Anything worth doing is worth doing right, says Al Pebworth in his
article.

Yes, we who knock ourselves out doing the job properly, get the shaft!
We also get a reputation of robbing our customers!

A few years ago, a local pub called me to restore an old player
piano they had purchased.  The response to my estimate was a definite no!
Later I discovered the piano had been "rebuilt" at half the price that
I (that expensive guy)  would have charged.  Customers were pumping like
they were on a Nordic-Track exercise machine. I noticed the bass was
extremely weak, and within a few weeks the piano was silent.

THEN, the pub called me and wondered if I could fix it!  What I
found was this: All the original bellows material had been painted with
glue! There was glue everywhere!  Some bellows that leaked badly were
covered recycled bread wrappers!  The charming feature I found, was a
bass bridge which was floating in space.  I repeated my original
estimate, but again it was refused. I later found that the piano had been
used for landfill!

It is very difficult for conscientious rebuilders to be undercut
by butchers and told we are too expensive.  The ignorant cannot
comprehend any amount of explanation.  I am very happy to be retired and
escape from such abuse!