Phil, I have to completely disagree with your assessment of "the Market". WE are the ones who provide the service. And we are the ones who set the tone of fees! Yes, we can price ourselves out of business. BUT, I contend, (and always have), that piano technicians, (in general; being the mild manner sort that we are), have little or no experience in business. AND, we, (I did say "we"), do not keep track of the economy, thereby seldom charge an appropriate fee! I must say, that I will go along with the fact that some areas of our beautiful country are economically depressed. But, let's be serious and consider that we are dealing with a commodity that is a "luxury" item. We are not allowed to discuss prices because of the Fair Trades Commission. So, the only thing we can do is to privately discuss what we "think" should be an appropriate fee, for the locale that we live in. Also, we cannot berate another tech for being too cheap, we can only, "privately" think it! I should say, that Teachers fall in this same mess. They don't charge enough. Therefore, they can never afford to keep their piano in decent shape! What an abyss! In closing, I would suggest that each of us, check out the prices that your local auto mechanic, electrician, plumber, TV repairman, etc., charge. This is a good indicator for establishing you base "Man Hour" price. Once you have established what you consider as a fair hourly rate, then you can use the "Repair Labor Guide" to set your tuning fees, and repair rates for the jobs you do. End of Rant/Commercial!! Best Regards, Joe Garrett, RPT, (Oregon)
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