At some point, every instrument needs to come into the shop. Either for routine maintenance or a problem to be corrected, it's going to happen. When it does, you hand the instrument to the technician, they take it from you, and get to work. At this point, they will do their job to make sure it works as well as it can. They will be professional, but there are things you can do to help them stay motivated to work on your instrument.
For the record, this is not me griping about anything any particular customer has done, but rather a list of advice for any customer in interacting with a technician.
1) Wait your turn
When you walk in to get the instrument worked on, odds are the technician has a few instruments lined up in front of you. This is not to say he's lazy, but probably quite the opposite. If he's good, there's other people that got there first. Do those other people deserve the same level of service you desire? Yes, and they got there before you. Therefore, they come first.
I've heard techs joke that you can jump the line only if you're willing to pay 10x what the repair will cost. So far, no one is willing to take them up on it. Bottom line, you were taught not to cut in line in kindergarten, and it still applies.
2) Know what the instrument needs
I know I've posted about this in previous posts, but it still bears repeating. By having even a vague idea about what your instrument needs, you streamline the process and give the tech an area to zoom in on. They will still look for anything else, but it's triage. Just handing them the case and saying "it just doesn't work" may mean a simple fix, or it may mean a complete overhaul. Without some degree of what is wrong, nothing can be overlooked, and everything has to be double checked. This means a lot of time and energy looking at things that may be perfectly fine, which gets annoying after a while, and costs you more.
3) Don't Hover
This one should be somewhat self explanatory. Unless the tech asks you to come closer so that they can show you something, give them some space to work. No one likes the feeling of having someone breathing down their neck as they're trying to do delicate work. Trust me, it's all delicate work, even if it's just a cleaning. Unless you are another more able technician that is verifying something you are teaching them, you have nothing to add to what they are doing apart from upping the repair tech's blood pressure. Usually this goes with the first point of waiting your turn. Many times your instrument won't be fixed with you there. If you happen to catch a technician with an empty bench, then it's still a good idea to go for a walk while they work on it. Odds are, a few things you see might make you regret watching.
There are times I will tell a person I can do the repair while they are there. If your tech is willing to do this, take a seat and just chat with them.
4) Let them work till it's done
I have had people try to give me an instrument back part way through so that they could "check my progress." I have heard things like this come from many other technicians, and frankly, it does nothing but cause frustration. It's a lot like trying to test drive the brake job on your car right after they pulled the old brakes off. New ones aren't installed yet, so it won't work. The tech will tell you when it's done, and might even have you test it out to see if it needs any final tweaking to make it play how you like.
5) Trust the technician
You have a job, and are probably skilled at it. You do your job to the best of your ability, and don't like it when people tell you how to do it. Especially people that, while they may use your services, don't have the same knowledge and training on how to do your job that you do. So why would the person who fixes your instrument be any different? They have countless hours of training, and many times over that in hands on practical experience. Respect them that they know what their skills are. If something is outside their scope, they will warn you before they act. If it isn't perfect for you, their professionalism will mean they keep working till it's right.
6) Remember that they are a person too
At the end of the day, a technician is a person like everyone else. They work hard, and they won't always get it right without a mistake. They will own up to their mistakes, hopefully, and sometimes it means they can't do the job you need. Before anyone gets mad at them, remember that they aren't infallible. Yes, your instrument is dear to you, and you want it to work well. They want it to work well too. As much as you are upset the repair went wrong, they are equally upset they didn't get it right. They are just as human as you, and want to do a good job. That's why they got into this field in the first place. If something can't be repaired, maybe it's because it just can't be. No amount of being upset at them will change that.
Again, I don't list any of these to point fingers at any particular client I've had. Rather, these are things that will help keep a repair technician happy to help you, rather than "it's just my job, and the pay is worth it, I guess." Kinda something for anyone to remember about anyone else, come to think of it
