Terry and service vehicle/Phil Ryan

[Farrell]

"We are not allowed to discuss prices because of the Fair Trades Commission."

Hi Joe. I see the above idea expressed now and then. My understanding is that there is no problem what-so-ever for pianos techs to discuss prices and professional fees among themselves - unless they are collaborating and trying to "fix" prices. I believe that if I were to post that I charge $75 for a basic tuning, $40 for a pitch raise, and $50 per hour for repairs and shop work, I would not be doing anything illegal or unethical. I think problems only arise if two or more folks were to try to make agreements about how much to charge - i.e. "if you raise your price to $85, I'll do the same thing..."

Anyone more knowledgeable than I care to clarify this? Thanks.

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joseph Garrett" <joegarrett@earthlink.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2002 9:25 PM
Subject: Terry and service vehicle/Phil Ryan


> 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)
>