How to avoid getting ripped off by dishonest technicians

Aaaaha!!

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Tips for selecting a new technician

1. The best way to select a new technician is by referral - ask other church organists - local organ guild members usually know the good ones -call several local church secretaries.
2. Always insist on references. Check them thoroughly.
3. Related to #2 is to beware of large, flashy ads in the phone book. This doesn't mean to distrust them, just realize that they may be desperate for new customers because they have no repeat business! And you-know-who pays for the ad...
4. Your organ dealer's technician is no guarantee that they are ethical, honest, or even properly trained! Many are encouraged (perhaps even coerced?) to help sell new organs by unethical means..

Hammond organ with atrocious wiring - Done by a Knoxville organ technician! This technician has been sued by two churches, and filed for Bankruptcy. I appeared as an Expert Witness for the Defense in another case in which he was providing professional assistance to the Plaintiff. The technician attempted to mislead the Judge. After the trial, the Plaintiff vowed to appeal, but never did.

Placing a service request with your technician:

1. Instruct tech to save all removed parts.
2. You want an itemized invoice, detailing hourly rate, total hours worked, travel, parts, etc..
3. Ask for rough estimate for specific repairs. Sometimes this is not possible.
4. If it will be a large job, get a written estimate or quote, with a guaranteed maximum.
5. For new techs, ask if willing to invoice, or if require immediate payment.
6. Also for new techs, get a second estimate, but do not divulge details from one to the other, hoping for a break. It will usually backfire.

1. Note and record the time the technician arrives and leaves.
2. Have someone in the area during the visit. It's OK to observe and ask appropriate questions, but not to interfere with their concentration. Interruptions cost money!
3. Inspect the removed parts. Look for date codes on I.C.s and some other parts, in the form of a four digit number. The first two digits will be the year, the last two will be the week of the year. Original parts will have a year that corresponds with the organ's date of manufacture. New parts should have a more recent year on them. Keep the parts in a safe place, especially if the bill seems outrageous.

Rodgers organ with incorrect lamps permanently soldered into the now-ruined sockets - Done by the same technician as the Hammond above, with a big block ad in the Knoxville Telephone Directory! (Ed. note - This tech has since passed away.) If a responsible person had been observing this tech's work, this would not have happened! Notice the two types of non-factory lamps on both ends of the music rack are actually touching the wood! After the translucent cover is in place, the pattern from the lamps is no longer attractive or consistent, but chaotic, with uneven areas of brightness and shadows. Very tacky!! The extinguished non-factory lamps can no longer be replaced by simply unplugging them from the solder-filled sockets. The factory lamps are readily available. I keep a box full of them in my parts kit at all times.