Hi everyone!

In the next couple of weeks I'll be getting my first digital piano. As a child I played a Casio keyboard and practised on the acoustic one late at night in the music school.
I'm so excited that I can't even sleep at night and only thing I can talk about these days is a dp.
I went to check the prices of CLP 340 pe in the stores in London and they're considerably higher that on the Internet. I quite ofter purchase stuff from web but this is a lot of money. I don't want to end up with an empty pocket and no piano.
Where can I get CLP340 pe reasonably prices online with good warranty and good customer service? Cyberstore Thomann seems reliable, read some reviews but there're based in Germany. So if something goes wrong, you need to post the dp there.

Sorry for the split post, I'm doing so from the iPhone.
did anyone buy a dp from Cyberstote Thomann? If so what was your experience?
Anyone used a different online retailer and they were happy with the price, delivery and customer service?

Thanks for helping me out.

I started too with a digital, and bought it online about 3 years ago (Yamaha P-140).

There're serious and safe shops out there, of course, but there're also scammers.

The references I got from Thomann are good. I got mine from www.casamarti.com (competitive prices and great customer service, it's a huge "real" shop which also sells online) but I have no idea if they ship outside Spain.

Thanks. I'll check it out. Anyone knows instruments2go.co.uk?
They are selling Clp340pe withthe piano stool and free delivery for under £1775. Isn't this a bit too cheap to be true? Or are there genuinely priced only store who aren't there just to rip you off?

Cross-border sales within the EU are covered by Directive 1999/44/EC, which see. You would have a minimum 2 yr warranty and the right to replacement/refund within 6 months of purchase if a major fault occured, at your discretion [not the supplier's].

If the supplier [e.g. Thomann] decided to return the DP to Germany for repair, it would have to be at their expense, not yours.

If you wish to buy cross-border I can recommend Cherubini in Rome [Italy]. I bought a Kawai CA91 from them which developed a number of faults. They did everything possible to put it right,[unlike Kawai], using a UK technician.

Hi,

thanks for your advice, but when I checked Cherubini they are not that cheap. CLP 340R goes for 1900 Euro, yet in Chappell of Bond Street (actual London based store) the same dp goes for £1419, where on the Internet or online. I am particulary interested in polished ebony finish. Yamahas polished ebony pianos are significantly more expensive.
I am going to Rose Morris back again in two weeks to check again Roland F110 and CLP 340, these two have got different price tag. Will see if I end up buying the cheaper or more expensive one. Will try to negotiate there or at the Chappell. Anyone has got experience knocking the price down with the seller?

With the massive depreciation of the pound against the euro there is no longer any advantage in buying outside the UK.

That price from Chappell's looks very good. Ref negotiating price, you are more likely to get added value. Try for a bench or headphones in the deal. It's better for the dealer than giving money away.

The bench would be already included in this bundle. So for £1999 it's CLp 340pe plus yamaha bench. Extra delivery charge of 50 quid. I will probably go ahead with it. Thanks for the support.

Customer service and product help are not synonymous with internet purchases. Voltage differences, manual languages, dashboard languages and characters, added features and software, are frequent problems with internet purchases. Often factory warranties are void if sold beyond distributor territory. Caveat Emptor

Marty, you are right. Some manufacturers are more concerned with protecting their dealers by restrictive practices, than looking after their retail customers. Fortunately improved consumer protection laws are one of the few benefits of EU membership. A manufacturer may try to make it difficult to get redress but they cannot avoid their and their dealers responsibilities for the products they sell.

Apparently I couldn't order a P-155 from music123.com
It said that the manufacturer doesn't allow shipment to Canada for that model. Does that apply to all sites or just music123.com?

On the side note, does anybody know how much duty charges are for digital pianos from USA to Canada?

Often a "factory" warranty is actually a warranty through the distributor. Yamaha products are represented by several distributors world wide, as are other internationally distributed musical instruments. YCA Yamaha Corporation of America services the warranty on new Yamaha products sold in North America. They will not be responsible for new Yamaha products sold out of UK or Europe. This is just one example. I don't know how the representation runs in Europe and/or UK.

Yamaha Clavinovas sold in the U.S. through YCA bear a 5 year warranty parts and labor in-home serivce. I have heard that Clavinovas sold in other regions have different warranties.

The original poster lives in London. If he buys his new Yamaha CLP340 over the internet from a sell in Germany, is the dealer in London responsible to aid him in learning how to use all of the features? This is what I meant by service.

I see on the musicians friend site they say they ship to Canada; but there are some exclusions and I think that Yamaha may be one of them; but check for yourself on the site. ---One thing i can think of suggesting is to contact other places and see if they'll match that price that music 123 has. May be tricky though if music 1123 doesn't ship to Canada then the places that do ship there or Canadian shops may not consider that actually matching a valid price.

If you buy from the internet, you will get your Claviova delivered in a box. Local dealers often deliver and assemble the piano for you. If you buy within the EU, Yamaha will honour your warranty, providing you can provide proof of purchase, although there may be a problem if the product has to be replaced under warranty. The mains voltage is not a problem as all Yamaha products destined for the EU are designed for a nominal 230VAC mains supply, although you will needs to change the mains plug if you buy a non-UK product.

