A nice walk down the "grey area" highway Richard. Well put. Terry Farrell ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2001 8:39 AM Subject: Re: Killer Octave - Warranty Issue? > Having read a few posts on this I decided to throw in a few words. I guess we get > caught between a rock and a hard place often enough when in the situation Terry > describes. On the one hand we may identify some problem that really should be dealt > with, yet on the other hand we have the customers interests and then the dealers > interests. > > The customers interests are the most important and perhaps the most difficult to > judge correctly. True, they have a right to know anything that is a detrimant to > their newly purchased instrument. On the other hand they have a right not to know as > well. That might sound a bit odd at first, but I think it is central to the point > some have made on this subject. Fact is, and I think all of us have experienced > this, that some folks just want reassurance that all is well, and are not really > able to deal constructively with any information to the contrary. > > I guess what I am trying to point out is that I think to need to try and read the > customer before really deciding whether or not to supply unasked for information. A > technique I use for feeling out these kinds of situations is to start a service > visit by asking straight out whether the customer has any comments or has noticed > any problems. I then do the job, noteing any and all deficiencies and doing my best > to sort out which are serious enough to pursue and those that are not. At the end of > the job then I take initiative for an informal discussion with the customer about > the qualities of the piano. One gets plenty of signals right off about how the > customer feels about the instrument, and how they will react to any "bad news". > > Of course one does have to be carefull.... hot water is easy enough to find oneself > bathing in, and one does have to be able to sort out whats important enough in each > situation to point out. But the right of the customer to know is high on my list of > priorities. And if I feel they are sincerly interested, and have their own emotional > prejudice under reasonable control... then I do not hesitate further. > > The dealers I have experience with through the years have come to respect this > balance as a pretty darn fair one. Most of them are human enough, yet honest enough > to be able to take a fair kick in the pattootey when its called for. > > As has been pointed out by others, this requires a delicate balance often, and a > good portion of people savy. Walk the rail at your own risk, or play it safe and say > nothing. Me... I walk that rail as I feel like its just one more little way I can > push the market in a positive direction. And every little push and shove helps. > > -- > Richard Brekne > RPT, N.P.T.F. > Bergen, Norway > mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no > >
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