another opinion on "...is this honest"

[Frank Weston]

Wimblees@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Jim & the list:
> 
> We discussed your comments at the chapter meeting Tuesday, and generally
> disagreed with your opinion. Although most us agreed that the manner in which
> "university sales" are conducted might not be as ethical as we would like
> them to be, we felt that in the long run they are a benefit to us.
> 
> >From what we learned, the dealer who is conducting the sale only provides the
> school with one or two pianos for a short period of time. This allows them to
> say in their promotion that the the school used these instruments, and they
> are now "on sale" to the general public. However, the public is led to
> believe that all the pianos available for this sale have been used by the
> school for a year or more. This, in my opinion, is deceptive advertising.
>  The fact that the dealer brings in new instruments, pianos that were never
> used by the school, is also deceptive to the public. And the fact the sale is
> usualy promoted by the school, or as in this case, the symphony, is also
> deceptive. Again, the public is never made a ware of who is conducting this
> sale. (I have had many poeple who bought pianos, tell me they bought them
> from the university).
> 
> While the university sales might be deceptive, and perhaps not quite as
> honest as we would like them to be, the bottom line is that people do buy
> pianos at these sales. And no matter how it is done, for us as piano tuners,
> the more pinaos sold to the pulbic, the better it is for us. We wouldn't be
> in business if it wasn't for the dealers selling pianos. 
> As long as the sale does what it is supposed to do, sell pianos, then there
> is nothing wrong with it. I should ask you, are you not going to tune a piano
> that was bought at that sale? The money you get from the customer is the same
> as from a customer who bought a piano from any other dealer, or from a
> private party.
> 
> I appreciate your comments, Jim, but as I said, most of the chapter members
> did not agree with you.
> 
> Wim


Tolerating illegal or underhanded behavior because it will be profitable
to me is a totally repugnant concept.  If we tolerate unfair or illegal
practice, sooner or later we will become victims of it ourselves, and in
many cases the law will hold us just as guilty as the perpetrators. 

The fact that a majority agree to anything does not necessarily make
that thing right.  Don't you have teen aged children, and haven't you
heard that argument from them? I bet you squashed it quickly, and I'm
sure your mother asked you at least once: "If all your friends jumped
off the bridge would you jump too?"

Frank Weston