<HTML><HTML> In a message dated 12/8/06 5:43:51 AM, ricb@pianostemmer.no writes: <BLOCKQUOTE CITE STYLE="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE">customer relations, and to identify dealerships that do not live up to their part of the <<bargain>> implied in the present manufacturer / dealer relationship. </BLOCKQUOTE> Ric; At the beginning of this thread someone said that S&S has been like this for for 30 years. In my experience they have been like this for at least 41 years. In 1964 I sold my first S&S grand, a model 'M', for the princely sum of $3,180. This 'M' needed all the thingees done to it that a typical NY S&S does today....so it ain't a new thing..this dealler prep stuff. When you buy a new car dealer pre is part of the deal and you are normally told up front about. Car dealer prep though is for stuff like final polishing, washing, shining, vacumming etc.  NOT for aligning tires, truing steering, resetting seat height etc. The only reason that S&S gets away with their 'shoddy' shipping condition on many of their pianos is that their dealer network lets them get away with it. Where does the blame lie for this reality? With the dealer for accepting delivery of these thingees? With the Manufacturer for allowing the shipping of this thingees with often substandard finishes/actions. With the customer for accepting the Dealer's and Manufacturers word that the piano they are buying represents the "Standard of the World"? Notice I am addressing the condition of merchandise as delivered and 'not' addressing the 'Warranty' issue. To address that issue would take substantially more time than I wish to give it. Without regard to whose ....fault.... this present and longstanding condition is the fact that many S&S pianos arrive on the dealers floor in less than stellar condition and a distressingly large percentage of them are delivered in the same condition to the customer. With all this history relating to this problem for someone to say, or imply, that somehow the individual techs of the world are responsible in some nebulous manner for the situation is rather disingenuous...of course these are just my thoughts and opinion..what do I know?? :-) Jim Bryant (FL)</HTML>