Killer Octave - Warranty Issue?

[Farrell]

Hi Jim. You indicated that if the client is the dealer, the tech should
report any troubles with the piano to the dealer and not to the piano owner.
I agree.

In the case where the customer is your client - you don't even know who the
dealer is - and you find something that you feel would be a warranty issue
(you are aware that the piano is only a couple years old). Would you first
go to the dealer, or would you discuss the situation with the piano owner?

I guess I should have mentioned my relationship with the client in my
original post. I never really even think of dealer work, as I do none. I was
called by the piano owner to tune his piano and I was not aware of who the
dealer even was........that is until he told me that he bought it at a local
university sale!

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message -----
From: <JIMRPT@AOL.COM>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2001 11:11 PM
Subject: Re: Killer Octave - Warranty Issue?


> Good discussion here huh?
>
> Copula things we need to keep in mind when decicing to "tell the customer"
or
> not.............
> First thing we have to do is determine who the customer is. Is it the
dealer
> or the consumer?
>  If 'your' customer is the dealer than any comments to the 'consumer'
other
> than what is needed, for you to do what you were hired to do, are probably
> out of line. This does not mean that you ignore any possible "warranty
> problems" what it does mean is that you make the 'dealer' aware of them in
> full and as soon as practicable after their discovery by you.
>  To do otherwise puts you, the technician, in an untenable position both
from
> a practical economic standpoint and possibly from an ethical standpoint.
This
> point can be twisted and turned any way you want to with all the "coulda",
> "shoulda", "woulda" and "poor customer" sentiments that anyone would care
to
> use.....but the fact will remain that it ain't your job 'yet'.
>
>  I am not saying to ignore any real problems with any
customers'/consumers'
> instrument....... what I am saying is that you owe some loyalty to 'your'
> customer and the way to show that loyalty in these cases is to report any
and
> all 'real' or 'potential' warranty issues 'fully' to the dealer first and
> give them and opportunity to rectify the situation.......to do other wise
is
> unprofessional.....period.   Warranty issues are between
> consumer/dealer/manufacturer and while we as techs have a role to play,
> telling the consumer what a lousy piano they have without first
> discussing/urging the dealer about it is 'not' that role.
>
>  There are two types of issues involved when your customer is the
'dealer'.
> One is when the "problem/issue' is raised by the consumer...the other is
when
> you have discovered a potential warranty issue.
>  In the first case we should try to discern whether the consumer complaint
is
> valid and if so what the cause of it may be. If it is a problem that can't
be
> fixed by -on the spot- education of the consumer...such as "No Sir, no
piano
> has dampers past that point and there were none left out of your
> piano"..........then you need to relay that information to the dealer and
let
> the consumer know that you are going to do so...............this puts the
> ball in the dealers court, where it should be, as well as provides the
dealer
> with all the information you have...........this will allow the most
amenable
> conditions for resolution of any 'real' "warranty problems".
>
>  If the consumer is your "customer".....the only thing that changes is
that
> your loyalty should rest there..............any possible "warranty"
problems
> is still between the consumer/dealer/manufacturer and the only role you
play
> is of consultant/representative of the consumer rather than the dealer.
Under
> no condition should you 'bad mouth' the dealer, the piano, the
manufacturer
> or the salesperson....I know, I know, there are times that such is
deserved,
> and possibly well earned :-), but doing so will decrease your value to
your
> customer.
>
>  I suppose what I am saying is don't take a knife to a gun fight, don't
take
> a horse to a car race and don't run off at the mouth when you don't know
> squat about any 'possible' agreements between consumer /dealer!
> Be tactful, be professional and provide the best service/advice you can to
> your real customers FIRST..be they dealer or consumer.
> My view.
> Jim Bryant (FL)