I don't have a policy. I prefer not to "discount" as such. Discounts have a way of getting around as your normal fee and I don't like explaining to someone that I discounted for someone else but will not for them. Makes them feel sort of unspecial. For somebody who gives me a lot of referrals, I might spend a bit more time voicing the piano within the normal service call fee, or touching up the regulation. I will be more generous about stopping by for a quick 5 minute visit to fix a squeak in the pedal, but I don't offer to tune the piano for a discounted fee and don't express my generosity in terms of a discount. How generous I am is related to how many referrals I'm getting. I volunteer to tune the pianos for my kids' school for free (that's my volunteer work). I also donate a portion of my fee to the school when I tune for families who attend the school (my fundraising work). I donate my services to the temple where we are members. If I had any relatives living close I would probably tune for free for them. Very close friends I'll barter with on something: take me to lunch or dinner. I don't give senior or student discounts. I don't discount for regular concert services (tunings may be more frequent, but demands are higher). I don't have co-workers, but if I did I wouldn't discount. Nor would I discount for my wife's co-workers. I do offer a slight discount for multiple pianos in the same location tuned at the same appointment. Universities and colleges that you are under contract with get a discount because they won't hire you if they don't get one, because you are often doing multiple pianos on single visits, because the pianos are often getting tuned 3-4 times per year, and some pianos (practice rooms) can be tuned, well let's just say more quickly. I think that about covers it. David Love davidlovepianos@earthlink.net > [Original Message] > From: Phil Ryan <pryan2@the-beach.net> > To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> > Date: 5/10/2003 4:46:11 PM > Subject: Tuning discounts > > I know that there are some techs that say, give no one a discount on tuning > fees, but this doesn't sit well with me. Does anyone have a policy on > giving tuning discounts to relatives, friends, associates etc? For example, > do you charge your mother or sister(brother) for tuning? If so, how much > (%)? How about your lifelong best friend or co-worker(non-tuner)? How > about a customer or teacher who sends you oodles of referrals? Sometimes I > wish my friends and family would not call me for tunings. What do you do? > > How about pro-bono work- churches (your own), hospitals, old folks homes? > Does anyone do this and/or have a policy for it? > > Phil Ryan > > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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