Work Approval, was nothing

[Clyde Hollinger]

Friends,

In two weeks I will be doing the Corfam repair on a 1981 Baldwin studio piano
for a small church that may be of limited means.  I do not doubt that I will get
paid.  Nevertheless, I did send them a "work order" letter, in which I included
the following:

    "We need to be sure we understand each other in a larger repair of this
sort.  The cost of tuning is in addition to the repair.  Since the current
tuning charge is $xx plus $xx for mileage, you can expect your total bill to
approach $xxx.
    "Also, completion of this repair does not equal a total reconditioning of
the piano.  It is still subject to occasional repair/adjustments that all pianos
are subject to.  Parts of the piano and action not affected by the Corfam
replacement will sound and function as they did before the repair."

I am hoping this will ward off any potential misunderstandings.  But there will
sometimes be the case where being very clear beforehand just doesn't work.  I
gave a client an estimate approaching $200 to work on a long-neglected piano,
and she approved it.  She paid a third, then complained about why it was so much
and said she didn't think she should have to pay any more.  I told her we had a
written agreement, and she agreed with me, but since I knew she was poor I
didn't keep bugging her for the money.

You know, considering the amount of money some businesses lose in unpaid
services or products, my total loss over 21 years of business is so small that I
feel very fortunate, and that helps to keep me from getting too bent out of
shape when one pops up every several years or so.

Regards,
Clyde Hollinger, RPT

Farrell wrote:

> In this particular case your point does have some validity. I am usually
> (like EVERY time exept this time) very careful to clearly state whatever
> costs will be involved for a repair, etc. This time I did not go down a list
> and present an anticipated total prior to doing the work. I must admit, that
> I was feeling so comfortable with my role there as piano saviour (after all
> his compliments, etc.), that I kinda felt that he had just given me the
> go-ahead to fix "whatever it needs". I did say that there were several
> strings broken (he had seen in the past what they cost) and he told me to
> fix the action........and on, and on. But the fact does remain that in this
> one instance, I did not give him a total prior to commencing the work.
>
> And it came right back and bit me.  Well, another lesson learned.