Rebuilding Ripoff

[gordon stelter]

It is saddest when you have a  cabal of "techs"
operating in the same area, all doing the same horrid
cheating and swindling, in some sort of compact with
one another to not "break ranks" and do quality work!
    That is what I found here, and had to take
wholesale work from Atlanta stores to survive as they
fabricated total lies about me ( drug addict, saws
legs off to pass pianos through doors, etc. )  to ruin
my business. 
    They are dead or retired now, and one other caring
technician has started operating here, for which I am
grateful. It is terrible to see people cheated, and
instruments mutilated.
     Thump



--- Farrell <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:

> A term like "completely rebuilt" can indeed be
> wide-ranging and mean different things to different
> folks. However, $9K for a sub-basic paint job, new
> strings and new keytops is nothing short of a
> rip-off IMHO. 
> 
> Also, the piano owners had replacement insurance -
> they could have gone out and had their insurance
> company buy them a new $14K piano - but she had
> grown attached to the old Schubert and the task at
> hand for the rebuilder was to make the piano like
> new - completely rebuild it! She got ripped-off
> royally - misled, defrauded and ripped-off!
> 
> Terry Farrell
>   Richard, the "Piano Guy" wrote:
> 
> 
>   Sometimes its hard to say where the term
> "completely rebuilt" comes from. I have clients who
> use that term, after I replaced a few hard dampers,
> and tuned it. They call me and say you 'rebult" my
> piano last year, can you come and tune it. I am not
> sure how that happens. But I do know I come across
> 1st time clients that tell me old so and so rebuilt
> my piano and put in all new felt. How much did that
> cost I ask. Claiming she spent over a thousand, I
> dont have the ehart to tell them all that got
> replaced was bridle straps. I guess what I am saying
> is, sometimes its the client, sometimes its the tech
> who did the dirty worjk. IMHO.
> 
>   Farrell <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> wrote: 
>     I know. We've all seen 'em. But I still am
> dumbfounded each time I run across a really bad one
> like the following:
> 
>     Went to tune a 90-year-old Schubert microgrand
> today. Lady said it was hard to control the action.
> I told her it was because her action had 90 years
> worth of wear (except for new keytops) and was way
> out of regulation- likely never regulated. Brought
> it to my shop today for a full action regulation and
> refurbishing.
> 
>     The piano had been recently refinished (no grain
> filling, no rub-out), restrung (no bridge work,
> coils half-inch above plate, coils not tight, etc.)
> and most damper felts replaced (several were
> orginals or used, a couple flat felts in bass,
> lengths very irregular, etc). Original pinblock, no
> bridge work, action completely original and never
> regulated (key leveling looked like I-75 going into
> the foothills of the Appalacian Mountains), keypins
> are severely rusted - key bushings are toast.
> 
>     Lady told me the piano had been "completely
> rebuilt" 8 years ago. It had been subject to some
> water damage and their insurance paid for the
> "complete rebuild". And she thought it was a good
> deal because the rebuilder said the replacement
> value was $14,000 and he was only charging $9,000
> for the rebuild. Before she told me those fees, she
> asked me what had been done to the piano (after I
> told her the action was all original) and what I
> would have charged for the work that had been done.
> I told her it had been refinished, restrung and new
> keytops installed - that's all -  and that if I were
> to do those tasks as had been done, I would charge
> about $3,500. She appeared somewhat shell-shocked.
> 
>     What a ripoff. Sad.
> 
>     Terry Farrell



		
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