<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; = charset=windows-1250"> <TITLE>Message</TITLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2627" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV><SPAN class=046005616-22042005><FONT face=Arial>Okay, you folks = are just great. Really good points and, as usual, helpful spinoffs into related = topics like advertising and ethics.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046005616-22042005><FONT = face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046005616-22042005><FONT face=Arial>Below is the = letter I mailed today. I tried to incorporate all the ideas and comments that = were posted. It makes for a much better letter, methinks.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046005616-22042005><FONT = face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046005616-22042005><FONT face=Arial><EM>Also, = sitting in this sort of thing overnight is just a real good = idea.</EM></FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046005616-22042005><FONT = face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046005616-22042005><FONT face=Arial>Thanks $435,327.13*</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046005616-22042005><IMG alt="" hspace=0 src="cid:046005616@22042005-0789" align=baseline = border=0></SPAN></DIV> <DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Alan R. = Barnard</FONT></DIV> <DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>Salem, MO</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046005616-22042005><FONT face=Arial>*That's "Thanks = a million" after taxes.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046005616-22042005><FONT = face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=046005616-22042005> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 27.0pt right 6.5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Souvienne">Dear = Jeanne:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 27.0pt right 6.5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: = Souvienne"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 27.0pt right 6.5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Souvienne">I was very unhappy = about our conversation today. You seemed upset even before the fee came up and the = expense being more than anticipated sure didn’t help. I am truly sorry if I = somehow contributed to a bad day. Friendship and integrity mean everything in = the world to me and business …. is only business.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 27.0pt right 6.5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: = Souvienne"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 27.0pt right 6.5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Souvienne">I’m enclosing some </SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:PersonName><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: = Souvienne">info</SPAN></st1:PersonName><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Souvienne">rmation about tuning, = humidity, pitch raises, etc., in the interest of understanding. <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Your piano was 21 percent flat = today.</I> I pointed this out to Ron. He heard how much I was raising each string = just to get it near pitch. Anything more than about 6 or 7 percent flat or sharp = (less than 5 is better) is simply not tunable for good, lasting results. If = anything, with the high humidity of recent days, I expected to find your piano sharp, = or maybe just a little flat (it has been a whole year) but it was <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">way</I> off.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 27.0pt right 6.5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: = Souvienne"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 27.0pt right 6.5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Souvienne">Perhaps I should have = clarified fees with Ron before starting, but you had always handled our business. = So I just plunged in, doing the work that the piano = required.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 27.0pt right 6.5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: = Souvienne"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 27.0pt right 6.5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Souvienne">You were right that I = charged less on previous occasions. My records show $65 tuning payments on </SPAN><st1:date Month="9" Day="11" Year="2002"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: = Souvienne">9/11/02</SPAN></st1:date><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Souvienne"> and </SPAN><st1:date = Month="4" Day="27" Year="2004"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: = Souvienne">4/27/04</SPAN></st1:date><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Souvienne">. Both were for = straight, near-pitch tunings. My standard tuning rate is now $80 which reflects = the increased cost of gas and other expenses, as well as the results of my = survey of other professional service businesses in our area to be certain that my = fees are in line and fair.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 27.0pt right 6.5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: = Souvienne"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: = Souvienne"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 27.0pt right 6.5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Souvienne">Very truly yours,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML> <BR> <P><FONT SIZE=2>--<BR> No virus found in this outgoing message.<BR> Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.<BR> Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.10.2 - Release Date: = 04/21/2005<BR> </FONT> </P> <P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial"> </FONT> </P>