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As a tech friend of mine here in Houston said, "sometimes our
reputations depend on what we turn down. Not what<br>
we "fix"." Unless we can do it the way it ought to be
done! <br><br>
Avery <br><br>
At 09:13 PM 9/25/2006, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>I spent almost an hour with a family
with an 1917 old upright of questionable worth. They had spent 200$
for it and had already developed a family heimloom type attachment.
"Fix it - make it sing again - dont worry about the cost
- as long as we can pay for it in installments." I
believe the previous technician was maybe more salesman than tech.
He had told them that once he was done, they would need a rider on their
home owners insurance policy. for the piano. The previous tech had
replaced a few broken strings, fixed a few broken hammer shanks and
"TUNED" the piano He also had suddenly left town, and
they called me. <br>
</font> <br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>These were really nice people and I
wanted to help them, but.......The piano was over one and a half notes
flat, most hammers bobbled, blow distance was at least a half inch too
much, etc. Hammers hard as rocks, and dampers shot. The
sustain indicated that the sb was ok but marginal. I tried to
explain that the piano was old and tired, and that although I could
certainly improve it, that it wasn t a good investment.
Needs hammers, dampers, regulation, key bushings, and probably
numerous yet undiagnosed action parts fixed. They asked
me why I was so negative, and I said that I just wanted to be realistic
about the outcome after they spent all this money. Recommended they
consider a new or at least newer piano. But their zeal
won me over. I agreed to do an estimate and come back later this
week to to multiple pitch raises and a tuning, hopefully not breaking
multiple strings in the process. I received a call late this
evening from the mother, saying that they had talked it over and decided
that they thought I might be too negative on their piano. I said I
understood, and recommended that they call other techs in the area,
including Mr Bondi for a second opinion.<br>
</font> <br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>I would have liked to try to make
this piano better, but I didnt want to disappoint. Reputation over
$$? Can anyone out there make me feel either better or
worse for "losing this business"?<br>
</font> <br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>Dave Smith<br>
SW FL</font></blockquote></body>
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