<font color='black' size='2' face='Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif'> <font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif" size="2">>></font><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: helvetica, arial; ">How would you handle these 2 situations with dealer tunings that I had today:</span> <div style="color: black; "> <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_3a650149-6c43-4aaf-95c6-d89acc8c53df"> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; ">1. Customer 1 - lives in a $4 million house. I made the appt. for today @ 10am. Got there 9:45am. Woman didn't show up until 10:30am, no apologies or explanation. Very warm day, didn't offer anything to drink. Customer had some stuck key issues, which I stayed extra 1/2 hour. Usually I call dealer to get his okay so I can bill him, but couldn't reach him. Total time there - 2 hours, including waiting for her to come home. I get paid for 1 hr. only. No tip (only the poorer people tip when I do dealer tunings, NEVER the people with money).</div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; ">2. Customer 2 - Small house. Husband & Wife both out of work. Appt. was made for 1pm. I rushed to get there on time after delay of first job. When I was 5 minutes away, she called and asked me to come at 2pm. When I explained that I was almost there, she said she wasn't home and would be back at 2pm. I had no choice but to wait. At least she offered me a drink. Again, there were repairs that she hadn't told the dealer about, I couldn't reach him for approval, and did them - Total time: 1.75 hours. I got paid for the 1 hr. only. No tip.</div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif" size="2">  There is no "handling" these situations.  There is only coping with them. It doesn't matter how much their house costs, or how poor your dealer's customers are, what matters is how much your time is worth.  </font><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: small; ">Your contract is with the dealer. </span><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif" size="2">You  should expect this treatment as a constant, not  a special event, so if you are resenting what you are getting paid, you are not charging enough.   </font><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: small; ">  I don't know how you got to the point of only getting paid for 1 tuning, regardless of what that entails, but I would change it.  The way it is now, you are assuming all of the risk.  If the dealer can easily replace you, you have little leverage for a higher rate.  If you can make yourself more valuable, he will pay you more.  </span></div> <div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: small; ">  Ultimately, you will have to decide what your time is worth, and then prove it by making those that employ you pay that much.  You are an expense to the dealer, and only worth, to him, what you can help him make.</span></div> <div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: small; "><br> </span></div> <div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: small; ">>></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: helvetica, arial; ">The dealer gives me enough tunings that I want to keep working for him. He basically pays me what he charges the customers, so it's not like he's being unfair to me.</span><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif" size="2"><<</font></div> <div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif" size="2"><br> </font></div> <div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif" size="2">    I don't understand this logic.  He is paying you what he is charging the customers?  That means he has no incentive to raise the price for the customers as long as you are willing to work for free, for him. (see above).  He would love to sell tunings for as little as possible, but how does that work for you?    </font></div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "> <div style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; clear: both; "><font color="black" face="arial" size="2">Ed Foote RPT<br> http://www.piano-tuners.org/edfoote/index.html</font></div> <div><font color="black" face="arial" size="2"><br> </font></div> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; ">While I think the dealer or the customers should pay me for the waiting time, the reality is they won't.</div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; ">If I didn't wait for them, I would have to go back again anyway, or would lose this dealer's tunings.</div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; ">Is this just part of doing business, or do other tuners have ways of dealing with these things?</div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; ">Do other tuners who do dealer tunings generally get tips? Should I expect them?</div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; ">FYI, I am always professional and polite to the customers, even when they keep me waiting. I always try to be very nice, but the customers don't care.</div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br> </div> <div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; ">Frustrated Piano Tuner :(</div> </div>  </div> </font>