<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"> <title></title> </head> <body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"> I had a similar long trip into the mountains to find that the owner was not at home. I found the front door unlocked and since the piano was just inside the door and I had tuned for the woman a couple of times before, I decided to save the appointment and do the tuning. Arriving home that evening, I got a call from a very irate woman who was extremely upset that I had entered her house while she was gone (forgotten about the tuning date) and now "The Whole World" knows that she doesn't lock her front door and I let her go on venting hoping that she wears herself out screaming at me instead of doing something else. The only thing that would settle the argument was that I accepted half of my fee. So I took it that entering a house without previous arrangement is probably not a good policy and have refrained from doing so ever since. Another thing I learned, then and since is that either crazy people live in the mountains or living in the mountains makes you crazy. Tom Cole Dean May wrote: <blockquote cite="mid01d901c8f3ed$1699b530$6600a8c0@athlonx2" type="cite"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; "> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)"> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PostalCode"> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"><o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"> <style>  </style></o:SmartTagType></o:SmartTagType></o:SmartTagType></o:SmartTagType> <div class="Section1"> I had a no show a couple of weeks ago, a fairly long time customer in a small nearby town. Her door was open so I went in, tuned the piano and left an invoice. Always check the door. If it is open and it is a repeat customer who knows me I always go ahead and go in to tune it. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Turns out this lady had been taken to the hospital the morning before. She was out in a couple of days and sent me a check with a note of thanks that I went ahead and tuned her piano. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <div> Dean<o:p></o:p> <u1:PERSONNAME u2:st="on">Dean May</u1:PERSONNAME>             cell 812.239.3359 <o:p></o:p> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 <o:p></o:p> <u1:PLACE u2:st="on"><u1:CITY u2:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><u3:place u4:st="on"><u3:City u4:st="on">Terre Haute</u3:City></u3:place></st1:City></st1:place></u1:CITY></u1:PLACE> <u1:STATE u2:st="on"><st1:State u5:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">IN</st1:State></st1:State></u1:STATE>  <u1:POSTALCODE u2:st="on"><st1:PostalCode u6:st="on"><st1:PostalCode w:st="on">47802</st1:PostalCode></st1:PostalCode></u1:POSTALCODE><o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> <div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"> <hr tabindex="-1" align="center" size="2" width="100%"></div> From: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a> [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org">mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a>] On Behalf Of <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:reggaepass@aol.com">reggaepass@aol.com</a> Sent: Friday, August 01, 2008 8:38 AM To: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a> Subject: Re: No- shows..... again<o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> <div> Here, here Ed. When someone stands me up, I leave a note stating that I was there at the appointed time I had on my calendar, waited fifteen minutes, and then left.  (After all, it is possible that I wrote is down wrong.)  While I'm waiting, I call 1) their house (in case they are there, but don't hear the door), and then, 2) I call my answer machine to see if there is word from them there.  If no, and they afterwards call and explain that they had a (true) emergency and didn't have my number with them, OK.  If they just forgot, I tell them that they will have to pay for half of a service call for the missed appointment without prior notice when I do service their piano next.  Otherwise, they need to find another date to the prom.  In concert with this no show policy is a rather liberal cancellation policy: As long as they let me know that they will not be able to keep the appointment, no love is lost.  The stated advance warning is 24 hours, but in practice I will accept them actually reaching me any time before the scheduled service.  It comes down to a matter of consideration, and as Ed has pointed out, thinning the heard of undesirables is a good thing in terms of re-ordering your universe for the better. Alan Eder<o:p></o:p> </div> <div> <o:p> </o:p> </div> <div> <o:p> </o:p> </div> -----Original Message----- From: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:A440A@aol.com">A440A@aol.com</a> To: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a> Sent: Fri, 1 Aug 2008 3:25 am Subject: Re: No- shows..... again<o:p></o:p> <div id="AOLMsgPart_0_a70f7990-e3fa-4802-991c-aaf3c92c97f1"> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt><< How do you deal with a no show appointment? Do you bill them? Bill half? </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>Not </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>at all? Any other way to deal wit them? >></tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>Greetings, </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"> <o:p></o:p></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>SNIP</tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>   Our day by day decisions determine what our life is like, and gradually, </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>over the years, our clientele develops around our own personality. They aren't </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>really "them", but, rather, "They are us",  so we are responsible for what </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>kind of a career we have.  We, in some way, choose our customers, and  If taking </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>care of ourselves means that we lose the occasional  inconsiderate customer, </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>is that a big loss or simply cleaning up our customer base to better suit our </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>vocation? </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>Regards, </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>Ed Foote RPT </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt><a href="http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html</a></tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt><a href="http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html" target="_blank">www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html</a></tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>  ************** Get fantasy football with free live scoring. </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>Sign up for FanHouse Fantasy Football today.       </tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> <pre style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;"><tt>(<a href="http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020%29%3C/HTML" target="_blank">http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020)</HTML</a>></tt> <tt><o:p></o:p></tt></pre> </div>  <div id="u8CAC1EA873D1E22-C4C-32EA"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 7.9pt; text-align: center;" align="center"> <hr align="center" size="2" width="100%"></div> The Famous, the Infamous, the Lame - in your browser. <a href="http://toolbar.aol.com/tmz/download.html?NCID=aolcmp00050000000014" target="_blank" title="http://toolbar.aol.com/tmz/download.html?NCID=aolcmp00050000000014">Get the TMZ Toolbar Now</a>! <o:p></o:p> </div> </div> </blockquote> </body> </html>