<HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html;= charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #000000;= FONT-FAMILY: Verdana" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7= rightMargin=7><BR>I'd call the home office and let our attorney= send him a letter...<BR><BR>David Ilvedson<BR><BR><BR><BR> <DIV style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px;= PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 3px solid;= PADDING-TOP: 5px"> <HR> Original message<BR>From: <PIANNAMAN@AOL.COM><BR>To:= <PIANOTECH@PTG.ORG><BR>Received: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 23:19:06= EDT<BR>Subject: False advertising, was: Re:= Aaaaaaaarrrrrrgh!<BR><BR><FONT id=role_document face=Verdana= color=#000000 size=3> <DIV align=left>Alan,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Like you, I'd have a letter composed in my mind before I got= down the block.  Some of us always think it's something= WE'VE done when it really isn't.  She may have just gotten= back from her oncologist with bad news, who knows.  It's= really hard NOT to take these things personally, though.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'd send the letter with a few minor changes.  I don't= know that it will do any good with her, but it will do YOU= good.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Don Bose's advice from past posts about customer encounters= that went wrong has really helped me in getting the customer's= expectations in line with the services I offer and the prices at= which I offer them.  It really keeps things tidy and= unemotional on both sides.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>On a tangential note, I was reading Ray Bentley's response= to Alan's note.  While it is true that there is really= nothing that would qualify your average associate to advertise= as a PTG member, there are those of us with a= conscience--probably all of the associates who read and= contribute to this list--who joined fully expecting to become= RPTs in the not too distant future.  We have and make= good use of a vast bank of knowledge in the PTG.  But I= still refuse to advertise my affiliation until I'm an= RPT.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Then there things like I saw today.  I occasionally= encounter pianos tooned by Tooners like Kwang Jen--I will use= his name here, because he has advertised falsely.  I= replaced a keytop and did some other minor repairs, pitch-raised= and tuned a piano that he'd "TOONED" in November.  It= sounded like crap, was flat and all over the map tuning-wise,= and he couldn't even replace a keytop--or refer someone to the= customer who could!  None of that surprised me. = What DID surprise me was his business card, which says:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Kwang Jen</DIV> <DIV>Professional Piano Tuner</DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000><U><STRONG>Piano Technician's Guild= Member</STRONG></U></FONT></DIV> <DIV>510-438-0116 tel-fax</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I include all of this information because I was wondering if= there is a way to cross-reference members by phone number, in= case he uses another name.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>After I was done with the job, I looked him up in the= directory.  Nada.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I seriously doubt that anyone who is in any way= associated with the PTG would do the shoddy work that I= witnessed today.  So I'm inclined to call Kwang, or better= yet, get ahold of the Better Business Bureau and discuss this= matter with them.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Comments, suggestions, etc., would be appreciated. = </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Dave Stahl</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 4/21/05 4:49:20 PM Pacific Daylight Time,= ray@bentley.net writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px;= BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR:= transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV><SPAN class=125402323-21042005><FONT face=Arial size=2>I= doubt that sending the letter would do anything for either you= or her.  Her mind is already made up.  Perhaps she'll= call you again and act totally differently. Sometimes, the= less said, the better.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=125402323-21042005><FONT face=Arial= size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=125402323-21042005><FONT face=Arial size=2>One= point in your letter, however, mentions that you are the only= Guild technician.....</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=125402323-21042005><FONT face=Arial= size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=125402323-21042005><FONT face=Arial= size=2>Anyone can pay dues and be a guild member.  It= becomes meaningful only after the tests to become RPT have been= passed.  When advertising in this manner or in an ad, it is= important that guild status be= included.</FONT></SPAN></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><SPAN class=125402323-21042005> <DIV><BR>At 05:47 PM 4/21/2005, you wrote:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite"><FONT face=arial>Had= to happen sooner or later. Visit people who don't play much,= tune annual. He's nice. She was okay in past. She not home. Sit= at piano. 20+ cents flat after period of high humidity around= here. Tell him it needs pitch correction. Work on piano for 2= 1/2 hours. She's now home, comes in as I'm trying to take a= little Story & Clarke wine out of the unisons. Scowl. "We= have places to go today! How much longer is this going to take?"= Oh, says I, I'm just finishing up. "How much."  Well it= needed pitch correction, you see, blah blah blah, so it's $140= today. <BR></FONT> <BR><FONT face=arial>[Insert sound of= Banshee With Bellyache here]<BR></FONT> <BR><FONT= face=arial>"Why, we haven't even moved that piano." (Me: chuff,= hrgmff, choke ...)<BR></FONT> <BR><FONT= face=arial> {Caution Serious Rant Zone Ahead}= <BR></FONT> <BR><FONT face=arial>WHAT THE HELL IS IT WITH= THIS 'MOVING THE PIANO CRAP'? EVERYONE KNOWS(!) THATS WHAT MAKES= PIANOS NEED TUNING (puff puff pant) DID THE GOVERNMENT USED TO= PRINT THAT FACTOID(???!!!) ON CEREAL BOXES OR WHAT? SEEMS MOST= FOLKS DON'T KNOW A $#*%&* THING ELSE ABOUT THEIR PIANO BUT= IF YOU ROLL IT 3 INCHES, THAT'S WHEN YOU GOTTA CALL THE TUNER= (OR IF A KEY IS 'STICKING.') OTHER THAN THAT, IT CAN EASILY GO= ANOTHER 15 YEARS AND SOUNDS JUST BLOODY GREAT, THANK YOU VERY= MUCH!<BR></FONT> <BR><FONT face=arial>"Last time you were= here you only charged me $50." No, Ma'am. It was $65 a couple of= years ago. Now it's $80 plus you needed the pitch raise.= <BR></FONT> <BR><FONT face=arial>Tried to explain. She= wrote a check. I said, just pay me what you think it's worth.= She paid the full amount.<BR></FONT> <BR><FONT= face=arial>She won't be using me next time. That's okay. She= will undoubtedly tell everyone in her church--and it's a small= community here--and anyone else who'll listen that I am a rotten= crook and I charge $140 to tune a piano--that hasn't even been= moved! That's not okay.= Damn.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></SPAN></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>