<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: Tuning price</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <BLOCKQUOTE> Right ON, Alan.  Beautifully said. Bravo. Why did we miss each other in KC?  I would have loved to meet you and = buy you a cup of something. David Andersen Andrew said: "... the local rate here just does not creep up."<BR= > Nor will it ever. You have to forcibly, courageously jack it up. Don= 't wait for a schlock tooner to take the lead.   RPT's charging $50? I don't know your market but that rate hits me as borde= rline scandalous. Maybe if the pianos came to the tech--who could just sit t= here and tune one after another all day, and none would have extra problems,= and nobody bothered him, no TV is running, no dogs are exploring his crotch= , etc.--then $50 might be about right. I certainly don't advocate creating friction with someone who is mentoring = you (or anyone else, for that matter), but you three ought to do some resear= ch on local rates and have a SERIOUS discussion about fees: The philosophy, = the market, your intestinal fortitude.   We frankly over-worry about accusations of price fixing, in my humble(?) op= inion, and it holds down good, helpful discussions like we've had the last t= wo days on the list. Do we not have non-PTG competitors? Does the market not= create genuine limiting factors? It's only collusion if you own an absolute= monopoly on the market or if PTG (at any level) officially set prices, even= winkingly. But, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but, but,= but, but, ... DO be scrupulously ethical, observing PTG guidelines, as well= as state and local laws, at all times. Just for reference: I live in a very rural area (Ozarks) where there is con= siderable under-employment and, generally, a poor economy. I started tuning-= -full-time right from the start--with a Yamaha PT100 II ETD, a recently stud= ied Potter course, and a little bravado, but no one to "show me the rop= es." My fee at that time was $65. I make it a point to always be the highest-rate tech in the area. Am I the = best tuner? I'm not sure, probably not. It doesn't matter. I am always tryin= g to be better, always trying to do my best, and always providing that littl= e extra service. People will have more respect for you, treat you better, and think of you m= ore professionally when you get your rates UP. Also, you will gain better cl= ients with better pianos. The ones that might drop off, you don't need anywa= y. This has been found true over and over and over again; and not just in th= e piano business, either.   Puff, pant ... Alan Barnard Salem, Missouri </BLOCKQUOTE> </BODY> </HTML>