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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I think part of what's might be missing in this
discussion is the fact that the customer could have countered the piano owner's
bid rejection with a higher offer.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I do a fair number of pre-purchase piano
inspections. However, one thing I have always avoided is recommending what to
offer. In all honesty that has been my policy not because I am so wise, but
rather because I'm just no good at bargaining (I would pay the asking price for
a Mexican rug to a street vendor in Guadalajara).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I will detail my opinion of the piano's condition,
I will provide input on the piano's suitability for the intended use, and I will
give the client several value ranges - such as what a dealer might sell it for,
wholesale value, and high and low range for a private sale. I will then explain
to them that depending on how anxious they are to get the piano and how
comfortable they are with price dickering should likely should influence
what they ultimately offer.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>That way the ultimate offer is up to them - any
risk of the owner being insulted with a too-low offer is (mostly) their doing.
This has worked well for me.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> May I suggest what I might do at this point:
contact your <BR>> customer, explain exactly what happened, and offer to
<BR>> purchase the piano he/she bought for the same price he/she <BR>>
paid; in addition, offer in turn to sell the piano that you <BR>> bought to
your customer for the price that you paid, the <BR>> asking price. I
would explain that you assumed that their <BR>> offer of a few hundred below
the asking price would be <BR>> accepted, as it often is in transactions such
as this. <BR>> Naturally, after the customer had already bought another
<BR>> piano, you didn't see any harm in buying it yourself. But
<BR>> after thinking about it, you realize that it's best to make <BR>>
this offer up front to your customer. <BR>> <BR>> If the customer
doesn't accept your proposal, then he <BR>> probably has the piano he wants;
regardless, you can know <BR>> that you did all you can to make the matter
right, ethically <BR>> speaking. I would guess that your reputation
would grow <BR>> after sharing your current concerns with your customer,
<BR>> regardless of what he decides to do. <BR>> <BR>> If you
don't like this idea, I suppose you could still tell <BR>> your customer what
happened and offer to refund the money <BR>> that you accepted to evaluate
the piano. Or, you could try <BR>> this first and play it by ear, and
determine if your <BR>> customer harbors any bad feelings about the whole
thing. <BR>> Regardless, I think, for myself, I wouldn't feel so good
<BR>> keeping silent about it, based on what I understand in your <BR>>
email. It probably would have been best to tell the <BR>> customer at
the time of your appraisal that you would <BR>> purchase the piano if he
didn't, but of course hindsight is <BR>> 20/20. My impression is that
you really weren't trying to <BR>> do anything underhanded--it's just that,
considering the way <BR>> things turned out, it could be perceived that way
by the <BR>> customer.<BR>> <BR>> Tim<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> ----
Original message ----<BR>>>Date: Wed, 03 May 2006 20:34:53
-0400<BR>>>From: PJR <</FONT><A
href="mailto:pryan2@the-beach.net"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>pryan2@the-beach.net</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>>
<BR>>>Subject: Ethics question <BR>>>To: </FONT><A
href="mailto:ilvey@sbcglobal.net"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>ilvey@sbcglobal.net</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>, Pianotech List
<</FONT><A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>pianotech@ptg.org</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial
size=2>><BR>>><BR>>> I was asked to evaluate the
condition of a used<BR>>> piano for a customer (buyer)
for a nominal fee. It<BR>>> was a private sale.
When I went to see the piano,<BR>>> it was one that I had been
wanting for some time. I<BR>>> wanted to buy it from the
seller. Question: How,<BR>>> when and/or what must I do,
ethically, to buy it <BR>>> from the seller seeing that now I
had a fiduciary<BR>>> relationship with the customer who paid
my fee?<BR>>><BR>>> What actually
happened:<BR>>><BR>>> I wrote a positive report of the
piano and<BR>>> recommended the buyer offer several hundred
dollars<BR>>> below the asking price. She did so, but,
the seller<BR>>> rejected her offer. The buyer
left the deal and<BR>>> bought another piano elsewhere.
When I heard she<BR>>> bought another piano, without telling
her, I<BR>>> offered the original seller his price and
bought the<BR>>> piano. Did I do wrong? Should I
have asked her<BR>>> permission? Should I tell her now,
especially since<BR>>> she plans to hire me to tune her
new piano? I have<BR>>> a queasy feeling about the deal.
Should I? It<BR>>> could be a future,
awkward situation.<BR>>><BR>>> Phil
Ryan<BR>>> Miami Beach<BR>></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>