Opinions of Working For Dealers

[Rob Kiddell]

Having worked for a dealer for the last six years, (and knowing
several techs in town who work for dealers), I have formed a few
opinions.

Opinion 1 is that dealer work pays less than private work. The
collorary to that opinion is that the work is somewhat steady in
coming (especially in the spring and early summer, when other techs
are slow.) I happened to be hired on not as a full technician, but as
kind of "Joe-everything", and have risen (!) to the status of service
manager of the dealership. In this way, I receive a salary and
commission on repair and rebuilding work (which I also do in the
dealer-owned shop). This brings me back full circle to opinion 1,
however, I don't worry about the overhead of the shop, lack of work
coming in the door, or does this mean I cannot pursue private tuning
work after hours.

Opinion 2 is that despite the amount of technical wizardry done to
make a piano perform at its best, the dealer is always overridden by
the client, or their own personal feeling of what is right regarding
tuning, regulation, after-service care, and handling warranty claims.
It is then the responsibility of the tech to work within these
conditions. If the client wants excessive key dip, or if the piano
"seems flat", the dealer invariably promises the client that the tech
will "address the problem". Warranties are sometimes not completely
spelled out at the time of sale (Oh, our warranty covers *everything*
for the next (10) (25) (1000) years!),  and occasionally the client is upset to
 discover that their sticking
key is not covered by warranty (usually the same clients who "don't
need tuning" year after year...). In the field (read "after sales") there
is a better chance of talking with the client and educating them with
regards to what is doable and what is fantasy.
I am not alone in this opinion, as other techs in my area (and
possibly out in the electronic aether) have these restrictions placed
on them.

...more opinions forthcoming as time and experience forms them...
Rob Kiddell
C.A.P.T.
P.T.G. Associate
Edmonton, Canada