Customer Complaint on Tuning

[Delwin D Fandrich]

At some point, Terry, you have to rely on your own judgment and be willing to
override that of Ms. X. If the piano is well tuned then it is well tuned
regardless of what Ms. X thinks. If the piano really does sound horrible for
reasons other than tuning then Ms. X needs to be so informed. And, having lived
through this experience more than once or twice, I'll also say that if Ms. X's
piano sounds horrible because Ms. X's hearing is shot she also needs to be told
about that. These are most often no-win situations. If you try to accept
responsibility for Ms. X's hearing difficulties you will still lose. In all
likelihood Ms. X already knows her hearing is shot but she may still be
resisting acceptance. But that is not your responsibility. Your responsibility
is to be sure the piano is well tuned (that is what she hired you to do) and to
be sure she understands the condition and capability of her piano. At least to
the extent that she is able and willing to understand such.
 
Del


  _____  

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
Farrell
Sent: August 09, 2008 12:03 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: Customer Complaint on Tuning


The saga continues...... and builds. This one has the potential to set the
standard.
 
Just got a call from........ guess who?
 
Ms. X, I LIVE AT ...... YOU TUNED MY PIANO. IT SOUNDS HORRIBLE. SOMETHING MUST
HAVE HAPPENED.
 
Maybe I should have asked her, but I wonder if she remembers that we talked
yesterday. I told her I'd be stopping by tomorrow early afternoon and she seemed
okay with that. I hope she sleeps tonight.
 
Either this lady is in the wrong "home", or the plate split in two after I left
from tuning it. Either one - I can't really figure out anything else.....
 
Oh boy..... gulp.
 
Assuming I live through it, I'll file a report tomorrow afternoon.
 
Terry Farrell

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Farrell <mailto:mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com>  
To: pianotech at ptg.org 
Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 2:24 PM
Subject: Customer Complaint on Tuning

Oh boy. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. Should have just erased the message and
not called..... 
 
Lady leaves message on my answering machine: I LIVE AT 123 MY STREET. MY PIANO
NEEDS TUNING. I LIVE AT 123 MY STREET. IT SOUNDS HORRIBLE. I LIVE AT 123 MY
STREET. I NEED IT TUNED TOMORROW. I LIVE AT 123 MY STREET. CALL ME.
 
After my ears stopped ringing, I call her..... and they started ringing again.
Made appointment. Pull up in her driveway Wednesday - I could hear the TV LOUD
in the driveway. 120 year old lady - very sweet - she had the big eyes and high
cheekbones - could tell she must have been a knockout 95 years ago. I asked how
long it had been since last tuning. She didn't answer so I asked: HOW LONG SINCE
LAST TUNING. She said many years. Anyway, I did a 25 cent pitch raise and tuned
the so-so condition 1970-ish Baldwin console.
 
FWIW, she is a "musicologist". What is that? She also teaches piano.
 
She calls me yesterday and says that some notes still don't sound right
together. I didn't have the heart to ask which ones (like maybe C and C#?). So I
told her I would call her Sunday early afternoon and stop by to check it out. (I
have a morning appointment nearby that day.)
 
I know what it will sound like - a crappy little old Baldwin console that just
had a pitch raise and a tuning. She's going to plunk away at several keys, not
hear a darn thing, and ask me: "see? hear that?"
 
So what's the plan? Smile, wiggle a few tuning pins, and say: "Oh, yeah, that
should sound better now...?"
 
This is my second call-back on a tuning in 10 years. The other one was a few
years ago from a 115 year old lady who couldn't hear a fire engine honking it's
horn if she was standing right next to it.......
 
:-(
 
Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano
 
www.farrellpiano.com
terry at farrellpiano.com

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