Has anyone else had problems with Sandy Drelinger?

[GImom07]

I have been looking at headjoints for the past few months now, and I met Sandy Drelinger a couple months ago in Las Vegas for the NFA Convention in Vegas. I found an amazing headjoint I fell in love with immediately. However, since I have been dealing with him I am beginning to realize the cons may outweigh the pros when it comes to buying from Mr. Drelinger (this is my personal opinion).

The headjoints are excellent, he is more than willing to work out a payment plan, and he makes appointments to help out each individual customer pick out the right head joint.

HOWEVER, he has an awful attitude and is very arrogant.

First of all, the day when I went to put down a deposit on the head joint I had chosen, I asked if I could take it to a practice room for a few minutes to try it out a little more. I was not even going to leave the exhibit hall. Every other seller at the convention was more than happy to oblige. But his response was, "No, I don't do trials. People from all over the world buy from me and I don't need to do that." I just brushed it off...I know he is world renowned. But every time I asked him any question that was his response and it got old.

And then the real issues started happening. He only accepts a check in the mail to his PO Box, not to his office or home so USPS (regular mail) is the only option of mailing. I sent it USPS with delivery confirmation, so the PO people were supposed to be a notice in his box, and then it needs to be picked up by him at the counter. Mr. Drelinger says he checked his box and it is not there. I don't know if it was actually lost or if he just refuses to check for it at the counter. I asked USPS Customer service and they said it was only WAITING for him to pick it up from the counter!!!

I called Drelinger to see if he had checked the post office yet, 2 weeks after I sent it, and he acted really annoyed but said that he would check Monday and let me know. I tracked the package but it had no been updated, so I needed to know if he had it. When I did not receive a call back by Monday night I called him to ask about it again, since he did not call me back as promised. He told me to stop calling him and that he would let me know when he received it. He was annoyed because I wanted answers on a check that could be who knows where?! It is a $2000 check, hell yes I called him!! He was extremely rude; he cut me off mid-sentence and hung up on me before I even had a chance to give him the tracking number or anything.

I called him last night again (it has been nearly 3 weeks by this time) and again he gave me the same response, "It is not there I will call when I get it." I asked if he actually went to the desk and asked a real person if the package was there--silence. Instead he responded he had doubts the check actually exists, and that he wanted me to send him a copy of the receipt for the check and proof I mailed it. I was insulted, and I asked why he needed it. He continued to insult me so I finally told him he has lost my business because of his rudeness and hung up. WTF????? Why would I lie about that?

Afterward I sent him an e-mail with the tracking number and a copy of the cashier's check that is written to him, because I want to prove to him I am NOT a liar (Why I would have to prove that is beyond me, but it urks me!!!). I then told him if/when he gets the check he is to send it back to me. No response yet. All I can say is I am glad all I put down is $100, because it is absolutely not worth it to try to get a refund from him.

In the mean time, USPS us trying to see if they can locate the package, since Drelinger refuses to check. My bank won't cancel the check for 90 days cuz of some stupid policy. I don't know why because it is a cashier's check, I paid straight cash for it.

I am not the type of person who causes problems with people and I am nice to everyone, too nice even. So believe me, I am not the cause of this. My husband told me from the beginning that I shouldn't buy from the guy, I should have listened.

I really just wanted to express my frustration and was curious if anyone else has had negative dealings with this guy. I am sure if I had been able to pay him in person, or if the check had actually gotten to him, most of this stuff would not have happened. But the fact is, it did, and his true colors came out.

Is it worth it to buy from him, even if he has a good product? Not to me. If I can't find another brand I like, I can buy almost the exact the same headjoint pre-owned from someone else!

[Zevang]

Hi,

I've never dealt with Mr. Drelinger, but for what you said he is not mad, angry or arogant, he is getting crazy, really!

A person who actually works por people that cannot deal with people, no matter if this is a language or temper and attitude problem, generally hire a secretary or manager to do the job (I have a current experience in this field from the buyer point of view with a major flutemaker).

Hope you have your money back!

