I have a story. My final appointment of last year was Friday afternoon, December 23. I was called to the home of an old man who had a spinet that he had neglected for many decades. I found the date of the last tuning written in pencil as 1967. I asked him if this sounded about right, and he laughed and said yes. It was well over 300¢ flat.
I told him because it had been neglected for five decades, and was so far flat, it would need multiple visits to get it up to pitch. He agreed, so I started pitch raising. Two strings broke initially, and he insisted I splice them. I figured, it's almost Christmas and he's old, so I'll do this at no extra charge. I finished splicing the strings and bringing it up as much as I dared, then told him I was done.
He came over to check the piano, and became livid. "You called out and in tune piano?" "No," I said, "that's all I can do today because of the intense raise in tension on the strings. After all, it hasn't been tuned for five decades."
He proceeded to tell me not only how to properly tune a piano (because he had watched his previous piano tuner… fifty years ago…), but also that I was the worst piano tuner he had ever hired (in over half a century). He then insisted I keep at it or he wouldn't pay me. Against my better judgment, I started tuning again. Not even five notes in - BANG! Another string goes flying. This point I was so mad at him that I packed everything up, closed up the piano and went into the other room to find him.
I told him that against my better judgement I did what he wanted, and yet another string broke. I was done. The piano can't take any more. He proceeded to yell at me and call me all sorts of names, and said he would have been better off if I hadn't come at all. I wanted to say a lot more, but I bit my tongue and simply said, "when you neglect something for half a century, don't get mad at others because the thing doesn't work anymore." Then I turned and walked out the door.
He had the audacity to wish me a merry Christmas… while he was still yelling at me on my way out. No, I didn't get paid.
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Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 01-22-2023 18:59
From: Geoff Sykes
Subject: Unhappy customer
I had a customer way back in my early career that had a problem with the tuning I had provided. He sat down to play when I was done and said that he couldn't understand why all the tuners he brings in always leave this one mid treble note flat. The tuning wasn't all that bad when I arrived, but I was like the third or fourth tuner he had recently brought in. Ok, I tweaked it up a bit and he still said it was flat. I brought it up a bit more, to a point where it was obviously way too sharp and he still said it was flat. As a last resort I decided to give him what he wanted, regardless. I had him sit at the piano and play as I pulled the note sharper and sharper. I got to the point where I was over 100¢ sharp and he was still not satisfied. For fear of breaking the string I declined to pull it any more sharp, in fact I brought it back down to pitch. He was not happy. In the nicest way I could muster, I suggested he get his hearing checked and explained how a couple of bad cilia in the ear can play havoc with tone and pitch interpretation. He wanted none of it. He called his son in to get a third opinion and his son agreed that the tuning was fine, as were the last three. The man wouldn't pay me but his son thanked me for my patience and extra effort to try and make his father happy and wrote me a check.
Local tech, Ed Whitting, has a great saying for his customers when finished and it's time to leave: If you like what I did, tell your friends. If you don't like what I did, tell me.
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Geoff Sykes, RPT
Los Angeles CA
Original Message:
Sent: 01-22-2023 18:34
From: Paul McCloud
Subject: Unhappy customer
Recently, I had a client with a Mason Hamlin mid size grand. There had been a flood in the room, and though the piano never touched the water, the wood floor was replaced, and some paintings and other items were damaged. I had last tuned this piano years ago, and somehow they called me again. I pitch raised and tuned the piano, and the elderly client sat down and immediately said he didn't like the tuning. He pointed out a couple notes in the upper treble, and said they were no good, flat. The lady then quizzed me with my ETD, asking what was the "range". Range? I was getting defensive. Using PianoMeter, the display is difficult to explain because the readout is jumpy, and I could tell she was skeptical. After trying to explain what I was doing (bad idea), I finally said, "Ok, I"ll retune the piano". Which took me an extra 45 minutes, to be sure every note was as perfect as this human can do. Somehow, the atmosphere changed. I explained to her that I just want you to be happy with my work. And I really meant it. I almost walked, but they had already given me a check, so I had to follow through. We left on good terms.. What I was able to discern is, the old man was unhappy about the flood situation, and the poor service of the insurance company and remedial service that they received. I"m sure my tuning was good, it was just (in my opinion) that he was taking out his dissatisfaction on me. Whether that's true, or even if he was still unhappy with the tuning, I"ll never know. He was a very accomplished pianist, so I don't know if his ear was tweaked from old age or what. I sure didn't want a poor opinion to get spread around about me, coming from someone with a good reputation. You never know who he might tell. At least, I got my chance to make it better on the spot, rather than them calling somebody else. This doesn't happen often, but there it is.
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Paul McCloud, RPT
Accutone Piano Service
www.AccutonePianoService.com
pavadasa@gmail.com
Original Message:
Sent: 01-19-2023 09:13
From: Mary Kavan
Subject: Unhappy customer
I've been tuning for 4 years now tuning about 8-10 a week and this is the first time the following has happened to me: When I texted to schedule her yearly tuning, I was told she already had it tuned. When I asked if she was unhappy with her tuning, she said it was a good tuning but a little sharper than she wanted it. So instead of telling me and having me fix it, she got someone else. I realize you can't please all people all the time, but it still hurts.
Any advice?
Thank you all in advance for your input!!