Tech/Dealer Relationship

[David ilvedson]

> Date:          Fri, 12 Sep 1997 00:02:08 -0400 (EDT)
> To:            pianotech@ptg.org
> From:          Phil Bondi <tito@peganet.com>
> Subject:       Re:  Tech/Dealer Relationship
> Reply-to:      pianotech@ptg.org

What we need is a few dealers on this list!  Although I know 
well the reality of dealer/manufactuer/technician relations, it 
is a shame that sort of thing has to happen.   In the S.F. 
Chapter of the PTG our monthly newsletter has a great 
regular cartoon called "Mr. Ding, Ding".  The last 
newsletter's cartoon was titled, I believe, "Dan's new piano".  
The first five panels showed the customer totally in love with 
his new piano.  He cleaned it. He polished it. He "loved it" 
etc.  Then the piano tuner finally came and in the last panel 
the tuner informed "Dan".  "This piano is crap!"  Dan, the 
owner, of course had a sad look on his face.  

I thought that cartoon was very poignant!

Sincerely,

David ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA

> ..Ed Foote said:
> 
> >     Never, Never, Never compromise your relationship with the customer !!
> > Your long term job security rests with a clientele that trusts you to look
> >out for their best interests, not with simplifying a dealer life by keeping
> >quiet about bad work.  Your job is to make sure the customer is aware of
> >their piano's needs.    If that doesn't sit well with the store, then it is a
> >store/customer thing, but tough!  Maintain your integrity, standards, and
> >prices.  Everything else will sort itself out around that.
> >       
> ..and I could not have said it better..
> 
> ..i may be the new kid on the block, but your customer is your PRIMARY
> concern..the dealer I work with has on more than one occasion said to me,
> *ah, let that go*..it could be anything..hammers hard as nails, regulation
> poor, etc...i have pointed out to him that it is cheaper to make these
> corrections NOW..he knows it..it's their nature to do as little as possible
> for the most return..but the first time a customer calls the store
> complaining about this or that about their piano, guess who gets that
> call..??..i want to AVOID that call because it puts the dealer in a bad
> light and makes me now the middle man..and i HATE being the middle man..I
> would rather spend a few hrs. on a piano on the dealer floor than to do the
> same work in a customers home...this way the dealer AND me know what work
> has been done...and when that piano gets delivered to the customer, the MOST
> that should have to be done with it is the Warranty tuning, and maybe fix a
> sticky key...THAT'S IT..
> 
> ..the question I have to the original question is...is the work you're doing
> Warranty-type work and if so, who is prepping these pianos in the first
> place..??..shouldn't the person doing the prep work be doing the Warranty
> work, or did I miss something..??
> 
>                                  
> 
> 
>