warranty issues

Piannaman@aol.com Piannaman@aol.com
Thu, 9 Oct 2003 10:22:40 EDT


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Hi List,

I do a fair amount of warranty work for a few different manufacturers.  Note 
that I said manufacturers, not dealers.  While I am usually contacted by the 
dealer that sold the piano, I have found that it's far easier to get the 
necessary parts and forms directly from the manufacturers.  Things seem to get done 
a little more quickly that way.  Kawai and Charles Walter are very responsive 
to technicians.

The only manufacturer I've encountered that doesn't seem to want to deal with 
techs is Kemble.  They insist I go through the dealer.  The dealer, for his 
part, says that extracting money from them is not necessarily a piece 'o cake, 
but he is willing to cover my charges(which is all I should really be 
concerned about).

It seems to me like it would be in the builders best interest to offer 
support to the techs that work on their pianos.  I recently was called to tune and 
fix a year-old Kemble 48" upright that had a broken hammershank.  Imagine being 
the piano owner and having this happen.  Wouldn't you wonder if you got a 
lemon?  I would.  Having the ability and the time to fix the problem and 
"re-sell" the piano to a slightly disgruntled customer without having to get clearance 
from dealers and manufacturers and/or having to make numerous trips to the 
home would seem to me to be in everyone's best interest:  keeps the customer 
happy, keeps egg off the face of the dealer and the maker.

To keep the customer happy, I fixed the problem first and asked warranty 
questions later, which is when I discovered Kemble's policy.  I will be 
compensated by the dealer, but Kemble's way of dealing--or not dealing--with things 
seems less than ideal.

Any thoughts or experiences along these lines would be appreciated.

Dave Stahl

Promote Harmony in the Universe--Tune Your Piano!
Dave Stahl Piano Service
1148 Los Trancos Road
Portola Valley, CA  94028
650-224-3560

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