ethics question

[Robin Blankenship]

Tom,

Well, who gets to have move contact with the customer from here on out...you or the store?? Who gets to influence and inform more customers and potential customers from here on out.... you or the store?? 

For a new piano, this is absolutely unacceptable. Period. Your rep as a tech is more about the piano and little about the brand, the store, etc. The tuning pins are not going to tighten up on their own. 

I rather imagine that your customer in this case is already aware of something going on. I would level with them. They may be "your" customer in terms of service calls; but, the piano is and will be under warranty for some time to come....the warranty to be backed up by either the store or the manufacturer. 

Major defects can happen on any brand or model piano. S&S may be unbelievable arrogant but I do not believe they are totally stupid as well. 

In my opinion, you work with the customer to give the store a chance to make things right. If that doesn't happen, go to Steinway. Beyond that, then there are legal remedies. 

Gee, Tom, and you thought that tuning pianos was just about tuning pianos!!!! LOL. 

Keep us posted.

Robin Blankenship
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tom Sivak 
  To: pianotech 
  Sent: Friday, December 29, 2006 2:31 PM
  Subject: ethics question


  List

  What to do, what to do...

  A client has a new Essex grand, purchased less than a year ago.  The local Steinway dealer assigned me the freebie first tuning on the piano which I performed almost 6 months ago.  At this point, the client is now mine.

  At that first tuning I was alarmed to find that most of the tuning pins were way too loose.  I'm not being picky here; I wasn't sure if the piano would even hold the tuning when I left.  So I called the head of the tech dept. at the dealer to inform him about the loose pins.  

  He told me that I needed to measure the torque with a torque wrench so that they had some concrete figures to back up my assertion.  He wanted me to get some measurements without alarming the client, which I was able to do.  He seemed to indicate that he would have the piano replaced if the torque readings were unacceptable.

  All the pins measure less than 25 pounds of torque.  Many were less than 15 pounds.  I reported back to the head techie at the dealer and did not hear of any further developements.  I did not share any of this with the owner. 

  Last week the owner of the piano called to get it tuned again, so I went yesterday and retuned the piano.  My last tuning actually held just fine.  The piano was about 10 to 15 cents low, not at all unusual at this time of year, let alone on a new piano with stretching strings.  

  The pins are just as loose as ever.  You can't overpull a string and ease it back down, because it'll just slip all the way down a half step or so.  You have to pull it up to pitch and let go  V  E   R   Y       G   E   N   T   L  Y.   This is a technique that we have all perfected after years of working on 75 year old Gulbransens, not pianos less than a year old.

  So my ethical dilemma is this:  Should I tell the client that the tuning pins are too loose for a new piano?  The dealer may have given me the client, but the client is mine now.  I feel that I owe them my honest opinions on things, and my opinion is that this piano is defective.  Of course, no one has actually asked for my opinion about the piano, so I'd be the one who started all this trouble if it comes to that.  (I don't really do much work for the dealer any more, so I don't think I have that much to risk, personally, business-wise, but of course, I'd rather not alienate the only Steinway dealer in Chicagoland!)

  And after all, the piano is fine right now.  It will hold a tuning, even if I have to be a little careful while doing it.  How many years will it be before these loose pins become so loose that it won't hold a tune?  I don't know, but certainly much sooner than any new piano should.  It seems unethical to allow the client to be blissfully unaware that in a year, or two or ten, this piano may need a new pinblock.  They have a warranty now, and since this situation is only marginally acceptable now and will only get worse, they should take care of it sooner rather than later.

  There is a new head of the tech department at the dealer.  I have called him twice and he hasn't returned my calls yet.  Of course, I won't do anything until I talk to him, but in the meantime, the ethics of the situation seemed worthy of discussion.

  What do you all think?  What would you do?  

  I look forward to your sage advice,
  Tom Sivak
  Chicago

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