Customer Complaint on Tuning - A laugh on me

[Richard Day]

Again my first year of getting paid for tuning.  Had just finished tuning a very out-of-tune old upright.  When I got home the answer machine message was from the customer I had just left saying there "was a terrible rattle" in the piano that hadn't been there before I tuned it.  
 
Nervously I went back to the house (8:30 pm) to salvage what I could of what I thought was a terrible mistake on my part.  When I got to the piano the first thing I noticed was a glass full of marbles on top of the piano.  Yes, there was a terripble rattle especially when the bass notes were played.
 
Dick Day
Marshall MI
> From: dianepianotuner at msn.com> To: pianotech at ptg.org> Subject: Customer Complaint on Tuning> Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 23:27:01 -0700> > > > Wim.> > Thank you for your escellent suggestions! Next Tuesday I am going on a job to a hearing aid patient who doesn't like the sound from her hearing aids. She purchased them from another dispenser in our office and we are trying to see if we can save the sale by sending me to her home with the computer and software to adjust them to her needs in her home.> > She already returned a pair to another office in her town because she wasn't satisfied and now she is complaining bitterly to Jim who sold her the set that she is threatening to return now. Your ideas have a lot of merit in any situation! Especially the one about hearing her out--I DO tend to talk too much!> > Thank you,> Diane Hofstetter> > > > > Customer Complaint on Tuning> Willem Blees wimblees at aol.com> Sat Aug 16 21:29:54 MDT 2008> > > * Previous message: Customer Complaint on Tuning> * Next message: Seiler is insolvent> * Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ]> > ________________________________> > > Terry, et all.> > No matter how hard we try, there will always be customers who will not be satisfied with the work we did. Sometimes?it is our fault, but most of the time, it's because the customer didn't get what he/she thought he/she was supposed to get. The only thing we can do is do our best to resolve the situation.> > In my book, I have a chapter called Physiological Trouble Shooting. I discuss dealing with angry or dissatisfied customers.?(see below). For Terry, he needs to go to step number 5. There have been many suggestions, but asking the customer how to resolve the problem has not been discussed. One suggestion someone made, was to?have?the customer to "tune" the note she is complaining to?where she does like it. I did that with one of my customers, and when he realized that where he wanted it didn't produce the results he was looking for, he finally gave up.> > > To avoid loosing the customer, follow these 6 steps on how to handle the angry customer.> > > 1. Don't buy into it. Take the call as a professional.? Unless you said something derogatory, the customer is not yelling at you personally, but is complaining about the work you did.? So take the complaints as a professional piano tuner.? Avoid the dangers of name calling, denying your mistakes, or placing the blame on the piano.> > 2. Listen to understand. Try to understand what she is complaining about. Hear the customer out, don't interrupt. Remember that script. Let it be told. This doesn't mean you have to agree with what she is saying, but until you hear the whole story, you will not know the complaint.> > 3. Show empathy. Reflect the feelings of the customer. Let her know you understand that she is upset. "I can understand your feelings".?I am sorry I didn't provide the service you expected".> > 4. Identify the problem. This is extremely important.? Repeat the problem you just heard. If you don't repeat back what you think you heard, there will be a lack of communication. It will assure her that you do understand. Then, make sure the customer understands what you just said.> > 5.? Find a positive solution. Ask how can you help come up with a solution to the problem.? If you ask the customer to come up with a solution, and work to solve the problem, you will find that she is much more willing to have you come back and fix it, than demand a refund.> > 6. Thank the customer for calling. As was mentioned before, the complaining customer is your best friend.> > > > Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT> Piano Tuner/Technician> Honolulu, HI> 808-349-2943> www.bleespiano.com> Author of> The Business of Piano Tuning> available from Potter Press> www.pianotuning.com> > > Diane Hofstetter> 
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