customer education

[Andrew & Rebeca Anderson]

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David,
I agree with Bob on this.  My tuning bill (customer's copy) contains notes 
that discuss the role of temperature & relative humidity in tuning 
stability and I measure the temperature and RH at the appointment and write 
it in on the bill in the blanks provided in the discussion.  All my new 
customers get a Dampp-Chaser brochure.  The information contained therein 
is easy to understand even if their piano isn't worth as much as a Piano 
Life Saver System.

Andrew
At 06:15 AM 7/18/2004 -0700, you wrote:
>List,
>
>There are several ways to emphasize this information. First, you should 
>give a Piano Life Saver system brochure with every new customer. Whether 
>they purchase one or not isn't the point. They need to understand this 
>info, if only to not assign blame to you if the piano tuning doesn't 
>remain stable. Second, you should carry a digital hygrometer to 
>scientifically demonstrate the fluctuations in the humidity and record 
>this info in their service history that remains with them. Also, every 
>time you tune the piano, discuss why the humidity conditions are forcing 
>you to float the pitch sharp in the summer and flat in the winter. I 
>really enjoy solving their problem by installing a Life Saver system, but 
>this information is as much to protect my reputation than anything else.
>Bob Russell, RPT
>
>Barbara Richmond <piano57@flash.net> wrote:
>Hey David,
>
>If they don't want to take your word for it, perhaps you could give them
>some of that convincing reading material that is available. Just don't hand
>it to them, though. Quickly go over it and mark the stuff you want to
>emphasize. Works for me........well, that and my honest face. ;-)
>
>Barbara Richmond, RPT
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Dave Nereson"
>To:
>Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2004 10:05 PM
>Subject: customer education
>
>
> > I don't know how many times I've told customers, even those who should
> > be more knowledgeable, such as piano teachers, that it's changes in
>humidity
> > that make the piano go out of tune, but it just does not register with
>them!
> > It goes in one ear and out the other, or they just don't believe it,
>or
> > they don! 't believe the soundboard can swell up or contract, or they're
> > convinced it's because:
> >
> > they didn't play it enough,
> > or because the toddler banged on the keys with a toy,
> > or because they had the carpet shampooed and the steam must've thrown it
>out
> > of tune,
> > or the dust from the remodeling,
> > or 'cause they moved it across the room,
> > or there was a gas leak so they had to shut off the heat for a few days,
> > or maybe it's not a good piano after all,
> > or because we had a real cold winter or a hot summer (was the piano
> > outside?)
> > or because I didn't do a good enough job last time (3 to 10 years ago).
> >
> > It's amazing how large a percentage of piano owners think that playing
> > it helps keep it in tune.
> > No matter how much you tell them it's changes in humidity more than
> > anything else, they still think it's temperature or moving or any number
>of
>&gt!
>; other causes. Sure, these things can throw it out a little, but not the
>20
> > cents that several weeks of rain can do, or 5 years without tuning!
> > Another thing they just will not believe no matter how often you tell
> > them or how you phrase it is that new pianos go out of tune faster than
>any
> > others and need tuning at least 3 times the first year, 2 or 3 times the
> > second, and twice a year for the next few years after that. They just
> > refuse to accept that. Then they're all up in arms two years down the
>road
> > when you have to charge them extra for a huge pitch raise.
> > The pianos need some kind of pop-up reminder display every six months
>or
> > year (3 or 4 months for new pianos).
> > --David Nereson, RPT
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
> >
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives

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