Tech/Dealer Response (wim)

[Guy, Karen, and Tor Nichols]

Dear List, and Mr. Blees,
	I'm pretty sure that enough time has been wasted on this thread, but I
feel a strong need to respond to Mr. Blees. 

Blees wrote:
>I think prepping a piano is the dealer's responsibility. However there is a
>fine line between prepping the piano, (minor action regulation, adjustments,
>tuning, voicing), and warrentee work, (refitting the action, repairing parts
>that were broken in shipment, repinning  a whole action, or pin block). The
>dealer should know from the start that some of this work is necessary to sell
>the pianos.

Yes sir, this part of your post is basically true, although the "line"
ain't so "fine".


>Even if the dealer goes out of business, he should be held
>responsible to make sure the work is done. 

Huh? Well, good luck.
This next part I'm sure will suprise a lot of dealers....
>
>One of the reasons dealers can get "cheap" pianos is because the factory does
>not spend as much time on the final preperation. But because of that, the
>dealer should be willing to spend the time, and money, to get these pianos
>ready for sale. All pianos, no matter who manufactueres it, need to be
>prepped. But because the profit margin on the "cheap" pianos is not as great,
>the dealer is often unwilling to spend the money. Even so, that doesn't
>excuse it, and the dealer should be held accountable.

Mr. Blees, you may want to check around a little more. You source(s) may be
teasing you....

>
>In this particular case, with the backing of the manufactuere, I think the
>customer might have a case against the dealer to recoup his expenses to get
>the piano in playing condition, or if he is not willing to spend the money,
>to force the dealer to spend the money to get the work done properly. 

Again, basically. But.....words like "case" and "force" don't sound like
relationship-building tools to me.

>
>Unfortunately, this is where working on new pianos sold by dealers with
>questionable reputations, becomes a legal battle for the technician and the
>owners. Unless you know for sure you are going to get reimbursed by a dealer,
>it is best to stay clear of these cases, and inform the customer to get legal
>help.

You know, there's a real sad statistic about the average American, that has
to do with their expectations for retirement income. A huge amount of
people surveyed apparently listed "lawsuit awards" as one of the expected
meal-tickets. I don't remember the exact source, nor am I interested in
argueing the  statement. That's not the point. We all know that the U.S.
public is lawsuit-happy, and telling our customers to seek legal help in a
small service case is absurd. Who wins? The lawyers, every time.

Read Roger Jolly's post from sunday afternoon, Wim. It says it all. Words
like "educate", "proactive", and "loyalty" are the ones we be using.
Roger's last five short paragraphs ought to be posted on the walls of our
shops.  


>(perhaps we should get lawyers to explain our rights and customer's rights at
>a chapter meeting or seminar.)
>

Correct. "You have the right to remain silent. Any slander you give for any
dealer or technician can and will be used against you."  You see, Wim, the
customer WANTS to be educated. Not forced into a confrontation.

I gotta go. Sorry to clutter up the list again on this subject. 

Guy Nichols, RPT



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*    311 South Compress Road    *
*   Las Cruces, NM  88005-2713  *
*  email:  nicho@lascruces.com  *
*     phone:  505-524-1465      *
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