This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Kevin, I agree Kevin, I just noticed this post, sorry I'm late. Can you tell me about this "Yamaha service bond"? I read something about this from a ticket on a new piano once, and when I asked about it, I was told it didn't exist. What is it exactly? Thanks, lance P.S. As for the Pramberger couple, you've made good friends/customers for life and you'll probably have a hard time getting them to disbelieve anything you do or say from now on. That is the best kind of customer to build a customer base on and you'll get plenty of money, (and more) from that one situation. Good for you. Lance Lafargue, RPT Mandeville, LA New Orleans Chapter, PTG lancelafargue@bellsouth.net -----Original Message----- From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf Of Kevin E. Ramsey Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 9:22 PM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Re: Deceptive Advertising Lance; first off, good letter. The question really should be, what is the price of your integrity. Not yours personally, mind you, that is obvious. But it seems that so many people don't care about ripping people off if it puts money in your pocket. The question should be "what's your price?" The higher the figure, the greater your integrity. I just got a letter from a client of a salesman at one of our stores. He was working at a Going Out of Business sale for one of our competing dealerships, but he worked for the same dealership that I do. I received a work order to tune-voice-regulate a piano that he had sold. Management nixed it, saying that it was the responsibility of the other company to prep it. I then get this w.o. saying to go to the customers home to do the tuning-voicing-regulating which of course was done poorly, or not at all by the dealer who was going out of business. The owners of my company told me not to spend more than two hours at the home, and then leave. So the customer, who bought a (Pramberger) and expects a decent piano, is all set to get shafted. First by the company from whom he bought it, and then from the company who sold it. I took the work order, saw that they were a young couple on the go, to whom music was a big part of their lives, and I did what was right. I had to go without eating that day so that I could give them more of my time than I was supposed to. So I get this letter which just gushed over what an incredible change I made to their piano, and how much they appreciated it, and they enclosed a gift certificate for Border's Books. Hey, the letter was all the thanks I could ever use. (But I'm a voracious reader, and will use the gift). The point is; for what do we work? Some people are in the business for the bottom line only. That's all they care about;( and I'm not talking about piano technicians here.) All they care about is how much money they can get for the least amount of effort. I've dealt with dealers who want you to go out and do a Yamaha service bond, but they won't pay you for it. They just want you to fill it out, so that they can get paid. I know what Yamaha wants, and will bill accordingly. If they don't like that, then I end the relationship. Getting back to the subject, ( Applause form the audience ) Some dealers will do anything to anyone, including their good friends, for money. Period. The price on my integrity is so high, that I'll probably die and be buried in a paupers grave like Mozart. The blame belongs to my parents who taught me right from wrong. Kevin E. Ramsey ramsey@extremezone.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Lance Lafargue To: pianotech@ptg.org Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 8:33 AM Subject: RE: Deceptive Advertising > Nothing in the script is false. Maybe a little exaggerated, but it is all true. Among the finest in the world? Concert length keys? Perfection in key weighting? What's "master-crafted"? Really? Is that a type of computer automated machine? Finest materials? Exhaustively tested? Why are they sending so many back? What do Larry Fine's surveys say about these fine instruments? Apparently they need even more testing with the problems they're having. I consider this to be similar to all "stencil" pianos like DH Baldwin, Kohler & Campbell, Chickering, etc. The salesmen here at the University sales forget to tell the consumer that they are Korean Made and that makes me furious. When I show the customer the tiny "Made in Korea" sticker behind one of the legs (After I've spent a couple of hours or days easing keys, actions, fixed buzzes, clicks, etc., etc., etc., etc), they flip. The ignorant consumer thinks they are buying a Baldwin with quality from decades past, made here. It's misleading and often outright lying. It's a crime that the industry and often times technicians turn their heads to it and I think pressure should be applied at least through the technician to shine a light of truth in these rip-off scams. If we were mislead this way when buying products, (a Roll Royce made in Czech or Korea or a Martin guitar made in Vietnam) we'd consider it for what it really is. If the dealer had a conscience they would not be a part of this misleading advertising. No one wants to take responsibility, blame it on the Chinese as though the dealer has no control or say. They can refuse to sell it and take the high road, but they are selling out and are just as guilty. They'll take the check when it's written to them. Just a little rant on what I consider a crime to innocent, trusting people and something that I think the industry as a whole is suffering from. I hope that some day we will look back and be appalled that it went on as long as it did. Lance Lafargue, RPT Mandeville, LA New Orleans Chapter, PTG lancelafargue@bellsouth.net -----Original Message----- From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf Of Wimblees@AOL.COM Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 9:17 AM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Re: Deceptive Advertising In a message dated 6/6/01 9:31:50 PM Central Daylight Time, mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes: I copied the following from a web page for a dealer. How do they sleep at night. Terry Don't blame the dealer for the ad copy. This is what the manufacturer has come up with. Nothing in the script is false. Maybe a little exaggerated, but it is all true. Unfortunately, its because we know so much, that we see this as misleading consumers. But how else are they (the manufacturer) going to persuade people to buy their product? Willem ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/e5/b6/7b/b1/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC