<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <title>what would you do.</title> <style>  </style> </head> <body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue> <div class=Section1> Full service appointments.  I think it’s the best way to do it.    <div> David Love davidlovepianos@comcast.net www.davidlovepianos.com </div> -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of David Chadwick Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 5:18 PM To: l-bartlett@sbcglobal.net; Pianotech List Subject: Re: what would you do.   <div> Les, </div> <div> Everyone's comments are right on as far as making sure you get paid for your work. I have made a change in the way I charge for  all of my service calls by keeping my price at a higher amount that would normally cover a pitch raise, fine tune and some touch-up regulating. It's annoying to the customers when they are told that the price you quoted has become more because of this or that. Since I've raised my rate I have had more business (believe it or not) and I'll see a tip every so often.  I'll spend 90+ minutes per appointment and most people are thankful to have a more comprehensive service done. When was the last time you worked on a piano that didn't need work other than a tune-up. It's also a bit more satisfying for me to make a better musical instrument out of the piano so I can enjoy playing some demo songs and feel and hear the improvements. </div> <div>   </div> <div> David C. </div> <blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt; margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt'> <div> ----- Original Message ----- </div> <div style='font-color:black'> From: <a href="mailto:l-bartlett@sbcglobal.net" title="l-bartlett@sbcglobal.net">Leslie Bartlett</a> </div> <div> To: <a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title="pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a> </div> <div> Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 8:18 PM </div> <div> Subject: what would you do. </div> <div>   </div> Today I tuned a piano which the owner said was tuned two weeks ago, but sounded badly.  The former tuner, listed in Chinese Yellow Pages (huge Chinese population here in Houston), left a mute in the piano, a phillips screwdrever, and screwed about with the fallboard.   The piano was from zero to 60 cents flat, 15-25 in the first five octaves, and about 25-40 in the last two.  Amazing.  It was a pretty tough-to-tune LaPetite Kimball baby grand, however NOT untuneable in any way. Pins were very "Kimball-esque"- tight and consistent.    Would you have charged these folks for the pitch raise, having already paid for something they obviously "didn't get"? les bartlett houston -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.11/721 - Release Date: 03/13/2007 4:51 PM   </blockquote> </div> </body> </html>