Worth it? was Baldwin warrantee

[Farrell]

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Terry Farrell
 =20
----- Original Message -----=20
From: <tune4u@earthlink.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 12:04 AM
Subject: Worth it? was Baldwin warrantee


> I had a Baldwin dealer call me (back in the Baldwin Baldwin days) and =
ask me
> to go look at a new Chickering grand on which the una corda wasn't =
working.
> He told me it would be a warranty job. Okay, says I, and I drive 40 =
miles to
> the customer. Turns out to be just an adjustment of the pedal collar. =
Time
> on site, 5-10 minutes. Baldwin told me they wouldn't pay for it as it =
should
> have been handled as dealer prep or at delivery and setup. Dealer does =
not
> understand the term "dealer prep," or much else about the piano =
business. He
> paid me, eventually, but it all became a stupid hassle.

Just curious, if you don't mind, how much time did you charge for your =
service call? You can just state it in terms of your normal hourly rate =
time how many hours? It sounds to me like you spent at least two hours.

> Let's just say I
> won't do any more calls for him.=20

Hey, at least you learn fast!

> He lost his Baldwin contract in the
> switchover (many small dealers did) and now sells Wal-Mart Pianos, =
i.e.,
> Made in China.

Gosh, where's the "Grand Piano Co." when you need them? If Wal-Mart had =
come before they went out of business......... Geez, a match made in =
heaven!
=20
> My point: I don't get much dealer work and almost no warranty repairs =
out
> here, but what little I've seen and stories I've heard suggest that =
neither
> is really worth much to my business.

Ditto.

> How does that notion fit in with the experience of others?=20

That's been my impression. Out of six dealers in the local area that I =
have some sort of experience with, there is only one that I would =
classify as a good upstanding ethical businessman. I did some work for =
him, and I was the low guy on the totem pole, so it still didn't work =
out too well for me.

> How about you
> city-slickers?=20

I'm not a city-slicker. I'm an imported "Southern Boy". Although I don't =
spend much time driving around in a muddy 12-foot tall 4-wheel-drive =
pickup with a 15-foot rebel flag mounted on a pole in the truck bed (see =
many of those in Manhattan?). Maybe I'm just an imposter.

> Is it better in a bigger new-piano market?

Oops. Sounds like you are looking for input from NY or Philly or =
Baaaaston - not Tampa, Florida.

Dealer work - bottom line - Was it Worth it? In my experience, NO!

> Alan Barnard
> Country-Slicker in Salem, MO
>   -----Original Message-----
>   From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On
> Behalf Of Jonathan Finger
>   Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 10:02 PM
>   To: 'Pianotech'
>   Subject: RE: Baldwin warantee
>=20
>=20
>   Yeah, read a post about that a couple months back.
>=20
>   Legally, I can't think of any reason that Gibson would be liable for
> Baldwin's work.  We might wish that they would stand behind the piano, =
but
> they bought the factory, not baldwin's problems.  And certainly if =
they're
> going to turn the business around, they're going to need to cut costs, =
not
> incur them.
>=20
>=20
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>   I don't like it, but it makes perfect sense.  I wouldn't have =
expected
> anything less. J
>=20
>=20
>=20
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>   Jonathan Finger RPT
>=20
>=20
>=20
>   -----Original Message-----
>   From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] =
On
> Behalf Of PatchWick@aol.com
>   Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 6:49 PM
>   To: pianotech@ptg.org
>   Subject: Baldwin warantee
>=20
>=20
>=20
>   Hey list:
>=20
>   I recently was called to tune a 10 year old Baldwin console. Turns =
out
> that the pin block is totally separated from the frame (end to end and =
top
> to bottom). The frame posts are all loose at the top as well. The =
local
> Baldwin dealer checked with the factory (now owned by Gibson) to see =
if they
> would replace/repair this piano under the original warantee. Turns out =
that
> not only will they NOT honor this warantee but that the warantees on =
all the
> brand new Baldwins on his sales floor were null and void as well. Any
> thoughts?
>=20
>   Thanks
>   will wickham
> 
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