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Schaff Piano Supply vs. American Piano Supply Co.
By Tony Marsico

Hi,  Bruce Clark asked if Schaff was still in business, and it is.
They are a bit more expensive than American (APSCO) but their quality
and service blows away American.

I have called American and waited four or five rings for them to answer.
They have no computer inventory that I know of, so if you want to know
if something is in stock, they have to physically go back and look.
More often than not, in any order I ask for, they won't have at least
two or more things in stock, and so not sent.

Recently I ordered some #4x3/4" nickel plated screws for a set of Repro-
duco pipes that I made.  Realizing that it wasn't enough to make up
their 25-dollar minimum, I ordered some hose too.  I waited and waited
and it never came.  Since it was right before Christmas I thought,
well, there are a lot of packages floating around out there, maybe
it's delayed.  So I continued to wait.  Finally I called and the girl
said no, it was never shipped.  When I asked why, she said the hose
was not in stock and the screws by themselves were not enough to make
a minimum order!

Another time a customer of mine asked if I could get him some more
1-1/2" hose, because he had switched around the suction box for the
Seeburg R I had done for him.  He wanted it because he was going to
have a party on a certain date about two weeks from the day he called
me.  I put it in with another order and asked them to drop-ship it.

After ten days or so I received my order and, knowing the problems
I've had with American, I called them to find out if they had shipped
his hose.  The girl said no, it wasn't in stock.  After reading them
the riot act about it I called Schaff and had it drop-shipped over-
night.  The cost for that, if I'm not mistaken, was $104.  This is
a very good customer of mine.

The screw order from American?  They sent me #5 screws in a #4 box.

Schaff usually answers the phone in one ring and they usually give
you to an order taker who knows what you are talking about.  I usually
order from American only if I need nickel plated screws.

Tony Marsico


(Message sent Fri 29 Jan 1999, 04:39:11 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

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