In a message dated 3/24/00 1:12:58 PM !!!First Boot!!!, pryan2@the-beach.net writes: << Question: How honest should we be when asked to evaluate an old piano? I just feel that we are not doing them a service to agree with their misguided logic. On the other hand, they really don't want to know the bad parts and I don't want to lose a customer. Where is the middle road? Phil Ryan >> One of the hardest thing for any consumer to accept is that they made a mistake purchasing an item. It's bad enough that they will realize this themselves, over a period of time. But to hear it from a professional, especially right after they bought it, is too much for them to bear. It is hard for us to tell them what they really need to hear. My approach is to recommend a few solutions to some of the more obvious problems. If the bass strings are tubby, recommend that they can be twisted to get a little more life out of them. IF the hammers are hard, see if you can needle them down a little. Take it one step at a time. One little recommendation after another. If you do this over a period of time, maybe they will ask you what else needs to be done. And then you can give them the full scope of the condition of the piano. Willem
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