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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Ed,</SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = o
ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"> <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I sent this email July 11, 2008
at 12:15pm today, befo<SPAN class=440384306-12072008>re the many
</SPAN>posts<SPAN class=440384306-12072008> that have happened since that
time.<BR>Kendall had read this, but didn't know it hadn't been posted, so he
referred to it and later wrote his long</SPAN><BR>message on membership in
the guild. But, I didn't post <SPAN
class=440384306-12072008>this </SPAN>correctly and it didn't appear<SPAN
class=440384306-12072008> on the listserve</SPAN>. So I am sending it
again.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">First of all, let me introduce
myself. I am an associate member of the Piano Technician's Guild and
<BR>also the wife of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:PersonName w:st="on">Kendall
Ross Bean</st1:PersonName>, with whom you have been having this discussion. I am
not a piano technician.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
<BR></SPAN>However, I hire many piano technicians through our business Piano
Finders and am familiar with <BR>many of the issues from the perspective of
needing to know what work I am paying for, what problems come</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">up, <BR>what standards need to be
maintained and how the work of technicians keeps my clients happy and maintains
<BR>our reputation for quality work as a business. I am also co-owner of Piano
Finders and the web developer for the <BR></SPAN><A
href="http://www.pianofinders.com/"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">http://www.PianoFinders.com</SPAN></A><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> website that has now had over 30
million hits. We <BR>have instructed our staff to on a daily
basis <SPAN class=440384306-12072008>to </SPAN>respond to emails from piano
owners and refer them to Registered <BR>Piano Technicians of the Piano
Technician Guild for services in locales where we can't offer the services
<BR>personally and where we don't personally know the technicians we are
referring business to, except by their RPT <BR>status. </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR><BR><FONT size=2>You made a couple of comments
that I wanted to respond to:<BR></FONT></SPAN><FONT size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><As you know, piano technology is not a regulated
profession in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">USA</st1:country-region></st1:place>, and many people take advantage
<BR>of this to cheat the public with lousy work. PTG is based on the premise
that we can become a voluntary <BR>self-regulating profession. Our most
difficult problem is motivating less accomplished technicians to <BR>attain and
demonstrate basic skills. "Why should I when all my customers know I'm
competent?" <BR>"Why should I bother when somebody as great as So-and-So
(everybody knows he's great) doesn't bother?"></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR><BR><FONT size=2>Being a member of the Guild, I
am aware of its interests<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is
important<BR>for the PTG to meet its needs of recruiting new members, derive
income for its survival from regularly paid dues <BR>and to maintain a public
image that sets a standard for piano technicians and offers professional
technicians<BR>incentives to test and keep their RPT status. As a non-profit
organization, it also needs to provide public<BR>service to justify its
tax-exempt status.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><FONT size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I can see that people on this listserve are very
active in their recruiting efforts.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></SPAN></FONT><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR><BR><FONT
size=2>Personally, both Kendall and I appreciate the fact that the guild has
created a standard and that it offers<BR>testing procedures to certify that an
individual technician has achieved that standard.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Piano Finders doesn't aspire to compete
<BR>with the guild by testing technicians ourselves.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In this world of the internet, we
would<BR>encourage technicians who are interested in receiving our referrals to
new clients, to take the tests and become<BR>RPTs.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This allows people who don't know their
work personally, to trust in their basic competence enough to <BR>hire
them.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And it reduces liability
issues for us as a business, because we trust that the guild does its job in
certifying technicians.</FONT></SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR>You also said to <st1:place
w:st="on">Kendall</st1:place>.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><By demonstrating willingness to
be tested for basic competency, you motivate your younger colleagues to take
competency seriously.></SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"> <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><st1:place
w:st="on"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Kendall</SPAN></st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, did take his <SPAN
class=440384306-12072008>RPT </SPAN>tests and passed them. I was the one
in charge of the finances, who did not catch the oversight of the dues going
unpaid. <BR>I was running a large rebuilding shop with many
employees. I was in my late 20's at the time and I made a
mistake by not being more <BR>aware of what the bookkeeper <SPAN
class=440384306-12072008>had </SPAN>left undone. <SPAN
class=440384306-12072008>(</SPAN>I am now 49 and have many years of business
experience under my belt.<SPAN class=440384306-12072008>)</SPAN><BR><BR>There
was a policy chang<SPAN class=440384306-12072008>e in the PTG. </SPAN>The
rule that excluded <st1:place w:st="on">Kendall</st1:place> was not in
place when he joined as a new member. <BR>And we were not aware of it
until after he was told he couldn't rejoin
without re-testing. <st1:place
w:st="on">Kendall</st1:place> didn't even know the dues had been left
<BR>unpaid, that was my responsibility and my
error. <SPAN class=440384306-12072008>To give some
perspective, at the time this all happened, back around 1990 or
so, </SPAN><BR><st1:place w:st="on">Kendall</st1:place> had already
contributed much to the Guild, having given lectures at many chapters and having
spent several years giving back to others. <BR>Our business
was well established and his reputation was based upon the <SPAN
class=440384306-12072008>high </SPAN>quality of workmanship he provided.
