The Piano Shoppe, Inc.

"I'm sorry you made that investment..." *** *** after selling me a mold invested, worthless piano
After reading his five-star Google reviews and checking his listing with the Revdex.com, I decided to visit The Piano Shoppe last July I was looking for a piano for my 5-year-old daughter to begin lessons When he picked up the phone, I told *** ***, owner of the shop, that I didn't play and didn't know much about pianos "No problem," he said, "I'm factory trained by Steinway and have years experience I can help you pick a great piano for your daughter."
I settled on a Baldwin Hamilton Studio and we agreed on a price of $1, (As of today, my piano is still listed as 'for sale' on his website.)
Upon asking him "how much life does this piano have left in it?" *** replied, "Oh, fifty years at least!"
The first signs of problems came when Mr*** visited my house about two weeks after the sale (mid-August) to perform the complimentary tuning Upon lifting the lid of the piano and removing the front "music desk," Mr*** said, "what's this?" He found a little bag made of mesh affixed to one of the latches "I don't know," I replied "Doesn't matter," he said as he tossed it on the ground
As Mr*** peered further into the piano, again I heard, "What's this??" He pulled out a piece of wood about 10.5" long x 1" x 1" with a nail sticking out "What's that doing there?", he continued "You tell me," I replied He shrugged and said, "It doesn't look like it belongs to the piano I'll just leave it where I found it." (Inside the piano, floating around.) It was then that I realized, Mr*** had neither cleaned the inside of the piano before he sold it to me, nor had he ever SEEN the inside of this piano
He began the tuning and looked frustrated No matter what he did, it sounded worse as he continued to check his watch and field business calls on his cell Two hours later he claimed it was in tune, but that he had to do a pitch raise because it "hadn't been tuned in a long time It might need another tuning in a few months."
With a horrible feeling in my gut, I found a company that employs members of the Piano Technicians Guild to provide a "condition report," which detailed all the problems
The piano is full of mold, has hairline cracks forming on the treble bridge, is so far out of tune after Mr*** tuned it in my home, that he likely did damage to the piano It now needs TWO more pitch raises to "maybe be playable," according to the tech "Notes were anywhere from cents sharp to cents (not a typo) flat in the high treble." In addition, Mr*** told me the piano was "about 30-years-old," when in fact it was made in the forth quarter of
The action needs anywhere from $500-$of work because it is, "Highly erratic Aftertouch, setoff and checking are problematic Likely will need to re-level and re-dip the keys to get acceptable regulation."
Upon presenting this information to Mr*** via email, with photos documenting the mold, he replied: "I am sorry you made that investment If you had questions me and my staff would have corrected those at no charge I have several upgrade pianos in stock currently if You want to come by, thanks."
So, all of the problems listed above - even potentially dangerous mold that has been brought into my home, is simply caveat emptor in Mr***'s book What's even more sad is that he presents himself as a "Christian man" who does a lot of work for his church
Imagine buying a used car from a local dealership established in 1991, with 5-star Google reviews and an A+ rating from the Revdex.com Would you expect to need a third party mechanic to check the car out before the sale?
In total, the piano technician wrote that the piano needs $1,worth of work (for a $1,piano.) But added, he couldn't recommend anyone buy it
As of today, Mr*** still refuses to refund my money and take back his lemon of a piano
Update: X-I called Steinway & Sons in New York They have no record of *** *** (or *** ***) ever receiving any kind of training at Steinway

"I'm sorry you made that investment..." [redacted] after selling me a mold invested, worthless piano.
After reading his five-star Google reviews and checking his listing with the Revdex.com, I decided to visit The Piano Shoppe last July. I was looking for a piano for my 5-year-old daughter to begin lessons. When he picked up the phone, I told [redacted], owner of the shop, that I didn't play and didn't know much about pianos. "No problem," he said, "I'm factory trained by Steinway and have 25 years experience. I can help you pick a great piano for your daughter."
I settled on a Baldwin Hamilton 243 Studio and we agreed on a price of $1,900. (As of today, my piano is still listed as 'for sale' on his website.)
Upon asking him "how much life does this piano have left in it?" [redacted] replied, "Oh, fifty years at least!"
The first signs of problems came when Mr. [redacted] visited my house about two weeks after the sale (mid-August) to perform the complimentary tuning. Upon lifting the lid of the piano and removing the front "music desk," Mr. [redacted] said, "what's this?" He found a little bag made of mesh affixed to one of the latches. "I don't know," I replied. "Doesn't matter," he said as he tossed it on the ground.
As Mr. [redacted] peered further into the piano, again I heard, "What's this??" He pulled out a piece of wood about 10.5" long x 1" x 1" with a nail sticking out. "What's that doing there?", he continued. "You tell me," I replied. He shrugged and said, "It doesn't look like it belongs to the piano. I'll just leave it where I found it." (Inside the piano, floating around.) It was then that I realized, Mr. [redacted] had neither cleaned the inside of the piano before he sold it to me, nor had he ever SEEN the inside of this piano.
He began the tuning and looked frustrated. No matter what he did, it sounded worse as he continued to check his watch and field business calls on his cell. Two hours later he claimed it was in tune, but that he had to do a pitch raise because it "hadn't been tuned in a long time. It might need another tuning in a few months."
With a horrible feeling in my gut, I found a company that employs members of the Piano Technicians Guild to provide a "condition report," which detailed all the problems.
The piano is full of mold, has hairline cracks forming on the treble bridge, is so far out of tune after Mr. [redacted] tuned it in my home, that he likely did damage to the piano. It now needs TWO more pitch raises to "maybe be playable," according to the tech. "Notes were anywhere from 5 cents sharp to 110 cents (not a typo) flat in the high treble." In addition, Mr. [redacted] told me the piano was "about 30-years-old," when in fact it was made in the forth quarter of 1960.
The action needs anywhere from $500-$800 of work because it is, "Highly erratic. Aftertouch, setoff and checking are problematic. Likely will need to re-level and re-dip the keys to get acceptable regulation."
Upon presenting this information to Mr. [redacted] via email, with photos documenting the mold, he replied: "I am sorry you made that investment. If you had questions me and my staff would have corrected those at no charge. I have several upgrade pianos in stock currently if You want to come by, thanks."
So, all of the problems listed above - even potentially dangerous mold that has been brought into my home, is simply caveat emptor in Mr. [redacted]'s book. What's even more sad is that he presents himself as a "Christian man" who does a lot of work for his church.
Imagine buying a used car from a local dealership established in 1991, with 5-star Google reviews and an A+ rating from the Revdex.com. Would you expect to need a third party mechanic to check the car out before the sale?
In total, the piano technician wrote that the piano needs $1,175 worth of work (for a $1,900 piano.) But added, he couldn't recommend anyone buy it.
As of today, Mr. [redacted] still refuses to refund my money and take back his lemon of a piano.
Update: X-XX-XX I called Steinway & Sons in New York. They have no record of [redacted] (or [redacted]) ever receiving any kind of training at Steinway.