I read about various people on this forum talking about the deals they got buying digital pianos (I am specifically interested in high-end Yamaha Digital Pianos) and seeing that they are shopping around for them.

My question is this ... Does that eventually come back to roost in the form of poor access to service and/or warranty work ?

I am assuming the local dealers are not real anxious to help you out when a problem arises if you bought from someone else.

How do you deal with that ? Or hasn't it come up ... YET !

I can't speak for all piano dealers ... but mine does NOT do service. They operate a LARGE showroom (mostly acoustic pianos). But they don't service the digitals.

So, when I called them for service, they gave me the name of a local Yamaha-authorized repair company.

If that is widely true, then the dealer is not relevant with respect to service.

As for buying on-line ... Yamaha sternly warns that it does not permit on-line sales of its high-end pianos (in North America). Any pianos sold on-line get NO warranty from Yamaha. (I think the situation is similar for Kawai and Roland.)

The on-line seller may offer his own warranty. But it's not likely that such a retailer would have a nationwide service network. You'd have to return the piano to the seller (or his designated repair facility), which could cost you hundreds of dollars for shipment. Not good.

And even that might be a moot point ... Can you trust the warranty of a dealer you have never (and can never) see or judge?

Those are my concerns exactly. My local Yamaha dealer does handle service needs so I am reluctant to buy a piano away from my area. So, I feel that I am pretty much tied to my local dealer and have to just wait for a sale or something to be able to get a "good" deal.

If you're talking about the high-end pianos, don't wait for a sale. There aren't any. (Even if there were, you don't want to pay their "sale" price.)

I think you need to make your own sale. Find out the suggested retail price. Try pianobuyer.com, but ignore their so-called "estimated price". Take 45% or more off of the retail price and make that your offer. You might accept a counter-offer that's a bit higher.

I took a look at pianobuyer.com. Here are the numbers from their Spring 2011 listing:

Clearly, the "estimated" price is ridiculous. Take a look at the prices paid thread in this forum, and you'll find people paying WAY less.

EXAMPLES
Calicogirl reported buying a CLP-340 PE last August for $3100 ... or 37% off of retail, and $800 below the "estimated" price.

And BPapo bought a CVP-509 PM a year ago for $7546 ... or 46% off of retail, and $3,054 below the "estimated" price.

Dmd,

I think with digitals sold exclusively from authorized dealers (such as Clavinovas, or the Kawai CA line), it will be a problem if you buy online but not if you buy from out of state in person. If you buy a Clavinova in PA and then move to California, you will still be covered under warranty. So buying non-local shouldn't be a problem.

Last year, I was doing some research on digitals and found that I was getting better prices from dealers in NJ (where I visit family) than in my area. So if you don't mind driving a little bit to get a better price, it may not be a bad idea.

MzrtFan:

All of that is true. I guess, I am one of these guys that wants everyone to "like" them so it bothers me to bring in my Yamaha to my local dealer (whom I know somewhat personally) and he is made aware that I purchased it elsewhere. But I guess I shouldn't worry about that because he also knows that he was not dealing with me as fairly as he might have and it cost him a sale.

I was just looking at my CLP-330 to see how the keyboard comes off and it looks like 2 screws on each underside and it slides right off, so carting it back to a dealer within 100 miles would not be out of the question if warranty work became necessary. Also, I believe these digitals rarely need service.

Oh, btw ... I am wondering what IN PERSON has to do with anything if you buy it from an authorized Yamaha dealer.

Oops... I didn't realize you were talking about the piano you have now. I thought you were trying to purchase one and wanted to ask about the issues that might come up if you don't buy locally.

By "in person" I meant a walk-in purchase as opposed to online. I know authorized dealers don't sell online but I've seen companies on ebay that do.

There's no need. You need neither disassemble nor transport. Warranty work is done in your home.

Regardless of the distance you are from where you purchased it or from an authorized dealer ?

You were right in your assumption. I am looking to purchase my next one and I am trying to figure out how to get the best deal I can in a manner that doesn't cause me problems if something goes wrong with the piano.

What I am hearing here is .... just purchase from an authorized dealer wherever he is and the local authorized dealer will have to honor the warranty if a problem arises.

The warranty is from the manufacturer, not the dealer. If the dealer manages warranty repairs, fine. If not, a separate repair company can handle it. It doesn't really matter. It's really no different than getting warranty repairs on your refrigerator.

If you're in a metropolitan area, there will surely be a local repair company. If in doubt, check with your selling dealer. Or look at the manufacturer's web page where you'll find the answer.

As mentioned,the warranty is from the manufacturer.If you buy from a dealer within your own country you are OK.I know the local wholesalers here(manufacturers rep. and importer)will not pay for the repair of a unit bought from outside the country.