FEEDBACK REQUESTED

[S. Brady]

On Sat, 11 Nov 1995, C. Mike Swendsen wrote:

> Hi Larry
> In my practice I make it a point to do estimates free, and I think most
> other pianotechs do as well.  In most other trades the estimates are free.
______________________________

      I guess it's a question of how you want to be perceived by your
clients and how you perceive yourself and your profession.

      To me there are two models: the roofer and the physician. I
personally try to follow the latter. Roofers do free estimates;
physicians do not. I refuse to do free estimates for "cold callers,"
people I've not met who are shopping around. If it's for a client I know
and have a good relationship with, I can look at the piano when I'm there
tuning and give them an estimate without extra charge. (Larry F.: I agree
with those who have said you need to mention the charge up front before
you go out.)
      A true story. This past spring, I got a call from a lady with a
Steinway A. She said the action needed rebuilding and she wanted to get
my opinion on it. I said "I'd be happy to, and the cost for my estimate
will be $65." She said, "What? but I've had two other technicians out here
who gave me free estimates!"
      "Well, I charge for my estimates."
      "Okay. Maybe I'll call you in a week or two."
      She called back the next morning, almost apologetic, and said, "I
really would like your opinion on this, and I'm happy to pay for it."
      I went out and looked at the action, which showed extremely light
wear and had sticky flanges. I said, "it may very well need new shanks and
flanges to overcome the verdigris problem, but I've had good luck with
this  (ProTek), so let's try it and see what happens over the next few
months. If it works, great. If not, then we can talk about rebuilding."
      "Does it need anything else?" she asked.
      "Regulation and voicing."
      "When can you do it?"

      By charging for the estimate, I feel better about what I'm doing,
and I feel no pressure to "sell a job" in order to justify the time I'm
spending doing the estimate. If you want to get into bidding wars and
have a low acceptance rate on the estimates you do, then do free
estimates. I don't have that kind of time. When you charge for your opinion,
the client already has an investment in having you do the work. By the way,
I don't back the estimate out of the final bill either. To do that, you'd
have to make your final bill artificially high, or just kiss that money
goodbye.
      One more true story. We had our dishwasher fixed last week. The
service technician came out, looked at it for 5 minutes, said it needed a
new do-hickey which will cost $75 and will take three days to get, and then
handed my wife a bill for $65. What for? "Diagnosis!"
      When are we, as a professional group, going to wake up and smell
the coffee?


Steve Brady, RPT        "The most expert and rapid tuners are...
University of Washington       possessed of a highly excitable,
sbrady@u.washington.edu        nervous, and emotional temperament,
                         verging on the border of insanity at times."
                              -Daniel Spillane, The Tuner's Guide