Tuning Complaint - Client Relationship

[Joseph Alkana]

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Wish my record keeping was as good as yours. No situation will have the =
identical solution or approach to solving the problem. First you need to =
present a somewhat neutral position with the secretary, but always leave =
the impression that you are certainly sorry the piano is not =
cooperating, but you'll be happy to check the piano out to determine =
where and if possible why the piano is out of tune. If it is due to the =
Church's abuse of the instrument or changing humidity conditions you =
must prepare them and educate them to the realities of piano stability. =
If you find that your unisons have really drifted I think you better =
clean them up and start socking them in next visit. If you haven't seen =
a technician do this you might pursue a local concert tech and have =
him/her demonstrate. I don't mean to be critical here, I just don't know =
your personal abilities, so consider the need for development of your =
skills. I remember Doug Wood giving me a demonstration and really =
opening my eyes as to what needs to be done in setting strings/pins. I =
thought the Steinway B he was mauling was going to send out for help. =
But you can't argue with the results.
Frankly, for performance pianos like your customer's, and with the =
changing humidity coupled with the time frame involved, they should pay =
for a tuning. When does a piano need to be tuned? When it's out of tune. =
I don't mean to be flip, either. A concert piano may need to be touched =
up during intermission. A recording studio may want perfect tunings for =
every take. Somewhere between those levels and Mrs. Jones wanting her =
Whitney spinet tuned every fifteen years we have to accommodate and =
educate our customers. But we need to get paid for the service. Did I =
mention we need to educate our customers?
Joseph Alkana  RPT
josephspiano@home.com
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Farrell=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 2:48 AM
  Subject: Tuning Complaint - Client Relationship


  Hi Listees. I'm looking for some opinions. I am responding to my first
  tuning complaint this morning at 9:30 EST. My question is going to be: =
Do I
  charge them for a tuning.......because the tuning did not hold......, =
or
  should I tune and not charge and get a couple PR stars on my forehead?
  Details follow:

  Subject is a 1968 Yamaha C7 in original condition. I would describe =
the
  condition as fair+. The piano is in a fundamentalist-type Christian =
church.
  AC goes on Wed. night and Sundays. No dehumidification system on =
piano.
  Client called up last night and said she had been meaning to call for =
the
  last three weeks because the pianist said the piano is flat (pianist =
is out
  of town - that's all I could get out of secretary). Service history =
follows:

  2000 - Replace 4 bass strings & 4 treble strings
  Nov. 8, 2000 - Pitch Raise 10-25 cents
  Nov. 8, 2000 - Tune A440
  May 17, 2001 - Tune A440

  My piano Notes follow:

  SAT:   4.0   7.0   6.5     DOB: 0.0
  Church wants this piano tuned (pre-scheduled) every 6 months.
  Piano inspection 11/8/00:
  Board: minimum crown, barely OK
  Bridges: DB minimal, but OK
  Strings: false beats, bass tone uneven
  Action: 55 - 60g DW, needs full regulation, Good candidate for =
balancing
  Hammers: original - should be replaced, but could be filed/shaped

  We have had a severe drought in Florida all winter. The rainy season =
finally
  started right at the end of June. I can't imagine that I will find the =
piano
  flat - it will most likely be sharp because I last tuned it near the =
end of
  a prolonged dry period and now it rains about 2" a day.

  Anyway, I know I tuned it right at A440 - and the rest of the piano =
sounded
  good (as good as this one will get!). In two months, I can only =
imagine the
  piano needs to be tuned - change of seasons, no climate control, AC
  on-and-off, etc. I have a hard time imagining that it is the tuner's =
fault!
  I expect I will find the piano out of tune and sharp. Quite obviously =
a
  goodly amount of education is due here. I will talk extensively about =
tuning
  stability, climate and climate control, and give them a Dampp-Chaser
  brochure.

  The bottom line is do I charge them for a tuning (if they have a =
pianist
  with an ear and considering climatic conditions, the piano should =
likely be
  tuned every 2 to 3 months), or should I do a complete tuning for free =
to
  preserve that "feel good" climate (as unstable as it is!).




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