Les. No offense taken.  SO to your point then I have done it both ways many times & at this point I have to agree with Wim about preferring to be in the shop with the job...for many reasons. To each there own and I'm not anyones judge. Sorry if I seemed offensive.  I was just asking a honest sincere & legitimate question Best regards  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 8:12 pm Subject: Re: [pianotech] in-home-service <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_a2298eb8-1ed2-4844-bdb0-0fa8603b91b8"> <style>#AOLMsgPart_1_a2298eb8-1ed2-4844-bdb0-0fa8603b91b8 td{color: black;} @font-face {font-family:Tahoma; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;} @font-face {font-family:"Comic Sans MS"; panose-1:3 15 7 2 3 3 2 2 2 4;} @font-face {font-family:Georgia; panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;} #AOLMsgPart_1_a2298eb8-1ed2-4844-bdb0-0fa8603b91b8 p.MsoNormal,#AOLMsgPart_1_a2298eb8-1ed2-4844-bdb0-0fa8603b91b8 li.MsoNormal,#AOLMsgPart_1_a2298eb8-1ed2-4844-bdb0-0fa8603b91b8 div.MsoNormal {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} #AOLMsgPart_1_a2298eb8-1ed2-4844-bdb0-0fa8603b91b8 tt {font-family:"Courier New";} #AOLMsgPart_1_a2298eb8-1ed2-4844-bdb0-0fa8603b91b8 span.EmailStyle19 {mso-style-type:personal; font-family:Arial; color:windowtext; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; text-decoration:none none;} #AOLMsgPart_1_a2298eb8-1ed2-4844-bdb0-0fa8603b91b8 span.EmailStyle20 {mso-style-type:personal-reply; font-family:Arial; color:blue; 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_a2298eb8-1ed2-4844-bdb0-0fa8603b91b8 div.Section1 {page:Section1;} </style> <div class="Section1"> <div class="MsoNormal">Pricing wasn’t the issue I attempted to describe.  I am NOT good at business. It is a curse and a blessing. I live with the consequences of my decisions. However, piano money is discretionary money, whereas most of the service providers are not so discretionary, so pricing is not always fair to us.    When I go to a nine foot piano I tuned a month ago, which a church wants retuned for the arrival of a huge mucky muck and most of the notes are within less than one cent out, I don’t get paid extra because I do well. I get paid less than some, more than some, as I want to be competitive and yet have customers.   If the thread is going off into the issue of finances, then the original issue is finished, and the subject should be changed to finances or “how much to charge”, or “you’re worth more than that.”     I can’t argue your point- don’t have any desire even to get into that arena. Sorry if that offends.  It’s not an area where I do well.</div> <div class="MsoNormal">les</div> <div class="MsoNormal"> </div> <div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"> <hr size="2" width="100%" align="center"> </div> <div class="MsoNormal">From: <a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a> [<a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org?">mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a>] On Behalf Of Dale Erwin Sent: Saturday, March 10, 2012 9:57 PM To: <a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a> Subject: Re: [pianotech] in-home-service</div> </div> <div class="MsoNormal"> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">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> <div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">Dale Erwin RPT- Mason & Hamlin/Steinway/U.S pianos Pre-hung Ronsen hammer sets/Abel parts Sitka Soundboards & Supplies <a href="http://WWW.Erwinspiano.com" target="_blank">WWW.Erwinspiano.com</a> 209-577-8397 <tt> </tt> <tt>  </tt></div> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"> </div> <div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">-----Original Message----- From: Leslie Bartlett <<a href="mailto:l-bartlett@sbcglobal.net">l-bartlett@sbcglobal.net</a>> To: pianotech <<a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</a>> Sent: Sat, Mar 10, 2012 4:08 pm Subject: [pianotech] in-home-service</div> <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_aece6cd1-55f0-4e36-b599-ca3589bde705"> <div> <div> <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> <div> <div class="MsoNormal">Les Bartlett</div> </div> <div> <div class="MsoNormal">Houston</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"> <hr color="gray" noshade="noshade" size="1" width="100%" align="center"> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" color="#000000">No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - <a target="_blank" href="http://www.avg.com">www.avg.com</a> Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2114/4863 - Release Date: 03/10/12</div> </div> </div>  </div>