Charged ... Charged Again

[Z! Reinhardt]

Hello Everyone!

Here's another Customer Relations story complete with what started off as
what many of us may perceive as a dirty deal at a dealership.

Real quick.
1] Customer goes to dealer, is pressured to buy well-used console before
she felt she had explored all options, including what she can "live with"
for piano's shortcomings and faults.
2] Shortly after delivery, action starts to feel weird, some keys hardly
playing anymore.
3] Dealer's terms -- As Is, No Exchanges Or Refunds (Clearance Sale).

The piano was full of plastic parts from the 40s and 50s, the kind that are
crumbling now.  By fluke alone, none of the flanges had started breaking,
but the backchecks were rapidly disintegrating.

Now really ... wouldn't you think that a dealer would be interested in
making sure anything they sold had some promise of longevity or at least
some semblence of integrity?  Apparently this console was taken in trade
and simply turned around and sold without having their house technician do
so much as give it a sideways glance.

My temper, being what it is, absolutely flew at the dealer.  I wrote a fax
in which I laid out why I thought the piano was unsaleable.  The owner of
the dealership responded in a cool [read: slick] way saying that he would
call the customer and offer to take back the console in a trade-up to a
better instrument.  Of course he had to be held to his promise.

The trade-up was granted, but for a price.  The customer has to pay
delivery charges all over again.  "We have to pay the movers every time a
piano is moved." was their explanation.  Yes, I understand the concept of
paying the movers, but I also feel that this dealer should be willing to
eat certain expenses for a piano that was essentially D-O-A.

Opinions, anyone?  Thank you all in advance.

ZR!  RPT
Ann Arbor  MI
diskladame@provide.net