Complaints (was Aural versus ETD tuning training)

[David Love]

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In this case, whether the piano needed tuning wasn't that subjective.  =
Using a Verituner, the dial didn't move, and the piano had a history of =
being very stable.  If the note is locked with a test blow, I don't see =
the need to move the pin and put the string out of tune and then tune it =
again.  Some people do.  I thought I was being nice.  Clearly it was a =
mistake, as it turned out, though the mistake was in part in her =
critical thinking and apparent paranoia about being ripped off.  Since I =
reduced my fee for the service call to pretty much only cover the time I =
was there, the motivation was hardly to get paid for doing nothing, and, =
like I said, there were a couple of unisons to clean up.   Had she =
thought about it, she might have realized that I would have served my =
own needs better by sticking around for another 20 minutes and gathering =
up my full fee.  Next time I will.  This type of situation is rare and =
the odds of encountering a similar situation are low so I'm not really =
worried about it.  But I am reminded that trying to do customers favors =
in this business does seem to have a way of backfiring often. =20

David Love

----- Original Message -----=20
  From: SidewaysWell1713@aol.com=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: December 27, 2002 7:04 AM
  Subject: Re: Complaints (was Aural versus ETD tuning training)


  In a message dated 12/26/02 3:18:40 PM Central Standard Time, =
davidlovepianos@earthlink.net writes:



    Gee, I wonder what he told her?  Go figure.  No good deed goes
    unpunished.  I think next time I'll just find something wrong =
whether it's
    there or not.




  You'll never know but obviously, whatever you said was not the right =
thing.  I run into this a lot.  I do contract tunings for a local =
dealer.  His staff makes calls to customers and schedules tunings.  Many =
of these have humidity control systems and after I've tuned them a few =
times, they get to be quite stable.  I still tune them all through twice =
completely, sometimes thinking that it will take enough time to make the =
time I have been there seem reasonable.  It ends up meaning better =
unisons if nothing more.

  Finding a few extra things to improve, servicing the humidity control =
system fills out the 45 minutes.  But one thing I've learned never to =
say is that the piano didn't really need tuning or that it wasn't very =
much out of tune.  That is always a subjective opinion anyway.

  I often feel the same way when I go to the Dentist twice a year, =
particularly when they force me to have X-Rays taken.  In 25 years, not =
a single X-Ray ever revealed the need for any additional work.  I often =
feel that the Dentist (who is a Steinway owner and also my customer of =
25 years), doesn't really like to see me because he has never yet done a =
single thing but look and tell me that everything looks fine.  Only the =
hygienist does a little work and periodically, they take those =
uncomfortable X-Rays!  Do I feel cheated?  No.  Would I go somewhere =
else just to find someone who would actually *do* something?  No.

  Instead, I enjoy the satisfaction of telling the stable piano =
customers that, yes, the piano was "due" for tuning but it has done very =
well under my care.  If you let them think they have paid for =
unnecessary service, they'll dump you!

  By the way, your last comment which I quoted is quite important in =
custmer relations as well, (see President Nolan Zeringue's recent =
Journal message)  You get called about something being "wrong", you find =
"nothing", what you do is say, "Well, let me see if I can find the =
trouble..." and go ahead and find something.  There is no such thing as =
a *perfect* piano.  If you say there is nothing wrong and leave, it's =
the last time you'll ever see that customer or piano.

  You all know me and you all know I haven't tuned in ET since mid 1989. =
 Of all the "complaints" I ever get, it's never about *temperament* =
except way back in the beginning of my use of HT's when I talked too =
much about them and used temperaments which were too strong for general =
use.  When there is a complaint about a piano going out of tune, it is =
almost always legitimate, the piano has really gone out of tune and I =
find, explain and do something about the reason for it which generally =
improves the relationship with the customer.

  Bill Bremmer RPT
  Madison, Wisconsin
  Click here: -=3Dw w w . b i l l b r e m m e r . c o m =3D-=20

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