Dumb things we do

[Tom Cole]

kam544@flash.net wrote:
> 
> ... Later that day, I called them to let them know no one showed to let me in,
> and that their rear door lock wasn't all that secure, so I let myself in to
> tune the piano.  It was appreciated.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't recommend this approach.

Every situation is different and there will be times when you might
think: yeah, they would have wanted me to find a way in and tune (for
the wedding, recital, or other special occasion, say). And many times
you'll be right.

But, along the lines of no good deeds going unpunished, there will be
times when you'll get bitten. Many years ago, I traveled a long distance
to find the customer not at home. I had tuned for her the previous year
and, finding the front door unlocked, I entered and tuned the piano. It
was a risk, I knew, but I justified it by thinking about the long
distance traveled.

That evening, I got an irate call from the woman who felt violated that
I had come in to her house without her knowledge (she had forgotten
about the appointment). She worried that the whole world would now know
that she leaves her front door unlocked and on and on. We finally
settled the argument by agreeing that she would pay only half of my fee. 

There was one other incident, involving customers I'd known for years,
which resulted in a milder but similar reaction. In each case I lost the
customer. The lesson learned was that an appointment in your book is
meaningless unless both you and the customer, by whatever mnemonic
trick, can be conscious of the appointment when the agreed upon time
comes. Otherwise, you may be treated as a trespasser.

Tom Cole