Nor do I, but regrettably these "arrangements" are becoming more common. It taps into that recognition thing so often sought after by mostly younger players, & I think it's scurrilous to put it mildly.
At Guru, we'll have non of it, even though it would doubtless snag some welcome low hanging fruit sales. Heck, we even think twice about selling one of our instruments to someone who we believe is making an inappropriate choice. To us, a customer who isn't delighted with their purchase would be a cause for considerable concern, but for someone who's endorsing our product to be unhappy, or worse, prefer another brand, would just be unthinkable!
Only today, I was having a very nice conversation with a well known drummer who's endorsed a very well known drum brand for many years. He contacted me, & not for the first time. This drummer totally loves our instruments, & all other things being equal, would jump at the chance to endorse our drums, but alas, we can't match the international support he receives. Pity, because his prime time exposure (in Europe) is huge. We're being utterly honest about our limitations, & he's being honest about what he needs. This is a professional conversation, & the kind of conversation I doubt is a regular thing in companies who engage in these scam practices.
