On 4/5/2012 5:02 PM, Delwin D Fandrich wrote: > Well, of course it’s a negative. I would consider standing me up without > any notice to be a negative. I would consider saying nothing to be equal > to saying my time and that of her carpet cleaner are valuable, mine is > not so I’ll just go away quietly. Sorry, but there is a charge for time > and mileage that somebody needs to be responsible for. I agree with Del on this one, though he may well not agree with me by the end of this. Old customers (friends) don't do this to you. If they screw up and ditch an appointment, it's entirely by accident or unavoidable circumstance. Old customers (friends) are forgiven being human (therefor flaky, as is their tech), and repeats are nonexistent. The infrequent times this happens, there is often an unsolicited addition to the check beyond the charge. Cancelling an appointment at the door in favor of a carpet cleaning is something from a new customer who, if they ever have in their life, doesn't work for a living and couldn't care less if they waste your income. I offer to reschedule for the price of a service call for this trip, and the tuning for the next, paid in advance and subject to extension if there are extra charges when the tuning is done - such as the pencils in the action which was the only reason the piano needed tuned in the first place. If the ensuing huff and spew dies down, I explain that doing this at the doctor's office will cost you an office visit fee and the doctor didn't drive across town to be stood up. The reason for the fee in both cases is loss of scheduled income, and meeting overhead, which is necessary to staying in business. Reasonable folk, and there are actually what seem to be reasonable rich folk, will see the sense in this and agree. These folk often turn into old customers (friends), and were just unaware that there was anyone out there for which money didn't just appear as requested. The concept of earning a living had just never entered their head. If the ensuing huff and spew doesn't die down, they are put on the list (which typically contains maybe a couple or three names of unresolved offenders). Should they call later after thinking about it, it's always to offer to pay the service call, become an old customer (friend), and it works out. If they don't call, that's a shame. They lose a long time loyal technician (friend), and I lose a tuning fee. I neither request, nor expect either drinks or tips, but I've always been willing to be spoiled should the mood move them. My customers are subject to the same economic vagaries as most of us, but they tend to be honorable and trustworthy, as do I. Dealer work, however, sucks. Should I do any, it's at full retail with the understanding that the dealer will pay the service whether the customer lets me do it or not. A brief description of the aforementioned huff and spew scene on the doorstep (or a left business card induced return call) usually does it. Or they can call someone else who'll cheerfully allow his time to be wasted by EVERYONE, and at a wholesale rate at that. Ron N
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