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
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