Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum "Consumer Reviews of Piano Stores" section?

I'm just wondering if this might be a good idea for a new section of Piano World. Not surprisingly the Piano Piano thread stimulated the thought. But it makes sense in general, I think. Almost everyone who buys a piano goes to a store. People are always asking if anyone has experience with X piano store. Everyone has been to piano stores and will go to more in the future. It's a natural topic I think. People can learn who the good guys and bad guys are and this would help reward the good guys while perhaps helping to persuade the bad to mend their ways.

Many bad dealers have gotten away with bad stuff for too long, because piano selling is an area that has not attracted mass attention like for instance car dealers. To most shoppers, the piano business is, in effect, a "black box". Some dealers ruthlessly take advantage of the typical customer's naivety. We can help change that.

Just an idea.

Regards,

Rick Clark

I think that's a GREAT idea! Especially because the amount of dealer chatter has increased here lately.

Would we have a new thread for each store? I visited more than a dozen stores and definitely have strong opinions (good and bad) about them.

penny

Count my vote in favor of Rick's idea.

I'm not so sure about this idea. In many cases it would post just one persons opinion of a store which might not reflect accurately their day-to-day operation.

I see no problem if their were multiple, similar experiences.

Great idea Rick.

Some disclaimer to protect Frank would be good.
Something like, "These are not the views of Pianoworld and content is not moderated or edited."

Then again, how could we prevent a dealer from logging on 100 times under fake names with good reviews? Or bad reviews of their local competitors?

Complete freedom is nice but abuse may be a concern.

Good points....

rethinking...

I personally feel like it would be very obvious if a dealer tries a ploy like that (re-registering under a million different names to post glowing reports). Really, there's nothing to stop them from doing that right now.

Except for all of us! WE would notice such an attempt (as we do now) and report it to Frank for further investigation. Any dealer caught in such a practice should forever be banned from PW.

Plus, readers are able to make their own judgments about the writers who post here. The personnas of many of us who have been around here awhile are well formed. Newbies who rarely contribute anything but a glowing report, I suspect would be met with a more skeptical eye than others whose opinions are all over this site for examination.

penny

Rick,

The Piano Piano thread also got me to think about collecting data about piano dealers - specifically regarding their return and cancellation policies. I posted it on the Piano Piano thread. I am not re-posting it here because it is a bit long, but some of what I said bears on this thread and so may be worth a look.

Peter

This would be a great idea. Having never purchased a new piano before that fateful day in NY, my family visited about 6 different piano stores in the NJ/PA area. The experience was intense, even with the aid of Larry Fine's book! Little did we know how much dealers vary.

I do think, however, that a review should be based on a completed transaction, including delivery and service, to be worthwhile. The shopping experience is one thing, but it's what happens after the sale that can change everything.

Well, certainly one would have the greatest insight into the dealership from which one bought a piano! But I saw enough sleazy sales tactics and misrepresentations and way-too high pricing on my piano journey, and I think consumers would be interested in that, too. All one would have to add to a post is, "I did not purchase a piano here, so I cannot speak to the service rendered after the point of purchase."

penny

Good idea. Some have mentioned some "minor" negatives, so overall a very good idea.

As the piano forums grow, this could become an invaluable resource for potential buyers.

Regards,
Ron

I like the idea, but I think that such reviews should not be permitted anonymously (or without posting an e-mail address), lest someone try to use the feature for an improper purpose.

Jim

Actually, I think it (the forums) already is (a valuable resource for buyers). But I agree that a specific section devoted to it would be better than having to dig through numerous old threads.

Ed wrote:

Actually, I think it (the forums) already is (a valuable resource for buyers). But I agree that a specific section devoted to it would be better than having to dig through numerous old threads.

Ed, I apologize if my comments sounded like a put down to the current forums. Indeed I do see the current forums as being already an invaluable resource to potential buyers. Apologies to any other long time members who may read my comments in this way.

Regards,
Ron

Ron, no apoligies needed as far as I'm concerned. I guess it was just awkwardly worded.

Cast my vote as being against the idea. There's too much room for abuse of good dealers, or praise of bad dealers, false posts and spamming.

I like it the way it is now, when a real shopper shares experiences. It's somehow more legitimate and real IMHO.

quote:

I guess it was just awkardly worded

Long day. I guess the head was still in a piano.
Spinets and tired old upright. Tomorrow will be a grands day.

Regards,
Ron

Everyone is an individual and what may be one person's good service maybe another's "ripoff". I find on the internet general reviews like this of little value.

Sometimes a new employee can really screw things up for a dealer. One sales person's bad day does not a sleezy dealer make...

I think it's OK. The online booksellers have customer reviews for books and it seems to work. I think.

Hi,

I think I agree with Penny that people would have to take the reviews with a grain of salt, but the idea has merit.

There might be a way to accomplish it without a separate board, though. I belong to another on-line community that has adopted "prefixing." In other words, if a new thread were about a disreputable dealer, the person would put "REVIEW:" in the subject header. Then anyone who wants to check out a dealer(s) can do so easily.

It's just a thought.

Cindy