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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,426
1000 Post Club Member
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1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,426 |
I find it difficult to believe that after Baldwin and Piano Experts parted ways no one at Baldwin noticed (or heard from someone in Chicago--not a small town) that the dealer was still advertising and "selling" Baldwin pianos months later.
Surely some customers must have called Baldwin, wondering when their pianos would be built and shipped.
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 698
500 Post Club Member
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500 Post Club Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 698 |
Mark,
Here's how that happens. The dealer is canceled by a manufacturer. Most of the time the manufacturer's rep might know how many pianos the dealer has in stock but sometimes that number is sketchy. As long as the dealer has stock and the manufacturer has not repurchased the pianos from the dealer, the canceled dealer can claim to have new instruments.
Usually it is the new dealer that would normally have a complaint with the manufacturer about the advertising. Also it takes more attorney fees to get a dealer to stop doing this and in most cases it is only a few units so everyone just waits until that stock is sold. Most of the time the manufacturer does not want to have to repurchase the instruments unless the flooring companies force them to do so. If there is no new dealer to complain (and I am not up who that might be) then no complaint is made.
Also the size of the Chicago market makes a lot of this easier because the anonymity of the customer base. Many customers could have this problem and it would take a while for them to find each other.
As you can see from the other thread this has been a long time in the making.
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 407
Full Member
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Full Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 407 |
When I was piano shopping, Piano Experts was the first store I visited. I didn't realize it was a Biasco store. I liked some of the new artist-series (I think that was the name) Baldwin grands, a used Baldwin, and a used Chickering. I didn't buy anything -- I knew that I had a lot of shopping ahead of me.
What really sticks in my mind was the pushiness of the salesman. He kept pestering me so much about buying one that night, or that weekend because they had a great sale going on, that I really couldn't play the pianos. At every pause, he was there with more sales lines.
A few days later I was told that the owner was a Biasco and to avoid them. Luckily I found pianos that I liked better at other stores.
Mary
Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman. -- Beethoven
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 18,356
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
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Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 18,356 |
Originally posted by George K: DING DING DING!
DANGER WILL ROBINSON!! Now THERE was a good television show... [gets lost in happy nostalgia space]
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,426
1000 Post Club Member
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1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,426 |
I'm skeptical.
When I ordered a Saturn autombile the dealer gave me an estimate of when it would be built and delivered. If the car had been considerably delayed and the dealer were evasive, I would have called Saturn in Spring Hill, TN--and raised a stink.
I'll bet folks were calling Arkansas.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 999
500 Post Club Member
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500 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 999 |
Contacting the manufacturer is not a bad idea.
I am surprised, however, that people bought, and paid for, pianos that they had not actually touched.
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,645
1000 Post Club Member
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1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,645 |
You'd be amazed what kind of feeding frenzy a full-page newspaper ad and some clever wording can do. Read THIS and be prepared to hurl.
Full-Time Music/Entrepreneurship Major: (Why not compose music AND businesses?) Former Piano Industry Professional ************ Steinway M Roland Atelier AT90R ************ All Posts are Snarky Unless Otherwise Noted ************
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4
Junior Member
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Junior Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4 |
I purchased my piano Hamilton by Baldwin H410 from these guys some two years ago. First I paid $7000.00 for H399, which is 5'8". Since they delayed the delivery they offered me a free upgrade to H410, which is 6'2". With a two weeks delay the piano was delivered and I could have called this a happy ending. I got 6'2" excellent piano for $7000.00. But... I informed Baldwin. Why? The deal was true and it was good, but still I smelled something bad. I was sure that my money were used to pay for the piano of the previous customers and the money of the next customers were used to pay for my piano. I knew this scheme as "The Pyramid". Back in my country many people lost their money this way. Of course the first one were lucky, they made profit, but you never know when the pyramid was going to collapse.
Baldwin never answered my alerting e-mail. I guess they took it into account (with maybe some alerting e-mails from other customers) and canceled their contract with Piano Experts an year and something later. But maybe they reacted too slow. I guess my alerting e-mail after a happy ending was more like an exception and most of the other customers did not contact Baldwin until the things got out of control.
On a positive note Hamilton 6'2" grand is an excellent piano for an even more excellent price. Lucky me.
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1
Junior Member
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Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1 |
Not much to add to this story but I was in the retail business 20 years ago in the Chicago area and there were stories then about this company and their "less than ethical" business practices. I hope the investigation is successful.
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