<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: = 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A href="mailto:PNHISTIC1@AOL.COM" title=PNHISTIC1@AOL.COM>PNHISTIC1@AOL.COM</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title=pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, May 26, 2002 7:33 = AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Dealer Prep/Lack = Thereof</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>List, <BR><BR>I've = been doing a fair amount of work for dealers lately, and I've been very frustrated = by the lack of prep done on new pianos in the stores.   Most of = them get tuned once before delivery, then one free tuning in the home. =  Few get the recommended full-on prep/regulation .  It's usually enough to = get them out the door, which is what a salesperson is SUPPOSED to do. <BR><BR>Granted, the SF Bay Area is a very competitive market. =  All the major brands, and many lesser known brands are available within easy = driving distance.  School sales abound, close-out sales are rampant. =  I understand that dealers must keep costs down to sell things at = competitive prices.  And for the most part, customers want cheap first, = quality second.  Shiny PSOs. <BR><BR>The problem lies with the dealer = avoiding the maintenance issue:  frequency of tuning(3-4 times a year for = the first 2-3 years according to the manuals)  Regulation is seldom, = if ever, mentioned in a sales pitch.  Repairs are often left for the = customer to happen upon after delivery. <BR><BR>I don't want to bite the hand that = sometimes feeds me by calling the dealers liars, but I don't want the = pianos and owners to get sub-par service because the dealer said "tune it = once a year, whether it needs it or not."   By saying things like = this, the dealer is cutting us out of the loop, and doing the piano and its = owner a great disservice. <BR><BR>I'm sure many of you have faced or still = contend with this issue.  How do we, as techs, tell the customer that the = piano needs more frequent and more thorough service without heaping the = blame on dealers? <BR><BR>Looking forward to a time I'm too busy with private = tunings to work for stores....:) <BR><BR>Dave Stahl</FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    I see nothing has changed.  That's how it was when I worked for a dealer from '79 = to '87, and a Yamaha dealer at that.  At least the Yamahas came from = the factory in pretty good shape, the imports better than the American-assembled, of course, and most of them just needed = regulation touch-up, tuning, and a little voicing.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    One store manager = told me, "Don't spend more than an hour on a piano."  (At that time I was = getting $6/hr. for floor tunings, which usually included aligning several = hammers to the strings, easing a few keys, perhaps shimming a keyslip, = disassembling trapwork to lube squeaking nylon parts that weren't supposed to = squeak, and driving out the long hinge pin of many a fallboard hinge to put a few = gentle bends in it so it wouldn't buzz, etc. I usually spent more = like one and a half hours on a piano.  Then there were the Lowreys, the = Kincaids, the Kimballs, which took even more time to put in acceptable = condition).  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    Fortunately, the = customers buying new Yamahas got more "prep" in the form of screw-tightening, = regulation touch-up, and another tuning, but it happened 6 months after they = bought the piano (the service bond).  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    It was "make all = the keys work, check the pedals, pitch raise, quick tuning, out the = door".  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    After that, it was = up to me to de-propagandize the customer from what the salesperson told him or = her, and then try to re-educate them any way I could.  Yamaha also had an = owner's manual which was quite good and recommended frequent tuning when = new.  At least they had a maintenance and care manual.  Other = manufacturers did not.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    People have a hard = time accepting the fact that something brand-new needs frequent = service.  At least now the PTG brochures are more comprehensive, slick, and professional-looking than they were in the 70's and early 80's, = and there is more literature available to use for educating customers, = e.g., the Larry Fine book, and others.  When I went to do a new piano = owner's first tuning in the home, it wasn't always easy telling them that = the sales pitch was only partially true, and that some of it was outright b.s., but I just tried to tread lightly, kind of = like when you have to tell kids there's no Santa Claus, at least not as the = jolly old guy in the red suit.  Just use phrases like, "Well, = that's only partially true ... it's recently been shown that blah blah."  = or  "That's what a lot of people think, but to really keep your piano in = top condition you'll want to blah blah ..."    You just = have to do a lot of " 'splainin' " about strings stretching, soundboards = settling, tuning pins settling in their holes, wood drying, humidity changes, = "playing-in" the action, hammer felt getting packed down, etc. = etc.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    But if you're = prompt and consistently do a good job and include a few freebies (tightening = bench legs, adjusting pedals, whatever . . . ), they'll have you back and refer = you to their friends, relatives, neighbors.  Don't alienate the = dealer (biting the hand that feeds), since you are, after all, getting work, referrals, and experience from them.  In a way, you pay = for the clientele you build up through them by doing reduced-rate tuning and = service for a few years.  But then the time will come when you can move = on, or charge them more for your increased knowledge and = experience.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    I'm not sure = dealers will ever change -- they're trying to maximize their profit and minimize = expenses.  Often the technician gets caught it the middle.  When the dealer questioned my spending too long on some problem, I'd reply with = something like, "I can either fix it now at $6/hr, or later in the customer's = home after they complain, at $25/ hr." (those were 1979 rates, and at the low end = for the time).        --David Nereson, RPT, Denver     = </FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>