tech fees

[Jerry Hunt]

Wimblees wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 98-03-29 21:56:50 EST, you write:
<snip> 
 
> Unfortunately, to consumers, some of these part timers keep their > rates low enough to make our rates seem too high.

Obviously I cant' speak for all part-timers, only for myself - a
part-timer (for now). In connection with the Randy Potter course I took,
one of the things I did was to conduct a business survey. I called a
number of tuners in the area - a mix of those advertised as RPT's and
those not indicating status. I then set my fee towards the lower end of
the scale (not THE low end), not to try to undercut anyone, but rather
to reflect my experience level. (For those interested, for the Dallas
metroplex area, the range was $45 - $90 for standard tuning, with
average around $60-$65. This was 3 years ago).

Others have commented re: doing jobs for which one has little or no
experience. I use the "G" Piano Works Repair Labor Guide that came with
my Randy Potter course - thus I charge using a standard rate (in terms
of hours). I also sometimes throw in some freebies for good measure
(e.g. on one old upright I did some work on, all of the bridle straps
had been chewed through by mice. I replaced these for no extra charge
and chalked it up to experience).

-- 
Jerry Hunt
Dallas, TX 
Associate member PTG