[pianotech] 2nd Bad Client in 10+ Years - Seeking Advice

paul bruesch paul at bruesch.net
Tue Mar 23 12:07:28 MDT 2010


Terry,

Have you contacted Mr/Mrs FC since the PPT dished out her abuse? If not, I
think you should, now. If they're as reasonable as your impression of them,
you can probably discuss their piano and the PPT's position.  It's a very
difficult line we walk, having to "sell" our services. How many times have
we all heard "It only needs to be tuned in the middle." or "I just love the
tone of this old (POS/PSO) upright." (BTW, I am NOT saying that ALL old
uprights are POS/PSO!!... just a lot of the ones I come across.)

Customers are really at the mercy of our knowledge and expertise, just as
(most of us) are at the mercy of our auto technician's expertise.  If you
have a good reputation around town (and I'm betting $1 that you do), you can
offer references... other teachers that you tune/tech for would be ideal...
accolades on your website (assuming you have one) or lists of known
performers (local/national) that you've worked for, or how long you've
worked for the cruise line. References like that bolster your reputation...
the cruise line, for example, probably wouldn't have you back time and time
again for years if you did a crappy job, and people know that.

It's quite possible that the teacher has a reputation (or is in the process
of building one) of being unreasonably persnickety, that won't help her. You
don't have to spread germs about her, she's doing a very adequate job of
that on her own. She may be tolerated by her customers because she may be a
very good teacher. Or not. Time will tell. Or not. But she obviously has no
technical knowledge, and she has no business butting her nose into your
business, just as you do not butt into hers.

Paul Bruesch
High and dry atop the North Hill of Stillwater, MN


On Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 9:28 AM, Terry Farrell
<mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com>wrote <a LOT of words!>
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