close enough>??

[Susan Kline]

At 09:02 AM 1/24/2003 -0600, you wrote:
>Where and (more importantly) _how_ do you draw the line?

You estimate how much extra time you will need, and charge for that.
If you estimate wrong by ten minutes -- big deal, and you get better
at estimating.

I don't see that charging for a 2 cents pitch raise is reasonable.

First, if it were closer to pitch than that, a lot of people wouldn't
even think it needed tuning at all.

Second, speaking only for myself, I don't like the diddly nuisance
of having to explain extra charges to people at all. I'll do it
for pianos which are way, way flat; though I'll also explain that
we can leave it low and save a lot of fuss and money for both of
us, once I establish that having it low won't matter for what
and how they are playing. But I don't enjoy splitting hairs
with a new customer. "Now I raised it 2.5 cents @ $-- per cent,
and I need to adjust the pedal, that will be $--, and there's
a broken bridle tape, that will be $---"

I just set my fee to assume that some of these things will often
need doing, and do them without asking. Why nickel and dime someone
to death?

Just MHO.

Susan