Yamaha Loaners

[William C Sadler]

List adicts,

Most piano dealers have a credit limit with the manufacturers.  Combined
with summer being slower for them than the acedemic year,  they tend to
wait until the last minute to order the replacements.  Sometimes, because
of bad planning, (i'm never guilty of this) the order for replacements
might put them over their credit limit....oops.  They may have to wait till
they sell a few before they can make the replacements.

This is no way an excuse of an agreement.   However it can explain delays.
That is most delays like this are caused by the dealers who have made the
agreements and not Yamaha.

We receive 50 pianos a year and have had no problem with having product in
place by school start. (Sept. 24.)

My suggestion to those who have had these problems is to make a planning
meeting with the dealer around July and again in August to make sure they
place there orders in time and plan accordingly.  I use that time to make
adjustments to type of units we receive and placement.  It gets them
thinking and planning ahead.
>
>    Do I detect a trend here? Our local Yamaha dealer has mentioned that
> Yamaha would be interested in doing a large "placement" here if we would
> eliminate the Kawai's we are currently using (currently 11 grands & 6
> verticals).
>    No matter one's opinion of the merits, or lack thereof, between the two
> pianos, it seems to me the decision should be influenced by how the dealer
> handles everything: replacements when promised, support if/when needed
> during the year, etc.
>    I personally tend to prefer Yamaha, based on past experiences with the
> two brands. But our local Kawai dealer has bent over backward to help us
> out several times when we have needed something extra during the year: a
> replacement 9' while our Steinway D was being rebuilt, an extra GS-70 for a
> piano teachers' studio (some of whose students had begged me to try and get
> her to replace one of her 2 older Bosendorfers with one of the lease
> pianos). The teacher and the students love it.
>    Of course, I realize that he's doing it primarily hoping for quite a few
> sales when we move into our new building next year. But, would/could the
> Yamaha dealer have done the same? Unfortunately, you would probably never
> know until the need arose!
>    Sorry I got off the subject a little, but it's been on my mind lately
> because we will probably be trying to increase the number of lease pianos
> for the new building.
>
> Avery


"...knowlege and understanding are great tools when combined with skill
which comes only through experience."

William Sadler
Shop Manager - Haugen's Pianos
Head Piano Technician - University of Minnesota
School of Music