"Authorized" Steinway Techs?

[John Musselwhite]

Richard wrote:

>I am a bit confused about the word that was put out around here
>several years ago.  Two or three acquaintances had bought Steinways
>and claimed that Steinway would void the warranty if serviced by
>anyone but Steinway technicians.  That said, none of the local S&S
>dealer's technicians had been to the week-long course.

I haven't seen anything official from Steinway yet (Mike or Scott, are you
there?) but the warranty on a Steinway (like most pianos) is a *factory*
warranty not a dealer warranty, and it covers manufacturing defects only. If
there is _warranty_ service to be done it has to be done by someone the
factory authorizes just as with any manufacturer. This generally means a
"Steinway *Dealer* Authorized" technician. As far as general service goes,
as long as a tech doesn't ruin it by doing something they shouldn't, simple
tuning and regulation (neither covered by factory warranty) shouldn't void
it if it is done by a professional (the owner should keep ALL records and
receipts).

Some dealers will insist their own technicians service a piano they've sold
to "keep the warranty", but that is really only valid if it is an additional
dealer's warranty or it provides special service IMO.

As for the courses, there are (or were) four week-long courses in the
Steinway Technical Education Program (STEP): Introduction, Hammers, Dampers
and Concert preparation. Email the factory for current information if they
don't come out with something "official" in here. They used to include a
brochure outlining the program and the qualifications for taking it with the
Technical Reference Guide, which every tech who works on Steinways should own.

>Can we assure clients that their warranty is in force after tuning
>by a non-Steinway RPT?

>From what I understand the factory warranty is still valid if it's serviced
by an RPT, yes. Looking through the "Welcome To Our Family" booklet/service
record distributed with Steinway pianos it recommends you consult with your
S&S dealer for service, but it also mentions throughout that you should
always have a "professional piano technician" service your piano without
specifying who that "professional" should be.

However if unauthorized "warranty work" is performed then that may very well
void the warranty depending on what it is. The key word is "unauthorized" I
would think. Warranty work means there must be a factory defect and if there
is then the factory has final say in who will do the work.

>>When I attended one of Steinway's technical week-long sessions
>>last June,Scott Jones mentioned that there is no such official designation.
>>The only ones who can honestly use the associated Steinway name are
>>those directly employed as their technicians.

All the technical sessions are for is show you how to do the work the way
the factory wants it done and to help you understand why you're doing it
that way. Since there is no grading system (at least, no published one)
Steinway can't "certify" any technicians except the ones directly in their
employ. They can't guarantee any consistancy in how the students perform
once they leave the factory setting. Those that have taken the course(s) can
advertise that they are "Steinway Factory Trained" but cannot use the word
"authorized" or "certified" in connection with Steinway in their promotional
materials.

			John

John Musselwhite, RPT
Calgary, Alberta Canada
musselj@cadvision.com