>...You said: " That's the benefit of being an independent technician > and not an employee." If the dealer is paying you, you're not independent I am then an independent contractor. I see no benefit to keeping the customer in the dark hoping the dealer will come forward. It is not the dealer's piano, it belongs to the customer and they have every right to be informed of its condition. I would point out the problem and inform them that I will notify the dealer. The only way I would not tell the customer is that if I didn't want to keep them as a private customer because the dealer would more than likely send a 'company guy' to gloss it over.' >D.Love wrote: >I can recall an incident (many years ago now) >where I did just that and the dealer ended up calling the customer and >recommending another tech. What they told them as to why they were >recommending someone else I'll never know but I can only imagine. I'll bet he recommended a tech whom he knows will not divulge issues, someone he has in his pocket; because you broke the silent code: If the customer does not notice a problem, there is no problem. I have a case in point: I was asked to perform the first tuning on a rebuilt Bechstein for a dealer whom I have some association. I mentioned to the owner that although the action played to industry standards that I could, if she wished, make the action play lighter. All without disparaging the piano or dealer. Making the comparison to tailoring an off-the-rack garment. She would take it under advisement. I returned to tune 3 months later after the heat came on and found the open pin block cracked in the bass. This was at her expense for tuning and I pointed it out to her, and mentioned that I would notify the dealer. It was now 1 month beyond the one year warranty but because of my intervention, the dealer said he'd cover it. I pointed out that the split probably happened in the warranty period but was not noticed until just afterwards. Even if it were on the dealer's dime, I would have disclosed the problem. I posted photos of this a few months ago and have since repaired it. I am going there next week to apply another coat of gold acrylic paint on the block and will take pictures and post them. This is a case where the dealer stepped up. She is selling her house and moving closer to Boston. She asked if I would continue to service the piano. I guess she appreciates my unencumbered honesty. I don't mind working for dealers but when they mindfully send out a high end piano in less than stellar condition, I have no sympathy. Regards, Jon Page -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/attachments/20091125/a66b4f0d/attachment.htm>
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