[CAUT] mileage fees.

[Chris Solliday]

Re: [CAUT] mileage fees.Les,
 I think Ken has the right idea here. This can further be refined by realxing the exact concentricitiy to reflect actual driving time and distance of  major roads out and in. That having been said due to the recent change in gas price volatility and my moving to the more urban part of "my area" I have now gone to an "inside 20 miles flat rate" and everything outside that I add $1.00 per mile (you have to get back too). Bear in mind that I have a basically full book, am being very selective about taking new clients, and am at the top of the food chain in my area. Insurance co. stats say it actually costs (includes wear and tear, gas, oil, occasaional car wash etc) about .50 per mile for me to run my 2000 Toyota Sienna Van. When I have to travel a great distance where the travel time will definitely affect my working time I will, at my discretion, apply a fuel surcharge and/or travel time charge. Many other service and delivery foks do this, and I tell anyone who asks and most don't, that this is what you can expect when "oil men are in the White House." Without getting into politcal harangue everyone so far has understood, and usually laughed, although I'm not sure this is really funny. Before someone gets all fired up reading this I am a registered Republican but also am a practicing Amercian consumer. In other words I blame it on someone else, the cost of doing business and Sears does it too. 
In 33 years I have encountered very little price consciousness on the part of my clients. I have avoided the yellow pages like the plague and almost always refer a customer who asks "the question" first to some more deserving young technician who needs the work. There are too many starfish in the sea so we can get alittle picky and not risk going out of business, I think it is only important to have a price policy so that you don't have to fumble (flat rates are best for this) around to answer the question "How much will it cost?" The best customer profile for me is a well referred (word of mouth) wealthy client with a large grand piano preferably Steinway, Yamaha, Bosendorfer, Bechstein, Kawai, Bluthner,... you get the idea, who lives close to my shop, trusts me implicitly, and wants the best for their piano. This is no doubt more than you wanted or needed to hear but I just couldn't help myself.
Chris Solliday
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ken Zahringer 
  To: College and University Technicians 
  Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 9:19 AM
  Subject: Re: [CAUT] mileage fees.


  A long time ago I decided that keeping track of mileage and adding it to the bill was a pain.  I sat down one night and drew concentric circles at 10-mile intervals on my road map, centered on my neighborhood.  Then I decided how much more I would charge for each interval, and quoted everyone a flat fee for tuning.  You might use smaller intervals and a different amount of increase in an urban area (my biggest circle was 70 miles out), but the idea is the same.  Keeps things simple.

  Ken Z.

  On 7/20/06 7:10 PM, "Leslie Bartlett" <l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net> wrote:


    I would like some help with travel fees.  The entire southern side of Houston is virtually without tuners. I'm called somewhat regularly to go that direction.  I know some people charge mileage outside certain boundaries.   I'd like to know how folks have figured that and managed to make it work.

    Thanks 
    les bartlett 


  -- 
  Ken Zahringer, RPT
  University of Missouri
  School of Music
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