Ethics for parsimonious customers

[piano57 at insightbb.com]

Hi David,
 
I wouldn't bother judging these folks.  I'd just go and do the work and get paid for it.  I stay away from work I don't want to do or think I may not get paid for and avoid going places where I might be in danger.  I will admit that I recently had a case of a customer being totally rude to me.  I decided I don't need to be treated that way, so I won't be going back.  My mother taught me to always be polite--I guess her mother didn't.  :-)
 
I did tune for someone who eventually went to jail for a scam and I ended up having to talk to the police about it.  It was a short interview because I had no idea, but then, I'm sort of naive and unsuspecting.  Everything seemed normal to me--except that I knew they had paid for their new grand piano with cash...

Best,

Barbara Richmond, RPT
near Peoria, Illinois

----- Original Message -----
From: David Boyce <David at piano.plus.com>
Date: Wednesday, July 4, 2007 21:21
Subject: Ethics for parsimonious customers
To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org>

> So, yesterday I took a phone call from Mrs B, daughter of 
> widowed Lady M, 
> "landed gentry" and owner of large country estate and manor open 
> to the 
> public.
> 
> Mrs B wants me to tune their piano as the room has been hired 
> for a wedding 
> reception.  Mrs B had been told by the pianist Mr I, that 
> the piano needs 
> tuning and Mr I recomends me. Mr. I is a noted Scottish musical 
> figure, and, 
> coincidentally, my former chemistry teacher.
> 
> Mrs B asks me on phone "how much will it be, because the bride 
> is paying for 
> the tuning".  When I come off the phone, I think, upon 
> reflection, how mean! 
> Presumably Mrs B and Lady M don't bother getting the piano 
> tuned, and don't 
> much care about it. I;ve never been there, and I suppose if they 
> had a 
> regular tuner, that's who they'd use.  I recall during the 
> phone 
> conversation, that a former work colleague of mine used to live 
> in a house 
> of the estate, and said once that Mrs B is notoriously 
> parsimonious. 
> Evidently she hasn't the generosity to include in the room hire, 
> a tuned 
> piano, but wants the bride to pay.
> 
> Now, my feeling is, why should Mrs B benefit?  My feeling 
> is that only the 
> bride should benefit from the tuning, since it's she who's 
> paying, so I 
> really ought to go along after the reception, and detune the piano!
> 
> Curiously, apropos the recent thread on corroded and swollen key 
> leads, Mr. 
> I's own piano, a good old German upright, has just that 
> problem.  I showed 
> him the effect, and suggested the off-white powdery substance 
> adhering to 
> the leads could be lead oxide, and upon retired chemistry-
> teacher 
> consideration, he agreed!
> 
> I suppose Mrs B's arrangements with the bride who is hiring the 
> room and the 
> piano, are their business and not mine. But the meanness rather 
> irks me!
> 
> 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20070704/cbcf1f70/attachment-0001.html