Some of you might remember that I wasn’t happy with my previous tuner (the guy who likes unequal tunings and left me with a shimmery tuning). He’s a super nice guy, so it’s not personal…
But he has me in his auto-reminder thing, which I ignored last week but now he’s texting me…
How can I politely, gently, let him know I won’t be using his services anymore?
"Hi [Tuner]! Thanks for following up on this. Letting you know I won't be needing the tunings anymore. Thanks."
Even if that sounds abrupt, it gets to the point. And don't dwell in a back-and-forth if they ask about "but why" and then continuous rebuttals. I wouldn't go into the "I decided to go a different direction" or comment about their tunings etc.
I really would recommend this (not necessarily verbatim) approach versus trying to be overly nice.
My two cents, as I [fortunately] haven't gotten into this situation yet.
Just tell him that you believe that you have found a tuner that fits your needs better that you'd like to have service your piano. You can thank him for his previous service if you want to, or not. You needn't elaborate beyond what you are comfortable saying. He'll probably want to know why but may not press you very hard for specifics if you are not forthcoming with such.
If I were in his situation, I would probably thank you for the opportunity to tune for you and if you should find that you'd like to try it again to give a call.
It may be easier to craft a few well chosen words by text than to have a phone conversation, and since he's been texting already, that is apparently a method of communication he uses. Nothing bad about that.
I will be interested to hear what others might say in answer to your question.
ShiroKuro He lives in a different town so maybe I can just text back and say I’ve decided to go with someone local.
If you do decide to say that, then be prepared to respond, if the tuner says, "oh, no problem! I can travel to your location any time. It's actually no issue because [xyz]. So no sweat. It's always a pleasure swinging over to your town, plus I have several clients in that area."
I have received email auto-reminders that my piano is due for tuning, but I have always considered these to be unsolicited marketing emails and so I ignore/filter them.
It does feel a little bit odd that you are being texted on your personal cellphone after ignoring the emails. Is this common for others as well? Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't feel too happy about that.
Dentists are the absolute worst spammers though... at least in my experience!
(I'm sure this is all a necessary aspect of these businesses though! 
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Beach L168, Wish, baCh, WOW Petrof, Fake Steinway, VS
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ShiroKuro He lives in a different town so maybe I can just text back and say I’ve decided to go with someone local.
HeartKeys If you do decide to say that, then be prepared to respond, if the tuner says, "oh, no problem! I can travel to your location any time. It's actually no issue because [xyz]. So no sweat. It's always a pleasure swinging over to your town, plus I have several clients in that area."
"I am sorry, but I already booked an appointment with my local tuner."
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... feeling like the pianist on the Titanic ...
I would tell the guy straight up that I don't like the tuning and want to use someone else's services. I don't think lying about your reasons just to be nice serves any purpose. As the tuner I would also appreciate honest feedback rather than veiled responses.
@navindra and others who mentioned the texting… I first reached out to him by phone call, but then after that we’ve texted several times (for ex. to let me know his exact arrival time etc.) I don’t mind that, I think I’ve texted with all of my tuners actually. And with this gentleman, we talked a fair amount when he came to install my dampp chaser and then when he came back to tune, and I’m pretty sure I made it clear to him that I like to have my piano tuned twice a year. (Although that was before the tuning, not after). His text this time was to let me know that he was scheduling tunings in my town and could add me to his schedule for that day. So, all very well and good. Except I didn’t like his tuning!
As uncomfortable as it is, I think I have to go with @BartK ’s suggestion… I mean I could say I found someone local and leave it vague so maybe he would think the local guy is cheaper (actually, I think the local guy is cheaper, but it’s not a huge amount and it’s not about the money).
But as Bart said, not being honest about it doesn’t help anyone.
Just have to figure out how to word it…
“I found another tuner whose tuning style fits me better” ?
“Your shimmery tuning set my teeth on edge” ?
I would go with “I found another tuner whose tuning style fits me better" because when you say, in a polite way, “Your shimmery tuning set my teeth on edge” he can reply, "Good to know! Next time I'll tune your piano less shimmery."
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... feeling like the pianist on the Titanic ...
The shimmery part was a joke... 
Ok, I just sent him this message:
"Thanks for the reminder, but I've found a local technician I like, so I'm going to be working with him. Thank you!"
Whew.
Okay, I can‘t help myself to post this one of my favorite movie scene that starts with break up by text 
ShiroKuro Ok, I just sent him this message:
"Thanks for the reminder, but I've found a local technician I like, so I'm going to be working with him. Thank you!"Whew.
Great!
Short, sweet, to the point. And you didn't burn the bridge should you decide at some point in the future to reconnect with him.
It's not unheard of for certain customers to be drawn to certain tuners/techs, for whatever reason. There were a very few customers that I tuned for once and found that tuning their piano was not a good situation for me. In one case, I knew a particular tuner that would be a good fit and recommended them.
Even though some tuners are entities unto themselves, many are part of a local or regional group of tuners / techs that can be quite friendly and some of 'em look out for each other, help each other out, get together at meetings and share info, technical and otherwise. It's not uncommon for a good tuner / tech to come to a point where they have all the work they want and end up turning work away. Sometimes they'll find niches. For instance, one might be good at historical temperaments. One might be good at regulation. One might be good at setting the tuning pins very, very well. One might be good at building bridges or restringing. One might be good at refinishing. That kind of thing can sometimes work itself out over time such that it is almost a "community", and not quite so much competition as it is complimentary specialties.
Apropos of it being a small network of piano tuners/technicians that know each other, and who could conceivably mention current/previous clients to each other, you do actually have a local person now, don't you? 
BartK As the tuner I would also appreciate honest feedback rather than veiled responses
Agreed. Close the door, politely, but firmly. Going by the Golden Rule (treat others the way I'd like to be treated), I would be specific about what didn't work in the tuning for you and that I am giving him this information as constructive criticism of his work. What he does with that critique is up to him. Best case, you have helped him identify a weakness in his work and an opportunity to improve his tuning technique.
