Rates, etc

[David Ilvedson]

Or clean the tuning pins...;-]

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "J Patrick Draine" <jpdraine at gmail.com>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Received: 8/11/2008 6:48:45 PM
Subject: Re: Rates, etc


>Well, for starters have you informed them of your minimum fee? Even if
>fixing the "stuck" keys is a super fast fix, can you provide them with
>further value for the appointment? Such as, a considered opinion as to the
>piano's overall condition and appropriate asking price? Clean up the worst
>unisons so it's a bit more presentable? You could say "OK I fixed that in x
>minutes but you're paying me $Y, and that covers a full hour if necessary --
>I can do this or that, and it will make the piano more sale-able (clean
>keytops, whatever, etc.)."To your basic question -- ethical? -- yes. Good
>business sense? Your judgement call.
>Patrick

>On Mon, Aug 11, 2008 at 9:25 PM, Matthew Todd 
><toddpianoworks at att.net>wrote:

>> Hello friends,
>>
>> I will be going to a new client in a few weeks.  They have an upright they
>> will be selling, but a couple of the keys do not work.  So I will be going
>> to repair them so she can sell it.
>>
>> When I go on a service call, I don't charge any less than my tuning fee.
>> My question is, what if the only problem with this pianos keys not working
>> is a binding keyslip?  Would it be ethical to still charge my standard
>> service call charge, whether I am there 5 minutes or one hour?
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Matthew
>>