Extreme measure? was RE: Pricing Pinblock Treatments

[Dean May]

>>I would only create a liability for myself in return for nothing, and
there is no percentage in that.

It's not in return for nothing, and the percentage is there if you price
accordingly. The warranty is a value added service. It's like buying a
warranty when you purchase a used car. The company that sells you the
warranty knows that it will loose money on a percentage of the warranties it
sells, but overall it makes money. It prices the warranty sufficiently high
that it will make money on the average, though on a specific car it might
loose money. 

Customers like the assurance of a warranty, else the used car lots would
never sell any. As I said in a previous post, if everything goes south on a
specific piano I'll simply refund the money. The piano and the block are no
worse off (compromised?)- it wouldn't hold a tune before and it won't now
either. I'm worse off on that specific piano, but on the average I am making
money because I have priced accordingly. My price is sufficiently high,
based on my history of using this treatment, that I have a very good comfort
level that I am going to make more money. And my customer has a very good
comfort level that he is not spending money in vain. 

Dean

Dean May             cell 812.239.3359 

PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 

Terre Haute IN  47802


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of A440A at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 7:28 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: Extreme measure? was RE: Pricing Pinblock Treatments

David writes:

<< If you have to CA
the pinblock the block is compromised. << 

Greetings, 
     Yes, the block is compromised, however, that doesn't mean it is 
jeopardized.  Simple age will compromise most blocks. 
      I have used CA in many applications, ranging from a totally unusable 
block to some pins that had Garfield's on them and were spongy.  I have
never 
seen it not work, and I have never seen it fail.  I used to repin the
occasional 
loose pin in older pianos.  Not now.  It is less stressful to the string, 
block, and me, to treat the existing pin with CA.  A lot cheaper for the 
customer, also.  

>>I'm not saying it doesn't work but I wouldn't offer a guarantee.  >>

     Me neither, but from a slightly different logic. There is no reason to 
offer a guarantee .  I have yet to see a customer refuse to follow my advise

because I didn't guarantee the results, so from my perspective, I would only

create a liability for myself in return for nothing, and there is no
percentage 
in that.
Regards, 
Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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