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<DIV>Hi, Wim and colleagues -</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I don't give 'discounts' for tunings and other service calls. (Th=
at goes for institutions, schools, churches, teachers, etc. These categories=
would include most of my clientele anyway!) It seems to me that givin=
g discounts means that I would have to 'overcharge' other clients to compens=
ate and thus make my living. Discounting opens another can of wor=
ms when A finds out how much you charge B and feels abused. And beside=
s, I would find it cumbersome to try to keep track of how much discount goes=
to whom and under what circumstances.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>That said, I do have an alternative for dealing with the multiple piano=
service calls. I simply bill the first tuning at the standard fee, an=
d all subsequent work at my hourly rate. This almost always results in=
lower charges for the additional pianos and this is good news for the clien=
t. In fact, the client will often arrange to have me do several pianos=
at one visit to take advantage of this. Furthermore, since 'the meter=
is running' I feel more at liberty to do the extra minor regulating and rep=
airs (which I itemize on the bill) as needed. The client is often very=
pleased that I noticed and took care of something.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I have several busy concert venues in my clientele. These want fr=
esh tunings for each performance - the way it should be. Sometimes tha=
t will mean tuning at close intervals, even daily. I know how the=
se pianos behave, and which concerts will require a one-cent pitch raising a=
nd which will not. Accordingly, I may schedule only a half-hour (my mi=
nimum length of appointment) for a touch-up tuning and bill accordingly.&nbs=
p; My clients appreciate this and know that I have their interests at heart.=
It has in some cases encouraged their efforts at climate control, sin=
ce they can perhaps see the economic value better than the aesthetic value.&=
nbsp; Also, when a client knows that a follow-up tuning isn't going to be ve=
ry expensive, </DIV>
<DIV>(s)he is much more likely to request another tuning rather than piggyba=
ck two concerts (or six) on one tuning. The result: stable piano, fine=
music, happy customer, good reputation for me.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Lucida Handwriting" size=5 FAMILY="SCRIPT" P=
TSIZE="16"></FONT><FONT lang=0 face="Lucida Handwriting" color=#0000=
00 size=3 FAMILY="SCRIPT" PTSIZE="11">- Tom McNeil -</FONT><FONT lang=
=0 face="Lucida Handwriting" color=#000000 size=5 FAMILY="SCRIPT" =
PTSIZE="16"><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Castellar color=#008080 siz=
e=5 FAMILY="SERIF" PTSIZE="16">V</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Castellar=
color=#008080 size=4 FAMILY="SERIF" PTSIZE="14">ermont </FONT><FONT=
lang=0 face=Castellar color=#008080 size=5 FAMILY="SERIF" PTSIZE=
="16">P</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Castellar color=#008080 size=4 FAM=
ILY="SERIF" PTSIZE="14">iano </FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Castellar colo=
r=#008080 size=5 FAMILY="SERIF" PTSIZE="16">R</FONT><FONT lang=0 f=
ace=Castellar color=#008080 size=4 FAMILY="SERIF" PTSIZE="14">esto=
rations</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>