[pianotech] Shop rate vs house call rate

[David Love]

For work in the home I charge 33% more than my basic hourly for the first
hour and then my standard hourly after that.  Work in the shop is billed at
my straight hourly or an estimate based on that.  However, if picking up an
action, for example,  I do charge for pick up and delivery.  If doing work
in the home such as, for example, replacing dampers, bass strings, or other
jobs that may require more than one trip, I factor the travel time into the
cost.  Exceptional cases where there is a lot of time spent organizing
transport for specialty tools I charge additional on a case by case basis.  

 

David Love

www.davidlovepianos.com

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of kurt baxter
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 10:35 AM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: [pianotech] Shop rate vs house call rate

 

Ok, so I am in the process of updating and organizing my fee schedule, and
was wondering how others figure rates for work in-home vs in-shop.
Do most technicians charge less per hour for the same repairs/regulation if
they do it in their shop? If so, why, and by how much?

No need for actual dollar amounts, just a percentage of what you normally
get for an hour of tuning or repair, and your thinking behind it.

I figure my house call rate needs to cover:

Driving time.
Gas
Car expenses
Tools and training
The inefficiency resulting from working in someones living room with limited
tools.

On the other hand, my shop rate needs to cover:

Shop rent 
Utilities  
Maintenance
Even more tools (and training).
The work involved in moving the action to and from your shop (unless of
course you just charge two service calls on top of your shop rate)


It just feels odd to try and calculate how much my time is worth based on
where I am standing at the time.

-kurt







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