lesson learned

[J Patrick Draine]

Leslie W Bartlett wrote:

>   This customer is a
> loss, and I'm not particularly sad about it. He was a nasty creature.
>         Two or three questions.
>         1) How far "out" out does it have to be before one says "pitch raise
> extra tunings"? (given a decent piano)
>         2) How do you get it through customers' heads that there is a problem
> that won't go away in one tuning?
>
>

Well, we've all been there, Les. It helps if you "pre qualify" the situation over the
phone. Tell them what your "standard" tuning fee is, and what your hourly rate is for
additional work, which may well be pitch raising, in addition to all the other
perennial potential problems (easing keys, lost motion, etc.). Let them know that
pianos should be tuned every six months, or at least annually! PTG & Dampp Chaser
literature may help educate the customer about their pianos.
Then they know that one fee doesn't cover everything under the sun.
Some techs set there basic fee figuring that they'll do one pass through, and be out
of there quickly, onto the next job. Others know that they'll be there at least 1.5
hr., plan on a quick pitch adjustment, and may even go over troublesome sections a
third time if necessary (this is where charging extra for pitch raising is probably
advisable). Hopefully this tech quotes the customer up front (over the phone) a fee
for his time which compensates him fairly for the greater amount of time which he
budgets for the piano. If the pitch is already OK, one may tighten flange screws, etc.
or even (GASP) make a better profit on that job.

Best wishes & see you in DC,
Patrick