Del has the right idea. We don't need to condemn the piano or make judgments. Just give your best information and put it in their court. I think its really bad form to say anything negative about a customers piano no matter how much you fantasize about the flames licking the keybed. -- Ryan Sowers, RPT Puget Sound Chapter Olympia, WA www.pianova.net Just remember, if they go for it, how much money you'll make. One of my player rebuilds coming up was similar to your situation. The piano action needed a complete rebuild (new hammers (mice), new dampers (mice), new back checks (mice), new catcher felt (mice) basically just about everything short of new strings, along with the player. The estimate was $5,000. For sentimental value, they agreed to do it. So, "Don't throw out the baby, just because the bath water it cold" Duaine Duaine This is a problem we run across way too often. It's people like you who give reputable piano technicians a bad name. First of all, if you can do all of what you just described for only $5000, you must be working for virtually nothing, or you work so fast that you think you're making money. And if you're working that fast,?I would question the quality of your work.. Second, sentiments aside, what did you tell the customer the piano will be worth when you get done rebuilding it??If you told them it would be worth anything near $5000, are you ready and willing to buy it from them for that price? If not, then you're "ripping off" the customer. Without new strings and a new finish, you're not doing a complete rebuild. All you're doing is restoring the action and player system, and?it will never sell for anything close to $5000 in S. Louis, or anywhere else.? This is the kind of attitude that doesn't sit well in the PTG. Perhaps that's why you got the feeling that "we" don't respect you. Wim -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech_ptg.org/attachments/20090407/fd7da2f7/attachment-0001.html>
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