overcharging?

[Kenneth W. Burton]

	James,
	I love your wife's solution!
	Ken Burton "Doctor Piano" Calgary Alberta

On Tue, 10 Feb 1998, pianoman wrote:

> 
> Hi Dick,
> 	Price in monetary terms doesn't mean much in itself.  Here in St. Louis we
> have people charging for tuning in the $40 range still and at least one at
> $75.  What is expensive to one person is a good value to another.  I have
> found that stating your price for tuning + any thing extra like a pitch
> raise is put to them  on notice so they know that it may need more than
> just a "Normal" tuning. 
> 	 Most of the time new clients translates into a pitch raise.  Because they
> haven't had their piano tuned in a long time they probably don't know that
> it takes a lot more work to pitch raise and tune compared to just tune.  I
> also find it helpful to give them the choice whether to raise or not saying
> that you are not making the decision for them because it is their money
> they are spending.  If they choose not to raise the pitch I don't raise it
> and figure that I won't hear from them again anyway.
> 		The way I raise is to raise all the way the first time and schedule the
> next tuning in 2 weeks.  I tell them if they aren't serious about
> scheduling the 2nd tuning don't pitch raise as they will just wind up with
> a badly out of tune piano.  If they schedule the 2nd tuning and then back
> out when I call to confirm the night before they get deleted from the
> computer and a note made on their index card in my file that they didn't
> follow through.  I erase them from my mind and go on to the people who
> really care about their piano. 
> 	 We all get the short end sometimes and we need to reinforce in each other
> that there are just some people who when the truth is staring them in the
> face they don't recognize it.  Do let the lady know you are unhappy with
> her husbands action.  She probably knows he does this often to other people
> also.
> 	Here is what my wife does when someone crosses her.  You write their name
> on a piece of paper, place it in a saucer of water and put it in the
> freezer.  That fixes them every time.    :>)
> James Grebe
> R.P.T. of the P.T.G. from St. Louis
> pianoman@inlink.com
> "Success is not a goal, rather it is a way of life".
>