Irate Customer (OT)

[Barbara Richmond]

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Terry,

Yeah, it is best if nobody sees you.  The owner of the "wrong" house was =
down the street and saw me.  As I walked out of her house and across the =
driveway, she drove up and tried to hit me with her car!  (I'm glad she =
didn't have a gun!)  I thought about her reaction and came to the =
conclusion that she was probably horrified because her house was an =
absolute pit and she mistook me for Martha Stewart.   :-) =20

Not long after that I was attacked by a gander while making my way from =
my car to a farmhouse.  That was just after one of those articles came =
out about piano tuning being one of the most stress free jobs.........


Barbara Richmond, RPT
still watching out for those "killer" octaves
somewhere near Peoria, IL=20



  ".....first clue that I was in the wrong place was that there was no =
piano!"

  Is that anything like (for a male) walking into a restroom in an =
unfamiliar public facility and not seeing any urinals? (Then hoping =
nobody is outside the door as you run quickly back out the door of the =
ladies restroom!)

  Terry Farrell
    ----- Original Message -----=20
    From: Barbara Richmond=20
    To: Pianotech=20
    Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2003 7:55 PM
    Subject: Re: Irate Customer


    Terry,

    You tuned for a private customer today, Sunday?  Like wow, man.

    Your suggested appropriate response seems reasonable.  Don't worry =
about those "distinct tones."  Be calm, explain it as best you can and =
be firm.  Good luck! =20

    I made it a rule that the customer (or the pianist, if it wasn't a =
kid) always had to be around to let me in for the first appointment so =
we could check the piano out together before I started working.  =
Although your situation isn't exactly how and why I first learned this, =
I've found after time it's still a good rule for a number of reasons, =
including----one day I walked into the wrong unlocked house (small town, =
no house numbers, and even though you don't live there, the customer =
assumes you know all the landmarks in town, etc.).   I won't go into =
details here......but my first clue that I was in the wrong place was =
that there was no piano!    :-) =20

    Another embarrassing moment (oh, that would be lesson learned) in =
the life of...

    Barbara Richmond, RPT
    what address was that?
    somewhere near Peoria, IL

    ----- Original Message -----=20
      From: Farrell=20
      To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
      Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2003 5:07 PM
      Subject: Irate Customer


      Hello PianoList folks. I'm looking for any suggestions to sooth an =
irate customer - she just called and left a message - I'll have to get =
back to her soon.

      I tuned a Yamaha GH1 today (so-so condition). New customer =
"graduate of Puerto Rico Conservatory". I sat down on bench & hit first =
key - BUZZZZZZZZZZZ. Found a half-dozen keys that made a nasty =
soundboard buzz. Found a rib I could press on while striking key that =
stopped the buzz. Lady was not home so I called hubby over to ask if =
wife had complained about buzz. He said he heard it when I demonstrated =
it, but she had not mentioned it.

      So she just calls now and said she played her piano. She is not =
happy at all. She said there were one or two keys that made a little =
buzz previously, but now about 20 notes make a big buzz and she is in =
tears.

      I had told the hubby when I was there earlier that if the buzzing =
bothered her, there were some repairs that we could try to get rid of =
the buzzing. He said he would mention it to her. It would seem to me =
that the appropriate response from me is to offer to make an appointment =
to come and repair her loose rib and charge her a normal fee for doing =
so. Her message has the distinct tone of "my piano was fine before YOU =
touched it".

      Any thoughts before I step into the fire? Thanks.

      Terry Farrell

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