We were members of the Better <BR>Business Bureau in good standing and had a no
complaint record. </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR><BR>I think that it is a mistake
for the guild to penalize well qualified technicians whose membership has lapsed
for whatever reason. <BR>Especially</SPAN> <SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">those who are at the stage in their
career where their efforts in the guild are <BR>primarily giving back to the
organization. Doesn't the guild want those members contributions?
Why make them <BR>feel unwelcome? I don't really see how that serves
the guild's best interests. By asking former members <BR>to retest, and
not asking other members to retest who took the same tests as the former
members, what is this <BR>saying about the RPTs tests? Why is one test
good for one member and not for another? <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I propose that if the PTG wants to
continually upgrade its testing procedures, that it follow the example of
another <BR>professional organization I belong to for the ballroom dance
teachers profession. I went through several years of training to
be <BR><SPAN class=660430706-12072008>prepared to pas<SPAN
class=440384306-12072008>s</SPAN> tests and be </SPAN>certified by this
professional organization. Since the time that I took that initial
test<SPAN class=440384306-12072008>s</SPAN>, they came up <BR>with several
modifications to their tests. But, they don't require me, or any
other <SPAN class=440384306-12072008>certified </SPAN>professionals to take
the new tests if we <BR>don't want to. The way they handle having
different tests is to say that I passed <SPAN
class=440384306-12072008>X</SPAN> test on X date<SPAN
class=440384306-12072008>.</SPAN> People who take the later
</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">tests receive a certificate that
says they <SPAN class=440384306-12072008>passed</SPAN> Y test<SPAN
class=440384306-12072008> </SPAN>on Y date. And all of us, no matter what
test we took, hold equal </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">status for that category of
certification. <SPAN class=660430706-12072008>If our membership<SPAN
class=440384306-12072008> </SPAN>lapses, we don't have to retest for any
reason. Our work and <BR>accomplishments are recognized as valid and we
are welcomed<SPAN class=440384306-12072008> </SPAN>back into "the fold" of
membership when we rejoin without <BR>any punitive measures being taken against
us.<SPAN class=440384306-12072008> They want our contributions to the
professional community. Also, having</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN class=660430706-12072008><SPAN
class=440384306-12072008>us as members, they can also say "She/He is one of our
members" when that professional makes significant contributions to <BR>the
community. If the PTG wants to recruit former members, I propose they look
to their rules and proceedures first and <BR>see what modifications to those
rules they can make to show those former RPT members that they are all
appreciated <BR>and respected and that their contributions are
welcome. <BR><BR>I don't think Kendall is asking to be treated as a
special case here. I think he is concerned for the many others he
knows<BR>who have also been excluded from the PTG by this policy. Knowing
Kendall as I do, I don't think he would be happy receiving<BR>a benefit and
having others not receive it as well, who are equally deserving.
Kendall is concerned for the good of the community<BR>and usually puts his own
interests last. If you read the page Kendall wrote on our
website telling our clients where to find a good<BR>tuner, he recommends RPTs as
good tuners. <A
href="http://www.pianofinders.com/faqs/servicefaq.htm#r2">http://www.pianofinders.com/faqs/servicefaq.htm#r2</A> .
He and I have both been</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN class=660430706-12072008><SPAN
class=440384306-12072008>contributing to the guild by promoting its tests and
even though we disagree with the rules regarding retesting, we still
publicly<BR>recognize the value of what the PTG does contribute and promote its
RPTs to our several million website readers.<BR></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN class=660430706-12072008><SPAN
class=440384306-12072008></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Karen Lile</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -2.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Associate Member PTG<BR><st1:place
w:st="on">Golden Gate</st1:place> Chapter, CA</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt -11pt"><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN
class=660430706-12072008>PS. </SPAN>I also realize that these comments and
this discussion is probably beyond the scope of the intention of this list
serve. <BR>However,</SPAN> <SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">since these issues were brought up
by you and others and they impact us, I felt the need to
respond. </SPAN> </o:p><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>