BobDavis88@AOL.COM wrote: > > In a message dated 08/05/2001 7:02:21 AM Pacific Daylight Time, > mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes: > > > This is dictated by piano owners expecting one price for tuning. > > Unfair to you; easy to solve at the first phone contact. > Bob D The piano owners will expect to be charged what you tell them when they call, whether it's by the job, by the note, by the hour, the brand of piano, or a percentage of their gross income. In general, if you spend extra time, a customer will expect to pay more. I tell new customers how long it takes and how much it will cost. I might say an hour and a half and I'll give them a range of prices. If I have to do a pitch raise and some regulating/repair, and it takes me 1-3/4 hours, then they aren't surprised when I charge them the highest price. If I'm able to do the work quickly, then they are pleased that I'm only billing at the lowest rate. I've been in situations where I've quoted one price, because I thought I knew what I was getting into, only to find out that more work is needed part way into the job. I tend to stick with the quoted price rather than renegotiate, in which case I feel that I've cheated myself. This is especially true when the customer says, "Is that all?" when I present the bill. I prefer to adjust my charges according to the work done. A flat rate means to me that some people are getting a deal and others are being overcharged. Tom Cole
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