Deceptive Advertising

[Lance Lafargue]

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Kevin,
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,
lance

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.
Lance Lafargue, RPT
Mandeville, LA
New Orleans Chapter, PTG
lancelafargue@bellsouth.net

  -----Original Message-----
  From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf Of
Kevin E. Ramsey
  Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 9:22 PM
  To: pianotech@ptg.org
  Subject: Re: Deceptive Advertising


      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.
      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).
      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.

      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
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: Lance Lafargue
    To: pianotech@ptg.org
    Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 8:33 AM
    Subject: RE: Deceptive Advertising


    > Nothing in the script is false. Maybe a little exaggerated, but
    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?
    Finest materials?
    Exhaustively tested?
    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.
    Lance Lafargue, RPT
    Mandeville, LA
    New Orleans Chapter, PTG
    lancelafargue@bellsouth.net

      -----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,
      mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes:



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




      Terry

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

      Willem

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