<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)"> <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> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue style='word-wrap: break-word;-webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space'> <div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>Tips?   I get something once or twice in a year, maybe, utterly surprised every time…….   <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1> </span></font></div> <p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>John Ross<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, April 04, 2012 9:35 PM<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> pianotech@ptg.org<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [pianotech] Dealing with customers</span></font><o:p></o:p></p> </div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>I never even think about tips.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>Although the other day, I gave a bill of $241.50 and the guy gave me $275. By the way it was more than a tuning.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>But the last time I got a tip was probably a couple of years ago. I don't mean someone just rounding it off to an even number.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>I would say that our work is such that we shouldn't expect a tip, we are not waiters, where that is a common practise.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>John Ross<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Windsor</span></font></st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Nova Scotia</st1:State></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></p> <div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>On 04-04-2012, at 10:11 PM, Joseph Rosenberg wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>Hi everyone:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>How would you handle these 2 situations with dealer tunings that I had today:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>1. Customer 1 - lives in a $4 million house. I made the appt. for today @ 10am. Got there 9:45am. Woman didn't show up until 10:30am, no apologies or explanation. Very warm day, didn't offer anything to drink. Customer had some stuck key issues, which I stayed extra 1/2 hour. Usually I call dealer to get his okay so I can bill him, but couldn't reach him. Total time there - 2 hours, including waiting for her to come home. I get paid for 1 hr. only. No tip (only the poorer people tip when I do dealer tunings, NEVER the people with money).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>2. Customer 2 - Small house. Husband & Wife both out of work. Appt. was made for 1pm. I rushed to get there on time after delay of first job. When I was 5 minutes away, she called and asked me to come at 2pm. When I explained that I was almost there, she said she wasn't home and would be back at 2pm. I had no choice but to wait. At least she offered me a drink. Again, there were repairs that she hadn't told the dealer about, I couldn't reach him for approval, and did them - Total time: 1.75 hours. I got paid for the 1 hr. only. No tip.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>While I think the dealer or the customers should pay me for the waiting time, the reality is they won't.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>If I didn't wait for them, I would have to go back again anyway, or would lose this dealer's tunings.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>The dealer gives me enough tunings that I want to keep working for him. He basically pays me what he charges the customers, so it's not like he's being unfair to me.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>Is this just part of doing business, or do other tuners have ways of dealing with these things?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>Do other tuners who do dealer tunings generally get tips? Should I expect them?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>FYI, I am always professional and polite to the customers, even when they keep me waiting. I always try to be very nice, but the customers don't care.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>Frustrated Piano Tuner :(<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> </div> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <hr size=1 width="100%" noshade color=gray align=center> </span></font></div> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto' color="#000000"><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size: 12.0pt'>No virus found in this message.<br> Checked by AVG - <a href="http://www.avg.com">www.avg.com</a><br> Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2409/4915 - Release Date: 04/04/12<o:p></o:p></span></font></p> </div> </body> </html>