no charge to good steady customers

[Greg Newell]

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Corte,
         I was surprised the first few times I encountered it as well. I'm=
=20
grateful to have Tunelab to assist me in quantifying pitch deviation. The=20
pianos I spoke of were no more than 2 cents off anywhere throughout the=20
scale. Cleveland, Ohio is a very similar climate to Chicago, Illinois so I=
=20
can understand your disbelief. For my average customer, less than 2 cents=20
isn't enough for them to hear and therefore does not justify the cost.=20
Their happy with a touch up of unisons and a general good bill of health=20
and so am I. The next humidity swing will change it anyway so what's the=20
point? If I see it at 2 cents flat in April and bring it pitch what will it=
=20
be in June or July? I'm generally not one who will float pitch but if it's=
=20
only that much ......


best,
Greg



At 04:26 PM 10/7/2003, you wrote:






>I can't understand how a piano that hasn't been tuned in 3-5 years could
>still sound great.  How stable can the environment be?  Even with humidity
>control, there is bound to be small oscillations in temperature and
>humidity that will move the pitch over a period of 3-5 years.
>
>It just doesn't make sense to me.
>
>Corte Swearingen
>Chicago
>
>
>=20
>
>                       Greg=20
> Newell
>                       <gnewell@ameritec        To:=20
> phil@philbondi.com, Pianotech
>                       h.net>                    <pianotech@ptg.org>=20
>
>                       Sent=20
> by:                 cc:
>                       pianotech-bounces        Subject:  Re: no charge to=
=20
> good steady customers
>                       @ptg.org=20
>
>=20
>
>=20
>
>                       10/07/2003=20
> 03:10
>                       PM=20
>
>                       Please respond=20
> to
>                       Pianotech=20
>
>=20
>
>=20
>
>
>
>
>
>Phil,
>         I don't think it's an issue of being fair to the tech community
>since they are not my paying customers here. I do this type of thing fairly
>regularly. If you wish to keep her as a steady customer you can't charge
>her when service isn't needed. There is a corollary in almost any other
>service industry.  Think of what your mechanic charges you and how you'd
>feel if he did so whether you needed anything or not. You've obviously
>thought this through and in my opinion your thoughts are right on target.
>         In general I usually ask first time customers how they intend to
>use their piano. If they respond that it's just for piano lessons and their
>budget doesn't seem to be "sky's the limit" then I may even stray from the
>6 month tuning schedule and recommend something less like once a year or
>even every other if they seem to have a piano in a stable environment (A/C
>in summer and added humidity in winter) It's not unusual for me to visit
>customers whom I haven't seen in 3-5 years who's piano still sounds great!
>I end up doing exactly what you describe. A quick touch up and a general
>looking over followed by a token fee. Seems that those folk are some of the
>most active in giving me referrals too!
>
>Greg
>
>
>At 07:00 AM 10/7/2003, you wrote:
>
>       Last Friday was a scheduled appt. with a very faithful every 6=
 months
>       residential customer - Baldwin Acro(newer Console model) - DC
>       installed.
>
>       When I arrived, this client was as gracious as ever - said the piano
>       really didn't sound bad at all to her.
>
>       ..she wasn't kidding.
>
>       I probably could have done more harm than good if I tuned the whole
>       thing! - it was spot-on with the exception of a few top-end
>       unisons..I touched them up for her, and told her 'no charge' today.
>
>       She was more than willing to pay 'something' for my time, and I
>       probably should..my gut feeling was not to charge her, so I=
 didn't..I
>       wasn't there more than 10 minutes, and 1/2 of that time was spent
>       putting that darn lid back on(2 pins on the bass side as opposed to=
 a
>       'piano' hinge in back..uugh).
>
>       I'm not looking for a pat on the back here..just curious if this is
>       common practice amungst my peers..or do you truly feel I am not=
 being
>       fair to the tech. community.
>
>       curious this morning,
>
>
>       Phil Bondi(FL)
>       phil@philbondi.com
>
>
>
>       ---
>
>       Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
>       Version: 6.0.521 / Virus Database: 319 - Release Date: 9/23/2003
>
>
>Greg Newell
>Greg's piano Fort=E9
>mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net
>---
>
>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
>Version: 6.0.521 / Virus Database: 319 - Release Date: 9/23/2003
>_______________________________________________
>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives

Greg Newell
Greg's piano Fort=E9
mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net=20

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