Hi David, I wouldn't bother judging these folks. I'd just go and do the work and get paid for it. I stay away from work I don't want to do or think I may not get paid for and avoid going places where I might be in danger. I will admit that I recently had a case of a customer being totally rude to me. I decided I don't need to be treated that way, so I won't be going back. My mother taught me to always be polite--I guess her mother didn't. :-) I did tune for someone who eventually went to jail for a scam and I ended up having to talk to the police about it. It was a short interview because I had no idea, but then, I'm sort of naive and unsuspecting. Everything seemed normal to me--except that I knew they had paid for their new grand piano with cash... Best, Barbara Richmond, RPT near Peoria, Illinois ----- Original Message ----- From: David Boyce <David at piano.plus.com> Date: Wednesday, July 4, 2007 21:21 Subject: Ethics for parsimonious customers To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org> > So, yesterday I took a phone call from Mrs B, daughter of > widowed Lady M, > "landed gentry" and owner of large country estate and manor open > to the > public. > > Mrs B wants me to tune their piano as the room has been hired > for a wedding > reception. Mrs B had been told by the pianist Mr I, that > the piano needs > tuning and Mr I recomends me. Mr. I is a noted Scottish musical > figure, and, > coincidentally, my former chemistry teacher. > > Mrs B asks me on phone "how much will it be, because the bride > is paying for > the tuning". When I come off the phone, I think, upon > reflection, how mean! > Presumably Mrs B and Lady M don't bother getting the piano > tuned, and don't > much care about it. I;ve never been there, and I suppose if they > had a > regular tuner, that's who they'd use. I recall during the > phone > conversation, that a former work colleague of mine used to live > in a house > of the estate, and said once that Mrs B is notoriously > parsimonious. > Evidently she hasn't the generosity to include in the room hire, > a tuned > piano, but wants the bride to pay. > > Now, my feeling is, why should Mrs B benefit? My feeling > is that only the > bride should benefit from the tuning, since it's she who's > paying, so I > really ought to go along after the reception, and detune the piano! > > Curiously, apropos the recent thread on corroded and swollen key > leads, Mr. > I's own piano, a good old German upright, has just that > problem. I showed > him the effect, and suggested the off-white powdery substance > adhering to > the leads could be lead oxide, and upon retired chemistry- > teacher > consideration, he agreed! > > I suppose Mrs B's arrangements with the bride who is hiring the > room and the > piano, are their business and not mine. But the meanness rather > irks me! > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20070704/cbcf1f70/attachment-0001.html
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