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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=410203022-20062001>Kevin,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN =
class=410203022-20062001>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,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=410203022-20062001>lance</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=410203022-20062001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=410203022-20062001>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.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN =
class=410203022-20062001>
<P><FONT size=2>Lance Lafargue, RPT<BR>Mandeville, LA<BR>New Orleans =
Chapter,
PTG<BR>lancelafargue@bellsouth.net</FONT> </P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV align=left class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr><FONT =
face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> =
owner-pianotech@ptg.org
[mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Kevin E.
Ramsey<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, June 07, 2001 9:22 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
pianotech@ptg.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: Deceptive
Advertising<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Lance; first off, =
good letter.
The question really should be, what is the price of your
<EM><STRONG>integrity</STRONG>.</EM> 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. =
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> 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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> 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). </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> 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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Getting back to =
the subject, (
Applause form the audience ) Some dealers will do anything to =
anyone,
including their good friends, for money. Period. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> 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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>Kevin E. Ramsey<BR><A
href="mailto:ramsey@extremezone.com">ramsey@extremezone.com</A> =
</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A href="mailto:lancelafargue@bellsouth.net"
title=lancelafargue@bellsouth.net>Lance Lafargue</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"
title=pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, June 07, 2001 =
8:33
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: Deceptive
Advertising</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
class=340140915-07062001></SPAN>> <EM>Nothing in the =
script is
false. Maybe a little exaggerated, but <BR>it is all
true.</EM></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=340140915-07062001>Among the finest in the =
world?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=340140915-07062001>Concert length keys?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=340140915-07062001>Perfection in key =
weighting?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=340140915-07062001>What's "master-crafted"? =
Really? Is
that a type of computer automated machine? </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=340140915-07062001>Finest materials?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=340140915-07062001>Exhaustively tested? =
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=340140915-07062001>Why are they sending so many back? =
What do
Larry Fine's surveys say about these fine =
instruments?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=340140915-07062001>Apparently they need even more testing =
with the
problems they're having.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN =
class=340140915-07062001>I
consider this to be similar to all "stencil" pianos like <STRONG>DH
</STRONG>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. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN =
class=340140915-07062001>
<P><FONT size=2>Lance Lafargue, RPT<BR>Mandeville, LA<BR>New =
Orleans
Chapter, PTG<BR>lancelafargue@bellsouth.net</FONT> =
</P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV align=left class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr><FONT =
face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> =
owner-pianotech@ptg.org
[mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]<B>On Behalf Of
</B>Wimblees@AOL.COM<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, June 07, 2001 9:17
AM<BR><B>To:</B> pianotech@ptg.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: =
Deceptive
Advertising<BR><BR></DIV></FONT><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT =
size=2>In
a message dated 6/6/01 9:31:50 PM Central Daylight Time,
<BR>mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes: <BR><BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"
TYPE="CITE">I copied the following from a web page for a dealer. =
How do
they sleep at <BR>night. <BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Terry =
<BR><BR>Don't
blame the dealer for the ad copy. This is what the manufacturer =
has
<BR>come up with. Nothing in the script is false. Maybe a little
exaggerated, but <BR>it is all true. Unfortunately, its because we =
know so
much, that we see this <BR>as misleading consumers. But how else =
are they
(the manufacturer) going to <BR>persuade people to buy their =
product?
<BR><BR>Willem
</FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>