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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=820395314-08062000>Bad =
boy...although
if you hadn't done the voicing you would have been done tuning and no =
one home
and no one to pay the bill? I don't let customers leave without a =
check on
the oft chance they don't get back before I'm done.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=820395314-08062000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=820395314-08062000>You =
also need to let
potential customers know about pitch raise possibilities and the fee for =
such
additional work when talking on the phone. I know it can make your =
fees
seem high but a brief explanation usually makes sense to them and =
no
surprises at the job.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=820395314-08062000></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN =
class=820395314-08062000></SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=820395314-08062000>David =
I.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr><FONT =
size=2><FONT
face=Tahoma><SPAN class=820395314-08062000><FONT color=#0000ff
face=Arial> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr><FONT =
size=2><FONT
face=Tahoma><SPAN =
class=820395314-08062000> </SPAN>-----Original
Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> owner-pianotech@ptg.org
[mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Doug =
Garman<BR><B>Sent:</B>
Thursday, June 08, 2000 7:34 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
pianotech@ptg.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> unhappy
customer<BR><BR></DIV></FONT></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Yesterday, I tuned a 1958 blonde =
Kimball
spinet. I had told the lady my tuning fee over the phone. =
When I
arrived and found the piano to be a half step low I explained the need =
for a
pitch raise and my fee for such. She called her husband and got =
approval
to do the work.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I'm not the fastest tuner in the =
world. After
spending much more time than I usually need to I was exhausted but very =
pleased
with the results (especially considering the piano I had to work
with). </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>At that point I would =
have written
the invoice, collected my fee, and left.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>However, the tone was still that =
thin,
shallow, metallic, pinging, tinging (my word) sound we're all familiar =
with in
pianos of this sort. I decided to spend some time voicing. =
The lady
had left the house for a while, so I did not "get her approval". =
After
voicig the tone was much more tollerable though still far from
ideal.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>When she got back I presented her with =
the bill
which included an additional 0.4 hour of time for the voicing. I =
could
tell she was concerned. I explained what that "voicing" =
was.
She played the piano and liked it (I didn't), but later that evening her =
husband
called complaining about the extra charge for something he did not =
understand or
approve. I offered to refund the extra fee, telling him I'd rather =
he be
happy. He said he'd "leave it up to his wife" and that she would =
call
today.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Was I a bad boy to charge her for doing =
a little
voicing without getting her approval? I admit I was frustrated =
that I was
not going to get paid for all the time I had already spent, but its =
not
like I charged her for something I did not do. I think they got a =
bargin,
though it is obvious they do not understand that.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Doug Garman, =
Associate</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Granbury, TX</FONT></DIV>
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