<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META content=text/html;charset=iso-8859-1 = http-equiv=Content-Type><!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 = HTML//EN"> <META content='"MSHTML 4.72.3110.7"' name=GENERATOR> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>The following is not legal = advise.  It is advise based on experience.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>In dealing with the public, you will find that about = one in ten customers is totally unreasonable/irrational/uninformed.  The = good news is that another one out of that ten will believe anything you say and = gladly pay in advance for the advice.  The rest are somewhere in = between.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>You have encontered one of the unreasonable/irrational/uninformed kind.  Your best approach (if = you intend to stay in business) is to clearly explain your position one time, and = then put the customer out of your mind until they make a subsequently reasonable = request or until you hear from their lawyer.  Otherwise they will drive you = crazy.  Your position should be that they bought a piece of junk = and you did nothing to make it worse.  Don't worry that they will sully = your reputation if you don't give them what they want.  The damage is = already done on that point, and attempting to placate them won't make it any better.  On the bright side, they're probably the kind of people no = one gives much credibility to anyway and they are almost certainly too cheap = to hire a lawyer.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>You did nothing wrong, and you owe = them nothing more than the courtesy you would show any other customer.  If you = feel like being chatty, you might point out that they should go after the church = that sold them this piece of junk.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Frank Weston</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>P.S.  If they hassle you any more, offer to buy = the piano for what it's worth.  Then they'll owe you money.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><B>-----Original = Message-----</B><BR><B>From: </B>Al & Jody Williams <<A href="mailto:bluefiddle@texoma.net">bluefiddle@texoma.net</A>><BR><B= >To: </B><A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> <<A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A>><BR><B>Date: </B>Saturday, September 04, 1999 9:51 PM<BR><B>Subject: </B>Liability advice<BR><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: = 5px"></FONT> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>I have been a RPT for the past = 19 years. Last week I tuned a new customer`s Grand spinet piano. They had = bought it from their church where it had been in storage for no one knew how = long. I measured  pitch with my Sanderson and found A4 15 cents flat of = pitch, the treble 25 cents flat, and high treble almost 1/2 step flat. = Minimal rust on strings and pins reasonably tight, so I raised it to standard = pitch , was paid, and left. A week later my customer calls complaining of a = terrible buzz throughout the piano, so back I go to investigate. I found = every single last rib had pulled away from the soundboard on both ends. I had a = good conversation  with the husband explaining that this = condition  is one of the pit falls of buying a used instrument without having it = inspected by a piano tech., and that normal maintenance such as a pitch raise = and tuning did not cause the problem. Several days later the Lady of the = house calls and explains that she has spoken with another = tech.-qualifications unknown- who told her that before any pitch raise the customer = should be warned of the irreparable structural damage that can occur during a = pitch raise.Since I did not give her fair warning as to what could = happen,  she feels that I am liable for the damage to her piano`s ribs. Her = thinking is  that it worked fine before I tuned it and now it is broke. = So what do you all think?  I plan to present her with all the responses = I receive to this post and she can decide if I am liable, a crook,a = con artist or what ever.RPTs,give me your thoughts, privately if you like at = ><A href="mailto:bluefiddle@texoma.net">bluefiddle@texoma.net</A>.< = Thanks, Al Williams.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>