Hi Les   Good story and a good outcome. Now I take a left turn.....sreeeeeching brakes    I have wondered why it is we as and industry sell to cheap, give away work etc.  I've done it, we've all done it. But why? No other service provider does this! Call Sears, Abes plumbing , Chimmney sweepers or Ghost busters.... any in home service provider. They don't give discounts unless there's a promotional.  thoughts  Dale <div style="clear:both">Dale Erwin RPT- Mason & Hamlin/Steinway/U.S pianos Pre-hung Ronsen hammer sets/Abel parts Sitka Soundboards & Supplies WWW.Erwinspiano.com 209-577-8397 <tt><tt>     </tt></tt> </div> <div style="font-family:arial,helvetica;font-size:10pt;color:black">-----Original Message----- From: Leslie Bartlett <l-bartlett@sbcglobal.net> To: pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Sat, Mar 10, 2012 4:08 pm Subject: [pianotech] in-home-service <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705"> <style>#AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705 td{color: black;} #AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705 p.MsoNormal,#AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705 li.MsoNormal,#AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705 div.MsoNormal {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} #AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705 a:link,#AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705 span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline;} #AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705 a:visited,#AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705 span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline;} #AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705 span.EmailStyle17 {mso-style-type:personal-compose; font-family:Arial; color:windowtext; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; text-decoration:none none;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;} #AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705 div.Section1 {page:Section1;} </style> <div class="Section1"> <div class="MsoNormal">Meeting today, talking about agraffe repair and vertical damper regulation, in one’s shop, of course.  I don’t have a shop, and am known mostly for my tuning. But I have done some regulation, and all of it has been in home, more than once lasting several days.  I’d just blathering to recommend doing such work in-home has some advantages. I restrung a Steinway M. years ago for a retired shop teacher, who I charged about 1/3 what I should have. At that price he gagged.  When I got into the action, I found I couldn’t even regulate it, so told him I’d have to replace hammers-shanks-flanges, and again I charged him way too little.  He double gagged when I told him the price.  Long story made short.  About half way into the regulation work, he said to me, “I am going to hand you a blank check, and I want you to write in what this is worth.”   I have to do most everything I do in-home, but each time I have done something like this in-home people have expressed great appreciation for the intricacy involved, and the complexity of this thing called “piano”. They have always been really happy to pay what I asked, usually saying I under priced myself.  So, I don’t have any axe to grind, just a thought that perhaps time spent doing work in-home can pay unexpected results in a positive way.</div> <div class="MsoNormal">Les Bartlett</div> <div class="MsoNormal">Houston</div> </div> </div>  </div>