<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; color: #000000'><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; ">While I find this rare, I inform the owners of pianos that may be problematic, e.g. of some troublesome late Victorian square pianos),  that my regular tuning charge covers up to 2 hours, and beyond that, whether it be for multiple pitch raises or whatever, my normal hourly rate applies.   They are always very happy indeed when I complete the job within the 2 hr. limit.    This allows for some extra fussing and time beyond a normal tuning, so I find it a good balance between customer relations and my earnings!</div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; "><br></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; ">AA</div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; "><br></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; "><br></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; "><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 10:05 AM, Leslie Bartlett <span dir="ltr"><<span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT7" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 139); cursor: pointer; "><a href="mailto:l-bartlett@sbcglobal.net" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 139); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; ">l-bartlett@sbcglobal.net</a></span>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex; "><div lang="EN-US"><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; ">Do any besides me have pianos which take 4-5 hours to tune, and if so how do you bill for them.   I have some Chickerings which take me that long, and I have a Kawai KG2 (which I’m tuning for a serious concert) which I simply can’t get stable. Not that I get it set and then a whole section will go out, but I just can’t get it to go and stay where it should.   I don’t know what to do in those instances. After all I’m hired to tune the piano, but spending that long is quite counterproductive to income.    I have a customer on whom I spend more than average time but I love the piano and her as a unique musician.  She’s a professional accompanist.  I measured a “pitch raise” after a six month passage of time, and was an average of 1.1 cents off- so I can tune.  But there are a few which just drive me nuts.   Any ideas for sanity in these instances?<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; ">Thanks<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; ">Les Bartlett<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; "><br clear="all"></span></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; "><u></u><u></u></span></font></p></div></blockquote></div></div><br><div><span name="x"></span><br><br>Anne Acker<br>Historic Keyboard Specialist<br>Anne Acker Early Keyboards<br>http://www.anneackerkeyboards.com<br>http://www.pianogrands.com<br><br>mobile 912-704-3048<span name="x"></span><br></div><br><hr id="zwchr"><br><br></div></body></html>