In a message dated 27/08/01 5:05:52 PM, tompiano@gate.net writes: <<" Jim, I guess I opened a can of worms and ruffled a few feathers along the way. ">> Tom...worms are good for the soul occasionally and you ruffled not 'my' feathers. :-) Ethical concerns didn't even enter my mind in my response.......hmmmm perhaps I need to think about that one.(?) The primary tech has the right to set whatever price he and the customer agree on and the primary tech needs to take into account his own business needs..................... Our own experience does indeed color our opinions and attitudes for example...........severrrrral years ago I undertook the rewhatever of an S&S with the *stated* price of *8,400* with 20% going to the primary tech. After the job was done, and several months later, the customer called me to tune the piano since the primary tech was out of town. While I was there she mentioned how pleased she was with her piano and that she thought the price of *14,200* was really well spent. The customer did not know that I had done the work. I asked her who had done the work and she told me....yada so&so..........................and pulled her copy of the contract out of the bench along with her other records of the piano. The price quoted was indeed 14,200, it was 'my' quote printed on the other techs letterhead. Unethical?...... Between the customer and primary tech? No absolutely not....Unethical between the primary tech and myself?...........'possibly' not really...... except that I had been told the quote was for 8,400 and I agreed to work with those figures. Will I 'ever' work with that tech again? Absolutely not. Did the primary tech do anything wrong? Not really, but they can now do that "nothing wrong" with someone else. The question of "ethics" never entered my mind but the question of 'trust' certainly did. Subcontracting and/or cross referrral is a great thing for everyone involved. As long as the playing field is honest, open and trustworthy......... This includes the 'add-on' contracts you describe. So we really agree Tom..huh? Jim Bryant (FL)
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