Larry, As you know, we are not hobbyists frittering away our hours driving around in our cars. We enjoy our work immensely, however, society has no room for eccentrics who work for free. If I were to win the lottery I would still be out tuning. Would I do it for free? No. That is a disservice to our fellow technicians who MUST EARN A LIVING. Let's see, you drove 15-20 miles to this person's home. That amounts to approximately $5 in gas to and from the job. The trip no doubt took you an hour, what with your driving time, estimate, pleasantries and haggling. And you are no doubt worth more than $40/hour (At least that's what my shop charges). The estimate would still be a bargain at $45-$50. What if they had had a useless instrument, had it rebuilt or refinished only to find it wasn't worth the firewood it was made of? ($6000-$7000) Would $50 be too much to spend to avoid such a costly and avoidable mistake? We are professionals, if you want our opinions, knowledge, experience and craftsmanship, you will have to pony up and pay the tech. Eric Leatha tunrboy@aol.com
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC