[pianotech] priorities

[Delwin D Fandrich]

You're right, old friends (customers) don't to this kind of thing. And if
there is a need for an old friend (customer) to reschedule I'm as
accommodating as I can be. But that's for an old friend (customer). It's not
for someone who called me out of the book, for dealer's work or for folks
who are new customers and not yet old friends. If a new customer pulls
something like that and, after I've politely explained the circumstances and
the reason for the charge, they still get upset at me and tell their friends
I'll just have to rely on the reasonableness of their friends--who have also
probably been stood up by the same person--to exercise their own discretion
when it comes to forming an opinion about my reaction to their friend's
rudeness and lack of basic consideration for her fellow man.

ddf

Delwin D Fandrich
Piano Design & Fabrication
6939 Foothill Court SW, Olympia, Washington 98512 USA
Phone  360.515.0119 — Cell  360.388.6525
del at fandrichpiano.com — ddfandrich at gmail.com

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Ron Nossaman
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2012 4:12 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] priorities

On 4/5/2012 5:02 PM, Delwin D Fandrich wrote:
> Well, of course it’s a negative. I would consider standing me up 
> without any notice to be a negative. I would consider saying nothing 
> to be equal to saying my time and that of her carpet cleaner are 
> valuable, mine is not so I’ll just go away quietly. Sorry, but there 
> is a charge for time and mileage that somebody needs to be responsible
for.

I agree with Del on this one, though he may well not agree with me by the
end of this. Old customers (friends) don't do this to you. If they screw up
and ditch an appointment, it's entirely by accident or unavoidable
circumstance. Old customers (friends) are forgiven being human (therefor
flaky, as is their tech), and repeats are nonexistent. 
The infrequent times this happens, there is often an unsolicited addition to
the check beyond the charge. Cancelling an appointment at the door in favor
of a carpet cleaning is something from a new customer who, if they ever have
in their life, doesn't work for a living and couldn't care less if they
waste your income. I offer to reschedule for the price of a service call for
this trip, and the tuning for the next, paid in advance and subject to
extension if there are extra charges when the tuning is done - such as the
pencils in the action which was the only reason the piano needed tuned in
the first place. If the ensuing huff and spew dies down, I explain that
doing this at the doctor's office will cost you an office visit fee and the
doctor didn't drive across town to be stood up. The reason for the fee in
both cases is loss of scheduled income, and meeting overhead, which is
necessary to staying in business. Reasonable folk, and there are actually
what seem to be reasonable rich folk, will see the sense in this and agree.
These folk often turn into old customers (friends), and were just unaware
that there was anyone out there for which money didn't just appear as
requested. The concept of earning a living had just never entered their
head. If the ensuing huff and spew doesn't die down, they are put on the
list (which typically contains maybe a couple or three names of unresolved
offenders). Should they call later after thinking about it, it's always to
offer to pay the service call, become an old customer (friend), and it works
out. If they don't call, that's a shame. They lose a long time loyal
technician (friend), and I lose a tuning fee.

I neither request, nor expect either drinks or tips, but I've always been
willing to be spoiled should the mood move them.

My customers are subject to the same economic vagaries as most of us, but
they tend to be honorable and trustworthy, as do I.

Dealer work, however, sucks. Should I do any, it's at full retail with the
understanding that the dealer will pay the service whether the customer lets
me do it or not. A brief description of the aforementioned huff and spew
scene on the doorstep (or a left business card induced return call) usually
does it. Or they can call someone else who'll cheerfully allow his time to
be wasted by EVERYONE, and at a wholesale rate at that.

Ron N