<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Awesome. Ed Sutton, are you listening? Servinsky has wisdom and clarity. All you newbies and lurkers: take this to heart. "It's a fine and delicate line one has to walk." This is the essence of success with other human beings. Be open. Be compassionate. Think about the Golden Rule. You'll know instantly what to do.<DIV>Best,</DIV><DIV>David A.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"><DIV><DIV><DIV>On Jul 24, 2007, at 2:31 AM, Tom Servinsky wrote:</DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; ">Being a tech in S. Florida for some 25 yrs, I've dealt with retired folks ( with aging hearing impairments) with these same issues.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; ">I've learned that no matter what I do with adjusting the tuning to "their liking", the fact remains that there appears to be a sensitivity factor that impaired ears finds disconcerting. It's like if one develops a sensitivity to foods tasting too salty and eventually one thinks all foods taste salty, regardless if salt was added at all. Imagine being the chef in that situation.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; ">What I have learned is that there is a time and a place to tactfully explain to the customer that this is more of a case of their hearing loss issues rather than your lack of tuning ability. My tactful approach is to say "with all due respect, Mr. Jones, I'm afraid that you are showing all of the signs of having some mature hearing issues."</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; ">. My father, who plays professionally as a cocktail jazz pianist, is going through this same issue and I've had plenty of practice with trying to understand what his ears are telling him vs. the real world. I usually relate my father's issue to my clients and they seem relate to his condition. Thus they are more at ease with understanding and excepting of their situation.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; ">Bottom line, you have to find a way to make this not as much of your inability to tune, but their inability to hear. It's fine line between being tactful and rude. On the other hand you have to still offer good customer service by responding to their complaints in a polite and orderly manner. </SPAN><EM style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; ">I</SPAN></EM><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; ">t's a fine and delicate line one has to walk.</SPAN></FONT></DIV></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>