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<DIV>Thank you for your well thought out advice. One of the things I =
think I
have learned from all the input, is that one may feel a bit safer =
commenting on
the value of a run-of-the-mill 1952 Wurlitzer spinet, but as the piano =
gets
newer and more valuable, more research (both on the piano
condition/modifications and cost of similar pianos) is =
appropriate.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Terry Farrell <SPAN =
id=__#Ath#SignaturePos__></SPAN> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=randyrush@earthlink.net =
href="mailto:randyrush@earthlink.net">Randy
Rush</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech post</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, October 12, 2001 =
1:43
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Piano Fiasco</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Terry, I'm afraid I have to disagree with you here, and sort of =
line up
with some other comments that have been made. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Why was she asking you point blank the value of the piano? =
She must
have had some second thoughts or concerns about what she paid. I =
personally think that we should never shoot from the hip by giving a =
value
without doing some research, and that is going to cost the customer a =
few
bucks for the trouble.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The value of a piano is a slippery thing. It can depend on =
the
local cost of living, the economic climate, what the dealer paid for =
it, who
else might be waiting around the corner to pay the asking price. =
What
you decide is a value, even with some research, may vary quite a bit =
from what
the next technician (as honest as you are) may come up with.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I would advise several things about valuing pianos. One, =
always use
an Ancott for reference, and ask around to any dealers or salespeople =
you
personally know to get as much info as you can. Two, always =
offer the
customer a range of values, high and low, not a fixed price. =
Sometimes,
if it is determined that a customer has paid in the higher end of my =
price
range, I tell them that. What this means is they did not get =
"taken",
they paid in the high end of what I feel is an acceptable =
range.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>You say there was no other reasonable thing to do but tell her, =
but I
disagree. You simply can say "Since I am not a dealer, or =
don't
know the precise value without looking into it, and I would be glad to =
do that
for you for my regular fee". The fact that you were =
off in
your perception of current MSRP, based on what you remembered from =
last year,
bears this approach out.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If you are commenting on piano values without an Ancott, you are =
not
using all the tools available to you. They are not that =
expensive for
what they give you back. I have an arrangement here with another =
tech: we split the cost of an annual subscription. He =
takes the
fall/winter book and I take the spring/summer one. That keeps me =
current
enough for our purposes.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Of course, they are not the be all and end all of this aspect of =
our
business, but they sure help.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Randy Rush, RPT</DIV>
<DIV>Seattle</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>>No. This customer specifically asked me what I thought the =
piano was
worth.<BR>>And I told her. There was no other reasonable choice in =
this
situation, and<BR>>I would do it again.<BR><BR>>Terry
Farrell<BR><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>