<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; = charset=Windows-1252"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV dir=ltr align=left>Tom,</DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left>I know the feeling. I had a lady(piano = teacher no less) who had been given a spinet to use as a second piano. When I = talked to her over the phone I stated my fees which also might include a = $25-$35 extra charge for a pitch raise. When I arrived at her door she then spent the = next 1/2 hour(no exaggeration) trying to talk me down re my fee. As I recall the = piano was 100cents flat and she intended to use it as a teaching piano. I = began my service call by repairing a couple of broken hammer shanks for which I = was going to charge her a measly $25 for 1/2 hr of labor. When I finished the = repair I packed my tools and told her then to find someone else to do the tuning = and refused payment for the work that I had already done. This was a first = for me...you would have to know me to know that I typically take care of the = customer's interests before mine. I won't mention country of origin but = it seems to be standard operational procedure to dicker over price for some nationalities. They ONLY back when when they feel they have offended = you...then are glad to pay because they think they have struck the best deal. I had = a tight schedule and told her that I could either tune the piano twice or stand = there and argue with her but that I couldn't do both...packed my stuff and left.</DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left>My next customer of the day complemented me = on my promptness and gave me an extra $20 for lunch. </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left>GO FIGURE</DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left>Fred Brown RPT</DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left>Atlanta</DIV> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left> <HR tabIndex=-1> From: Tvak@aol.com = [mailto:Tvak@aol.com] Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 1:53 PM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: You vs. Them </DIV> <DIV></DIV>List Second visit to a client's house = yesterday.  First call was a tuning.   At that visit she complained about = my fee, claiming that I tuned her neighbor's piano for $20 less.  This was = simply not true.  She reluctantly paid it, only after arguing with me for = a good 2 or 3 minutes.  I wouldn't back down.  (My fee is not even on = the high end of techs here in Chicago.) Why did I agree to come back and = do repairs for her? Upon handing her the bill she claimed I told her = it would take me only 30 minutes to do the following:       replace a broken treble string      replace two broken hammer shanks with = new ones      repair/replace two broken key buttons There is no way I would ever estimate that to take 30 minutes.  Maybe one of you guys could do that in 30 minutes, but = not me.  It actually took me 90 minutes, mostly due to it taking me = forever to cut down a new key button to fit a dogleg key.  I felt that it = should have taken me less time to do this, (any tips on this procedure would be = welcome: I used a little saw, then filed it and it came out nicely, but there has = to be a better way...) so I only charged her for 60 minutes plus parts, which is = what I believe I quoted her on my estimate. She wasn't satisfied until I = charged her only for the 30 minutes plus parts.  I simply refused to argue = with her beyond the first 2 or 3 minutes, and I caved.  I have to point out = that my labor rate is lower than any other tech I know.  So the bill was = LOW to begin with. Now I should probably just let this go and move on, = but I am about to mail her a letter in which I advise her to find another = technician to work on her piano in the future. When it comes down to you vs. = them, how do you deal with that?   Perhaps in her country of origin it = is appropriate behavior to haggle over things such as this.   I = found it offensive.  I just wanted to get out of the house and be done with her. Luckily the day ended on a nicer note.  Another repair, = another house.  This time I handed her the bill and she said, "Oh, no, = that's not enough!" and gave me an extra $10. Tom Sivak Chicago = --- Incoming mail is certified Virus = Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.576 / Virus Database: 365 - Release Date: = 1/30/2004 </BODY></HTML> --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.576 / Virus Database: 365 - Release Date: 1/30/2004