<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2716.2200" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    Dave, I know that it = feels as if you're between a rock and a hard place sometimes, with the dealer not = prepping the piano fully, and the customer expecting more than what he's getting. = No one can expect us to do work that we aren't getting paid to do, = though.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    As far as the = frequency of tunings go, get some of the "How Often Should My Piano Be Serviced?" = pamphlets from the home office. They are very useful for educating your new = customers as to care in the first year especially. Just stress that the first year is = perhaps the most important time for the piano to "settle" properly. = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    As far as = regulation, you have to take into account the needs of the customer, but on an un-prepped = piano I wouldn't feel bad selling the customer a quick regulation for about = three times my tuning fee. If they ask why it wasn't done before they took delivery, = you can tell them that the dealers in your area don't do it in order to keep = their prices low, or some such half-truth. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    If the customer = insists on you doing a whole bunch of stuff when you know that you're not going to get = paid, just refer them back to their salesperson. They get the commission, they = can solve the problems. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>Kevin E. Ramsey<BR><A href="mailto:ramsey@extremezone.com">ramsey@extremezone.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=PNHISTIC1@AOL.COM href="mailto:PNHISTIC1@AOL.COM">PNHISTIC1@AOL.COM</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> Sunday, May 26, 2002 6:33 = AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Dealer Prep/Lack = Thereof</DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><BR></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>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><BR>Dave Stahl</FONT> = </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>