action tweeking Re: tuning time

[Robin Olson]

   I am responding to Wim's question about chargeing for minor action 
regulation and voiceing.Most of what Ido besides tuning is the 
occaisional key easeing,or with quality grands I check glide bolts, 
rep spring tension,rep lever height and hammer line.These are not 
charged if it is only going to take 15 minutes.Again this is on a 
piano that I service regularly and I'm not spending alot of time on 
tuning.If things are really out,then I would charge for 
regulation.Most of the pianos I service are between 5 and 10 years 
old,or I have already done major voiceing and action regulation.When I 
do the little touch up regulation and voiceing,I tell the customer 
what I did and I tell themwhen I feel they will be due for some major 
work.So I think that doing a little bit here and there lets the 
customer know the piano needs more than tuning,so when I am ready to 
sell an action regulation and voiceing it is much easier.Also when I 
show them how what I am changeing relates to changes in humidity they 
are ready to by a Dampp Chaser.Believe me I am not giveing away my 
services,my tuning fee is high enough to cover for the extra 
work.Chargeing a little more for a service call tends to attract the 
kind of customers who have quality pianos.And those customers want to 
care for their pianos.         Happy New Year     Robin Olson 
  



----- Original Message -----
From: Wimblees@aol.com
Date: Monday, December 30, 2002 6:07 pm
Subject: action tweeking Re: tuning time

> In a message dated 12/30/2002 5:34:35 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
> DCrpt@comcast.net writes:
> 
> > Regular every six month or less 
> > tuning on a seasoned piano would easily be 40-45 minutes,with 
> ten to 
> > twenty minutes spent on acion tweeking and voiceing(hammer 
> > maintenance)
> 
> Robin
> 
> Do you charge extra for "action tweeking and voic(e)ing", or is 
> this part of your tuning fee?  At what point would you charge 
> extra for this kind of work?
> 
> It would seem to me that if you did this kind of work a little at 
> a time, it would take away from convincing the customer to spend 
> money to have some additional work done to the piano every couple 
> of years.
> 
> Wim
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