Charged ... Charged Again

[Robert Goodale]

Z! Reinhardt wrote:
<snip>
> 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.
> <snip> 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.
> <snip> 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.


This is a disgusting way to do business. I worked for a dealer once that
did this kind of sh** regularly and I finally quit after 6 months
because of this other similar practices. The point being, if he did it
once he's likely to do it again. He has probably done it many times in
the past. Unfortunatly there doesn't seem to be much leverage in cutting
these kind of guys down except providing them with a little
embarassment. Might I suggest you bring this story up at your next local
chapter meeting. Find out if there are any similar stories going around.
If you can stir up enough combined protest you may be able to humble the
dealer pretty quick if he knows half the tech population in the area are
talking against him. You could even fire off a nasty-gram to him with
multiple tech signatures. If that doesn't change his mind he's just
plain stupid and deserves whatever comes his way.

I.M.H.O.

Rob Goodale, RPT