I made an offer via Reverb on a Glasser carbon fiber violin from Nashville Violins, and received a…read morecounteroffer from Dave, the owner, which included $25 for shipping. We came to an agreement and I paid for the instrument on 6/25/18. It was shipped the same day from Nashville via USPS. Unfortunately, for me, the item was shipped USPS Parcel Select (the cheapest and slowest method of delivery). The violin sat in the Nashville USPS distribution center for several days, and then moved onto the USPS distribution center in Memphis for another day. All total, the violin spent three days in Tennessee before it moved on.
I contacted Nashville Violins via Reverb's messaging service on June 28, 2018, concerned that it was now three days and the violin had not left Tennessee. Had I known that the store intended to ship the item via Parcel Select (which is what USPS calls their Parcel Post service now) I would never have made the purchase. Twenty-four hours later on the 29th, Dave, the shop owner contacted me via Reverb and explained that he was not in the shop, but was out at a trade show. However, he stated he would check on the status of my purchase. Unfortunately, It is now July 2nd, and no one from Nashville Violins has gotten back to me. The violin spent the past weekend somewhere in Western Massachusetts, and as of this morning it has finally made its way to Maine, but is at least another day from being delivered to our local Post Office. The USPS website states that it is tentatively scheduled to be delivered today, sometime before 8 pm. However, the website is emphatic that this is not a guaranteed delivery date, as they do not guarantee any delivery times on Parcel Select. So here it is, a week later, and no violin. While carbon fiber instruments are more durable than their wood counterparts, they are still susceptible to heat (and melting) and the soundpost and bridge are both made of wood (and susceptible to warping in extreme heat). Sadly, as of this morning I still have not heard from anyone at Nashville Violins.
My issue with Nashville Violins is both their poor choice of shipping methods, as well as their terrible customer service. Communication with them is virtually non-existent, trade show or not. Over the last several decades I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on musical instruments, and have purchased and sold countless guitars and mandolins throughout these years. While I am fairly new to the violin world, I would think that small businesses of this kind would all operate in the same manner. It appears that they do not.
Yes, $25 for shipping is not a lot, but at least warn your customers that you are sending their item via a slow boat, which might have some pitfalls. I would have gladly paid more for shipping to have had the violin shipped via UPS ground, which would have been to me in three days. Shame on me for taking them up on the "Make an Offer" option instead of picking up the phone and working out details. I will forever remember this horror story. I've learned my lesson, and no, if you hadn't already gleaned this from my review, I would not do business with Nashville Violins again, or recommend them to anyone.
