and setups but if you need future recommendations for someone decent that does real work I could try to get a quality name and phone # for you from someone trustworthy that you could at least reach out to. Either way, best to you in the future.

Thank you VonBonfire. There actually is a shop in St. Pete, with a good reputation, Seven C Music. When this adventure started for me (first guitar), I went to him first. Seven C doesn't take your guitar and keep it for months. They work on a wait list. Seven C is very much in demand around here. After being on his wait list for almost a year, I gave up and went to LRC.

 

[harddriver]

Thank you VonBonfire. There actually is a shop in St. Pete, with a good reputation, Seven C Music. When this adventure started for me (first guitar), I went to him first. Seven C doesn't take your guitar and keep it for months. They work on a wait list. Seven C is very much in demand around here. After being on his wait list for almost a year, I gave up and went to LRC.

There are less and less people working on guitars for a living period. That's why these places have such a backlog and end up hurting their own reputations taking on too much workload and then we end up with threads like this one.