No Subject

[DGPEAKE@AOL.COM]

My policy is to never sell parts to non technicians in order for them to work 
on their own piano. Why? I am in business to make money, and this takes money 
away from me. Think about this way: Some calls you, a technician, to buy 
parts from you to do his or her own work which you are quite capable of doing 
and earn your living this way. That does not sit well with me.

I had a piano owner cuss me out for not selling the parts and he even said he 
would bad mouth me to other piano owners. That was years ago and I am still 
alive and well in this business.

Dave Peake, RPT
Portland Chapter
Oregon City, OR
www.davespianoworks.locality.com




In a message dated 09/08/2000 8:45:03 PM Pacific Daylight Time, Tvak@AOL.COM 
writes:

<< I got a call from a lady this week.  She had a 1923 Wurlitzer player 
piano.  
 She informed me that the piano needed new bridle straps, and that many of 
the 
 hammer butt springs were not in place,but she wanted to do the work herself 
 and asked me if I would sell her some bridle straps, and if there was a tool 
 she could buy to get the butt springs back in place.  Also, there were also 
 several keys that she could not depress or play, and needed someone to fix 
 them for her.  So I made an appointment to come out and fix the "frozen" 
 keys.  
 I found it unusual that a client would know the correct terminology for 
 various parts of the action.  When I came to look at the piano, I found she 
 had a copy of the REBLITZ book on piano repair. She was absolutely correct 
in 
 that the piano needed new bridle straps and that several hammer butt springs 
 were not in place.  I repositioned the hammer butt springs for her.  The 
 "frozen" keys were a result of the jacks being lodged under the hammer butts 
 (she had removed and then replaced the action with many broken bridle 
straps, 
 resulting in the jacks being lodged there) so I tripped them out into their 
 correct position, thereby "fixing" them.  I then quoted her a price on 
 replacing the bridle straps, but she was very interested in doing the bridle 
 straps herself.  So I decided to sell her a set of bridle straps, and showed 
 her how to go about removing the old bridle straps and install a new set of 
 cork-tipped bridle straps.  I charged her for the work I had done and for 
the 
 set of bridle straps and went home.  (She had also, by the way, replaced the 
 old felt front key rail punchings with new felt purchased at a fabric store, 
 cutting them into circles and punching holes in them herself!  Quite the 
 self-starter.)
 
 My question regards the ethics of this situation.  Having only been in the 
 newsgroup about 3 months now, I have come to respect the opinions of so many 
 of you---what is your collective take on this situation?  Should I have 
 refused to supply her with the bridle straps?  She could easily break a 
 wippen flange, or a jack.  Then again, she'd call me to come fix it for her. 
 
 I don't know...I'm just curious as to what any of you might have done in 
this 
 situation.
 
 Tom S.
 Chicago Area  
 
  >>