Ethics question, a different tack

[Ron Nossaman]

> You know who doesn't have ethics? So-called piano brokers.
> 
> They'll take a fee from the customer (who thinks the broker will
> have their best interests at heart), and steer the customer towards
> the seller who will pay them the highest commission. Double-dipping.
> 
> These weasels are the scourge of the piano industry.


More than a few local dealers offer "sales commissions" 
(bounty) to technicians if they refer successful sales to 
them. I've known of techs stomping into dealerships and 
demanding commissions after finding that one of "their" 
customers bought a piano from the dealer. When a tech refers a 
prospect to a dealer expecting a sales kickback, both the tech 
and the dealer lose credibility. Talk to someone who took what 
they assumed was the honest advise of their trusted tech, and 
later found out it was a paid endorsement. I have, when they 
called me after dumping their old tech. They have no faith at 
all in their purchase either, and ask a lot of "Did I get 
ripped, and how badly?" questions. Some years back, there was 
a company in this area that offered a "public service" of 
safe, qualified referrals to consumers for plumbing, 
carpentry, appliance repair, etc. The advertising thrust was 
that the referral came pre-qualified, time tested, and was 
reputable and reliable. Like a recommendation from dear old 
dad. Safe as lead underwear. The referrees, naturally, were 
anyone at all who paid monthly subscription fees to be on the 
referral list, which pretty much guaranteed a high percentage 
of lower life forms. The trusting consumer was then handed 
over to whichever subscriber was next up on the list for 
feeding and, as usual, took the hit. Plenty of weasels to go 
around, no waiting.

Ron N