Piano Fiasco

[Farrell]

Your point is valid, but I also think that the size of the discreptancy will
influence whether something might be considered fraud. In your example of
the old upright, you are talking $750. With the tuning, $50 difference. One
can argue that I or you tune better, so we can charge more. Same with old
upright, you can say it has a nice case, or it was my grandmother's, and I
just won't sell it for less.

But in the case at hand, we are talking a difference in the area of maybe
$7,000 to $10,000. I should think that would be the difference between a
matter of opinion and fraud. But that is why I posted - to get differing
opinions - and I thank you for sharing.

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sigurd Throan Hanson" <sigurd@scc.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2001 11:15 PM
Subject: Re: Piano Fiasco


> There is no law against making a poor deal. I found out about this in
small
> claims court. The customer who was a MD paid $1000 for an old upright.
> Buyers remorse set in and the customer had a RPT testify that it was worth
> about $250.  The customer lost.  There is no law against making a poor
deal.
> Our court system would be overburden if they had to set prices.
>
>  Some of us get $100 for a tuning while some of us get $50 for the same
> quality tuning.  Is the $100 tuner just plain garbage?
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2001 7:53 PM
> Subject: Piano Fiasco
>
>
> > Tuned for a new client this evening. They just bought their first piano
a
> > couple months ago. First tuning. The lady asked me what I thought the
> piano
> > was worth. 1985 Yamaha C3. Very good condition. Sounds real nice. Real
> > clean. I told her you could figure somewhere around a 25% loss in value
> > every five or ten years. A C3 now costs about $20,000. So figure hers
> might
> > be worth somewhere between $10,000 to $13,000 at a dealer, and perhaps
> > $8,000 to $11,000 in a private sale.
> >
> > She looked at me in horror and told me that she had just paid $19,000
for
> > the piano. She bought it at a dealer blowout - 50% off -
> > going-out-of-business sale. Now perhaps it is not good to mention names
> > here, so I won't. I'll just call the dealer (which I understand is the
> > largest dealer chain in the US) Mr. B. Now you may ask why the subject
of
> > this post has the word "Fiasco". Maybe there was a reason. She said the
> > piano had a sign on it (as did all the pianos in the store) that said
> > "Originally $38,000". And at 50% off, that is where the $19,000 came
from.
> >
> > When I got home I typed her serial number into the Yamaha web site. Grey
> > market (it had three working pedals).
> >
> > So, tell me, does anyone have any experience with a similar situation?
Is
> > there any recourse this woman might have? I know that when two parties
> agree
> > on a price for an item, that's it - it's a deal. But I suspect one could
> > argue a pretty clear case of fraud here. This is not stretching things a
> > bit, this is total misrepresentation, lying, etc. Any thoughts?
> >
> > The poor woman was beside herself. Half way through the tuning she said
> her
> > husband would be coming home soon and asked if I would please not say
> > anything about the piano value issue. I just hope the purchase was a
> mutual
> > decision, and not one that she had pushed for.   :-(
> >
> > She thought she had made such a good deal (hey, 50% off) that even if
she
> > did not end up playing it much, they could sell it at a profit and pay
off
> > some of their student loans (they are both mid-20s, just out of graduate
> > school, just bought their first house). Not bloody likely.
> >
> > There are a few people in this business that are just plain garbage. I
> > really have quite a few more colorful words at the tip of my tongue, but
> > I'll leave it at that.
> >
> > Terry Farrell
> >
> >
>