dealer tunings

[Phil Bondi]

Rick,

Your situation is the same as mine when working with a dealership, so 
I'll try to help.

I've been doing warranty work with a dealer for a while now. Sit down 
with the dealer and discuss your concerns. There needs to be open 
communication between you, the dealer, and the needs of both the piano 
and the dealer.

I try to avoid, at all cost, doing pitch corrections in a customers 
home..reason:

For me, it represents a lack of preperation before it gets to the 
customer's home. This is especially true with used instruments. 
Sometimes I see used instruments that haven't been tuned for quite some 
time, and if that's the case, it may need more than just tuning.

Here's an example of a used piano situation:

Dealership agrees to take in a piano - hasn't been tuned in 10 years - 
dealership should be able to hear this - he takes it in at a price of 
$250 and thinks he can sell it at $995..well, he probably can, but how 
far is the dealership willing to go to bring the instrument up to pitch, 
touch-up the regulation, etc. and still make a profit?

With new instruments, I've actually had to fight a bit harder to get 
prep work done to them, because this particular dealership feels when it 
comes from the factory, it should be 'pretty close' to how he wants to 
sell it..well, we all know that's a mind set that doesn't always work 
well for the instrument.

Talk with the dealership..let them know your concerns, but be aware of 
one thing:

In your situation, if he's selling pianos, you're getting work and 
hopefully making money from the service end of the deal. It can be a 
little touchy at times, because if you're like me, you want to work with 
them to better your business but at the same time, you want to do what's 
right for the instrument.

It can be a fine line..make it more refined with discussion.

Phil Bondi(Fl)