<HTML>In a message dated 8/31/02 4:54:58 PM !!!First Boot!!!, mathstar@salemnet.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Telephone call: "How much do you charge to tune a piano?" 1. If it is obvious from the conversation that a pitch raise or other work will be needed, do you talk about charges beyond the standard tuning? 2. If you have a reeeeally incompetent bozo 'tooner' in the area (armed with a tuning hammer and electronic guitar tuner and literally does not know the meaning of the terms temperament, tempered tuning, inharmonicity, etc.) do you try in any way to steer the caller away from that person? 3. What "techniques" do you use to try and secure the business? Thanks Alan R. Barnard </BLOCKQUOTE> Alan I answer the question. I don't worry about what the customer is going to do with the information. If they are price shopping, they will get what they want. It's not my problem that there is someone out there charging half price for doing cruddy work. That's the customer's problem. If they can't tell the difference, they'll never call me back. Eventually, however, if they do know the difference, they'll call and ask me to tuner their piano, regardless of how much it cost. Just keep doing the best job you know how, and give the customer the information they request. Pretty soon you won't have to worry about the other "tooner" in town, because he'll have moved on to doing other things, like pumping gas, or mowing lawns. Wim</HTML>