This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Terry, I feel for ya brother. I too have "been there done that". However, no = matter how frustrating old uprights are, there's a silver lining to your = story. I think Dale Erwin's reply on this subject is pretty much on the money. = The customer has to be told upfront what costs should be expected, along = with the potential for additional charges for extra required work.=20 Old uprights, bless their honky tonk hearts, are usually land mines = for breakage of actions parts and strings. Lets face it...old uprights = are old, very old. And many have not been kept up to snuff, thus the = problems increase. To make matters worse, customers who normally buy = old uprights ( and I'm speaking from our part of the woods), usually are = looking for the bargain of the century. They paid no more than $100, = probably moved it themselves, and now are calling you to give them the = blue light special. So you accept their job and go out bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready = to transform this beast into a thing of musical beauty. You've agreed on = the price, naively, and start the job. Then it starts...one jack breaks, then other, then a string pops, then = the inevitable...brass flanges begin breaking one by one, and your worst = nightmare begins to unfold. The schedule for the day has just been = ruined. Hours later you resurface from the nasty pit, bewildered. Then = you go home, still dazed, hoping to get sympathy from your loved = one...zilch, then come to the realization that the only comfort you need = is a healthy dose of Pianotech Chat to hear the countless others who = have been through the same darn thing. As I said earlier, there is a silver lining to this story. Now you = have something very valuable which will benefit your financial picture = for the rest of your working life: experience. I find that with "old upright" customers, not to be confused with old, = upright customers, I either charge extremely high for the job, full = knowingly I'm committing myself for the major part of the day,or = graciously bow out during the initial phone conversation. The other = option is to refer them to your least favorite competitor. Doing a = "quickie" tuning on old uprights, especially ones which haven't been = serviced in a long time, is simply a dream, just a dream. For the record, my rant on this subject has nothing to do with the = quality and workmanship that obviously went to the making of these = pianos. Many are fine examples of piano manufacturing. But in the real world, you are trying to make a good living for = yourself, offering a good quality service. However, the reality is that = many of these instruments have been schluffed off from family to family = and basically have become destitute. The problems are extensive and the = financial reserves many of these customers are limited. Something has = got to give. The customer feels you are the one who should give in. You = feel the customer needs to buck up. The tug of war begins.=20 I seldom take on any new customers with the old upright situation. I = have come to the conclusion, as you have, that some of these customers = simply don't want to pay more the basic low ball price. And then they = expect you to perform miracles. Somewhere in this free world you have to be able to make a buck. Tom Servinsky, RPT ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Erwinpiano=20 To: pianotech@ptg.org=20 Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2001 12:29 AM Subject: Fw: Under an hour tuning (was labor rates) ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Farrell To: pianotech@ptg.org=20 Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2001 6:27 AM Subject: Re: Under an=20 . I wish we could charge strictly by the hour. I came into this thread a little late Soooooooo Am I missing something? Why don't you, every other business does. = Any way a good flat rate is supposed to encompass prep,drive and work = time. The old upright. The old upright. Geeeeezzz. The old upright. Hmmm. = First you spend 20 minutes trying to talk the owner out of doing = anything with it. After failure at that (although I do not always = fail!), you tune three notes - pound in a tuning pin - tune a few more - = now you gotta stop because you have a jack flange unglued - fix that - = bla, bla, bla, - hammers flying off - bla, bla, bla, - you know the = picture here - even though you charge extra to fix the jack flange and = unglued hammer butt leather, and broken hammer, etc., etc., it still = slows you down big time. I find that old uprights will take anywhere = from 1 to 2 hours to tune - plus the repairs. =20 TerryBeen there done that! =20 Time in customers home plus travel time , multiply by your hourly = rate. What's the problem? Educating the customer is the problem and = that starts on the phone with an explanation of cost based on time = spent. Yes some people will not go for anything but the Lowest price in = town ( so what)but what are they going to get for that ? The possibly = worst most unstable tuning money can buy. Quality most be sold and then proven when given the oppurtunity. =20 So here I tune pianos in 45 minutes to 2 hours and charge the same = thing (actually I do charge the same for all except $5 more for spinets = and $10 more for old uprights). This is dictated by piano owners = expecting one price for tuning. =20 Change their expectations. The point? Just trying to understand how others work some of this out. = Thanks. Terry Farrell Terry, when a potential client calls we quote a price range = between 90 and 125 shekels of silver with the explanation of why and = also the posibility that the piano could possibly need other work and = that I (or you or somebody) can assess that while tuning. Mostly this = scares off the low end that are only calling for my every other-decade = tune up. Yawnnnnn. These people are the worst clients and almost a waste = of your effort. They tell no one else about you and you spent a = herculean effort for the not enough shekels one price fits all tuning = fee to try to straighten out thir Sorry& and Yuck( I really liked that) Hope that helps. Just my two cents worth. =20 Dale Erwin -----=20 ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/22/e7/33/81/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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