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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=984133116-11082005><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>Mickey,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=984133116-11082005><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=984133116-11082005><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>Were it me, I'd try to have a =
chat with
another musical instrument repair professional. Real Soon Now. Someone =
who would
better understand the ins and outs of bassoon repair than we piano =
technicians.
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=984133116-11082005><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=984133116-11082005><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>I've had many folks contact me =
with their own
version of this horror story (only as it applied to their pianos, of =
course)
over the years. Sometimes it is just a misunderstanding between the two =
parties
and I've been able to help bridge the communications gap. Other times =
the horror
stories have been real and I've been able to explain what has happened =
to the
piano owner. It's a tricky tightrope to walk but I expect you will be =
able to
find someone who can help you make sense of it all. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=984133116-11082005><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=984133116-11082005><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>In the meantime you might refrain =
from
sending out another check. At least until you've had your instrument =
examined by
someone else who is familiar with the work that should have been
done.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=984133116-11082005><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=984133116-11082005><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>Del</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px =
solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org
[mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Mickey
Kessler<BR><B>Sent:</B> August 11, 2005 9:16 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
pianotech@ptg.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Business Ethics Question - Very =
Long Post
(sorry)<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>I have a somewhat lengthy somewhat off-topic question; I only =
ask it to
this group because everybody here is some way or other in the music =
business.
I am an Associate Member who doesn’t do much piano work anymore =
(got a full
time gig teaching college), but I know that the Guild expects a =
certain level
of professionalism from its members. I’ve just run into a =
situation with
another sort of musical instrument repair professional<SPAN
class=421060816-11082005>,</SPAN> and I’d like to know if =
I’m in the
wrong.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>I’ll try to convey the facts as objectively as I can. =
</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>After a layoff of over 30 years, I took up the bassoon again =
last year,
playing in an amateur orchestra. When our season was over I decided to =
have my
bassoon overhauled by a professional – it had been in a closet =
for decades; it
seemed to play okay, but I felt it was due for some TLC. I scouted =
around on
the internet, got a few quotes, and made a decision based on nothing =
much more
than instinct. The gentleman I chose for the job submitted<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>in fact the highest quote I =
got –
maybe I was thinking that that mean<SPAN =
class=421060816-11082005>t</SPAN>
quality; I don’t know.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>After some phone tag we finally made contact. I asked him how =
long of a
waiting list he had<SPAN class=421060816-11082005>, </SPAN>and he =
assured me
he could get to it right away. No problem. A week or so later I =
shipped him my
bassoon.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>Three weeks or so went by and I heard nothing from him. I =
sent him a
couple of emails, which went unanswered, and left a couple of phone =
messages.
I don’t recall the exact sequence of events – maybe he =
answered one of my
emails and told he was just getting to it, or something like that. At =
the time
I wasn’t worried, just missing all that practice.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>In any case, we finally spoke, and he was very pleasant, said =
he was
working on it, that it was “just fine, just fine” and that =
he’d have it in
transit to me within about a week.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>After about ten days I tried again to contact him. He =
didn’t return my
phone calls. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>Finally I got an email from him in which he asked for my =
address; he
said he’d lost it. I was by this time (nearly two months had =
gone by) getting
a bit anxious, but I was glad to hear that the instrument was going to =
be on
its way back to me soon.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>About a week later I came home from work and found a FedEx =
notice on my
door. I was so excited about getting my bassoon back that I blew off a =
rather
important meeting that night and went instead to the local FedEx =
depot, where
I picked up the package. When I got it home and opened it up it turned =
out to
be the wrong bassoon. He had sent me somebody else’s.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>I contacted him right away by phone and email, and the next =
day got
back an email saying he’d probably put the wrong shipping label =
on the wrong
package and that I should deduct the cost of shipping it back from my =
bill.
The next day I shipped it back to him. <SPAN
class=421060816-11082005>Remember that b</SPAN>y this time, roughly =
two months
had gone by since I originally shipped him my bassoon. When I =
didn’t hear
anything further from him, I sent him an email (and I think a phone =
message,
too), advising him that for the summer, I would be in and out of town
sporadically, so it was imperative that he let me know when the =
package (with
my bassoon, this time) be shipped so I can be sure to be in town to =
receive
it.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>About a week or so later I came home to find anther FedEx =
notice.
