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<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 5/8/2007 9:34:40 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
cy@shusterpiano.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>I just
find that mileage is an easy (and fair) concept for customers <BR>to accept,
and since I'm still growing my business, I'm not at the point of <BR>charging
for my time when I travel.<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I have been watching this thread and find that I can't keep from
commenting.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>All that we have to sell to our customers is 'time'. We don't sell only
tuning, we sell other services as well such as regulation and repair, etc. What
we charge for our 'time' is what determines how well we do financially. If we
don't do well financially we will not be in business very long..........</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> We should set a standard rate for tuning/service and stick to
it...along with the standard rate we should have a standard service area that is
charged the standard rate without regard to mileage/'time' considerations which
should have been taken into account when we set our rate to begin with.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> Charging just mileage is a losing proposition when traveling outside
your defined service area...for example you decide that a 20 mile circle from
your home base is your service area. You get a call from someone who lives
35 miles away......... Figure that you are going to charge .45 cents a mile for
mileage that is outside your defined service area..or an extra 30 miles that
would be an additional $13.50. Now lets say that you charge 50 dollars as
a regular rate for tuning/service...this out of service area would than be
billed at $63.50.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> Since a lot of us work in urban environments we don't travel from
place to place without a lot of travel time and it would not be unusual for this
extra 30 miles to add 45 minutes to an hour of time for that appointment to your
total </DIV>
<DIV>travel time.</DIV>
<DIV> Using 45 minutes extra time and assuming you allow 1.5 hours for a
normal service call and you charge only your normal $50 plus mileage of $13.50
for a total of $63.50.........which works out to be $63.50 (2.25 hrs) or $28.22
per hour.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Charging your normal rate it would be $50.00+ (.75 hour X
$50.00)</DIV>
<DIV>or $50+$37.50 ..which is $87.50 and is in line with your regular
rates..........and comes out to....$87.50 (2.25 hrs) or $38.89 hr.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> Your regular rate works out to be (at $50 per 1.5 hr call) $33.33 per
hr.</DIV>
<DIV>So if you want to establish absolute equality on this out of area call you
would charge $33.33 X 2.25 hrs = $74.99</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> So you can justify your charges of:</DIV>
<DIV>$28.22 per hr.</DIV>
<DIV>or</DIV>
<DIV>$33.33 per hr.</DIV>
<DIV>or</DIV>
<DIV>$38.89 per hr.</DIV>
<DIV> Which is the fairest for you, your business, all your customers and
your family?????</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> Remember the $50.00 figure is just for illustration, plug in your own
numbers and you will see what the status of 'your' rates would be.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> I am not saying that this is the only way to think about this
situation but if you don't charge for your 'time' you are not being fair with
yourself' or to your regular rate. If you don't charge for your time you are in
effect giving this customer who lives furthest from your regular service area a
discount and shorting yourself in the bargain...........</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Just some thoughts on the subject.</DIV>
<DIV>Jim B (FL)</DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">See what's free at <A title="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" href="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" target="_blank">AOL.com</A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>