<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; =
charset=windows-1252">
<META content="MSHTML 5.50.4522.1800" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Wish my record keeping was as good as yours. No =
situation will
have the identical solution or approach to solving the problem. First =
you need
to present a somewhat neutral position with the secretary, but always =
leave the
impression that you are certainly sorry the piano is not cooperating, =
but you'll
be happy to check the piano out to determine where and if possible why =
the piano
is out of tune. If it is due to the Church's abuse of the instrument or =
changing
humidity conditions you must prepare them and educate them to the =
realities
of piano stability. If you find that your unisons have really drifted I =
think
you better clean them up and start socking them in next visit. If you =
haven't
seen a technician do this you might pursue a local concert tech and have =
him/her
demonstrate. I don't mean to be critical here, I just don't know your =
personal
abilities, so consider the need for development of your skills. I =
remember Doug
Wood giving me a demonstration and really opening my eyes as to what =
needs to be
done in setting strings/pins. I thought the Steinway B<STRONG> =
</STRONG>he
was mauling was going to send out for help. But you can't argue with the =
results.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Frankly, for performance pianos like your =
customer's, and with
the changing humidity coupled with the time frame involved, they =
should pay
for a tuning. When does a piano need to be tuned? When it's out of tune. =
I don't
mean to be flip, either. A concert piano may need to be touched up =
during
intermission. A recording studio may want perfect tunings for every =
take.
Somewhere between those levels and Mrs. Jones wanting her Whitney spinet =
tuned
every fifteen years we have to accommodate and educate our customers. =
But we
need to get paid for the service. Did I mention we need to educate our
customers?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Joseph Alkana RPT<BR><A
href="mailto:josephspiano@home.com">josephspiano@home.com</A></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
href="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">Farrell</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, July 20, 2001 =
2:48 AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Tuning Complaint - =
Client
Relationship</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Hi Listees. I'm looking for some opinions. I am =
responding to
my first<BR>tuning complaint this morning at 9:30 EST. My question is =
going to
be: Do I<BR>charge them for a tuning.......because the tuning did not
hold......, or<BR>should I tune and not charge and get a couple PR =
stars on my
forehead?<BR>Details follow:<BR><BR>Subject is a 1968 Yamaha C7 in =
original
condition. I would describe the<BR>condition as fair+. The piano is in =
a
fundamentalist-type Christian church.<BR>AC goes on Wed. night and =
Sundays. No
dehumidification system on piano.<BR>Client called up last night and =
said she
had been meaning to call for the<BR>last three weeks because the =
pianist said
the piano is flat (pianist is out<BR>of town - that's all I could get =
out of
secretary). Service history follows:<BR><BR>2000 - Replace 4 bass =
strings
& 4 treble strings<BR>Nov. 8, 2000 - Pitch Raise 10-25 =
cents<BR>Nov. 8,
2000 - Tune A440<BR>May 17, 2001 - Tune A440<BR><BR>My piano Notes
follow:<BR><BR>SAT: 4.0 7.0
6.5 DOB: 0.0<BR>Church wants this piano tuned
(pre-scheduled) every 6 months.<BR>Piano inspection 11/8/00:<BR>Board: =
minimum
crown, barely OK<BR>Bridges: DB minimal, but OK<BR>Strings: false =
beats, bass
tone uneven<BR>Action: 55 - 60g DW, needs full regulation, Good =
candidate for
balancing<BR>Hammers: original - should be replaced, but could be
filed/shaped<BR><BR>We have had a severe drought in Florida all =
winter. The
rainy season finally<BR>started right at the end of June. I can't =
imagine that
I will find the piano<BR>flat - it will most likely be sharp because I =
last
tuned it near the end of<BR>a prolonged dry period and now it rains =
about 2" a
day.<BR><BR>Anyway, I know I tuned it right at A440 - and the rest of =
the
piano sounded<BR>good (as good as this one will get!). In two months, =
I can
only imagine the<BR>piano needs to be tuned - change of seasons, no =
climate
control, AC<BR>on-and-off, etc. I have a hard time imagining that it =
is the
tuner's fault!<BR>I expect I will find the piano out of tune and =
sharp. Quite
obviously a<BR>goodly amount of education is due here. I will talk =
extensively
about tuning<BR>stability, climate and climate control, and give them =
a
Dampp-Chaser<BR>brochure.<BR><BR>The bottom line is do I charge them =
for a
tuning (if they have a pianist<BR>with an ear and considering climatic =
conditions, the piano should likely be<BR>tuned every 2 to 3 months), =
or
should I do a complete tuning for free to<BR>preserve that "feel good" =
climate
(as unstable as it is!).<BR><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>