Tuning Complaint - Client Relationship

[Clyde Hollinger]

Terry,

Are they expecting you to do it for free?  If they are knowledgeable, they may
not.

I think it would be most fair to charge them, especially after two months, but
they may not see it this way.  I would probably check the piano with the
intention of retuning it, with the pianist present for the check if possible.
Then you can discuss what you found.  If you feel the fault is yours, then of
course do the tuning for free.

But the fault is probably the piano's or the weather's.  I would mention this,
giving them printed material from PTG and Dampp-Chaser to back me up.  Then I
would say that since I feel the fault does not lie with me, it would be most
fair for me to be paid for my work, but since I want to preserve goodwill I will
offer to give them this one tuning without charge.  If you do it right and they
understand what is going on, they will probably want to pay you, but if not,
goodwill is important, in my opinion.

I tune a Young Chang grand for a church where the pastor admitted they are very
hard on the piano.  It has Dampp-Chaser heat rods with control and gets tuned
every three months.  Sometimes it is ridiculously out of tune when I get there,
but there is rarely a complaint.  It is my opinion that since I began using RCT
the tunings on the pianos I service are more stable.

In another instance I strongly doubted the client when they said several notes
were way out of tune.  I didn't want to go back since it was a considerable
distance, but I did, and they were right!  No charge for that one.

I also want to mention that since most pianists have nothing to compare the
pitch with, they are frequently wrong in assessing whether the piano is sharp or
flat.  I have heard people claim that the bass was flat, when what actually
happened was the tenor went sharp as the humidity rose.  Also, they sometimes
compare the pitch of the piano with a faulty standard.  I did a test once with
prerecorded accompaniment cassettes.  In one case the tape was off, and in all
(five) cases variation in the speed of the cassette recorders was the culprit.
But such a scenario never occurs to the client.  They assume it is the piano.

Regards,
Clyde

Farrell wrote:

> 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 church.
> 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 out
> of town - that's all I could get out of secretary). Service history follows:
>
> 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 finally
> started right at the end of June. I can't imagine that I will find the piano
> 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 sounded
> good (as good as this one will get!). In two months, I can only imagine the
> 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 fault!
> 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 tuning
> 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!).