Jim Laabs Music Store — Attraction in Stevens Point

If there is one review you’ll want to read, this is the one.

My wife and I were moving back to Wisconsin. We have a baby grand piano, so it seemed natural to give Jim Laabs a call for help moving it. Together, we all made sensible plans to have this task handled, and things seemed on track.

Unfortunately, Jim had missed the deadline to deliver the piano. When my wife contacted Jim asking the status of our piano, Jim would reply he would “look into it”, “call me back”, etc.. This went on for 2 months. The disgrace my wife felt from being ignored was starting to make us wonder what was really going on.

At the behest of my wife, I became involved in the situation. The response I received from Jim was perplexing. Jim blamed the current US Federal Government for giving people “free money” so they won’t “work” for a living, and the reason why our piano hadn’t been delivered was due to him being short staffed as everyone has been “staying home because they don’t want to work”. While he did say to me that this situation and delay shouldn’t have occurred, he made no apology.

Upon receiving our next call, I questioned Jim on the fairness of our having to pay the 2nd half of the delivery fee in full due to the serious delay. Jim became belligerent stating that "he couldn’t be held accountable for delays” or for “things he or his employees did or didn’t do”. Jim replied with more perplexing statements about blaming “Liberals”, “Government”, that “times are tough…you should be glad that we could have your piano shipped at this price”, etc. I told him that we could conclude our business, but after this point we wouldn’t be coming back as customers. His response to this was what you would expect.

Jim’s son Troy delivered on the same day, albeit at 9pm at night. Attempting to have meaningful dialog with Troy was just as laughable was talking with Jim. The excuse from Troy was “…well, my dad is 85 years old…just cut him some slack…”, “he has obvious memory issues”, “I don’t see the problem…you have your piano now”, etc.

Based on the reviews I have read here, I’m expecting some kind of statement from Jim in response to the effect of “…can’t please everybody…”, offer to call me to “apologize” only to not apologize and then meander on about irrelevant topics, go on an explosive tirade, and/or other ridiculous behavior mentioned on other reviews. If times are that “tough”, then you cannot afford to lose ANY customer, right? Wouldn’t it make sense to give people their product(s) as soon as possible to eliminate liability, free space/personnel for other projects, and actually get paid? Regardless of the reasons Jim, be it an inadequate record keeping system, memory problems, staffing issues, etc., you MUST either keep customers abreast of what is going on and/or be willing to work with them, when you fail to meet simple requirements WITHOUT berating them for questioning what is going on, asking for a partial/full refund, etc., as other reviewers here have.

If keeping promises/timelines, maintaining a keen eye for customer service, and remembering the who, where, or why of what your customers are paying you for is too difficult, it may be time to close your doors. The very real disrespect you showed my family will echo well beyond us, and this review will help prospective customers stay clear.

At the end of the day, we hired you for a job, where you assured it could be done within a specific time interval. We did everything you asked, promptly, and gave you significant leeway despite your meandering and very real difficulty with memory. You were rude and made no apology for holding our property 2 months past our agreed deadline. The collective disappointment we have as a family, immediate and extended, is immense. Yet, our family network considers this a blessing in disguise. If “times are tough” Jim, they are about to get harder. In one stroke you made us Heid Music customers for life! You reap...

I called Jim Laabs because I was looking for a quality used grand piano. The item I wanted was already sold, so he suggested a "Schiller" piano, as he was the "distributor" for them. I asked about where they were constructed, and he said "the parts are from Germany". I asked again if it was China or Korea or something, and he said it was a factory that "all the other brands use". So no clear answer. I did my research and while Schiller may have made some quality instruments, the name is now just a stencil brand, and Jim Laabs or someone at the store owns the name and sources out the piano from china or somewhere else where labor is cheap. He can offer this "wonderful piano" for ~$5,000 rather than $15,000 MSRP not only because it's "factory direct", but because he set that arbitrary MSRP, and no other reputable piano company would care enough to sell these pianos. Seriously, search.

