tough tuning!

[Susan Kline]

Dear Les,

Phone the guy, instantly, and explain, as sweetly as you can, that you need 
for him to have a check for the full amount, (the other two tunings, and 
today's) before you can do any more work. Then, also sweetly, ask him to 
reschedule the tuning if he can't get the check ready till later.

Accommodating customers is all very well, but enough is enough!

Once this is clear, you can then tell him about brand new pianos going out 
of tune, and the number of tunings before they can be expected to hold, and 
about looking into humidity control if it still doesn't hold well after 
four or five tunings.

Susan

P.S. Maybe it's just advancing age, but what brand is an S&C? All I can 
think of is Sherman Clay (Daewoo.)

At 12:58 PM 11/04/1999 -0600, you wrote:
>I recently was asked to tune for a restaurant, a S&C small grand.   It
>was significantly below pitch, so I raised, then tuned.  I didn't get a
>check at the time. Two months later I was called back because it sounded
>horrible again.  This time it was much closer. Still didn't get a check.
>  A couple weeks later was called back as it sounded "bad" again.......
>This time, it occurred to ask someone how new this piano was.  3-4
>months.   AHA! thought I.
>
>Today their pianist called to say it's not good again.    I asked if the
>tunings were agreeable when he first played. YES, in fact he'd
>recommended me to several others.
>He also said I need not worry about the money. I'll get paid, he's sure.
>
>So today, I'm meeting him at the place at 5:00.  Any thoughts?  I'd
>e-mailed him, after figuring this was probably an instrument which had
>little attention at the factory or the store, and simply would take quite
>awhile to settle down.  I'd said, that it's newness was reflected in the
>low pitch, the strings were still stretchy, and the pins were horribly
>tight, thus giving rise to some lack of stabliizing from a large pitch
>raise, and the fact I've not got 30 years experience all contributed to
>the problems, which simply would require frequent attention for awhile.
>I'm also wondering about humidity and DC stuff. They say they keep the
>place at a constant temperature 24 hours daily..........
>
>Any quick responses would be appreciated.
>
>les bartlett
>houston
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