tech fees

[Roger Jolly]

Greetings All,
               Sitting on the side lines, listening, and observing the tone
of the discussion, some thoughts come to mind, of how I have paid my dues.

 My current rates are $500.00 per day plus expences, which is on the high
end for this region. $400.00 per day for customers that have purchased
instruments, from our organisation.

 Having said this, in bygone times it took me 2 days to do a decent
regulation on a grand, for which I would get paid the equivelent of
$400.00. To day I can do a better job in 4-5hrs, with tuning a $400.00 bill
to the customer.

 Now to the moral question. A top flight tuner earns $50.00 tuning, but has
very limited experience in regulation, and is slower than molasses in
January, what is the job worth? and should the customer pay for the
learning process?

 Many of the jobs that we do are not highly profitable, the first or second
time. If the customer has hired us thinking that we are an expert, then I
think we should only charge the rate of hours that the average expert would
take. This would mean that the tech would be perhaps working for half his
usual hourly fee.

 Common sense and fairness to both the customer and your self should be
bywords here. When one starts tuning, the job takes 3-4hrs. after several
years of experience, 1-1 1/2hrs. the market dictates the same fee for both
tuners. The same philosophy should hold true for other work. The customer
should not be paying for trial and error.

 Even after these years I still get caught on losing jobs, just to protect
my image and to be fair.

Regards to all.
 
Roger Jolly
Balwin Yamaha Piano Centres.
Saskatoon/Regina.
Canada.