Thomann Music Reviews 204

I've used Thomann a couple of times in the past and have no complaints about the quality of their service. All my stuff has arrived safe and sound and in good time.

Having just yesterday purchased a further item from them I failed to consider the implications of buying from Germany and importing to the now EU independent UK - which means import fees, and in this case £66.00, which I guess is the unfortunate legacy of Brexit.

I will now have to look for a UK based alternative whenever I want to buy musical equipment and I find that very inconvenient as Thomann more often than not offers the best price as well the previously mentioned good service.

None of this is in any way the fault of Thomann, and as a business entity it deserves a full 5 star review, but they could maybe make it a bit more obvious at the outset that extra fees will be incurred for UK customers to allow them the option of looking elsewhere before committing to the transaction. One could amost be forgiven for thinking that these extra charges were being somewhat concealed in order to facilitate sales, although I'm sure that is not the case...

Thanks to Brexit and general government self serving inadequacy (greed, lethargy, snouts in the trough or whatever you want to call it ) economic conditions are now working against us as purchasers here in the UK and rip off government import fees now make it considerably less favourable to buy from outside the UK than it was pre-Brexit :(

I spent over £4500 on lighting gear. paid another 29% on top for vat and fees. Received everything in a week, however there were parts missing and they sent tri truss instead of quad. After 5 weeks of negotiating I've finally received my quad truss. All for £20 a stick difference from the local shop.

Thought I would provide update on recent purchase of HB Big Tone. Item purchased online on Friday 19th March for £211. Fully aware of additional UK charges as per site info. Guitar was despatched on Tuesday 23rd and collected by UPS. All the way through UPS site kept me updated with progress of guitar on their tracking system. I received the guitar today, 29th March in England, a day earlier than previously advised. Full cost breakdown advised by UPS several days before delivery, 20% VAT, import fee and UPS charge £11.50. (Import cost £7.71) Total cost of charges £62.71, almost exactly as expected. Total cost of guitar £273.71. (Guitar price before brexit was £269 for UK) Hardly any real difference and service from Thomann and UPS excellent! I haven’t played guitar yet as it’s a Birthday present but I was allowed to check it over briefly and it looks lovely!

BEWARE. I recently bought a Pro-Ject record player from here at what I thought was a very reasonable price of £160 however...After a few days I had an email from UPS saying my purchase was held in storage until I payed an import fee of £48.50 as it turns out that it was being delivered from germany. Obviously this came as an unexpected and unwelcome surprise. I paid the fee as it was likely to be more agro trying to get refunds and such sorted out. As It goes the product was well packaged and I had no quibbles with the product itself, it's just the company appearing as if British fronted then later finding out it's a European company and getting clobbered for import duty. BEWARE

We are all aware how Thomann sometimes does great deals right. Well sadly it would seem that Brexit has brought this to a rapid end. I bought 2 items from Thomann last week after doing a google search. Don’t be fooled by google searches that include any pre-Brexit seller, like Thomann.

For me the issue isn’t that they are selling into the UK, the issue is that they seem to reel you in with their price, which was advertised ex VAT and ex customs administration fee’s. Completing the checkout process, I was feeling somewhat lucky because I was making a huge saving, however it was some days later when I checked the tracking status that I realised the issue. I was advised that my item had been delayed due to Brexit regulations. A few days later I checked the status again only to discover that I was provided with a link to make a payment of 20% VAT and import administration fees. (Fees are around £16.00 per items/box). Why they sent 2 small items separately is beyond me as this meant I had to pay the admin fee’s twice rather than having both items in one box. In my view this isn’t supporting your customers at all.

I only knew about the additional charges after I have emailed Thomann to advise I wanted to cancel the order before it is processed any further. A few days later they emailed back to inform me that there is an advisory at check out, which checking I note they are correct. However, this isn’t clear at all and was missed by me and countless others as it seems by all the other reviews about this issue.

They also advised that these fees are highlighted in the confirmation email that is sent as soon as an order is place. I checked my confirmation emails, and this isn’t true there is no advisory whatsoever.

