[pianotech] Ethics was Re: business

[David Love]

Different cars have different flat rates for certain jobs because of varying
levels of complication as you suggest.   However if it should take 5 hours
to change a water pump and the mechanic works slowly that day and it takes
him 7, do you want to be billed the extra two hours?  I doubt it.  With
tuning a piano, however, it’s a bit different.  The time it takes to tune a
piano whether it’s a spinet or a grand doesn't generally vary that much
assuming you are at the same starting point.  That being said, I've tuned
pianos in 15 minutes because there wasn't much that was out.  Should I
charge them 1/4 my rate because it normally takes an hour?  Anyway, that's
why my appointments are based on time. You get an hour of my time for $xxx.
In that time I can tune your piano and a bit more depending on a variety of
factors.  If it's a more difficult tuning I end up with less extra time or
no extra time.  If I get there and the piano is spot on then I can spend the
time doing other things (or should I just leave and not charge them???).  I
think that's a fair system and removes this whole controversy.   

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of tnrwim at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2010 6:27 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Ethics was Re: business


As a for instance, the timing belt / water pump job on your car may take a
competent technician an hour to do and $100 in parts.  Or, if you have a car
like mine, it may take 5 hours and $300 in parts.  Should auto technicians
charge the same ammount for both cars because they're both "timing belt /
water pump" jobs?  I don't think so.  
 
Bringing it to piano work, would you expect to pay the same ammount to
replace a pinblock on a typical grand as on an old curved, one piece, open
face Knabe?  Ummm, no.  
 
The reason the mechanic charges more to replace a difficult water pump, and
the reason you charge more to replace is curved pin block, is because it
takes longer. The longer we take to do a job, the more we should charge. 
 
Many do choose to standardize their tuning fees in the consideration
that many of their piano tunings will be comparable in the ammount of time
it will take and the difficulty involved.  And many do already charge extra
for things like pitch raises, where more time / effort is called for.  I
don't hear anyone crying foul over that.  
One of the problems we have in our industry is, we try to combine a set fee,
(tuning, and pitch raising), with work that is done at an hourly rate,
(regulation, voicing, etc.)   The way I have solved this discrepancy is to
make a list of all the jobs I do, and estimate approximately how long it
"normally" takes me to do them, including tuning.  I try to stick to this
list as best I can, deviating occasionally when I think a particular job
will take me a little longer. If there is a job I have never done before,
I try to estimate how long it will take. If it takes me longer, I usually
eat the time. If it takes me less time, I reduce the amount I charge. I
realize there are some techs that charge by the "job", and ask for that
amount, regardless of how long it took, because the customer paid for the
job to be done, and is happy to pay that amount. I don't work that way. I
sell my time, and if a job takes me less than I originally estimated, I give
the customer a break. 
Wim