<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT size=2> <P>This is a real dilemma and kinda funny. What would you advise. = Remember: The customer is always right ...</P></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Customer has a 1910 Steinway "O" (very = nice, he and the piano). He is conservatory trained and fussy so ... when I pointed = out to him on my first visit that he was missing a bi-chord wound string and it = was throwing off the hammer and damper, etc, so it needed to be replaced, he = asked where I would get the string.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I told him that I order direct from = Mapes, etc., etc. He said "No thank you, I really insist on a genuine Steinway string".</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I said "okay," jumped through = Steinway's hoops ("Just tell us what you want in an email and we'll invoice you.") and = ordered a "genuine" Steinway string.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Of course it came from Mapes--shipped = to me but invoiced to Steinway who had charged me about 3 times the direct Mapes price.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dilemma: Do I share the joke with him = and just charge him what Steinway charged me, plus the shipping, or do I keep my = mouth shut, throw a markup on the string, and REALLY stick it to him for one = pretty little copper-clad wire?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Alan Barnard</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Missouri</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>