School Contracts

[Matthew Todd]

Isn't that why people charge late fees????

Michael Magness <IFixPianos at yahoo.com> wrote:  

  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
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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