Plastic elbow dilemma SOLVED!

[BSimon999@AOL.COM]

Plastic elbow dilemma? Get a grip. 

A broken elbow takes only a minute to replace with a 22 cent part.  Alas, 
even a full set replacement does not provide enough money for a full 
retirement.  The real dilemma is how to characterize the various responses 
---   arrogant, disdainful, despotic, pretentious, pompous, condescending... 
it is so hard to choose, I need a thesaurus.

<<You would be better off  spending time with a more reasonable customer...>>

<<I made it quite clear that when I started to tune that if more than three 
additional  elbows broke, I would end the tuning right there and would charge 
for my time, condeming  the piano as untunable until the elbows were 
replaced.>>

<<I would insist on replacing all the elbows, or not doing the job.  >>

You guys would love the con artist we currently have running around Phoenix. 
I just saw his most recent work. He would not tune a spinet piano until it 
was properly repaired, so he pulled the keys (threw the keybed felts and 
punchings away), pulled the action and took all the whippens off so he could 
replace 70+ perfectly good Vagias elbows and a few old broken plastic 
originals with wood ones ( nice looking job= 20 hours at $30.00 an hour - 
didn't put the whippens back on the rail ), then he left everything apart in 
a heap, including the keys, action, and case parts, until the nice little 
Hispanic lady (no English) could come up with more money to proceed, because 
the $650.00 she had already paid him had by this point been exhausted. He 
figures another $800.00 or so to finish the action and keybed work and THEN 
he will  tune it. He is truly an ARTISTE!

DILEMMA  SOLUTION---For those technicians who cannot bring themselves to 
replace a few elbows. Vet the customers when they call, "pre-qualify" them so 
that you NEVER go out to tune anything but a Steinway  that is less than 2 
cents flat! That should end the tiresome and laborious task of telling 
customers that their piano is crap, and basically so are they unless they 
pony up and pay you as much as you want, when you want, to do what you want. 

AND - FOR A STERLING  EXCEPTION;

My hat is off to Mr. Keith McGavern for his  sympathetic and humane response; 

<<What I'd do.  -  Since you have advised her about complete replacement, 
honor what she asks you to do, charge accordingly, and be thankful for the 
opportunity to serve
yet another customer.   Keith McGavern. >>

That's the way to go.


Respectfully,
Bill Simon
Phoenix