For anyone who hasn’t been following this in the FB group(s):
It seems Guitar Center misidentified, misappraised, mislisted, and then sold a PDF80FR as being a more valuable DF624. The buyer then tried to flip it on Reverb for $2,230 + tax before being informed by community members as to what they actually had. As of the time of this posting, the seller has ended the listing and claims to have been approved for a return and refund from Guitar Center. This approval was claimed to follow an initial return denial, on the basis of the store’s 45 day return window having closed. The resolution allegedly required reminding the store manager that the business had in fact perpetrated fraud with the initial sale; and that a card chargeback covered under fraud protection would be pursued in the event that the business did not resolve the matter themselves.
The “victim” claims to be unfamiliar with Parker Guitars (in that they researched their purchase only to the extent of determining how much a DF624 could be resold for, and not to the extent of identifying what they were even purchasing or selling - Not unlike the ladies of a certain age who would come to my music stores asking I appraise the “Stradivarius” violins they had purchased in various states of disrepair from local antiques stores earlier in the day).
Here was the Reverb listing body for the titular guitar:
FWIW, the DF624 retail MAP was $2,599; and not $2,400.Once it’s gone - it’s gone! This Parker DF624 retailed for $2,400 new and since Parker shutdown these are nearly impossible to come by! Guitar Center is selling one in nowhere near this condition for more than $2,200… DON’T let this one pass you by! It SCREAMS AND SINGS like no other and weighs something like six pounds. Unbelievable guitar. One paint chip, extremely light scratching, slightly rusty neck bolts (cleaning solutions can be purchased elsewhere). Neck is straight, sound is killer, and everyone will ask how you got your hands on it!
Rock on brutha!
I particularly enjoy the stipulation that any cleaning of the bonus included rust would constitute a separate purchase and service. If there’s legitimate concern that a return or partial refund claim could be filed on the basis of unspecified severity of oxidization, I’d say you’ve got a rusty guitar. At that point, you’re better off claiming it’s case candy (“BONUS fresh Martian soil/anemia supplement included in Ibanez Gio gigbag with broken zipper, with additional transparent orange plastic peg winder, various XL celluloid picks with ‘JUSTSTRINGS.COM’ printed on them, and D’addario/Allparts stickers bent in four or more places - Please throw these away for me!”).
So please be on the lookout for what, in all likelihood, will be Guitar Center trying to resell the guitar under the same fraudulent DF624 designation they did to begin with. There has been no shortage of bad actors within the Parker market in recent years; and potential buyers have this site and the FB groups as resources for determining what is actually being sold.
