[pianotech] Satisfied but persistent customer question

[Pianoman]

I let my clients know that a piano begins going out of tune the moment you 
stop tuning it.
James
James Grebe
Since 1962
Piano Tuning & Repair
Creator of Handsome Hardwood Products(
314) 608-4137   1526 Raspberry Lane   Arnold, MO 63010
Researcher of St. Louis Theatre History
BECOME WHAT YOU BELIEVE!
www.grebepiano.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Geoff Sykes" <thetuner at ivories52.com>
To: "Pianotech at Ptg. Org" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2008 8:48 PM
Subject: [pianotech] Satisfied but persistent customer question


Greetings all --

I have a customer with a 1982 Kawai KG-C6 grand. She's a musician. She has
ears. This piano is a nightmare to tune. Getting the strings to render
through the bearing points so that it is stable enough that I even feel
comfortable leaving requires far more pounding than I think any piano should
endure. Yet she loves the tuning's I put on it. (-sigh-) Unfortunately,
since this piano lives in her home studio she is constantly aware of when it
is even the slightest bit out of tune. And I get called back. I guess
today's question is what qualifies as a no-charge callback?

Now for a home piano, should a tuning I do go noticeably out within a week
or so I would happily return and put it back in without even a thought of
charging for the call. Fortunately this happens extremely rarely. On the
other hand, for studio gigs I feel totally justified for charging either
full rate or an agreed upon lower amount for frequent routine tunings. But
this situation is neither. And she wants me to put it back in tune at
no-charge, or at least a reduced rate.

I have suggested that due to the difficulty I have with putting this
specific piano into what I would consider a stable state that she contact
another tuner who may have more experience with Kawai's. Unfortunately she
is hesitant to do that because she loves how I leave the piano.

When is a piano out of tune? If I were to have to deal with callbacks every
time a customer thinks a unison has slipped a teeny tiny amount I would be
broke. As piano technicians we understand that pianos simply start to go out
of tune beginning from the moment we pack our tools. We simply cannot be
expected to be responsible for natural and expected changes in the piano,
for whatever reason, that can slightly affect the tuning over very short
periods of time. Keeping a piano in tune at this level would be a full time
job.

I'm looking for suggestions as to how to respond to her latest request for a
tweak after only two weeks since my last visit. I've been back there about
four times in the last two months due to similar requests. It's not like
it's actually gone drastically out of tune. If it were a home piano nobody
would notice. If it were a legit studio piano it would be being tuned every
couple of days and, again, nobody would notice.

How do I tell her that I can't be responsible, at no charge, for the
inability of this, or any piano for that matter, to maintain a concert level
tuning over even short periods of time? And when I do have to go back, how
do I charge her without her feeling ripped off and me going broke? She lives
far enough away that even a 50% charge would wind up being a break-even trip
for me.

One of the hardest things to master in this profession is customer
relations. Ya can't keep everyone happy, but you can at least try to not
make 'em mad. Looking forward to your comments and suggestions.

OH, and Happy Holidays everyone! Thanks to everyone who participates in this
invaluable forum.

-- Geoff



• Geoff Sykes, RPT
• 626-799-7545
• www.ivories52.com <http://www.ivories52.com/>

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