Worse was the fact that as it took them 2 days to respond to my email it would seem this was time enough for my items to clear customs and a few days later while I was home, I received a delivery card advising me that my items were available for collection at my lock collection point clearly to ensure these extra charges could be made using a payment terminal.

Of course, I am partly to blame here for not realising this, but when you are so accustomed to buying online especially when check out process are so quick and easy, I feel there should be some sort of big red warning that appears just before hitting ‘pay’ as this would allow UK customers to cancel before any of the ensuing stress.

I feel Thomann have been a little unfair here simply because they advertise their best price excluding VAT and administration fee’s and this is very misleading. If Amazon can get this right ahead of any purchases surely, they can too.

Needless to say, another lost customer…

Be aware if you are ordering from the UK!!!
+++ Hidden Costs +++

Ordered a guitar and equipment for GBP239 - with free shipping and paid. Then received an email stating that I would have to pay an additional 20% VAT + handling fee on top of my initial costs. The person in the company explained to me that the handling fee is for UPS due to the custom clearing, taking it to the region of GBP300. After couple days received a notice that I need o pay and extra GBP88, being more than GBP60 government costs (I guess this is VAT and it is more than 25%) and more than GBP20 handling fee for UPS as handling fees. So in total the cost of this order added up to GBP330.
And on top of that, I received another note that the delivery is delayed due to a Brexit related issue, don't know what it is. I ordered on the 15th, It was supposed to arrive on the 22nd, but I am still awaiting an update for the delivery date.
I will update my review once the packet arrives.

The people on the phone were helpful, but the business practices are not very clear.
I will not be ordering from them again and I cannot recommend it either.

Hidden Costs +++++++

Ordered a pair of DT 1990 Pro headphones for 311GBP - with free shipping, added to cart - paid, then received an email stating that i would have to pay an additional 22.5% VAT + a delivery handling fee on top of my initial costs, taking it to the region of 400GBP.

Upon bringing this up with a person at the company, i was told i would only find out the handling costs once my order had cleared dispatch - meaning that if i wanted a refund it would take twice as long and twice the hassle and cost me more money to return it.

The assistant was very helpful - perhaps the only saving grace of this entire experience and the reason i did not cancel my order (Thank you Gligor), but the business practices are dodgey, and honestly cannot say i recommend ordering from them, as i will not be doing so again myself.

Ouch! Bought an amp. Seemed like great value. Foolishly ordered without reading reviews. Ordered previously with Thomann and made great savings so never thought to check. I was led into a false sense of security after reading the Welcome to Thomann "UK" heading on their page and the "free shipping" claim which most customers would take at face value. After reading horror story reviews of delayed shipping, missing items, delayed items, freakishly high post-purchase hidden costs, I tried to cancel just 5 hours after ordering. Apparently they had already processed and dispatched my order. That was quick. Just checked the tracking number and saw the dreaded "important charges to be made before delivery" message. £92 (free shipping you say) ... Are you kidding me!!??? Even worse.. a reputable UK company had my item for next day delivery and far cheaper than Thomann (after the hidden charges were added). Calling the site Thomann UK is extremely disingenuous and borderline sinister. Guess I'll have to take the hit this time but I've thoroughly learned my lesson. I won't be going anywhere near Thomman again and urge all UK residents to shop around and not to get ripped off like this. Thomann should really have a little more integrity and be more consumer friendly (please remove the Welcome to Thomman "UK" title) and explain IN BOLD that purchases bought by UK residents are likely to cost far more than claimed and are liable to be charged substantial tax and scandalous courier costs. Extremely Disappointed, both by the lack of transparity on this site for the consumer and also for my own naivety. NEVER AGAIN!!!

UPDATE: After tracking my package and seeing my delivery was slotted for this Friday (12/3) with a convincing delivery time slot stated also, I decided just to pay the substantial extra costs. IMMEDIATELY after paying, I rechecked the tracking to make sure payment had gone through and now, magically and instantaneously, my delivery has been *delayed due to Brexit*. Thats right ... as soon as I paid the fee to Ups (another useless weasely company with the worst reviews possible) to deliver my package this Friday, they immediately altered my delivery slot from this friday to *delayed due to Brexit".This is easily the most amateur, unacceptable and downright incompetent transaction I've ever had the displeasure of being involved in.

