Refunds

[Thomas Cole]

John

For the most part, piano technicians are willing to respond to 
reasonable complaints from clients. We make mistakes, or we forget to 
repair something, and as you said, a callback is an opportunity to learn 
something. I remember someone reporting that they hadn't removed their 
temperament strip from the previous tuning, still inserted between the 
unisons (curiously the customer had not complained). In recent years 
I've gotten criticisms from pianists who wear digital hearing aids. 
Working with them we've discovered that they needed to have their 
hearing aids reprogrammed for the broad spectrum of piano sounds. 
Sometimes it's something that can be fixed over the phone, like the 
squeaky pedal (player is wearing running shoes) or the dampers in the 
top notes of a grand piano that "I didn't put back in".

Then there are the very rare clients who seem to be willfully clueless 
about what is meant by a tuning or have developed amnesia about what was 
verbally agreed upon at the outset of a job. I can only remember a 
couple of times returning a payment in such a case, thinking that if 
they are not happy with my work then I need to return their money. It 
might take enough wind out of their sails that they don't gripe, to me 
or their friends, about how I ripped them off. In any event a nutcase 
once every decade isn't going to ruin my career so why worry about it?

Tom Cole

John Dorr wrote:

> I changed the name of the thread from "customer complaints" as per 
> request.
>
> I'm weighing in with those who say there is probably no pleasing this 
> lady and no matter what you do she will speak ill of you.  That's my 
> best guess.  So you might as well keep the money as a "hedge", even, 
> against a future tuning you _MAY_ lose due to her besmirching of your 
> reputation.  You won't win whether you refund or not, and you've been 
> there twice!  You deserve the dough.
>
> I'm also weighing in with those who say it's a great attitude to look 
> at these challenges as an opportunity to learn something more.  Terry, 
> I've been reading your posts for years and I totally respect you and 
> I'm sure your tuning was great.  I'm sure YOU know more than me, so 
> I'm not pointing any kind of finger at you.  Just in general, I'm 
> saying that callbacks can OFTEN be an opportunity to learn something new.
>
> Like many others, I've had callbacks and learned from them.  One of 
> mine was a large pitch raise which changed the tone of the piano, 
> necessitating voicing, so I made money subsequently voicing the piano 
> AND learned from it.  On another, the (very accomplished) pianist 
> heard the hammer EVER-SO-SLIGHTLY nicking the adjacent higher note's 
> right string when the shift pedal was engaged, and I realigned the 
> hammer.  I couldn't quite hear it in normal tuning or checking, but 
> she did.  Anecdotes will abound on this list.
>
> Your lady MAY actually have heard something or may be just befuddled 
> with the new sound of a well-tuned piano.  I don't know.  I think your 
> attitude has been a good one and you've earned your money.  Deposit 
> your check and scratch your head --- but don't tune for her anymore 
> unless you just relish the challenge.
>
> Respectfully,
> John Dorr, RPT
> Helena, MT
>
>
>
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