refuse or rebuild? some

[James Grebe]

Hi Rob,
    I agree with you that you are not doing them a favor by fixing the old
dead clunker for cheap money for their child to see if they will take
lessons.  You and the child are the ones that get shortchanged not the
parents.  They have already doomed the lessons to failure, not you.  The
cheapest piano is the most expensive.
James Grebe
R.P.T. of the P.T.G
pianoman@inlink.com
Creator of Handsome Hardwood Caster Cups and Practical Piano Peripherals in
St. Louis, MO
-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Stuart-Vail <rob_sv@email.msn.com>
To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Date: Friday, October 09, 1998 5:26 AM
Subject: Re: refuse or rebuild?


>No, what he meant (probably I wasn't specific enough) was, don't let the
>customer suck you into doing a lot of work for very little money because
you
>feel sorry for him or because you want to improve the condition of the
piano
>.
>
>I have fallen into that trap many times. Small example: a Yamaha console
>needed new bass strings because of rust, corrosion, etc.   The client
>convinced me he was a poor man struggling to raise a family, and I wound up
>doing the job for 10% markup on the strings,  charging less on the
>installation than I should have, and promising to make two or three return
>trips at $25 each to pull up the stretching strings.  This was only a
couple
>of years ago.
>
>On the other hand, I was called last week to look at an old, painted
upright
>that had been in the basement playroom (untuned) for years.  There were at
>least 10 jacks unglued,  missing bridles,  a minor 3rd below pitch, bridge
>problems and worn parts etc.  for starters.  But the small daughter was
>going to start taking lessons, they weren't going to get a different piano
>until they found out whether the kid "liked piano" and couldn't I please do
>something?
>
>I walked on that one and told the client I'd be willing to consider it
again
>in the winter after things dried out, so we could see if it was going to
>hold tune then.
>
>There was a day when I would have dived into that one and tried to make a
>silk purse out of it, feeling bad about it all the way, just so I wouldn't
>disappoint the client or something like that.  Not no more.
>
>Rob
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Alan W Deverell <aland@casa.co.nz>
>To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Date: Thursday, October 08, 1998 6:26 PM
>Subject: RE: refuse or rebuild?
>
>
>>Woo... Rob - With respect - If the customer did NOT have any problems
>>then they would NOT need you or me.
>>
>>I believe that your/our business IS based on the concept of taking on
>>customers problems and solving them economically and to the
>>satisfaction of the customer.
>>
>>What you or your friend may have meant/intended was:
>>
>>"Don't allow an "un-defined" or "ill-defined" problem destroy your
>>business"
>>
>>Customers NEED help - even if it is to decide NOT to do something -
>>it's an important part of business education - all-be-it sometimes a
>>difficult one.
>>
>>AlanD (who hates to see fallacious QUOTES and MISCONCEPTIONS being
>>perpetrated even if they have the appearance of loosely fitting the
>>context)
>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org
>>>[mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf
>>>Of Rob Stuart-Vail
>>>Sent: Friday, October 09, 1998 8:17 AM
>>>To: pianotech@ptg.org; tempola@swbell.net; owner-pianotech@ptg.org
>>>Cc: crb@idir.net
>>>Subject: Re: refuse or rebuild?
>>>
>>>
>>>I'd just like to add to all this the comment I got from a
>>>friend a long time
>>>ago, after I asked his advice about working on a BAD piano:
>>>
>>>" Don't let the customer's problem become *your* problem."
>>>
>>>Rob Stuart-Vail
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: JIMRPT@AOL.COM <JIMRPT@AOL.COM>
>>>To: tempola@swbell.net <tempola@swbell.net>; owner-pianotech@ptg.org
>>><owner-pianotech@ptg.org>; pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
>>>Cc: crb@idir.net <crb@idir.net>
>>>Date: Thursday, October 08, 1998 1:35 PM
>>>Subject: Re: refuse or rebuild?
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>In a message dated 10/8/98 12:42:36 PM, tempola@swbell.net wrote:
>>>>
>>>><<"Just because a job is not easy doesn't mean it should be
>>>refused. That
>>>says
>>>>
>>>>something about the people doing it.">>
>>>>
>>>>Andy;
>>>> This may or may not be true. The thing that immediately
>>>came to mind is
>>>what
>>>>Del had to say about this subject and I think it bears
>>>repeating at this
>>>>point. (paraphrasing here) " As I get older, I look at each
>>>job and ask
>>>>myself, 'is this something I really want to do?', more and
>>>more often
>>>lately
>>>>the answer is no."
>>>>
>>>>  So if you don't 'want' to do it the answer should be
>>>'no'.....it should
>>>>never be 'yes' just because it 'can' be done.  Now if you
>>>take the job
>>>because
>>>>you need or 'want' the money involved...then you 'want' the
>>>job. All this
>>>>"says about the people" making this decsion is that they
>>>are discerning in
>>>>what they will and will not participate in........after all
>>>that is why we
>>>are
>>>>self employed...so we can each make these decisions based
>>>on our 'wants'
>>>and
>>>>not the decisions of an employer.
>>>>
>>>>  What it boils down to is that we owe our customers our judgement,
>>>honesty,
>>>>experience, and skill, when we accept a job and 'not' the
>>>acceptance of
>>>every
>>>>job.
>>>>
>>>>Just my view.
>>>>Jim Bryant (FL)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>