price-shoppers!

[Clyde Hollinger]

Friends,

The question that comes to my mind is this:  What does the customer get for $135?
Are we comparing apples with oranges when we disparage those who charge less?

I've heard the term "full-service maintenance call" or something like that, at one
time in the past.  Is that what a customer gets for $135?  That might include 2-3
hours of tuning, touching up regulation, spiffing the case, cleaning the keys and
soundboard, polishing the brass, etc.  You tell me; I don't do many service calls
that could be called full-service.  Several years ago I heard a regular
contributor to this list say he was charging $200.  I didn't think that was too
much after I found out he worked on the piano for a half day, and I *know* he's
giving the customer their money's worth.

Or does $135 buy the same thing I sell for a whole lot less, a good solid tuning,
keeping my eyes and ears open for problems that the customer should be aware of
and may (or may not) want remedied, along with a little dusting and a small
adjustment or two?  That's what I usually do, for a whole lot less.

Does that make me one of the despised bottom-feeders?  But when I checked the last
PTG survey, my income is still in the top 10-20% of us, and I'm tuning only four
days a week, and the next new customer to call will need to wait until September.
(Ed, maybe you're right that I'm not charging enough, but I'm happy with what I
charge, which is probably more than the average in our area.)

And then there's the difference in cost of living to consider.

As I've said before, we need those who do the very best work for very demanding
customers, and they should rightfully charge a premium for their knowledge and
time.  And we need those like me, whose vast majority of time is spent pleasing
average people with average pianos.

What we could do without, of course, are those charlatans who pretend they're
providing a service when they're not.  I was just referred to a new customer whose
piano, after several tunings by the last guy, was wildly out of tune, still 70-145
cents flat, very dirty, poor hammer spacing, music desk still detached, some
zinging dampers, etc.

If we ourselves ever price-shop, and I bet every one of us does, we shouldn't
treat the price shoppers with arrogance, because they are like us.  But I
personally use the same advice I give to the piano tuning price-shoppers.  Get a
couple references from friends, and go with that piano technician.  You may not
get the lowest price, but you stand a much better chance of being happy with what
you get.  Sometimes they say they've already been referred to me, and sometimes
they say that's a good idea, thank me and hang up.  And that's fine with me.

Sorry (sorta) for getting long-winded, when I should be doing my bookkeeping!

Regards,
Clyde

David Andersen wrote:

> I believe you live in Torrance,
> right?  that's greater LA;  I charge $135, and will move to $145 in 2004.
> I know a lot of guys who charge $100-125.  Sincerely, you don't want the
> price shoppers; the more you charge, the better quality of client you
> attract; there's a lot of affluent Asian piano students and all sorts of
> affluent, serious piano owners in the South Bay/Palos Verdes area.  Go for
> it.  The hell with the bottom-feeding $55 tooners.