Customer Relations

[Nichols]

At 04:44 PM 11/29/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>Wim,
>
>Did I understand you to say that if John Minor had been in private
>practice, he should just have quoted a price to the prospect, and let it go
>at that?  Perhaps I misunderstood you?
>
>I enjoy being on the CAUT list because I did do college work many years
>ago, but I am strictly in private practice now.  I never give a strainger a
>price for tuning a piano with a questionable history, especially one that
>has a reputation for breaking strings when it has not been tuned for a long
>time.  If this person had called me up, asked me to quote a price under
>those conditions, and then had the gall to ask me for references, I doubt I
>would have been as tactful as John was.
>
>Sincerely, Jim Ellis

Jim, Wim, John and Mark,
    (sounds like the beginning of a bawdy Limerick, no?)  anyway...

     "Let's not find out." is the phrase we developed many years ago in a 
shop far far away. I save it for truly special occasions. Did a mini-tech 
on it, with reality windows and logic and everything.  On the other hand, 
though, I have to take the stand that the "less desirable" types and 
cheapskates are perhaps the ones that we really need to watch out for. 
Yeah, it may be the bowling alley crowd that hears how rude the 
"uppity-nosed tooner" was over the phone, but not always. And.... it's 
every other tuner-tech the prospect talks to after we dump them over the 
phone before we even see their priceless heirloom. And.... the possible 
piano teacher. And.... the possible piano dealer down the road after the 
PSO is declared dead or traded up or whatever. And..... of course, the poor 
student that may not get any service at all after the cheapskate does a 
blanket condemnation of all tuners due to our exchange. There is a 
difference between stupid and ignorant. I've learned to not under-estimate 
the prospect until I absolutely sure they're really not just a suspect. 
When "Mr or Mrs. High Society" gets put off by a "service person"..... they 
don't tell anybody.
         Anyway, when the need arises, I've gone to a simple statement 
about scheduling, and how "so-and-so" at such-and-such phone number could 
probably get to them sooner, and quite possibly cheaper. The "cheaper" is 
often an effective hook. I believe that in order for the suspect to leave 
the exchange feeling like they've just encountered a professional, we can 
show them what a professional tastes like.

my 2¢,

Good fortune and enjoyment to all,
Guy

"Controversy equalizes fools and wise men and the fools know it."
                 Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)