You'll NEVER please everyone all of the time!  It's a fact of life.  I have tuned for some folks who tried this tech and another tech...all of which were great techs.  They just don't want to realize that what their piano is....is a piece of         #$*&)*)(*&)(*&! to say it nicely.  It may be their grandmothers or dads or whatever, but they think it can sound like a Steinway concert grand... It just can't happen.  People just seem to think their piano is awesome, but maybe it's just their memory of how well their predicessor played it.... What you have to do is simply state that the piano they have was, perhaps in it's day, a fairly good piano, but now, it's old!  Then state that even Steinways get everything replaced/rebuilt at one time (or two).  One needs to research more on what the customer "thinks" the piano should sound like, and many times,  you just can't do what they "think" they want.  I really wish the store salesmen/women would just be honest, but I realize they're just trying to get their commission.  Private sales are another thing, since most of the time, both sides are clueless. pw <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td width=40%>Matthew Todd <toddpianoworks@att.net> Sent by: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org 06/02/2008 03:26 PM <table border> <tr valign=top> <td bgcolor=white> <div align=center>Please respond to Pianotech List <pianotech@ptg.org></div></table> <td width=59%> <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>To</div> <td>Pianotech List <pianotech@ptg.org> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>cc</div> <td> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>Subject</div> <td>Re: Re; Picky Customers</table> <table> <tr valign=top> <td> <td></table> </table> Say in nicely?  Is there really a nice way to say it?  Especially when you have no idea what their reaction is once the phone is hung up!   Hey, if we are able to please everyone all of the time, we are probably doing something wrong.   Matthew tcc440@netscape.net wrote: I've had that experience.  It happened when I called up a teacher  whom I had been servicing for over 5 years tell me that the piano went out of tune just after I had finished.   I said to her " Oh , that means you'd gotten someone less expensive than me, right?"  She said "Yes". I said "Good luck" and hung up. Those are the kind of customers you don't want. As for your customer   I would tell her that it is time for her to  either have you out to do a tuning or find somebody else. Say it nicely, but tell her she should have called "'' IMMEDIATELY " in order to benefit from a free service call from you. Period....  You will NEVER BE ABLE TO KEEP HER HAPPY. Tom Cobble   RPT...........   <hr>Stay informed, get connected and more