Grand Island Tuner

[gordon stelter]

Yeah, but the client knows that, unlike the plumber,
you are a "non-essential".  How would you like to live
here ( Athens, Ga..) where I still must compete with
$40 "tooners"  and explain why $75 is justified?
Hardly worth it!
     That's why I have focused on very meticulous
restorations for the few clients who care.  Doesn't
pay well, but far less frustrating.
     Gordon Stelter

--- Kdivad@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 9/18/02 12:33:15 AM Central
> Daylight Time, bigda@gte.net 
> writes:
> 
> 
> > >The national average for a tuning is $75?
> > 
> > Man oh man.  This really, truly pisses me off, to
> see such an incredibly 
> > low figure published as the national average.
> > 
> > Is your time worth less than a plumber? A phone
> repairman? a mechanic at 
> > a car dealer?
> > A waiter in a fancy restaurant?
> > 
> > Mine isn't.  I have said for years and years that
> we as a community 
> > deeply undervalue our time, our dedication, our
> skill, and our worth.  If 
> > this figure isn't proof of that, I don't know what
> is.
> > 
> > To tune a piano, I drive to the location; I talk
> to the client; I set my 
> > self up; I tune the piano; I enter data into my
> computer & generate and 
> > invoice; I talk to the client----that's about a
> 2.5-3-hour involvement; I 
> > feel I'm underpaid when I charge $130-135.00. If
> there's more work than 
> > tuning (which there usually is, with my clientele)
> I charge 90.00 per 
> > hour, and feel pretty good about that.
> > 
> > Let's honor and support each other, guys.  And
> LET'S GET PAID.
> > 
> > DAVID ANDERSEN
> > 
> 
> David, I agree with you that most of us, as tuners
> and technicians, do not 
> get paid enough for our skills.  The problem is that
> you can't just wish a 
> higher pay scale. The price for a tuning depends on
> what the market will bear 
> in your area.  It is as simple as that.  Though a
> little increase in fees 
> over a period of time can usually be effective, you
> will still lose some 
> customers and if you step over that magic price line
> you will lose a lot of 
> customers.  
> Our time is worth what we can get paid for it, not a
> penny more.  Just like 
> that fancy piano that should be worth $50,000.00 but
> in reality will only 
> bring $5,000.00.  Here in my location the highest
> rates for tuning are in the 
> $100.00 range and there are few tuners who get that
> much, the $75.00 range is 
> about average. 
>  To honor and support each other would be to
> understand the problems of low 
> pay scale and not infer it is necessarily the tuners
> fault because we 
> undervalue our time.  Most of the members in the PTG
> and on this list 
> understand the problems and participate, not only to
> learn, but to raise the 
> consciousness of the public and therefore our value.
> 
> David Koelzer
> Vintage Pianos
> DFW
>   
> 


__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! News - Today's headlines
http://news.yahoo.com