Don’t order to the UK!! delivery took 13 working days, rude customer service.... received the 1/4 of my order. My email has been ‘forwarded’ to be asked to prove (?) that they haven’t send most of my order. Over a month and 8 emails later I received what I paid for. Horrendous service.

Thomann = LIARS
(UPS - Delivery company)

I have been buying at Thomann for many years thinking that is one the most trustworthy companies.

Well, no anymore... after they hold my items I paid two weeks before receiving an email saying that if I want the delivery done I have to pay +£82 more because of the new law Brexit stuff... That was going to start from the next day Monday.

I said to them to give me back my initial payment. They answer with an automatic email with information about the new law of Brexit.
I said to them that if somebody has to pay that amount, they should be the ones since I did not have any charge or information when a made my initial payment. They answer with the same automatic email.
I paid that extra amount to receive my item (so I paid already two different payment for one thing) and I said to them that I will never buy again to them. They answer with... we are so sorry to hear that bla bla bla.

Conclusion
Another company full of lies.
I hope they close soon.

I have now ordered 3 guitars from Thomann and have received excellent service. Each guitar only took about one week to arrive to my door in the UK from Germany.

I have given 4 stars, only because UPS were used to deliver the goods. To cut a long story short, I have had nothing but problems with UPS, who have caused me massive amounts of stress.

I would highly recommend Thomann, their Harley Benton guitars are excellent. However, I will only buy from them in the future if they stop using UPS as their delivery company.

UPDATE: After one month of waiting, Thomann has just opened up an 'official investigation'. What this entails, however, I haven't a clue as Neil from the Tracking Team only deigns to respond at most once every couple of days. There is no way of contacting via phone – when I tried yesterday I was told their phones are off – so I am completely at the liberty of when Neil can be bothered to reply via email.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I ordered £1k of equipment one month ago and am not only still yet to receive my package, nobody at Thomann or UPS is able to give me a straight answer as to where it is.
I understand that this woeful ineptitude and baffling mismanagement is a joint venture between this company and the courier, but it is Thomann's responsibility to have the items delivered on time. Judging by the comments on this site it is not an issue about which they are unaware, so blame lies squarely at their door.
UPS should certainly be avoided by anybody who actually wants to receive what they order, but I will also advise anyone I know to avoid Thomann as well. Their inaction over this issue while money of mine lays in their account is disgusting.
Buy from somebody who cares even only slightly about the people whose money they are grabbing.

Not sure why there are a number of bad reviews on here - especially from the UK. I recently ordered the beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO Studio Headphones anmd they are PHENOMENAL. The company provided detailed package information, and tracked the package throughout its journey. Delivery was great considering the package was coming from Germany - on ordering the headphones arrived within 4 days before estimated delivery. Postage was quite expensive (£8) however, the headphones were still cheaper than Amazons, of which were never in-stock. Great company. Would definitley use again, and please don't let the negative reviews sway your descision.

Cool service with good prices. Has most of the stuff needed for a professional musician.

If you are in the UK do not use this company. There are huge hidden costs on the arrival of your item. I used to love Thomann but now they sneakily advertise to UK buyers without making clear that you will need to pay huge hidden costs to the courier. Even worse they encourage you to buy more to avoid Vat costs but then the courier adds Vat on anyway plus a broker charge on delivery. Disgusting underhand tactics.

I placed an order on Wenesday 30th december, I have been charged for it and I am still waiting.
I've also been charged an extra £210 for import fees, which wasn't made clear at all when I placed my order.
The only answer I got from the tracking team is that they currently unable to provide any exact delivery dates.
Brexit + Covid = I don't recomand this compagny if you live in the Uk.

