Finally Singing To The Same Tune
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| Joke ID | #18217 |
| Funny |    (2.52) |
| Rating |   (0.68) |
| Category | At Work |
| Submitted By | wq11bg12   |
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(I'm a piano tuner in a sparsely populated area in the rural west. The phone rings.)
Me: "Hello, [Name] piano service."
Caller: "Do you tune pianos?"
Me: "Yes I do. I also do all kinds of repairs, as well as complete restorations. The only thing I don't do is moving."
Caller: "Great! What's the total cost for a tuning?"
Me: "I need some more information to give you a price. Do you know how long since it's been tuned?"
Caller: "Well, we live on a ranch on long way from nowhere, and it's been here since before 1900, so for sure at least that long. Our family has never spoken to a piano tuner before."
Me: "Wow! That's a really long time! I'm honored! So, do all the keys go up and down, and does each key make a sound?"
Caller: "Yes, we checked, and it actually doesn't sound that bad. Out of tune of course but everything works."
Me: "Great! You mentioned being on a ranch. How far from [city I'm in] are you?"
Caller: "We're 25 miles outside of [town of 500 people, 200 miles away] on a gravel road that goes through a mountain pass. Well, actually, you have to cross the entire mountain range to get here. We own an entire valley."
(I look up their location on Google maps, calculate the driving fee, and give them a price for a service package.)
Caller: "That's a very fair price! Sold! But you don't do the moving? Is there a mover you usually recommend?"
Me: "Yes, I have a favorite mover. Wait. 'The' moving? I'm not sure I follow. Oh, you're moving it somewhere else before I tune it? I could contact my mover, tell them your location, and get a price, and get back to you."
Caller: "Wait, what? Now I'm confused. We like your price on the tuning, but now we need to add the costs of the moves to know the total price?"
Me: "Moves? You're moving it more than once? Am I tuning it, then it gets moved, and I tune it again? Is this all at once, or separate jobs? Now I'm lost!"
Caller: "Do you actually do this very often? We'd think you'd have the procedures and costs all worked out by now."
Me: "I'm so sorry, but I'm not following you at all. Let's start over. Where is it getting moved TO?"
Caller: "How would we know that? Are you being a smart-a**?"
Me: "What?"
Caller: "Where do you live?"
Me: "Why would you need to know that? Are you threatening me?"
Caller: "We DON'T need to know! And of COURSE we're not threatening you! But YOU asked where it was getting moved to. For Christ's sake!"
Me: *lightbulb goes off* "You want to move the piano to where I am?"
Caller: "Of course! How else are you going to tune it?"
(I am in stunned silence. In my entire career, no one has ever thought they had to deliver the piano to ME to have it tuned, and then have it moved back to their house.)
Caller: "Hello? Are you there?"
Me: "Yes. I'm here. I see the misunderstanding now. Piano tuners always drive to where the piano is, no matter how far away, and tune the piano where it's at. The piano does not have to be brought to me. Pianos are NEVER brought TO the tuner. Tuners always go TO the piano. The price I gave you includes me driving all the way out there to your ranch and back home, staying at a motel if I have to, gas, tax, the work I'll do, everything is included. There's no need for a mover at all."
(There is a prolonged silence before they continue.)
Caller: "We're really not as stupid as you probably think we are right now. Really. No one here has the slightest idea what a piano tuner does, or how they do it, or what it costs. We've just been raising cattle for five generations out here, see, and... oh Christ."
(I hear several people in the background start to laugh. I can't help it and start laughing too. We're all choking on laughter over the phone for at least a minute.)
Caller: "That's a h*** of a long drive, so how about we get the guesthouse ready so you can stay overnight? Is cash okay? Do you like steak? What would you like for breakfast? If you like fishing we have miles of private streams. Bring a friend if you want; nothing but room up here!"
(I end up with more value in free-range gourmet steaks and wild trout packed in a huge ice chest, than my entire tuning package fee!)
