Willis Music

I bought an overpriced Fender acoustic guitar at this location last year. I kept it in my apartment and traveled for work during the next couple of weeks. When I got back, I sat down to unwind and play my new guitar. To my surprise, the neck was bowed (warped). Im not a guitar expert, but I know warping is caused by climate and humidity. My apartment is regulated at room temperature so I knew the result was due to the store’s negligence. When I wanted to return it, they suggested to me that they would fix it. I respectfully declined due to a lack of trust because they sold me a defective product. When I declined, the man to whom I was speaking with, looked down and said in a passive aggressive tone while smirking, «Oh, so you basically used a guitar and want to return it.» I told him that he sold me a defective product and that I want my money back. He went through with the return, but acting as if a child had just been sent to their room.
I understand that returns reflect badly on sales reps, but when you sell expensive quality items like Willis does, you should keep up on the maintenance and care of the products to ensure customers are getting their money’s worth.
Overpriced products, blatantly rude customer service, and inexperienced (or I guess willfully negligent) staff maintenance-​knowledge. Usually, I always give second chances if I experience one or maybe two of these issues, but way too many for the first experience. Definitely sticking to smaller, local shops from now on.

I’ve been in the store a few times with every intent to buy something, but holy cow, they are so damn expensive!!! The people are nice enough, but I feel so bad for them, especially if they are on commission… All 3 or 4 times I’ve been in I think I have been the only one in the store. I will gladly spend the extra few bucks in gas to go to a legit music store like a Sam Ash or Guitar Center.

OVERPRICED!!! These guys! Back in the day, on their price tags they would have the amount, then a seemingly random number on it. The random number was THE ACTUAL retail price of the item. So basically anybody that paid the Willis price got screwed. Anybody savvy enough to haggle could possibly get down to what a reasonable retail price at any other respectable music store would be… Some things never change. How this place stays open after so many years of gouging their customers is a small miracle.

If you’re a fan of Fender guitars, Willis carries a very nice selection of Strats and Teles, from Squires up to some really nice Americans, and if you’re lucky, you might even find a Tele with a B bender.
The acoustics are another story. Unless you’re looking for a beginner guitar, your time is best spent elsewhere. It’s mostly dirty stringed, under $ 500 models here, with a few aging Martin’s tossed in.
Really, for a mall store, it’s a cool place to browse and play around with the electrics. They have a decent selection of amps, and I wouldn’t expect to see as much PA equipment as they have in a mall store.
Price-​wise, they seem OK. Bring an iPhone or a droid to check prices on the Internet to keep them honest. And I only say that because, until Guitar Center and Mars (now Sam Ash) came around, Willis was notorious for not only trying to get away with charging retail prices, but not taking returns, even for unused items purchased as Christmas presents. (Yes, Mr. Willis, I still remember the lady and the amp). Now, they seem to stick to the manufacturers lowest allowable advertised price, and I think their return policy has been forced into competitiveness.