[CAUT] mileage fees.

[Chris Solliday]

Wim,
you obviously have more hours in your day than I do and a different
perspective on building a business within a 75 mile radius. Good luck. I
prefer to work 8-5 with as little travel as possible. After that I want
overtime. As for NYC or Philly, the work I do is  mostly half day tune ups
of all systems for professional pianists, wealthy clients, studios and
performance venues who need it and can afford it, Or all day recording. It
is rare when I make 3 or 4 stops in NYC (aaprox 75 miles) on one day but it
does happen on occasion.  I don't do many tuning-only clients outside 35
miles, and I try to stay within 20 miles if possible. Anything this side of
the Hudson is a whole different strategy than crossing, mainly due to
traffic and parking. Take Wednesday this last week for example. I had a 5-6
hour action and voicing tune up planned for a recording studio Steinway B in
mid town. It took me one hour to get to the Lincoln Tunnel and then 55
minutes to go from the tunnel entrance to 54th and 8th avenue, about 12
blocks. That was at least 30 minutes longer than it should have taken, and
there have been times when it is even worse than that. It makes precision
scheduling nearly impossible. I don't know the scene in Houston but it is a
notorious driving problem according to a CNN show I saw on traffic
congestion. I heard Atlanta is even worse. You must have it easy in
Birmingham or maybe you use the chopper. Getting to Philly has its own
travails from the Lehigh Valley.
 I don't understand how you can make any money doing it your way, that far
away. Wim, you say "In other words, if a customer lives 60 miles away,
charge $90.00 (60  miles x $ 1.50) plus the service call. Now, one way to
have the customers save some money, and make more money for you, divide that
fee between two or 3 customers and if there are 4 or more don't charge the
mileage fee."  First why are you concerned with saving your customers money?
And second if you divide the (travel) fee between 2 or 3 customers and don't
charge any (travel fee) if there are four or more how did you make any more
money other than the fact that you tuned a couple more pianos at your local
rate. Seems like less value for you each minute or each piano whichever way
you figure it. Wouldn't you be better off building your customer base
locally that way? BTW reread my response and you will see I don't divide my
travel fee at all and only answered you by saying, divide if YOU want to.
 I also don't get "rais(ing) your fee for everyone" so that these poor folks
who don't have a local tuner won't feel badly if they are penalized for
living in some God forsaken out in nowheresville hick town (pardon the
hyperbole). Aren't you then penalizing your local customer base for the
existence of this fringe market???  Nor do I get what you mean by "building
rapport (sic) and supporting your customers." I build rapport with my
customers by educating them and providing high quality service, and my
customers support me by paying me.  I think it is important to not under
value yourself and services. At the very least supply and demand are on our
side, and I don't understand any moral imperative in the transaction, other
than providing quality and not gouging, if you are in fact implying one.
 Les will do well to charge a mileage fee to everyone, as John R (I think it
was John, sorry I've been deleting again) has said, because when one or two
call and need service and you can't schedule 4 or 6 (how do you do 6 in a
day and travel 150 miles round trip? and get home before dark? supper?
family and/or recreation time?) your customers are used to paying the
mileage charge or at least a higher rate and good customers usually don't
shop around but they do notice if you vary your rates all the time. (Now
there's a sentence or two...) And don't worry about me too much, I do tell
them to get someone more local, and I charge them more, but it must be my
good looks that keeps them coming back.  I'm sure you have the same problem.
 Stay well,
Chris Solliday
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Willem Blees" <wblees at bama.ua.edu>
To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 6:38 PM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] mileage fees.


> Quoting Chris Solliday <solliday at ptd.net>:
>
> > I like the $1.50 because it includes some travel time
> > consideration,unless
> > Wim is still driving that ol piece of ....
> > but I disagree with not charging if there are four.Thisis too much
> > customer
> > consciousness/empathy and too little business self preservation.
> > Spread it
> > out over 4 if you like, although personally I charge all the same so
> > I avoid
> > having to explain a large difference when I can't line up the same
> > schedule
> > when I next service the piano. Yes I am happy to keep the money and
> > if I am
> > crazy enough to do 3 or 4 pianos that far away from home on the same
> > day I
> > figure its overtime anyway. 70 miles one way is about an hour and 15
> > minutes
> > each way without traffic (you haven't lived until you try this
> > crossing New
> > Jersey and doing 3 or 4 in New York City, and then there's
> > PARKING!!!!!!!!)
> > and twice is 2 hours and 30 minutes travel time. Service calls are
> > 1.5 to 2
> > hours at best so times4 is ten andhalf hours and counting. I keep the
> > OT but
> > find it difficult to charge the 4th customer all the overtime so I'll
> > use
> > Wim's $1.50 a mile one way and not be one bit apologetic about
> > keeping it.
> > Chris Solliday
>
> Chris
>
> Thank you for thinking $1.50 per mile is a good idea. But the main idea
> for eliminating it when there are four or more customers in that far
> off place is building raport, and supporting the customers that are
> willing to work for you. Yes, if you want to, you can charge all of
> them 1/4 of the travel charge, but when you've divided it by 4, and a
> 5th or 6th comes along, what do you do, go back and give everyone a
> refund? It is also a way to build a clientelle in that town. I go to a
> town about 75 miles away, and always have a full day. I even give the
> piano teacher who finds me all the tunings a discount.
>
> BTW, if your're at the top of the food chain, as you call it, in your
> area, what are you doing going all the way to NYC? It would seem to me
> that you can tell those people to find someone else.
>
> Wim
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Willem Blees" <wblees at bama.ua.edu>
> > To: <l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net>; "College and University Technicians"
> > <caut at ptg.org>
> > Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 9:42 AM
> > Subject: Re: [CAUT] mileage fees.
> >
> >
> > > Quoting Leslie Bartlett <l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net>:
> > >
> > > > 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
> > > > HYPERLINK www.bartlettpianoservice.com
> > www.bartlettpianoservice.com
> > > >
> > > > -- 
> > > > No virus found in this outgoing message.
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> > > > 07/19/2006
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > Leslie
> > >
> > > If you're going to do more an more tunings in that area,, which
> > also
> > > mean you're going to do less in "your" area, I would do as Andrew
> > > suggested, but instead of just those on the south side, increase
> > your
> > > fee for all your tuning. That way, customers won't feel "punished"
> > for
> > > living in an area where there are no tuner, while at the same
> > time,
> > > you're making up for the driving to that area, even when you don't
> > > have to go there. This will also make it a lot easier to quote a
> > > tuning fee over the phone without first asking where they
> > > live.
> > >
> > > For customers who live outside both areas, I charge $1.50 per mile
> > > from my house to the customer, one way. In other words, if a
> > customer
> > > lives 60 milea away, charge $90 plus the service call. Now, one way
> > to
> > > have the customers save some money, and make more money for you,
> > > divide that fee between two or three customers, and if there are 4
> > or
> > > more, don't charge the mileage fee.
> > >
> > > Willem Blees, RPT
> > > Piano Tuner/Technician
> > > School of Music
> > > University of Alabama
> > > Tuscaloosa, AL USA
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>
> Willem Blees, RPT
> Piano Tuner/Technician
> School of Music
> University of Alabama
> Tuscaloosa, AL USA
>
>