Refinishing fiasco (story)

[btrout@desupernet.net]

Hi Clyde,

You sure you're not pulling our leg here???  Wow, what a story... I guess
truth really is stranger than fiction...

I applaud you for staying on the sidelines.  Sounds like a mess.

But I'll go out on a limb here just a little.  Perhaps for the right person
who is equipped with a shop and room for it, maybe there would be an
opportunity for some Quality work to be done to her piano.  It sounds like
the strings are already off the piano which means it'll need restrung.  If
'Mr. Refinisher' cranked on all of those tuning pins like I think he might,
they probably won't hold a tuning, even if he can get someone to show him
how to 'put back all of them there wires'.  'Mr. refinisher' may have some
legal liability, but I would think that is between the two of them, and a
place where angels may fear to tread, I might add.  I think it would be best
for the two of them to decide how much financial responsibility is called
for without you.  You could offer suggestions as to actual costs and
possible repairs if you feel confident in your estimating abilities, but
that's about as far as that should go.

It's a 60+ year old piano.  Most of them are getting pretty tired by this
time and could use some serious work anyway.

The hard part would be not getting in between 'Mrs. piano owner' and 'Mr.
refinisher'.  A person could offer their services to 'Mrs. piano owner' if
they are interested, but I'd want an agreement in writing signed by both
parties and a healthy deposit before I touched it.

This is a sticky one Clyde.  It's one of those situations where the people
involved will ultimately decide how this thing turns out.  It could be good,
it could be very nasty.

Perhaps the wise thing is standing aside?!.  You did say that 'Mrs. owner'
bought this thing cheap, and probably doesn't want to spend any more money
on it.  Another thought just occurred to me.  Do you know what it is?  If
it's anything that could be made into something 'special', perhaps a person
with the resources could make an offer to buy the piano as is.  If it's a
decent name brand and was originally well built, perhaps a person could buy
it pretty cheap.  It ain't gonna get played like it is!!

I'm curious to hear what others have to say, since I've not actually been
down this road before.  I could be all wet!  (But hopefully, we'll all be a
little wiser at the end of this thread!)

Have a good day!

Brian Trout
Quarryville, Pa.

Clyde Hollinger wrote:

> Friends:
>
> When I got home yesterday a note on my desk said, "Mrs. S, piano
> strings" and included a phone number.  I called Mrs. S, with whom I had
> no former contact.  Seems they bought a 1930's baby grand piano cheap,
> and they wanted it to look better, so they took it to a furniture
> refinishing man (I'll call him Mr. M, but she didn't give me his name)
> because he would charge only $750 to refinish it.
>
> Some time later Mrs. S got a call from Mr. M, asking if she could get
> him replacement piano strings.  He had taken all the strings off the
> piano, and some of them broke, but he assured her he could put them back
> on if she could get him new ones.
>
> So Mrs. S is calling around, getting advice on what to do.  She's
> calling some good people and is getting a variety of responses.  As far
> as my feelings toward Mr. M go, I go back and forth between being
> incredulous and furious.  I don't know what he's thinking, but I bet he
> lies awake at nights trying to figure a way out of this one!
>
> Care to respond?  Did you ever run into something like this?
> Fortunately, I am the uninvolved bystander, and I intend to keep it that
> way!
>
> Regards,
>
> Clyde Hollinger, RPT
> Lititz, PA