Aaargh!!...aka customer relations

[Carl Meyer]

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So, Barbara, how do you tighten two loose knockers?

Carl Meyer Ptg assoc
Santa Clara, Ca.
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Barbara Richmond=20
  To: Pianotech=20
  Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 8:49 AM
  Subject: Re: Aaargh!!...aka customer relations


  Oh, gosh, Dave, thick skin is some times required.  There are a number =
of ways to HELP avoid this type of thing in the future.

  When making the appointment, get all the information you can about the =
piano and it's service history.  Ask, brand, model, age, last time it =
was tuned, service history, any mechanical complaints, etc.  Then =
educate the customer by giving the spiel, "Did you know that =
manufacturers recommend that pianos be tuned twice a year?."  "It is =
quite possible that I will have to do a pitch correction in addition to =
a tuning, etc...."  Explain the work that will have to be done and the =
expected charges and that it is also quite possible that it might take a =
few service calls to get the piano stable.=20

  It's really important to get this information to them right at the =
start.  I usually end up with the comment, "Though it will cost more =
this time, at least you are not having to pay for all the tunings it's =
missed!" =20


  As far as how to handle the current situation, it's your choice:

  1. Do nothing, risking whatever.=20
  2. Go out and please him and keep him as a customer=20
  3. Go out and please him and never make another appointment with him =
again.=20

  I've made it a policy to dump rude and troublesome customers.  You =
don't HAVE to tune everybody's piano (unless you're really hard up for =
the cash.)  Peace of mind in worth something, too!


  Many years ago, a fellow asked me to come tune his small grand piano.  =
When I got there a section of the treble bridge was in a shambles (and =
you could hear it!).  I showed him the problem and explained that =
repairing the bridge at that point would make good sense before tuning =
the piano.  I told him what it would cost, he could pay me a $25 fee for =
coming out now, but then I would deduct the fee from the repair bill =
when I finished the work.  OR I could try to tune the piano, but I =
couldn't guarantee how that would turn out.  He opted to have the bridge =
repaired, we made the appointment, he paid the service call fee. =20

  Late that night, I got a call from him.  It was obvious that he had =
been drinking.  He informed me that he had called all the other piano =
tuners in town (some of which didn't care for me because I was a young =
female upstart, who had gone to, of all things, a piano technicians =
school), and they told him I was way out of line, he was canceling =
payment on the check and I could take him to small claims court if I =
wanted.  Also, he was a newspaper reporter and threatened to write about =
me (he never did) and it didn't reflect very well on the music store =
that had recommended me.  Ah, me. I did nothing, but informed the music =
store of the trouble.  (I'll admit I was very tempted to go up to his =
door, ring the doorbell and run.)  I thought it was better to let one of =
those other piano tuners deal with this guy!

  Speaking of being in a dazed state, I was once awakened from a nap by =
a call and the first question asked was, "How much does it cost to fix =
two loose knockers?"  It was a good thing I was sleepy!  :-)


  Barbara Richmond, RPT
  at home with a sick child
  somewhere near Peoria, IL


    ----- Original Message -----=20
    From: Piannaman@aol.com=20
    To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
    Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 9:40 AM
    Subject: Aaargh!!...aka customer relations


    Fellow self-employed types,=20

    Has this or something like it happened to you?  I had just gotten my =
3 year old to sleep last night and was about to nod off when my phone =
rang.  I glanced at the clock and it was almost 10:30.  I picked it up, =
and a man stated his name, and said that I'd been out to his house last =
week and tuned his piano.  I remembered him, and I remembered his =
demanding nature.=20

    He said that the teacher had been to his house and had played the =
piano.  She said that the bass was out of tune.  Now this doesn't =
surprise me a bit.  It was a pitch raise of gargantuan proportions and a =
tuning.  2 hours worth of work, and I didn't charge him for the pitch =
raise, because he was a new customer.  I did warn him that the next time =
he'd pay.  The piano is approximately 5 years old, and if had ever been =
tuned in his house I'd be surprised.  Normally when I pitch raise a =
piano, it's pretty stable, as long as it was stabilized at one point in =
it's life.  That was certainly not the case here.=20

    In my dazed state, I stated that I'd come out(today) and check it =
out.  He was extremely rude, and acted as if I'd done something wrong.  =
My first reaction was to make it better so that the customer--and his =
teacher, who'd recommended me--were no longer disgruntled.  I thought =
about it for awhile, and realized that I'd done nothing wrong, and had =
indeed given him far more than he paid for.  I called him back and left =
him a polite message to that effect on his work phone, which he should =
pick up today.  I pointed out that I'd do it for free this time, but =
that I wasn't the one who let the piano go untuned for so long.=20

    Any advice on possible responses to this sort of thing?=20

    This type of stuff really rankles me.  I guess the lesson here is to =
not take it too personally.  Kinda hard to do sometimes when you're the =
whole show.=20

    Thanks for reading.  =20

    Dave Stahl=20


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