And, BTW, there are lots of other fine flute and headjoint makers you can choose from. I have never heard of them treating customers like this...

good luck

[pied_piper]

When I was shopping for a headjoint a few years ago, I considered Drelinger because I had heard he makes good headjoints. However, when I found out that Drelinger would not allow at-home trials, I immediately ruled him out. IMO, his policies and attitudes are very one-sided against the buyer and I will not do business with someone who stacks the cards in his favor. Of course, as a business owner, he is free to conduct his business as he sees fit, but we as consumers are also free to go elsewhere. With a take-it-my-way or leave it attitude from the business, I choose to leave it. Perhaps if enough potential customers refuse to deal with him and his conditions, he'll have to reconsider and change his ways.

BTW, I was also at the NFA in Las Vegas and I very happily walked past his booth several times without stopping.

[cflutist]

I have two friends who play Drelinger HJs. But for me, I could not meet with the guy in a hotel room and decide on a HJ in an hour. That's just too much pressure for me to make a decision in such a short time.

I did my headjoint trials with Carolyn Nussbaum. She sent me 3 headjoints to try with my Haynes flute at the time. I don't remember how much time I had, but it had to be at least several days. I selected the 14K Williams HJ, sent them all back with my flute, then Carolyn burnished the HJ to fit my flute.

I was very happy with the service I received and am still happy with the decision I made. I later had Brannen make a 14K flute body that I play with this HJ now.

[GImom07]

I am so glad all this is not in my head, I have only heard and read positive things about Drelinger and after this whole fiasco I was beginning to wonder if it was just me...haha. I feel much better now, thanks for the replies.

I am probably going to contact Sherry Lee, she has got some great looking head joints in stock and I bought a piccolo from her a year ago and she was great. She actually will give me time to try it out and she is very easy to work with.

But before I do anything I need the PO to locate the check that was lost (or Drelinger was too lazy to pick up), wait for him mail it back to me (the PO said they HAVE to deliver it to where I sent it), and hope he doesn't cash the thing. I doubt he will mail it back either... he won't even pick up mail let alone send it. And in the meantime I am trying to get my bank to cancel the Cashier's check but they are telling me it takes 90 days from the day I purchased it to do it. What a pain!!!

[Zevang]

Indeed you still have wrinkles to deal with.

But putting a little more gas in this fire, what if you try Nagahara and Landell? Just in case you need some different makes to compare.

[rodrigodaflauta]

Hello friends, my name is Rodrigo Y Castro, I live in Brazil and for many years, specifically 30 years, work playing flute in the genre Choro
a few years ago I used Mr Drelinger's mouthpiece, I would like to tell you about Mr Drelinger
I had been talking to him on the phone, asking about the specs of the model I used, so I asked him about his interest in publicizing his excellence in his work at the flute festivals where I taught, I imagined that my students would have access to this jewel that is the products and I could publicize them
His answer was: Your country does not interest me
In my opinion Mr Drelinger has no commercial insight into this, much less had the slightest curiosity in knowing about the great flutists that exist in my country, as if he were above all this
I told him that this was arrogance and he asked not to look for it anymore
Unfortunately he personally is neither educated nor understands about the true sensation of playing the flute
It was an exchange I made with my Muramatsu mouthpiece, with Louisa West and I enjoyed the opportunity to play with it
But Mr Drelinger needs to improve and educate himself more not to arouse hatred in other people
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMxy-H-wao8

[kcruse1950]

Just last week I had interaction with Drelinger. He was so rude and seemed to have a sense of entitlement to be rude. I would suggest buying on an alternative dealer of individual. His ugliness is not worth it. I have a Drelinger head-joint that I bought from another source who, by the way was extremely nice and personable. Plus, they gave me a week to decide; not just 10 minutes. Forget buying from him; not worth the aggravation.

[kcruse1950]

Well, I guess it's official; Mr Drelinger asked me to never, under any circumstances, have contact with his office again. Unbelievable rudeness; I don't know how he stays in business. Great product and I would like to buy another one. I will again search the internet for a good used one.

[pied_piper]

Well, as you can see from the posts before yours, you are not the only one who finds Mr. Drelinger difficult to deal with.