Tech/Dealer Relationship reply

[pianoman]

Dear Greg and list.
In my humble opinion, this is why I tell propective purchasers that
Japanese pianos are better than Korean pianos.  Just the facts as I see
them.
James Grebe
pianoman@inlink.com
----------
> From: Greg Newell <gnewell@EN.COM>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: Tech/Dealer Relationship
> Date: Thursday, September 11, 1997 8:05 PM
> 
> On Thu, 11 Sep 1997 15:54:59 -0400, jpiesik@arinc.com wrote:
> 
> >     A particular piano dealer in my area has a reputation for not
properly 
> >     preparing pianos for sale or rental.
> 
> 
> <big snip>
> 
> 
> >     How do I come out of these situations without mud all over me?
Should 
> >     I just refuse to service pianos sold or rented by this dealer?
Should 
> >     I just go ahead and say, "what a marvelous piano you have" and move

> >     on? How can one be honest without getting smeared in this
situation?
> >     
> >     Maybe I already know the answer, "what a marvel...
> >     
> >     Moving on,
> >     
> >     John Piesik, RPT
> >
> 
> 
> John, 
> 	I greatly sympathize with you on your dilemma. I recently wrote to this
list of a 
> similar situation. I would liek to expound on that now and ask the lists
advice for me as 
> well. 
> 	About a month ago I went on a call to a newer customer of mine with a
new 
> Korean (is that non specific enough) piano.  He was experiencing some
minor clicking 
> in the action and a general poor level of control. After examining some
action centers 
> and a host of other things, I determined that the hammer flanges should
be repinned 
> because the pins were quite loose on one side and quite tight on the
other. This was 
> exacerbated by a rather uneven regulation throughout.
> 	I would like to digress for a moment to explain that this is the type of
player who 
> timidly plays when noone else is around for fear that someone else might
hear him.  He 
> traded in an organ for this piano and has mentioned the difficulty in
playing this 
> instrument from the start.
> 	Here's where the trouble begins. I contacted the dealer (I do all his
service 
> work and that is how I got this customer) and the dealer points me to the
manufacturer.  
> The manuf. claims that the instrument was not properly prepped before the
sale. This is 
> true! If noone pays for it , I'm not workin' for free!!!  Anyway the
Manuf. says the dealer 
> should pay, the dealer says the manuf. should pay.  I discuss this with
the dealer and 
> ask how I can keep the owner happy. He first mentions that he cannot make
 any 
> money doing the prep work to the extent that the manuf. feels is his
responsibility.  I can 
> partially agree. A complete regulation should not be needed on a new
piano. I'm sure 
> touch up and tweaking are needed on every one that goes out but I feel
that there 
> should at least be a good stable base from which to work. Furthur, I feel
that repinning 
> definitely comes under the heading of warrantee.
> 	At this point the dealer is feed up with the manuf. and has stopped
carrying 
> these pianoes anyway as he's just completed a long going out of business
sale and 
> has closed the doors. He's since been opening under a new name etc., etc.
but 
> anyway not in a position to help.  He offers that I should tell the
customer to call the 
> manuf. and get help directly and is necessary start yelling about State
Attourney's 
> general.  This I do and now it gets fun.
> 	The manuf. now sends out a local tech representing the firm now carrying
their 
> line and he does some things to the piano like, rub on some microfine
teflon on the 
> knuckles adn adjust the letoff throughtout.  My customer and I both came
to the 
> conclusion (seperately) that this was incomplete.  My customer still has
the same 
> trouble with the piano. Nothing has been solved.  He called the manuf.
and relayed his 
> disatisfaction with the result and was told that " they were fine when
they left Korea" "we 
> don't know what happens to them one the big boat" and "we don't know what
happens 
> to the in the warehouse or on the trucks" . These statements were relayed
to me by the 
> customer.  If this is true then; Why don't they know what happens to
them? and Even if 
> they can't control what these pianos go through, don't they still have
the responsibility to 
> stand behind them?
> 	The customer is very unhappy about the whole deal (no kidding). He is
now 
> looking for a buyer so that he can go get a real piano.  My questions
are; Is there a 
> better way that I could have handled this?  Where does one parties duty
end and 
> another begin?  To what extent should a piano be prepped?  And who does
what 
> aspect of the prepping?   Is it any different for higher quality
instruments or is right, right 
> no matter what?  What should be done for this owner now?   Any other
advice?
> 			Greg Newell
> Greg and Mary Ellen Newell
> Greg's Piano Forte`
> Lakewood, Ohio 44107
> gnewell@en.com
> 
>