Dear List, Recently, I encouraged a customer to get a better piano since her children were playing with much better proficiency and their little console was needing a lot of work. I sold her The Piano Book and recommended a particular dealer where she could start looking for a new instrument. Since this person obviously leads a charmed life, she walked into the recommended dealership within a week after they had gotten a _slightly_ used Kawai GS-30 on consignment. She hired me to inspect the piano and I recommended that she buy it since it was in such good condition. Now I'm thinking about the fact that she is paying me my evaluation fee and that also I will receive a finder's fee from the dealer because we have a standing deal. This strikes me as a conflict of interest while, at the same time, I think that I'm being honest with my customer about the condition of the piano and the fact that, if I were in her shoes, I would buy the piano. Am I doing the right thing or do I need to return one of the fees? -- Thomas A. Cole, RPT Santa Cruz, California
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