School Contracts

[Michael Magness]

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 8:21 AM, Dean May <deanmay at pianorebuilders.com>
wrote:

>  Well said, Mike. I see absolutely no reason to discount to what will
> likely be your most difficult customer who will take the absolute longest to
> pay.
>
>
>
> I have one choral teacher in a school 30 miles from me who is a
> sweetheart. She has me out 3 times a year to tune 3 pianos and whatever I do
> is wonderful. But that is definitely the exception for most of the schools
> that I have dealt with in my 25 years.
>
>
>
> *Dean*
>
> Dean May             cell 812.239.3359
>
> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272
>
> Terre Haute IN  47802
>
>
>
>
>
> When I was  getting started almost 4 decades ago I used to discount to
> schools but found that it not only wasn't appreciated but whether I
> discounted or not the same amount of work was involved.
>
> I had to please several teachers as well as keep the beaters, I mean
> pianos functioning. Pencilectomies, removing gum, half eaten candy bars,
> fruit peelings, apple cores, paper clips, bobbie pins, assorted and sundry
> other items that have no business or reason being in a piano. All of this in
> addition to the tremendous swings in humidity, one high school I tune for
> was built on land that used to be a swamp, I lower pitch 50 to 70c in the
> early fall only to raise pitch by that much when the heat comes on.
> Additionally I jack the hammer rail up with strips of self-adhesive name
> board felt to match the hammers that are sitting 1/4 inch or off the rail
> until the heat comes on, then remove it "fixing" the excess lost motion that
> develops "overnight"!
>
> Being careful to check the grands for missing hinge pins EACH time before
> lifting the top, I just go to the hinge side and lift. I did find a Steinway
> B in a school a few years ago with all of the hinge screws missing when I
> did that test, they had fallen out and were laying on the sound board in the
> piano. It was a little dry in there! <grin>
>
> My deal with all of the schools I tune for is standard tuning rate and one
> hour labor rate, at my discretion, per piano. I will not waste my time
> wandering around a school to find someone to approve a 1/2 hour or hours
> worth of repairs or adjustments, especially since by the time I get started
> they've all gone home!! On occasion I will use 2 hours on one piano and none
> on another, it is discretionary, after all.
>
>
>
> If someone can explain to me why I shouldn't be charging double my normal
> rate instead of my regular rate never mind discounting, please feel free!
>
>
>
> Hope this helps you decide what you should do. <g>
>
>
>
> Mike
> --
> We have enough youth, how about a fountain of SMART?
> Michael Magness
> Magness Piano Service
> 608-786-4404
> www.IFixPianos.com <http://www.ifixpianos.com/>
> email mike at ifixpianos.com
>
You're right Dean, I've become so accustomed to it I forgot about the 45 to
60 day, sometimes more, wait to be paid.

Mike
-- 
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of SMART?
Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com
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