Deceptive Advertising

[Kevin E. Ramsey]

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    Lance; first off, good letter. The question really should be, what =
is the price of your integrity. 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. =

    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.=20
    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).=20
    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.
    Getting back to the subject, ( Applause form the audience )  Some =
dealers will do anything to anyone, including their good friends, for =
money. Period.=20

    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.


Kevin E. Ramsey
ramsey@extremezone.com=20
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Lance Lafargue=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 8:33 AM
  Subject: RE: Deceptive Advertising


  > Nothing in the script is false. Maybe a little exaggerated, but=20
  it is all true.

  Among the finest in the world?
  Concert length keys?
  Perfection in key weighting?
  What's "master-crafted"?  Really?  Is that a type of computer =
automated machine?=20
  Finest materials?
  Exhaustively tested? =20
  Why are they sending so many back?  What do Larry Fine's surveys say =
about these fine instruments?
  Apparently they need even more testing with the problems they're =
having.
  I consider this to be similar to all "stencil" pianos like DH 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. =20
  Lance Lafargue, RPT
  Mandeville, LA
  New Orleans Chapter, PTG
  lancelafargue@bellsouth.net=20

    -----Original Message-----
    From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On =
Behalf Of Wimblees@AOL.COM
    Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 9:17 AM
    To: pianotech@ptg.org
    Subject: Re: Deceptive Advertising


    In a message dated 6/6/01 9:31:50 PM Central Daylight Time,=20
    mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes:=20



      I copied the following from a web page for a dealer. How do they =
sleep at=20
      night.=20




    Terry=20

    Don't blame the dealer for the ad copy. This is what the =
manufacturer has=20
    come up with. Nothing in the script is false. Maybe a little =
exaggerated, but=20
    it is all true. Unfortunately, its because we know so much, that we =
see this=20
    as misleading consumers. But how else are they (the manufacturer) =
going to=20
    persuade people to buy their product?=20

    Willem=20

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