Dealership Work-

[TUNERJIM@aol.com]

Jeff:

     As a tuner-technician of many years experience, AND as an owner-operator
of a very successful ful-line music store, I concur with your statements and
the
sentiments which prompted them.

     During 20 years or so of independent tech work I stayed far away from
dealers,
because they didn't pay doodley.  Fellow RTT's had long and, apparently,
happy relations
with dealers.  (Autre stokes for autre folks.)

     Then I started doing some trouble shooting for the local outlet of a
multi-store
dealer (said to be #2 in the U.S ?).  I really took pride in this work.  When
I took
the Queen's shilling, buddy, I gave my loyalty to the Queen.  That is to say,
I
never commented adversely to the customer on the piano, any thoughts I had
about
the two or three store techs who preceded me without 'curing' the problem
were
kept strictly to myself, and I took great pains to insure that the customer
felt better
about the dealer when I left than he/she did when I arrived.  On more than
one
occasion the customer was so steamed he/she wanted the piano returned to the
dealer.  In every case I left them smiling.  In every case I became the tuner
of
record for that customer.  Any impartial observer would applaud my loyalty to
the dealer.  Then,  during this period of time, on rare occasions, I would
have a
chance to sell a piano from my living room to a customer.  Eventually one
such
occasion reached the furry ears of the ass who considered himself soooooper
salesman in the dealership.  (This happened about the time the dealership
sponsored me
to atend a 2 weeks work/learning session at S&S factory.)  When I returned it
slowly dawned upon me that I wasn't getting any more referrals or trouble
calls
from this great dealership.  Upon inquiry I was told that I was blacklisted
because I
was selling pianos on my own.  Sooo,  I opened my own dealership and every
time
I make a sale I think of how I should treat my fellow tuners.   Sometimes
I wonder just how much that stupid blackballing has cost  that great and
mighty
dealership.  I also wonder how many other tuners are "increasing the
negatives"
of this great and mighty store. I hear they are starting to advertise for
tuners. Hmmm!