Dean, I would chalk this one under the heading of "Experience" and in the words of John & Paul "Let it be." Or if you rather Monty Python... "RUN AWAY!" One has to weigh the amount of effort against the as they say in NY, "The agita factor" That is the stressing brought upon you by you over the debate of who or whom is right. Again I'd just leave it alone as you have little to gain. If you're concerned about her Lawyer, which I perceive to be just saber rattling, start a paper trail by documenting everything and put in in a file then after some time just shred it. Been there...Done That... Gerry Cousins, RPT From: pianotech-request at ptg.org Subject: pianotech Digest, Vol 1, Issue 30 To: pianotech at ptg.org Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:32:24 -0800 Send pianotech mailing list submissions to pianotech at ptg.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://ptg.org/mailman/listinfo/pianotech_ptg.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to pianotech-request at ptg.org You can reach the person managing the list at pianotech-owner at ptg.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of pianotech digest..." --Forwarded Message Attachment-- From: deanmay at pianorebuilders.com To: pianotech at ptg.org Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:28:12 -0500 Subject: [pianotech] gluing on sharps Greetings allA few months ago I posted a problem I had with a new set of sharps I installed that had several coming off. I received several helpful hints on things I could do differently, but the basic protocol was: get clean surface, use PVC-E glue, which is what I had done. The situation is now resolved and I wanted to share what I found to be the problem. To wit, the new sharps from Schaff come with a very shiny glue surface, unlike sharps from the past that were rough giving the glue something to bite. These new sharps from Schaff need to have the bottom side sanded first with something like a 150 sandpaper to provide a suitable gluing surface In keeping with the axiom of no good deed will go unpunished, this sharp replacement job was an extra freebie that I had done on this piano in conjunction with some other work and it turned into a nightmare. Originally I had agreed to shoot some lacquer on the original sharps to spruce them up at no charge. But they had some kind of coating on them that, even after extensive sanding, made the new paint a gummy mess. So I told the customer I would install new ones at no charge. To complicate things the customer lives about 45 miles from me. After installing the action the customer was very happy. On returning home I had a call from a very distraught customer that the sharps were coming off, I had ruined her piano, and she insisted I return immediately. Because of other commitments it was not possible for me to return for a few days. In the meantime she contacted a respected piano supplier many on this list use. This supplier told her (I am getting this second hand, of course, and not directly from the supplier) that her keys were ruined, but not to worry they could make a new set for her for around $2k. The customer did not want me to touch her piano and contacted her attorney. She wanted me to pay for a new set of keys from this supplier. It ended up, long story short, I hired another mutually agreed upon rebuilder who replaced the sharps. He verified that the keys were not ruined and also spotted the original problem of shiney glue surface. In 25 years this is a first for me, having a problem that I was not able to resolve directly with the customer. What is particularly bothersome, however, is what I would deem the very unprofessional conduct of this piano parts supplier, giving a sight unseen diagnosis over the phone with no prior knowledge of the circumstances. Their conduct has cost me several hundred dollars and a lot of goodwill. How do you all think I should respond? Dean Dean May cell 812.239.3359 PianoRebuilders.com 812.235.5272 Terre Haute IN 47802 --Forwarded Message Attachment-- From: AlliedPianoCraft at hotmail.com To: pianotech at ptg.org Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:10:48 -0500 Subject: Re: [pianotech] gluing on sharps Dean, A very sad story, but in my option many mistakes made here. First, a lesson learned here. NEVER do any work for nothing. It tells the customer what you think your time is worth. Secondly, I would have contacted the supplier directly to find out what they have to say about what happened. Thirdly, you should have let her take you to court. You could have represented yourself and the court would always give you the opportunity to rectify the problem before there were any fines or cost to you and the supplier would have to appear in court to prove that the keys were in fact ruined. Sorry this happened to you. Just my 2 cents. Al Guecia From: Dean May Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 3:28 PM To: 'Pianotech List' Subject: [pianotech] gluing on sharps Greetings all A few months ago I posted a problem I had with a new set of sharps I installed that had several coming off. I received several helpful hints on things I could do differently, but the basic protocol was: get clean surface, use PVC-E glue, which is what I had done. The situation is now resolved and I wanted to share what I found to be the problem. To wit, the new sharps from Schaff come with a very shiny glue surface, unlike sharps from the past that were rough giving the glue something to bite. These new sharps from Schaff need to have the bottom side sanded first with something like a 150 sandpaper to provide a suitable gluing surface. In keeping with the axiom of no good deed will go unpunished, this sharp replacement job was an extra freebie that I had done on this piano in conjunction with some other work and it turned into a nightmare. Originally I had agreed to shoot some lacquer on the original sharps to spruce them up at no charge. But they had some kind of coating on them that, even after extensive sanding, made the new paint a gummy mess. So I told the customer I would install new ones at no charge. To complicate things the customer lives about 45 miles from me. After installing the action the customer was very happy. On returning home I had a call from a very distraught customer that the sharps were coming off, I had ruined her piano, and she insisted I return immediately. Because of other commitments it was not possible for me to return for a few days. In the meantime she contacted a respected piano supplier many on this list use. This supplier told her (I am getting this second hand, of course, and not directly from the supplier) that her keys were ruined, but not to worry they could make a new set for her for around $2k. The customer did not want me to touch her piano and contacted her attorney. She wanted me to pay for a new set of keys from this supplier. It ended up, long story short, I hired another mutually agreed upon rebuilder who replaced the sharps. He verified that the keys were not ruined and also spotted the original problem of shiney glue surface. In 25 years this is a first for me, having a problem that I was not able to resolve directly with the customer. What is particularly bothersome, however, is what I would deem the very unprofessional conduct of this piano parts supplier, giving a sight unseen diagnosis over the phone with no prior knowledge of the circumstances. Their conduct has cost me several hundred dollars and a lot of goodwill. How do you all think I should respond? Dean Dean May cell 812.239.3359 PianoRebuilders.com 812.235.5272 Terre Haute IN 47802 --Forwarded Message Attachment-- From: m_spreeman at hotmail.com To: pianotech at ptg.org Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:32:19 -0700 Subject: Re: [pianotech] gluing on sharps Dean, I'm not certain what you would expect to accomplish by responding to "the supplier"; setting things right with them, clearing your conscience, chastising them for something you may never know all the facts to? The piano problem is resolved and you've done your part to rectify the situation. Sometimes you just have to take your lumps, or realize that you won't be able to make everyone happy, learn, and move on. If you deem it necessary to communicate with the supplier, my advice would be to try to get the facts. You state that "(I am getting this second hand, of course, and not directly from the supplier)". There are a myriad of possibilities as to what the communication was between said supplier and the customer. The customer may have insisted the keys were ruined and in need of replacement to the supplier, who then simply quoted the cost for replacement. It wouldn't be unusual for the customer to then relate to you that the supplier said the keys were ruined, blah, blah, blah. Don't enact the guilty verdict on the supplier unless you know exactly how the whole thing went down, which you will likely never know for sure. Michael Spreeman www.RavenscroftPianos.com Color coding for safety: Windows Live Hotmail alerts you to suspicious email. Sign up today. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech_ptg.org/attachments/20081112/fb026962/attachment-0001.html>
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC