Ludwig, I would like my drums please

Soupy

Silver Member
Some of you may remember my thread from 2 months ago where I'd just taken delivery of a custom ordered Ludwig Classic Maple set with some small but unacceptable blemishes in the finish on all the drums. Well, here's the update: I still don't have any drums.

My local drum shop called Ludwig on the spot, and Ludwig agreed to RMA and put the replacement set at the top of the queue so I'd have them in three weeks.

Three weeks came and went. No drums.

I badger the shop, Ludwig is bad about returning calls, finally, Ludwig says one more week.

One more week, no drums. Shop keeps calling for a couple days, and eventually, Ludwig says they should ship Monday the 21st.

Well, that came and went, no drums, and Ludwig keeps dodging calls from my drum shop. I've waited 9 weeks instead of 3 on the replacements alone, and no end is in sight. 20 weeks since I originally placed the order.

So that's the story. Ludwig is doing a horrible job here. Substandard work on the original job, and horrible customer service since then. So I'm venting at the internet, because at this point Ludwig has failed it's half of the deal. Keep in mind folks, these drums are paid for, 50% deposit back in mid July, paid in full 9 weeks ago when I picked up the first set of drums. And I can't get an answer as to when I'll actually have the product. Wonder if it's at all possible to cancel the order and get my money back. Maybe pick up some Saturns. Nah, probably not Saturns, their pricing is retarded if you don't get one of their preconfigured shell packs. (What would any Ludwig thread be without a mention of Mapex, right? Right? :)
 
Maybe pick up some Saturns. Nah, probably not Saturns, their pricing is retarded if you don't get one of their preconfigured shell packs. (What would any Ludwig thread be without a mention of Mapex, right? Right? :)

You are a funny guy, Soupy.

I'm very sorry to hear your issues. I'm in a similar, yet different pickle with DW right now in another thread. So I feel your pain, literally.

I would definitely think you could cancel that order and get your money back. I don't see why this would be out of the question. You are completely right. Ludwig has not honored their half of the bargain. You paid your money a long time ago, and they have not come through with their product in a timely fashion.

You should read my other thread, I contacted a lawyer about consumer protection...I mentioned that to the shop which relayed that info...instantly I got a more favorable reply. So, you might want to consider getting a lawyer. One thing I can guarantee, once you speak to a lawyer, you will feel better.

Because you'll realize you have an out in this thing. You aren't stuck dealing with this crap.

Ps. I'm waiting on a BB for at least 8 months now. And I had ordered a supra LM402 and got two total junk drums and just cancelled the order after the 2nd one. Ludwig is definitely having issues. But as I said, I'm still dumb enough to keep my order alive for the BB.
 
I was thinking of you, Sticks. :]. A shame that Saturn pricing wasn't sufficiently competitive; I might not've been in this exact boat.
 
Sorry to hear that bro, I just got a Classic Maple kit last week, I bough It drum by drum in a lapse of 6 months or so, and the first drum that I got was the bass drum, It came with the wrong front head and with a cracked hoop, and they replace them in a heart beat, no problems at all, I'm really pleased with the attention that I got, I'm sorry that your experience is different than mine, Shane from justdrumsonline.com took care of everything.
 
I cannot believe the problems that so many people are having with Ludwig!
This really isn't funny.
There are so many complaints that they can't be dismissed as just a few unlucky dissatisfied customers.
The reason why Ludwig can't make good on the comebacks in a timely fashion is because there are so many of them that they can't keep up!
Ludwig is having serious QC issues.
These are expensive hand made drums that are being manufactured by skilled craftsman.
What is going on here?
This shouldn't happen.
 
I cannot believe the problems that so many people are having with Ludwig!
This really isn't funny.
There are so many complaints that they can't be dismissed as just a few unlucky dissatisfied customers.
The reason why Ludwig can't make good on the comebacks in a timely fashion is because there are so many of them that they can't keep up!
Sure hope my new snare is alright. :(
 
That sucks ass.



Something as purely joyful (unless you need them to make a living) a drums should not be such a pain in the ass. Bad mojo from the start. Hope you have some pots and pans to make due with in the mean time?
 
My Legacy kit is on an indefinite holding pattern. Every time I talk myself back into them, I hear someone else with quality control problems and less than stellar customer service. I may have to look into a Mapex Blaster or Velvetone set of drums, lol.

My confidence in Ludwig has been off and on for almost a year. Pitiful.

Dennis
 
Such a shame. On a personal level for you Soupy, but on a heritage brand squandering level for Ludwig. It both amazes & saddens me how little emphasis is placed on protecting & enhancing Ludwig's most precious asset, their name! There's good drum companies out there that would kill for that brand strength. Ludwig's owners need to stop believing their name will automatically continue to attract new customers, & set about the business of getting their reputation back. Don't they realise they're handing their home market to overseas competition on a plate?
 
It both amazes & saddens me how little emphasis is placed on protecting & enhancing Ludwig's most precious asset, their name! There's good drum companies out there that would kill for that brand strength.

Ain't that the truth.

