"Dear Jacob,
My name is Jay Perkins, I am the Customer Service Supervisor for TAMA in the USA, and I would like to start out by saying thank you for choosing and supporting TAMA Drums. We do appreciate and value your business, and we are just as disappointed as you are when we encounter a customer who is not 100% happy with their purchase. AJ has been working with our merchandising and management teams, reviewing the photos you sent, trying to see if there was anything we could do for you for the two drums that you are not completely satisfied with, and felt that it would be best to escalate your inquiry/claim to me.
After reviewing the photos, it is evident that the floor tom has sustained some sort of impact to the shell, most likely during shipping, which has resulted in the separation of plies, and the inward bulge/bump that you see. Unfortunately, we see this more often than we’d like, and it’s always a result of careless handling during delivery, and is not always apparent from the outside carton. Since this is accidental damage, it is not something that we will be able to replace under warranty. The unfortunate reality of a situation like this is the obstacle of determining when and where the damage occurred, and that will be handled between your dealer, Hoshino USA, and the shipping companies we utilize.
As for the bass drum seam; while we do understand completely where you are coming from regarding the appearance of the drum, we have come to the conclusion that there is no defect with the shell, and the placement of the seam is just happenstance. Some seams pair up exceptionally well, and others have much more contrast. Our manufacturing facility tries to use outer plies that will appear “seamless” or have a smooth transition, but often times, the raw material may look good when that ply is being put into place, and only after curing and applying the finish, does the sharp contrast become apparent. Again, since there is no “defect” and it is simply a cosmetic anomaly that some customers either don’t care about, or choose to accept, it is put into saleable stock and sent out to TAMA distributors around the world.
As a consumer myself, I completely sympathize with you on all fronts here, however being tasked with making business decisions in situations like this, and factoring in many other variables that come into play, I’m afraid that our best suggestion for you is to return the kit to Pro Audio Star for a refund. We will work with PAS to ensure that they honor this return so that there is no contest to your return request. Unfortunately, we just don’t see a better solution to this predicament, and feel that you will be best served by returning the kit that you are not completely satisfied with.
Please feel free to reach out to me or AJ with any questions or concerns you may still have and we would be more than happy to assist. I am very sorry that this is unable to work out the way we all would like, but the last few months have really changed the way we approach things, and I truly feel this will yield the most amicable resolution.
Thank you again for trying to support TAMA.
Sincerely,
Jay Perkins
Customer Service Supervisor
TAMA Drums
Hoshino USA Inc."
I'm sorry TAMA but this needs to be public. This is quite unaccpetable. I understand the reasoning, but most drummers will take my side on this.