Disklavier

In defense of any piano technician getting a little "hostile" over technical 
support of "gray market" pianos, I don't think you really understand the 
problem.  True, Yamaha is a huge company doing a global business.  Their 
products are manufactured specifically for different markets.  The pianos in 
particular are not interchangeable!

The bottom line, though, is some non-Yamaha piano dealer trying to make a 
buck and ripping off the American public.  Japanese, as well as other Asian 
people, generally do not purchase used merchandise - they buy new pianos.  
Americans, on the other hand, think that anything that isn't broken is as 
good as new. So in Japan, there is tremendous supply of used instruments and 
no market.  In the the USA, there is a tremendous market, but not a good 
supply of used instruments manufactured for the American market (climate).  
Therefore, many of these used pianos manufactured for the Asian climate are 
being imported into the United States by non-Yamaha dealers.  Since both the 
real Yamahas (those manufactured for the US) and the "gray market" Yamahas 
have the same name on them, most US customers don't realize the difference - 
however the dealers certainly do, and they are the culprits!

As a piano technician, I am absolutely appalled by the whole scheme.  These 
"gray market" pianos are usually sold for about half the price of a 
comparable US market piano, and the customers are told it is the real thing. 
  These pianos ALWAYS have irritating service problems, as the customers 
quickly discover.  They literally have thrown their piano dollars down the 
drain.

It is bad enough that we have to deal with gray market pianos, but to have 
to deal with the tears of gray market disklaviers would be absolutely too 
much!  One of the worst experiences you can have as a piano technician is to 
see the "look" and tears in the eyes of someone who has been ripped off.

  So if we get a little crusty protecting YOUR interests, be thankful we are 
on your side!

Carol Beigel



>From: "Shawn Nunley" <shawn@...>
>Reply-To: disklavier@egroups.com
>To: <disklavier@egroups.com>
>Subject: RE: [Re: [Re: [disklavier] Owners manual - older disklavier]]
>Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 14:02:57 -0800
>
>Mark,
>
>As right as you may be, it probably doesn't serve anybody very well to take
>a hostile tone.  You represent Yamaha when you use Yamaha in your 
>signature,
>and I don't think it's inappropriate for a buyer of a Yamaha product
>manufactured in one part of the world to expect support from Yamaha in
>another part of the world.  Yamaha is a Wolrd-Class organization, and
>consumers come to expect certain things from those organizations whether it
>is easy for the company to provide it or not.
>
>All reasons for lack of service, or refusal to support these products are
>naturally going to elicit conspiracy theories from some people.  Just 
>accept
>it.  Reasonable people will come to reasonable conclusions based on facts.
>Thank you for the facts in your reply.
>
>-Shawn Nunley
>(a happy Mark II owner)
>

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