I had once delivered Fantom X8 in all bended and destroyed factory box by UPS - what I heard they treat very badly heavy items like that. So yeah there is a risk with shipping...

Hi everyone! Back to the original message.
I wasn't sure whether to get my dp from the music store or the Internet. I decided for the first one. If something happens, I can either call them or hop on the tube to get to Central London.
I opt for Yamaha. I didn't know why I liked it. As I know some people prefer Kawai or Roland. Only know I remember years ago, when I did piano lessons I actually practised on the Yamaha Grand Acoustic piano.

I'm facing one more dilemma. CLp 340 or 370 in polished ebony. Price difference is £179. Is it worth to pay extra for 370? CLP 370 pe is £2179. Including a wench and delivery. I could still try to get the price down a couple of quid.
Thanks.

Whether a wench is worth £179 is a subjective call. It would depend on the wench.

Sorry, how funny. My iphone tricked me again. Of course I meant bench. I'll be very happy just the piano and the BENCH!!!
Back to the serious stuff. Both CLP 340 and 370 include delivery and bench. 340 is £1999 and 370 £2179. It seems 370 isn't worth it? Anyone agrees or disagrees?
Should I invest that extra cash on a pair of decent headphones, or go for 370? I read lots of reviews on 370 that apart from NW keys and some better acoustic speakers, there is no difference between the two.
Anyone has got experience playing both?
Please help, I'm going to the store on Thursday!

PS: Sorry for the silly spelling. I was writing that on my way from work on the iPhone. It always annoying suggests the spelling. lol

Hahaha, I believe this was one of the funniest posts ever on this forum

/Andrée

Ajka,

I wasn't making fun of you. I just thought it was a fun typo to play around with.

Anyway, I'll vote for the headphones. I think good phones are essential to a full appreciation of digital piano qualities.

Many credit cards offer the owner some protection from being ripped off and will "charge back" the transaction if the vendor fails to ship a product. Call your bank and ask. My bank has a process where I can tell them I have a dispute with some store and the bank will sort it out and credit my account.

Don't just accept the store price. The last time I asked Chappell about this they were happy to match a cheaper UK internet price. Phone them first and quote the several cheapest prices you can find (e.g. rockingrooster has the 340 for 1805 GBP + 39 GBP delivery). Alternatively, you should have no problems buying from a reputable UK net store (Google for customer reviews), but use a credit card as mentioned above. I went with gear4music last year and would be happy to use them again (I think they also price match).

If the store is IN London but also has a cyberstore buy online (thus matching their online price) and ask to pick it up youself the same, or the next day! You get to save on shipping, but also will be face to face with those who sold you, and it's rather unlikely anything will go wrong!

Price matching is another way, as it's been mentioned before.

Best of luck mate!

Hi Nikolas,


I called them this Monday asking about delivery charges and if I could pick it up myself. They said the delivery within London is free of charge, so I'm already saving 50 quid and drivers deliver on Saturday, so don't have to take a day off either.
I should be going there some time this week; still trying to knock the price down. You know credit crunch and if the business isn't doing well, they might be willing to give it away for a better price to a nice girl like me. I could get it for the same price from the web, but going to the store to negotiate the price.
I will try to get CLP 370 PE for at least £2100. If it doesn't work, I'll go for 340.
Will definitely let you know.
Gosh, I can't wait for my dp. I must have been a very good girl this year. It seems Santa is coming to my house a bit earlier this year. lol

Suggest you take some printouts of cheaper CLP370 PE prices along to encourage them to knock the price down, e.g.:

http://www.musical-instrumentsuk.co.uk/more/on/details/00777

http://www.mrmusic.co.uk/product.asp?Product=4233

http://www.chamberlainmusic.com/productdetail.asp?ProductID=CLP370PE-K

http://www.igotmusic.co.uk/ProductDetail.asp?ProductID=CLP370PE-K

http://www.andyou.co.uk/productdetail.asp?ProductID=CLP370PE-K

Good luck!

Hi will check those pages. There is also another one biggars.co.uk. They sell clp370pe for £1961. I'm going there on Saturday.
Wish me good luck, can't wait.

Thanks again.

Guys,

I want to thank to everyone. For all the support and help. I DID IT!!! I just bought CLP 370 pe for £2100!!! With the bench and delivery! I am thrilled and can't wait for my baby to be delivered.
I have to say they agreed on price match. I brought the prints from the webpages, RDW suggested. We negotiated the price down to £2100 from original £2279. I can spend that extra cash on some good headphones.
Comparing 340 and 370 to me not a big difference. Well, haven't had the chance to play it for a long time. I went for 370, since I like the design. It stands out from the rest.

I have got my very first digital piano!!!

Excellent! I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I like Chappell's 'new' Wardour St shop - plenty of sheet music downstairs and a nicer space for the DPs than the old place had in Bond St.