new piano

[Avery Todd]

Hi Kevin,

At 02:49 PM 06/24/01 -0700, you wrote:
>     I work on a lot of new-right out of the box, Kawai's, and if they've
>been in the crate in the dealers warehouse for a few months, they will come
>out onto the showroom floor in pretty much this condition. 35 cents flat in
>the bass, going flatter as you go up the scale.
>     Sounds to me like their particular dealer just un-crated it and shipped
>it to the customer.

I've had lease pianos arrive at the university with the tie-down stick 
still on
the action! Prep? I don't think so! I charged them for it, too. :-)

>Sometimes that is done because the person scheduling
>doesn't allow time for any prep work to be done before being delivered.

Or doesn't give a rat's a**! Sorry. I just get really p'd off at this kind of
thing, especially when I'm the one that has to deal with it!

>But
>for them to do that and not advice the customer that they would be sending
>out someone immediately to tune the piano is a poor reflection on the
>company that sold it, IMHO.

Now my next question is "Do you think they really care? If they did, they
wouldn't do this.

>     Let's face it, though, haven't we all seen similar things done?

Many times!

>     On the other hand, if the customer has had the piano for a year, and it
>arrived in their home in reasonably good tune, and after  a year it went
>down that far, then I would have to say that it had probably come right out
>of the crate, received one tuning, and was shipped to the customer with no
>advice as to how to give it the proper care in the first year.

Unfortunately, too many dealers think like this. Fortunately, there are a few
who don't. I'm lucky. I do some work for a dealer who doesn't think like this.
Not in Houston, though. :-)

>Kevin E. Ramsey
>ramsey@extremezone.com
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Leslie W Bartlett" <lesbart1@juno.com>
>To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2001 8:15 PM
>Subject: new piano
>
>
> > I tuned for a new customer today, a Kawai baby grand.  Low part was out
> > about 35-cents, top out about 65 cents.   New piano.  I told them it
> > would take more tunings, showed them why, etc. etc., but they were
> > incensed that their piano, major investment, was so unstable. Shouldn't a
> > major investment be "ready", and not require all this extra
> > cost?????????????- they inquired.
> >
> > The relationship between stores and techs in this town hasn't been
> > incredibly positive, at least in the seven or so years I've been around
> > the business.  What's a guy to say to these people??????
> > les bartlett