Again, I drove out to the FedEx depot and picked up the package. When =
I took
it home and opened it, it was in fact my horn.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>The first thing I noticed was that the luggage tag I’d =
put on the case
with my name and address was still there. Then I noticed that the four =
or five
business cards I’d strewn around<SPAN =
class=421060816-11082005>
inside</SPAN> the case were still there. I couldn’t figure =
out how
he <SPAN class=421060816-11082005>could </SPAN>have misplaced =
my
address.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>Then I tried to assemble the instrument. He had replaced the =
corks on
the tenons, so I had to use a good bit of cork grease, but even then =
it was so
hard to assemble I was afraid I was going to break a key. I finally =
got it put
together. When I played it, I found that it was okay – nothing =
extraordinary,
but maybe it wasn’t in such bad shape to begin with, so maybe =
the changes
wouldn’t be so startling- except that I couldn’t get the =
low b flat, the
lowest note on the instrument, to speak. I tried whittling my reeds, =
dropping
my embouchure, the few tricks I knew, and I could get it to speak =
sometimes. I
could play a chromatic scale down to low b, but when I hit the b flat =
lever,
it would just seize up.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>When I tried to disassemble the instrument, I found in nearly =
impossible. This time I was really sure I was going to break =
something.
Finally I got it apart (at one point I thought I would have to use a =
strap
wrench, but brute strength got me through).</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>Because of time commitments it was another day or so before I =
could try
it again. I put on more cork grease, had nearly the same trouble, and, =
using
several different reeds, still could not get the low b flat to speak =
with any
kind of reliability. Did I mention that before sending it to him the =
note
worked fine?</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>So I emailed him. I told him about the problem note. I =
figured I would
have to cope with the tight fit myself; maybe, I thought, the cork =
needed to
be worked in or something.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>His response was that when I hit the low b flat key, the low =
b key
probably eased up just enough to leak slightly. His advice was to glue =
a tiny
sliver of cork onto the key’s spatula.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>I wrote him back telling him that I found that unacceptable. =
I compared
it to getting your car back from a mechanic, finding that it stalled =
at every
red light, and being told to just take a screwdriver and turn a screw =
on the
fuel injectors half a turn to the right. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>In the same email I told him of my problems assembling and
disassembling the instrument, and I said I had to question whether or =
not he’d
actually tested the thing after doing the work. I also told him, as =
politely
as I could, that his quote was the highest I had received but that =
I’d gone
with him anyway, more or less on faith, and that I felt that we needed =
to work
something out.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT =
size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Please understand, I was firm in my email, =
but I wasn’t
trying to insult him. I pointed out the problems and asked for a =
resolution of
some kind. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I expected =
that he
would respond with anything from further advice on how to fix the =
problems, a
statement to just give it time and it would work itself out, maybe an =
offer to
discount the bill at least somewhat, maybe something that implied it =
was my
fault – anything but what I got.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: =
yes">
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>What I got was an email stating the he “disagreed with =
everything!” I
said, and if I felt that way I should just keep my money. His wording =
was
stronger, though not obscene. He was clearly furious – with =
me.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>About an hour later he sent another email saying that on =
second thought
he wanted the cost of one part that he had <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>installed at my request =
($36). Again,
his anger<SPAN class=421060816-11082005> - </SPAN>at me<SPAN
class=421060816-11082005> - </SPAN>came through quite =
clearly.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>I thought about it over the weekend and decided that I should =
at least
pay him a reasonable fee for parts and labor. A full set of pads and =
corks for
a bassoon costs about $50 retail, and I know that a skilled =
craftsperson can
do a complete repad job in a couple of hours, and I also knew that he =
had done
some other work, so I sent him a check for $300 – half what he =
was going to
charge me originally. I figured he’d either take it and that =
would be the end
of the story, or he would get back to me, say that he’d written =
in haste and
reconsidered and wanted the whole amount, or he would counter-offer in =
some
way. Just to protect myself, I wrote on the bill (not on the check) =
that this
was payment in full: full price less shipping of wrong bassoon and =
estimated
bill to fix low b flat and adjust tenon corks. I suppose that work =
wouldn’t
really cost $300, but again, I figured that if he wanted, <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>he could respond in some way =
that would
leave room to work things out.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>Instead, a week later, I got an envelope in the mail. It =
contained my
check, torn to shreds, and a piece of his stationary with the words =
“F**k
you!” scrawled across it.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>Did I deserve that? Am I in the wrong? Would there have been =
a better
way for me to handle the situation?</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>The more I think about it, the more I’ve convinced =
myself that I did
nothing wrong, and nothing to deserve that kind of response. =
I’ve been in
business; I know that customers frequently have complaints, some =
reasonable,
some not, but that as a business person I have to deal with them and =
try to
come to a win-win <SPAN =
class=421060816-11082005>solution</SPAN>. Again I
ask: am I wrong?</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>Should I just chalk it up to one guy’s lack of anger =
management? Would
the stand-up thing be to send him a check for the full amount of his =
bill? (I
mean, he did do work on the instrument.) <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I feel pretty bad about the =
whole
affair, and at this point it’s like a sort of bad karma that =
takes a whole lot
of fun out of playing has invaded my instrument.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>Sorry for the length of this, but I’ve tried to give =
all pertinent
details. You are all professionals I respect. I’d sure =
appreciate some
thoughts from this group. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times =
New Roman"
size=3>Mickey =
Kessler</FONT></P></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>