<!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 6.00.2900.2769" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Better yet,  suggest she have her = brother tune it.  He obviously knows what is wrong.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Carl Meyer PTG assoc<BR>Santa Clara, Ca.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr 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=jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca = href="mailto:jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca">John Ross</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, October 24, 2005 = 2:41 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: No show</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>Hi Dave,</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>That is a hard = one.</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>Obviously, losing her as a customer = would be no big deal, since you said her piano had been neglected. So she might = not have had you back for a while anyway.</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>The hard part is, that word of mouth = is the best advertisement, and if she spreads the word, it could hurt business. Especially, if it is a rural area. But that would depend on the = goodwill you have built up in the area, already.</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial></FONT></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>I think you are correct in making a = charge, as she had already used up the free one, by being a no show.  </FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial></FONT></STRONG> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>Maybe call her again, and explain to = her again, that you have already been there, and doesn't she realize that she is = to blame for her being a no show, when the job would have been free.</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>How about getting her Brother's phone = number, and getting specifics from him, as to what the alleged problem is/was. = It might not even be a real problem, just his = perception.</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT face=Arial>Don't you just hate those people, with = a little bit of knowledge, just enough to make them = dangerous.</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV>John M. Ross<BR>Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada<BR><A = href="mailto:jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca">jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca</A></DIV>= <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr 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=pdtek@mchsi.com href="mailto:pdtek@mchsi.com">Dave = Bunch</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> Monday, October 24, = 2005 6:16 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> No show</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Hello- </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Well, I've seen some venting about difficult customers lately = so I will submit a story here just to double check my policies. I do want to = be fair.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I tuned a Kimball console last week that had been neglected a = few years. A bit flat, but not much. I finished up, collected the fee = and left. The next day she calls me saying that her brother came by and didn't = like the sound of it. He apparently used to tune a bit, and told her that = she should get me back out again. Fortunately over twenty years, these = calls are rare, so I said I would come back and there would be no charge, even = if it needed retuning.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I schedule a time, drive forty miles round trip, and she stands = me up. I waited a half hour and left. I could have tuned another piano = during that time. When I get home later there is a message on the phone = apologizing for missing the appointment. I called her and she said a couple of her = day care kids were lost in a corn maze for an hour and a half, when at this = point a kid chimes up in the background "We weren't lost!" The story sounded = fishy but either way, I took a loss on it. I told her at that point I was = still willing to check out her piano and work on it if needed at no = charge, but that I can only make one free trip out there. If she wanted to make = another appointment, there would be a minimum service charge. She went = ballistic and said that was a lot of money when the job wasn't done right the = first time!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Am I being unreasonable? Lets even assume that whatever is = wrong with the piano is my fault. How many times should I block out a time and = absorb the mileage to go there for free?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>OK, I'm done now.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Dave Bunch</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>