piano scams +

[pianoman]

List,
 If you are not making a profit, you have a hobby, not a business.  You
can't eat hobby.
James Grebe
R.P.T. from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com
"Only my best is good enough"

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> From: THEOFONE@aol.com
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: piano scams
> Date: Saturday, November 15, 1997 5:22 PM
> 
> Mr Martin, 
>                You dont blow your horn loudly enough!!!!!! We NEED these
> lessons!!!
> My complaint in my chapter is that dealers have the same K-Mart (as I
call
> it) mentality as the customers do!!! I said this about the guitar
buisness
> 20+ years ago"If you discount,you discount yourself OUT of buisness."
They
> feel that they have to discount to stay in buisness. Here is where the
> problem arises. Not enough PROFIT!! ....so pianos dont get prepared and
> serviced the way that they should,and the the dealer complains about not
> making any money because his overhead is so high,then in frustration hes
says
> "you charge too much" meaning wen (as technicians) increase his overhead
> also.Necessary evil as were called. As I see it,he doesnt charge enough
in
> this K-Mart mentality. I also dont believe in deceptive trade
practices,BUT
> maybe some form of this can be a solution.Take 2 years to Double the
retail
> price then discount 30%-40% then he will make 10%-20% above MSRP!!!!!
> Results are more money to pay people and overhead is covered AND profit
WILL
> be assured.This is quite legal. According to the Federal Trade Comission,
> their are NO retail price limits on pianos, therefore if the customer
wants a
> deep discount and does NOT want to sacrifice service,(because he thinks
he
> will get something for nothing),this IS the way to do it!!!....as the
story
> goes,a major retailer,(SEA--) couldnt sell sewing machines due to a slow
> period, they RAISED the price and put a sale sign on them and sold
out.The
> key wasnt the money, it wthe PERCIEVED savings  of the sale !!!! This
could
> be a good lesson for us and the industry. As you see< I ramble too
>                                                 Theodore Mamel RPT
>                                                  Pittsburgh Chapter