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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Why not link the discount to a more prompt
payment. eg. if payed within 7 days please deduct $xx.xx discount,
especially targeting the notoriously slow payers.</FONT></DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=IFixPianos@yahoo.com href="mailto:IFixPianos@yahoo.com">Michael
Magness</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 29, 2008 1:55
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: School Contracts</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 8:21 AM, Dean May <<A
href="mailto:deanmay@pianorebuilders.com">deanmay@pianorebuilders.com</A>>
wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
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<P><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Well said, Mike. I
see absolutely no reason to discount to what will likely be your most
difficult customer who will take the absolute longest to pay.
</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I have one choral
teacher in a school 30 miles from me who is a sweetheart. She has me out 3
times a year to tune 3 pianos and whatever I do is wonderful. But that is
definitely the exception for most of the schools that I have dealt with in
my 25 years. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<DIV>
<P><B><FONT face="Bradley Hand ITC" color=navy size=6><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 22pt; COLOR: navy">Dean</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT
color=navy><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=navy
size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: navy">Dean
May
cell 812.239.3359 </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=navy
size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: navy">PianoRebuilders.com
812.235.5272 </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=navy
size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: navy">Terre
Haute</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=navy><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"> IN
47802</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=navy><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV class=Ih2E3d>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=navy size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: navy"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">When I
was getting started almost 4 decades ago I used to discount to schools
but found that it not only wasn't appreciated but whether I discounted or
not the same amount of work was involved. </SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I had
to please several teachers as well as keep the beaters, I mean pianos
functioning. Pencilectomies, removing gum, half eaten candy bars, fruit
peelings, apple cores, paper clips, bobbie pins, assorted and sundry
other items that have no business or reason being in a piano. All of this in
addition to the tremendous swings in humidity, one high school I tune for
was built on land that used to be a swamp, I lower pitch 50 to 70c in the
early fall only to raise pitch by that much when the heat comes on.
Additionally I jack the hammer rail up with strips of self-adhesive name
board felt to match the hammers that are sitting 1/4 inch or off the rail
until the heat comes on, then remove it "fixing" the excess lost motion that
develops "overnight"!</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Being
careful to check the grands for missing hinge pins EACH time before lifting
the top, I just go to the hinge side and lift. I did find a Steinway B in a
school a few years ago with all of the hinge screws missing when I did that
test, they had fallen out and were laying on the sound board in the piano.
It was a little dry in there! <grin></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">My deal
with all of the schools I tune for is standard tuning rate and one hour
labor rate, at my discretion, per piano. I will not waste my time wandering
around a school to find someone to approve a 1/2 hour or hours worth of
repairs or adjustments, especially since by the time I get started they've
all gone home!! On occasion I will use 2 hours on one piano and none on
another, it is discretionary, after all.<BR
clear=all></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">If
someone can explain to me why I shouldn't be charging double my normal rate
instead of my regular rate never mind discounting, please feel
free!</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Hope
this helps you decide what you should do. <g></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Mike<BR>-- <BR>We have enough youth, how about a
fountain of SMART?<BR>Michael Magness<BR>Magness Piano
Service<BR>608-786-4404<BR><A href="http://www.ifixpianos.com/"
target=_blank>www.IFixPianos.com</A><BR>email <A
href="mailto:mike@ifixpianos.com" target=_blank>mike@ifixpianos.com</A>
</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>You're right
Dean, I've become so accustomed to it I forgot about the 45 to 60 day,
sometimes more, wait to be paid. <BR><BR clear=all>Mike<BR>-- <BR>We have
enough youth, how about a fountain of SMART?<BR>Michael Magness<BR>Magness
Piano Service<BR>608-786-4404<BR><A
href="http://www.IFixPianos.com">www.IFixPianos.com</A><BR>email <A
href="mailto:mike@ifixpianos.com">mike@ifixpianos.com</A>
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