i'll share my story as grist for the mill.
in 2000 i purchased a brand new M&H Model A -- a beautiful little beast. a few months after taking possession a buzzing developed when playing a note (or notes; memory fuzzy now). it drove me crazy, but the dealer & his techs made multiple visits to my house to attempt to debug it. i ultimately troubleshot the issue to the felt under the strings behind the bridge. the fix was to put a piece of leather under the tri-strings to squeeze the buzz out. not an elegant solution, but it worked. then, one of the dual string bass notes developed false beats. i had to have the strings replaced twice. after many years the action started to become quite sluggish, and i wanted to explore the possibility of replacing the capstans (? -- i think this was it) with the newer, slicker versions they had. my dealer put in the good word for me and i spoke with the lead engineer at M&H, who was quite gracious with his time. but that did contrast with other occasions in which i tried contacting the manufacturer (initially to make some much needed marketing suggestions about their website, etc.) and never received a reply (phone nor email). others here have noted the same experience.
they have a real customer service problem. if they want end users to take support issues thru their dealers they should at least have the courtesy of articulating that policy. i had a highly reputable dealer so i didn't freak out, but i can see how many would, especially with a dealer who isn't being proactive.
i also believe that what one other poster said here about "warts and all" does apply to smaller production manufacturers and/or piano makers who don't have a rigid QMS protocol, e.g. ISO 9001. quality can vary from instrument to instrument. that can be either charmingly unique or very frustrating. although i loved my M&H i am now experiencing with my newer piano what consistency is all about, and now understand why it's an overwhelming choice of institutions & teachers.
