Dear Frank Cahill, There are many ways to help a customer. I help customers all the time and every time for the past 18 years. However I have never seen the need to resort to the unconventional techniques described earlier. The best possible job is always the one that outlives the customer who owns the piano. It will be the cheapest in the long run. America is used to payment plans. Give a "poor" customer a break this way. I bought my home piano for $50 It holds tune and is 75 year old. If you want to help a customer sell them one of those pianos that hold tune, trade their piano and rebuilt it conventional. $100 for a CA job is by the way far from what I call a bargain nor is it called helping. Many technicians blame bad maintenance on the ignorance of the customer, but it is more likely the tuner/technician who is to blame. The customer is responsible for the frequency of the maintenance, the tuner for the quality of the work. Part of your letter ones again proves the need for apprentice ships and the instruction of conventional repair methods. About university budgets, some are good some are non existent. UNT is pretty good. Cyrillus Aerts I.P.T. University of North Texas
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