<!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 5.50.4134.600" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=jon.page@verizon.net = href="mailto:jon.page@verizon.net">Jon Page</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> August 31, 2001 3:55 = AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: referall fees; = last gasp (reality)</DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>.... After all, if you are charging for information; expect = to pay for it.<BR><BR>That'll be....$.02, please...<BR><BR>Regards,<BR>Jon = Page</DIV> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>Ah, now this raises an interesting issue. = What about the technician who calls another for advice or for help with a technical = problem he/she can't solve on their own?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>I get a number of these calls and, believe = me, it is the rare technician calling for advice who offers to pay = for telephone--and sometimes, shop--time spent helping them work through a problem. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>Yes, in addition to the more than occasional = phone call, I've had technicians bring jobs they couldn't handle into my shop = for what amounted to a lengthy hands-on training session who didn't seem to = believe any monetary compensation was in order. They, after all, were doing the = actual work....</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>Once I had a technician--a PTG member, as a = matter of fact--call and ask me to send him a copy of the hand-out for a class I = was scheduled to teach at a regional conference somewhere. The conference = was in his own town, but he wouldn't be attending. There were only three classes he = was interested in and, unfortunately, two of those three were = on Friday and he didn't want to miss a whole day's worth of tunings. So he figured = if the instructors of those classes would send him their class hand-outs--plus = copies of any pictures or illustrations they planned to use--he could look them = over and then call some evening, or perhaps on a Sunday afternoon, and go = over the material in the hand-outs by phone--that way he'd save the price of = registration and he wouldn't have to take a day off to attend the conference. Oh, and = did I have an 800- number? (I don't know about the others, but he didn't get = mine. I was the first instructor he'd called with this idea and I was some unenthusiastic about the idea--in fact, I'm afraid my response was a bit = scathing.)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>I've had factory reps call for advice--in a = couple of cases the results of those calls have actually shown up in = production--and not one of them has ever offered any compensation. (I'll leave it to the = reader to speculate over who gets credit for the ideas involved.) On one occasion = two principles of a piano factory called, taking up nearly 4 hours of = my workday, who were surprised that I would expect to be compensated for my = time. After all, it was just a phone call, right? (No, I haven't been = paid and doubt I ever will. And, no, the company involved is not in = bankruptcy.)</DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>For years I allowed myself to be exploited in this way. Now, I'm a = bit more hard-nosed about these things. </FONT><FONT color=#000080>Though I = still can't bring myself to charge for a quick phone call--I'm so shocked when a = calling technician offers to pay me for my time I've usually not the heart to = say yes--the days are gone when I am willing to spend a half-hour or longer = on the phone with somebody and not expect something in return. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>Especially when I read about some of you who = are expecting a 20% referral fee on a $10,000 to $20,000 job for what = amounts to a phone call or two.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>OK, I'll crawl back in my hole now and wait = for the phone to ring....</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>Regards,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>Del</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>Delwin D Fandrich<BR>Piano Designer & Builder<BR>Hoquiam, Washington  USA<BR>E.mail:  <A href="mailto:pianobuilders@olynet.com">pianobuilders@olynet.com</A><BR>= Web Site:  <A href="http://www.pianobuilders.com">www.pianobuilders.com</A></FONT></D= IV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>