[pianotech] billing dilemma with pitch raises

[Paul T Williams]

Nice points, Joe,

I'm exhausted after 2 or three major pitch raise / tuning in one day.  I 
actually hate those kind of days, and the third one of the day doesn't get 
the best tuning I can give! Even here at UNL when the weather changes, 
find some pianos horribly wild and will struggle with them for 2 or 3 
hours, sometimes.....So,,,I go to the shop an rebush some keys or file 
some hammers....always needed and never ends!

I, like Mr Manino, charge a certain rate for outside UNL tunings and an 
additional charge for pitch raising.  My tuning rate is constant, (much 
higher than the local techs...for a reason) but the pitch adjustment 
charges will vary, not by time, but by how far out they are....sharp or 
flat (being wildly both ways in the midwest). Some pianos react well to 
pitch adjustments, and some don't. There is no "time" it will take.  Like 
painting a portrait...it's finished when I say it's finished>  That's 
where our "art" of the science comes into play.  No by-the-hour tuning can 
make any sense at all.

Of course, some wealthy folks will still ask for me ( I guess it's the 
position here...) so I give them my higher than normal rate; they like it; 
and off I go.  Richard West is really TRYING to retire BTW! :>) I guess 
they are thinking I'm supposed to be the best in Nebraska, but I'm sure 
Richard still has an edge.  Not very many RPT's in this state, so those 
waaay out west can talk to Mick Johnson,  a great RPT!!  What do folks do 
out in the boonies that are rich with a nice piano????  Who knows!!!???

I will also advise them before I start when nasty flat or sharp, that my 
first visit will require a follow up tuning (or 2 or 3) in the coming 
month or so, if they want the piano to get to a stable point.  If they are 
not interested in that, I'll charge a nominal visit fee and be on my way. 
I'm waaay too busy at UNL to deal with this kind of customer. 

Actually, I've just been passing 95%+ of outside calls off to local tuners 
when I find that the piano hasn't been tuned for 5 years or longer...I 
just don't have the time. Not to be snobby, but as Steve Brady advised me 
when I started learning about his outside UW work, only work on nice 
grands.  OK OK....I'm turning into a snob too, but why work all week at 
school on really great pianos and then go to an 80 year old upright that 
hasn't been tuned in 10 years?.  Not my cup of tea, and there are some 
eager techs here in Lincoln,

Best: My ears are tired just thinking of this post!!!

Paul








From:
Joe DeFazio <defaziomusic at verizon.net>
To:
"pianotech at ptg.org" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Date:
10/31/2010 12:22 PM
Subject:
Re: [pianotech] billing dilemma with pitch raises



> David Nerenson wrote:
> 
> Say the pitch raise took 1/2 hr, and the final tuning an hour.  That's 
an hour an a half.  How do I now justify charging extra for the pitch 
raise when a "plain vanilla" tuning also takes an hour and a half and I 
only charge $X for it?

Hi David,

I don't justify my fee in terms of tuning time to the customer - it can 
make them wonder about the appropriateness of the hourly fee I'm charging 
(which may be more than they make per hour in some cases, and perhaps they 
are a trauma nurse helping to save lives everyday). 

Instead, I just give them the total before I start without reference to 
any time comparison (whether it is a normal tuning or a more expensive 
pitch raise). If it is a pitch raise, I tell them that the cost ("cost," 
not "expense" or "price" or, heaven forbid, "damage") is greater because 
it is more work. Or, as one of my friends puts it, "there are only so many 
tunings left in my hand/arm/shoulder, and we're using up about two of them 
today," or something to that effect. 

And that's accurate, I believe. Ask yourself how you feel after a day on 
which you happened to do three pitch raises in a row as compared to a day 
on which you did three single-pass tunings. 

Joe DeFazio
Pittsburgh

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