Tuning Complaint - Client Relationship

[Mitch Ruth]

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Terry,

You probably might guess what I would do.  But I'd have to say that at le=
ast a service call charge is in order.  Also my guess would be that if yo=
u don't talk to the musicians or music leaders in the church, your educat=
ion will fall on deaf ears.

Fundamentalist church?  Maybe instead of educating them you should take '=
em to Sunday School. <g> The Bible has some nice points about taking care=
 of the stuff used for worship and paying people for the work they do.

Mitch Ruth
DeMossville, KY

----- Original Message -----
From: Farrell
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 5:52 AM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Tuning Complaint - Client Relationship

Hi Listees. I'm looking for some opinions. I am responding to my first
tuning complaint this morning at 9:30 EST. My question is going to be: Do=
 I
charge them for a tuning.......because the tuning did not hold......, or
should I tune and not charge and get a couple PR stars on my forehead?
Details follow:

Subject is a 1968 Yamaha C7 in original condition. I would describe the
condition as fair+. The piano is in a fundamentalist-type Christian churc=
h.
AC goes on Wed. night and Sundays. No dehumidification system on piano.
Client called up last night and said she had been meaning to call for the
last three weeks because the pianist said the piano is flat (pianist is o=
ut
of town - that's all I could get out of secretary). Service history follo=
ws:

2000 - Replace 4 bass strings & 4 treble strings
Nov. 8, 2000 - Pitch Raise 10-25 cents
Nov. 8, 2000 - Tune A440
May 17, 2001 - Tune A440

My piano Notes follow:

SAT:   4.0   7.0   6.5     DOB: 0.0
Church wants this piano tuned (pre-scheduled) every 6 months.
Piano inspection 11/8/00:
Board: minimum crown, barely OK
Bridges: DB minimal, but OK
Strings: false beats, bass tone uneven
Action: 55 - 60g DW, needs full regulation, Good candidate for balancing
Hammers: original - should be replaced, but could be filed/shaped

We have had a severe drought in Florida all winter. The rainy season fina=
lly
started right at the end of June. I can't imagine that I will find the pi=
ano
flat - it will most likely be sharp because I last tuned it near the end =
of
a prolonged dry period and now it rains about 2" a day.

Anyway, I know I tuned it right at A440 - and the rest of the piano sound=
ed
good (as good as this one will get!). In two months, I can only imagine t=
he
piano needs to be tuned - change of seasons, no climate control, AC
on-and-off, etc. I have a hard time imagining that it is the tuner's faul=
t!
I expect I will find the piano out of tune and sharp. Quite obviously a
goodly amount of education is due here. I will talk extensively about tun=
ing
stability, climate and climate control, and give them a Dampp-Chaser
brochure.

The bottom line is do I charge them for a tuning (if they have a pianist
with an ear and considering climatic conditions, the piano should likely =
be
tuned every 2 to 3 months), or should I do a complete tuning for free to
preserve that "feel good" climate (as unstable as it is!).Get more from t=
he Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com

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