Bad Business practices/venting

[Farrell]

My policy is that phone calls are free (charge it to the marketing department - besides, I feel so smart talking to folks that don't know the first thing about pianos!). Drag me out to inspect a piano that I can fit into my service schedule and I'll charge you my standard tuning fee. Drag me out on a special trip to inspect a piano half way across town and I'll charge you my standard tuning fee plus travel time.

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Clyde Hollinger" <cedel@supernet.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 6:56 AM
Subject: Re: Bad Business practices/venting


> Dave,
> 
> I agree with you that we could put more effort into encouraging "...
> education to all technicians."  But the example you cite here does not
> appear to me to be a lack of education, but more like unabashed chicanery,
> an attempt to deceitfully make a fast buck off of a trusting uneducated
> customer.  While I would like to think that our profession is free of such
> characters, such is not the case.
> 
> It's the piano buyer that needs education.  If any of my customers suggest
> they might soon be looking for a piano replacement or if I suggest that it
> is time they replace their piano, I often offer to help them in their
> decision so they don't hop out of the frying pan and into the fire.  This
> doesn't happen that often, and I have never set up a price structure to
> get reimbursed for the time it takes, although I wish I could.  Anyone
> have a way that works?
> 
> Regards,
> Clyde Hollinger, RPT
> 
> 
> David Renaud wrote:
> 
> > Another reason to support the guild.
> > There is a need to encourage more communication,
> > accountability, and education to all technicians.
> > Imagine this.....
> >
> > Old Wurlitzer baby grand, seen better days.
> > Sold as full compleat rebuilt piano 2 years ago....
> > $10,000
> >
> > Work "rebuilder" did.
> >
> > Refinished outside, New keycaps, drive in pins, tune.
> >
> > Condition
> >
> > 1) Key caps not filed flush...keys clack together,
> > 2) De-laminated pinblock from driving in tuning pins
> > without pinblock support
> > 4) piano is not playable....
> >        ie:1 full inch of letoff, yes 1 inch.
> > 3) Extream hammers wear with exposed wooden moldings
> > in top two octaves.
> > 4) No felt of any kind replaced anywhere at all.
> > 5) Damper levers clack against stop rail---no felt.
> > 6) Bass string windings buzz on cores extreamly
> > loudly.
> > 7) Pedal lyre is falling apart.......so on and on.
> >
> >  Somebody actually bothered to refinish this thing,
> > glue keycaps on and sell it "fully rebuilt" after
> > literally destroying the pinblock.
> >
> >   This is not poor work, it is no work at all,
> > dress up the package and cheat somebody for every
> > penny you can possibly con them for. I have never
> > sent a letter to another technician on stuff like
> > this, but the poor lady was in tears.
> > I would not tune the piano for it must have a new
> > pinblock, pins just will not hold.
> >
> >  I feel so bad for her. Wrote up big report and faxed
> > it to her. I really do hope she follows this guy up.
> > This is the worst I have ever seen.
> 
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives