Ethics on a "Wim"

[David ilvedson]

> Date:          Sun, 17 Nov 1996 07:24:05 -0500
> From:          A440A@aol.com
> Subject:       Ethics on a "Wim"
> To:            pianotech@byu.edu
> Reply-to:      pianotech@byu.edu

> Del Gittinger writes;
>
> >  I can't justify charging different fees to separate
> >customers for different work.
>
> and also;
>
> >I'd feel ripped off if  I was charged $100 for something my brother got for
> >$75.00  and if I got the low price I'd question the integrity of the
> >technician and/or their skill and/or the quality of the service that I
> >received.
>

Ed,

I tell my new customers the very same thing.  I don't know if I will
have to pitch raise etc. so I give them a range...normal to
worse case scenerio.  My fees are based are around the first
hour and each hour following.  The first hour is more expensive
to include travel time.  I have no problems except for the
shoppers and I don't certainly don't run my business around
them.  I have always felt that any business has customers
looking for the low end and customers looking for the high end.
I don't worry about the low end...

ilvey, RPT
> Must we expect all jobs to take the same amount of effort?
>
>       If we are to charge one price for "tuning" a piano , isn't the price
> set for the "average" amount of work done?  If so,  those customers with more
> difficult pianos get a little extra for their money, and those whose pianos
> tune like silk are having less work done for the same price. Is somebody
> being cheated here?
>
>      My point is,  having a fixed price assumes a fixed job,  and most pianos
> are different.  To end up with the same result, ( in tune, at pitch), on
> different pianos,  requires different amounts of work.  Why should one not
> charge different prices?
>      Is it the fear of the perception of unfairness?  This is a poor
> rationale for making business decisions, IMHO.  If you are doing clean,
> dependable work,  and  pricing it honestly,  you will build a customer base
> that will trust you,  and differing prices will have no effect.  If you are
> competing for the customer that considers price first/quality second, and
> this forces you to fix your price to an unchanging rate,  either the work or
> your time will be compromised on the difficult tunings.
>      It is perhaps not a paradigm of salesmanship to quote prices on a  "not
> less than" basis,  but that is what my first time customers hear.  I charge
> more to tune a difficult piano because it takes more time,  and my time is
> all I have to sell.
>
> .02c there..............keep the change
>
> Regards,
> Ed Foote
>
>