What's happening over there is baffling. They fell heavily out of favour for a time in the 80's/90's and they're well poised to repeat it......all they've gotta do is keep going as they are.
I've wanted a set all my life, hope to see some vast improvement in standards before I lay my hard earned down.

Hope the sound of 'em more than makes up for the delay Soupy.
 
This thread has me wondering if the issue is confined to custom orders only, or if it happens to drums that are sent out to stores as well. I've noticed on videos from stores that the drums look flawless and sound great. Maybe when I'm able to afford the new Ludwig's I want, I'll have to purchase them at a store that's inspected and accepted the drums already.
Are stores getting better quality drums and individual private orders? I personally don't know.

What a pain this must be for you, it's a lot of money and you deserve to get what you paid for.

PS This is an example: http://memphisdrumshop.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=13776
 
This thread has me wondering if the issue is confined to custom orders only, or if it happens to drums that are sent out to stores as well. I've noticed on videos from stores that the drums look flawless and sound great. Maybe when I'm able to afford the new Ludwig's I want, I'll have to purchase them at a store that's inspected and accepted the drums already.
Are stores getting better quality drums and individual private orders? I personally don't know.

What a pain this must be for you, it's a lot of money and you deserve to get what you paid for.

PS This is an example: http://memphisdrumshop.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=13776

This is not confined to special orders. A set of Ludwig Legacy drums were sitting at this Five Star drums shop for months before they were bought. In fact I was going to purchase them, but someone on this forum bought them a few days before I was going to pick them up. I'm sorry about his problems with ply separations on his bass drum, but I'm happy that I wasn't the one buying them.

Ludwig, in my opinion, is failing badly.

Dennis
 
That's an interesting story Dennis.
I just visited Ludwig's Facebook page. Lots of smiles, kudos and praises but no mention of QC issues on their shipped products. Hmm...
 
As everyone has seen by now ALL of the companies have the same problems so unless your dealing with a custom drum maker your stuck going through the "hoops" HA!
Get a Lawyer!!! A letter from a certified Lawyer means so much more than your retailer crying to the company and who ever took the order from the retailer and is in charge of this mess will have to answer to people above them once a Lawyer gets involved. We all hate Lawyers, well they will too! Doc
 
Some of you may remember my thread from 2 months ago where I'd just taken delivery of a custom ordered Ludwig Classic Maple set with some small but unacceptable blemishes in the finish on all the drums. Well, here's the update: I still don't have any drums.

My local drum shop called Ludwig on the spot, and Ludwig agreed to RMA and put the replacement set at the top of the queue so I'd have them in three weeks.

Three weeks came and went. No drums.

I badger the shop, Ludwig is bad about returning calls, finally, Ludwig says one more week.

One more week, no drums. Shop keeps calling for a couple days, and eventually, Ludwig says they should ship Monday the 21st.

Well, that came and went, no drums, and Ludwig keeps dodging calls from my drum shop. I've waited 9 weeks instead of 3 on the replacements alone, and no end is in sight. 20 weeks since I originally placed the order.

So that's the story. Ludwig is doing a horrible job here. Substandard work on the original job, and horrible customer service since then. So I'm venting at the internet, because at this point Ludwig has failed it's half of the deal. Keep in mind folks, these drums are paid for, 50% deposit back in mid July, paid in full 9 weeks ago when I picked up the first set of drums. And I can't get an answer as to when I'll actually have the product. Wonder if it's at all possible to cancel the order and get my money back. Maybe pick up some Saturns. Nah, probably not Saturns, their pricing is retarded if you don't get one of their preconfigured shell packs. (What would any Ludwig thread be without a mention of Mapex, right? Right? :)

I hate to hear that. Maybe you can sick Bermuda on them.
 
I can assume Ludwig would not treat their endorsed clientele in the same manner. Maybe they're concentrating their efforts more on the endorsees than on the common folk (most of us)? Who knows. I won't assume the worst with Ludwig, but there's nothing worse than being jerked around for months. I'd rather them be honest and say it's gonna take 2-3 months to replace your kit instead. Be honest. I'm a Ludwig fan but this is troubling.
 
What happens in 6 months when a hoop breaks or a lug disintegrates? You will feel that there's no point in complaining and just order replacement parts.

I think when your confidence is affected like this it is time to cancel the order. Just my view. Bad luck.

Davo
 
This is not confined to special orders. A set of Ludwig Legacy drums were sitting at this Five Star drums shop for months before they were bought. In fact I was going to purchase them, but someone on this forum bought them a few days before I was going to pick them up.

Dennis

Ha! Who was that? LoL!

No 2nd replacement BD yet by the way. They did send two VERY nice LM936MBS boom stands as a gift. I did appreciate that!
 
Been playing my DTXpress IV Special the past months. I imagine this is what it's like for a smoker to be on the patch. Addresses the craving, but isn't quite satisfying.

Larry, how many drums can their endorsers really be ordering all at once? Besides, the whole point of endorsements is marketing, and I'm exactly the kind of person that marketing targets. Namely, I have the money to buy a relatively high-end set of drums. Is that not what the business side of things boils down to?
 
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