Only Jim Laabs sells them. Do not buy a Schiller piano. Do not trust Jim Laabs.

He is pushy and just wants to make a sale on sub par instruments. When I called Jim and told him about my reservations, he got belligerent and even had the gall to say "the Schiller brand has been around for a long time". While that is true, it is deceptive, since quality Schiller construction has long since passed and is now a stencil brand that he purchased the rights to. He also had the gall to say that Steinway, as well as Mason & Hamlin, had been sold and traded multiple times. While true, they at least do have a quality standard.

Edit: I'm updating my review since Jim Laabs called me after I posted this review and said he would like to apologize. However, he was quick to get very defensive and angry towards me, and kept interrupting me when I was telling him about my continued reservations about his Schiller piano brand, so it is difficult to take it as a sincere apology. It seems this happens frequently with him, there was another review where he called the customer to apologize. Maybe he needs anger management. The whole time, I was calm and collected, and to be honest, I just found it amusing that on his apology call he kept getting mad and confrontational at me. Jim mentioned that "many venues and universities" had bought Schiller pianos and had no complaints, however, he was unable to name one because he feared what would happen if I contacted them, which is truly the sign of a man who stands behind the quality of his instruments. Either that or he just made it up on the spot, and is used to people eating it up when he uses nuanced sales tactics such as "Everyone loves them, everyone's buying them, universities, venues, everyone!". I do not recommend doing business with Jim Laabs.

I understand that many instruments nowadays are made in countries other than the US. I own some myself. Some of them can be very fine instruments, and are made more affordable by foreign manufacturing. However, you have to use caution and common sense. Talk to a local piano technician or third party piano expert. You are usually better off buying a used instrument of better quality at the same price. If you are in the market and are just getting started in the piano world, or looking to buy for your children to learn on, avoid the headache. Talk to a local piano technician. You can get started with a quality (likely used) instrument below $10,000 or even $5,000.

Just don't...

Well, after reading all the negative reviews about Jim Laabs Music Superstore I was reluctant to buy an accordion from them. Then, factor in what everyone is saying negatively about Chinese accordions, I'd have to be really dumb to buy a Chinese accordion, especially from Jim Laabs Music Superstore.

Only, I'm glad I did. My God. I bought such a great accordion. They helped me through the buying process and steered me away from one accordion that I was considering to another accordion, a much better one, that I hadn't considered. I bought an Excalibur Super Classic V with tone chamber and boy and I glad I did. After owning some of the very best Italian accordions, Crucinailli, PanItalia, PanJet, and a Philharmonic with 15 treble switches and a dual tone chamber, this accordion was worth every penny.

Musette tuned, I love the sound. With 11 treble switches and 7 bass switches, I can modify the sound of this accordion with a push of a button to compliment any song. This is truly a magnificent musical instrument of very high quality, especially when factoring in how little I paid compared to how very much I paid for an Italian accordion in the past.

If you are like me, on the fence about Chinese accordions and thinking about buying a used 50-year-old or 60-year-old Italian accordion for more than what I paid for this accordion, do yourself a favor and listen to the Excalibur accordions online before making your decision. I guarantee you, whichever model Excalibur accordion you decide to buy, you won't be disappointed and you'll save a fortune in the process.

My accordion made the 1,500 mile trip unscathed in three days. Packed well in a great case, I am totally happy with my purchase. They even gave me an Excalibur tee shirt for free. My Excalibur Super Classic V with tone chamber sounds as good as the Black Diamond accordion with tone chamber but at a much lower price.

Take my word for it, someone who has played Italian accordions for decades, the Chinese have come a very long way in making accordions. This is a quality instrument that deserves your consideration. I'm so glad the I bought a brand new Excalibur for less than what I'd pay for a 50 to 60-year-old Italian accordion without even a tone chamber which this one has.

I not only highly recommend Excalibur accordions but also I highly recommend Jim Laabs Music Superstore, specifically...