kam544@flash.net wrote: > > ... Later that day, I called them to let them know no one showed to let me in, > and that their rear door lock wasn't all that secure, so I let myself in to > tune the piano. It was appreciated. > > Disclaimer: I don't recommend this approach. Every situation is different and there will be times when you might think: yeah, they would have wanted me to find a way in and tune (for the wedding, recital, or other special occasion, say). And many times you'll be right. But, along the lines of no good deeds going unpunished, there will be times when you'll get bitten. Many years ago, I traveled a long distance to find the customer not at home. I had tuned for her the previous year and, finding the front door unlocked, I entered and tuned the piano. It was a risk, I knew, but I justified it by thinking about the long distance traveled. That evening, I got an irate call from the woman who felt violated that I had come in to her house without her knowledge (she had forgotten about the appointment). She worried that the whole world would now know that she leaves her front door unlocked and on and on. We finally settled the argument by agreeing that she would pay only half of my fee. There was one other incident, involving customers I'd known for years, which resulted in a milder but similar reaction. In each case I lost the customer. The lesson learned was that an appointment in your book is meaningless unless both you and the customer, by whatever mnemonic trick, can be conscious of the appointment when the agreed upon time comes. Otherwise, you may be treated as a trespasser. Tom Cole
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC