Keyboard Kastle: where 'all sales are final' means 'if you have a problem or aren't satisfied, you're completely on your own'.
I purchased a Yamaha U1 from Keyboard Kastle in late 2017, and based on this experience I cannot warn potential customers enough: STAY AWAY FROM KEYBOARD KASTLE!
Rick Backhaus, the owner of KK, is a smooth-talking slimy salesperson whose selfish arrogance is unrivaled. He said whatever he needed to in order to make the sale (touting all of the musical celebrities that use Yamaha pianos and wondering why I would bother to try other pianos that were clearly inferior to his Yamahas), and he offered no help once I really needed it.
I special ordered my U1 in October and received it in November. It was a standard U1 except that it was a Satin Ebony/Black finish as opposed to the glossy finish they typically stock. I made this decision after trying several pianos at different stores, including shopping with my teacher. She favored the Yamaha, and I understand why she did, but I should have listened to my gut and gone elsewhere. The way KK treated me is not her fault; she simply prefers Yamahas, which I respect.
The piano was delivered without anybody from KK bothering to make sure it was in good condition or played/sounded alright. It was clearly taken out of the box and brought to my home without any inspection. I know this because inside the piano, all of the tags and foam pieces were still attached. I had to remove all of these before playing the piano. They didn't bother tuning it before sending it out to me (which the other major close-by dealer DOES).
I played the piano regularly for about a month, but something just wasn't right. I could look past the tuning, but it just didn't feel/look like I wanted it to. I contacted Rick about the situation. Initially, I emailed him and said that I understood what 'all sales are final' means, but that I just spent over $9,000 at this store and wasn't satisfied. I told him I was pursuing a trade elsewhere on the piano that I really wanted, but that I wanted to check with him to see if there was anything he could do for me.
Here is his email response, received 24 hours after my initial email: "Hello Ray, what piano do you like better. I may be able to get one. Rick"
I told Rick what I was getting and that I liked the sound/feel better. Then I asked for a second time, "Is there anything you can do for me on the U1?"
Rick's response:
"Hello Ray, an Essex EUP-123E piano only retails for about $6900 according to the Blue Book of Pianos. I can't imagine what kind of trade they would make you but you are going to lose a lot of money. In my experience you need to play on a piano for months to really get to know one. Then go out and play others to get a fair comparison. I don't know of anyone off hand that would think that was a fair trade..."
Rick continued on with comments about how worthless the Essex piano was, how UNO purchased Yamaha pianos over Steinway pianos, and what a terrible decision I was making.
Over the course of the next several days, Rick never demonstrated any capacity for understanding or listening. He continually tried to sell me on Yamaha, told me that I didn't know what I was talking about, and insisted that I was making a mistake, even after I had made it clear that my decision to move into a different piano was final. Rick never made me an offer for the piano, even though he was a piano dealer after all. You would think a Yamaha dealer would have some interest in a like-new U1, but apparently not Rick. He never even offered consignment; instead, his comments kept coming back to:
- "You really should try the Yamaha for a few months"
- "I've been in this business for 50 years"
- "I don't stock the satin black U1, so I can't put it on the floor"
- "You are going to lose a lot of money"
In the final email I received from Rick, his closing line was: "At this point, I'm sorry that I can't help you any further. Rick"
Please don't make the same mistake that I did. Take your business elsewhere, where people actually care about you. read more
