Consumer beware - you may schedule a piano tuning and be charged $185 for Fred's Piano Service to do absolutely nothing.
Although we have had our pianos tuned by various tuners over the years, our last tuner retired and referred us to Fred's Piano Service. Going on the good recommendation, we booked a tuning after our recent move. Prior to the service I was informed a tuning by Fred's Piano Service usually costs $185.
On the tuning day, the tuner came to my apartment and started working on my Yamaha U1. He was friendly and cordial throughout. After about thirty minutes (in which we were chatting most of the time) he informed me that the piano needed some major work - almost a $1,000 worth of work - before he could tune it. I thanked him for his assessment of my piano and asked if I owed him something for the thirty minutes at my house. Yes - I owed him $185, the same amount that I would have paid had he tuned my piano (a typical tuning takes 1.5-2 hours).
This charge for thirty minutes, for a service I didn't ask for, seemed outrageous to me. I called the office and asked to speak with the owner of Fred's Piano Service. He didn't call me back until the following day.
Talking with Fred himself was absolutely one of the worst customer service experiences I've ever had. In our phone conversation he constantly interrupted me and absolutely refused to listen. His excuse for his exorbitant "estimate" cost on my piano - an estimate I didn't even ask for! - was that he needed to pay the gas and social security for the tuner who came to my house. He gave the example of taking a car to the mechanic, where you may go in for a regular oil change but only to realize that it needed more work. Fred must be so delusional to still pay for the oil change if the mechanic tells him it's not doable. He had also cashed my check before I was able to have a conversation with him. I've never met a business owner who is so willing to tarnish his business name for $185. He would not even consider a reduced service charge for this bogus "estimate" on my piano - an estimate I DIDN'T EVEN ASK FOR.
I was willing to be reasonable and pay for the thirty minutes that the tuner was in my home. I was NOT willing to pay for a full tuning, that I DID NOT receive, and be charged an exorbitant fee for an 'estimate' I DID NOT WANT.
As a business owner, it would have been in Fred's best interests to listen more to his customers and try to be reasonable in helping them walk away happy. I was a new customer to his business, and with my extensive piano teacher contacts throughout Boston I could have been a valuable customer to him. A better piano tuning business would have, after a few minutes with my piano, ascertained that tuning was not possible that day, and ask me if I would like to proceed by providing an estimate for work to be done.
I was absolutely taken advantage of by the shady business practices of Fred's Piano Service, and will not only never do business with them, I will make sure my piano teacher colleagues are aware of how Fred does business. read more
