Good point here (below). Local plumbers get $40 dollars just to show up at the door. It's ridiculous around Glenwood because the average plant-shift worker only makes $8.00 per hour. I'm not saying that plumbers shouldn't get paid for their work, but they are currently overpaid in our county. As far as tuning goes, there are many times I feel I deserve $75 dollars for the amount of work involved with jobs. However, I'm in a position of risk. I'm the only piano tuner in an area of 10,000 people and I travel quite a bit for the out-of-town jobs. If I start charging more, people will start calling the other tuner who lives only 15 miles away. He's an RPT and charges $50 dollars also. The bottom line is there is competition and living in a small town of hard-working families I can't simply charge a whole lot more than the other guy, especially because he's been around the area longer and is very well known. Happy Thanksgiving! Jay >Jay, > >What does a plumber in your area get per hour to come to your >house? You might want to see what other service professionals >make per hour in their work. Our profession is very specialized >and I think many piano technicians tend to charge too little for >their work. For your information when I started out in Minot, >North Dakota, after a year at WIT, this is in 1974, I was >charging $20.00 per tuning. I was $5.00 more than the two other >guys. > >David ilvedson, RPT >Pacifica, CA > >David > >> From: "Jay Mercier" <jaymercier@hotmail.com> >> To: pianotech@ptg.org >> Subject: Tuning Rates are subjective on this list. >> Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 19:38:19 PST >> Reply-to: pianotech@ptg.org > >> Since this is not only a national but international usernet list, I'd >> say that all fees mentioned on this list are subjective. The comment >> below - what part of the country is this applied? - New York City? >> L.A.? Maybe even a "smaller" city such as Cedar Rapids, IA. I'm seeing >> a lot of the $75 dollar range on up here guys. If I charged that rate >> where I live, I'd be out of business within 1 month!!! I charge $50 >> dollars for a tuning and $10 per pitch raise. The average house in my >> town costs between $40,000 - $75,000 dollars, most people drive 5-10 >> year-old automobiles and your average "going out to dinner" costs around >> $20 bucks for a family of four. $50 dollars for a tuning around here is >> much more than "ends meat." Just my 2 cents worth. >> >> Jay Mercier >> Piano Tech / Teacher >> Glenwood, MN >> > >> >For those of you who are charging $75 for a tuning, but are taking 2 >> hours to >> >tune a piano, you are only making $37.50 per hour. Have you ever >> thought about >> >the expenses involved in your work and your home? Have you figured out >> how >> >much money you need to earn to make a living? Try it once, and see if >> you are >> >charging enough to make ends meet. >> > >> >Willem Blees. >> > >> >> >> ______________________________________________________ >> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com >> >> >David Ilvedson, RPT >Pacifica, CA >ilvey@jps.net > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
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