I have been a Thomann customer for years and always found them to be great. However this time unfortunately for me will be my last time using them. I get that Brexit has caused issues but let’s face it, they have known about it for a while and had enough time to prepare and yet it seems it has caught them unaware!! 40 days and counting for my parcel and still no sign of it. I have repeatedly asked for my money back and they won’t give it me as the order has been dispatched, they are now blaming the courier which is UPS who are equally as terrible and also don’t want to know. I have opened a dispute and escalated it now with PayPal as I am honestly done. My advice to Thomann is unless they want their reputation to go way downhill and lose loads of business, cut ties with UPS as they are bringing the reputation of what was once a good businesses down, the constant non deliveries and endless lies are making a mockery of them. Fed up to the back teeth of both companies. Use at own risk because it’s highly likely if your order is dispatched you won’t get your goods, you won’t get your money refunded and you won’t be able to resolve the issue with either party because they just don’t want to know. Let’s see if PayPal refund me because it’s the only way I can think now to get the money back I’m
Owed!!

I spent quite a while choosing products, and I asked a lot of questions over several days. E-mail replies were usually same-day, and live chat was always available to get information. The staff were excellent with product knowledge, and always had time to answer questions. Even though I was not happy about having to wait 3-7 days for delivery (this is what they said it would be to the UK), I finally decided to place my order with Thomann, after 'Marc' told me that if I ordered by 7pm, my order would be shipped the same day.

However, once I placed the order, it was a different story. Not only did it not ship that day, but it did not ship the next day either. On the 3rd day I sent a message to find out what was going on, but got no response. The day after that, a tracking number was generated, and I was told that the package was on the way. No explanation of why it took 4 days for this to happen.

It's now been 6 days since I ordered, and the tracking information still shows that the package is 'On its way to UPS', which basically means they have printed the shipping label, but not despatched the order. I've still not received an explanation, so I sought help from someone in the online chat, who was only able to utter something about there being a global pandemic. What nonsense.

If a global pandemic is causing a huge delay in getting orders despatched, let the customer know beforehand. I don't expect to be lied to, and told that my order will be shipped the same day if it will not be.

Printing out a label, and then telling me 'it's on the way now' is even more dishonest. No wonder there are so many negative reviews, blaming UPS. I expect many customers are fooled by the illusion of UPS being somehow to blame for a package that has not even been handed to them yet. But Thomann send out the tracking number anyway.

If a delay occurs, the customer needs to be informed. If a pandemic is to blame for the delay, then you knew in advance that orders were not being shipped the same day.

I definitely won't be using this company again. Although they were quick to answer sales queries, they do not respond with any urgency once an order has been placed. It's more important to me that I receive great service AFTER I hand over my money, not before.

I've been a costumer at Thomann for at least 10 years and bought a lot of different gears throughout the years. Synths, stomp boxes, drum machines etc. I've never had any issues with quality or costumer service. But that all changed during my correspondence with Thomann Customer Care International who refuse to follow european legal justice

"You always have the right to a minimum 2-year guarantee at no cost, regardless of whether you bought your goods online, in a shop or by mail order.

If goods you bought anywhere in the EU turn out to be faulty or do not look or work as advertised, the seller must repair or replace them free of charge or give you a price reduction or a full refund".

I have a faulty Moog Mother-32. At first, it had some crackling noise when turning a particular knob. I contacted Thomann, and they asked me to send the unit back for a repair. They completely ignored my demand for a replacement and a couple of weeks later the unit were repaired and send back to me. Unfortunately another knob has the same problem now. And again, Thomann refused to replace the unit although the unit is protected within the period of warranty.

As it is, I don't want a replacement anymore. I want my money back, so I can buy a Moog Mother-32 at another more trustworthy store. I will defiantly not buy any gear at Thomann again.

Ordered an mpc one over a month ago Jan 2. After 2/3 weeks it was evident that ups was not going to deliver the item. For about two weeks I have been contacting thomann asking for them to cancel and refund my order and every day they say they will refund me but haven't. They have held my money in their account (probably gaining interest of it) for over a month and it is clear I will never receive my money. It is clear they engaging in dodgy practices.