Raising pitch and raising prices???

[Jay Mercier]

I am starting to re-think my position on pitch raises due to the 
feedback on the list.  Currently I charge an additional amount on top of 
the tuning fee if a piano requires one, two or even three pitch raises.  
The additional fee is a set fee no matter how many pr's are performed.  
I don't get much hassle or negative feedback from clients about this 
because I take time to explain the process.

Many of you have made it clear that you don't charge any additional 
amount on top of your tuning fees and then encourage the client to have 
their piano tuned shortly afterwards.  

I like that idea because it encourages clients to keep up regular 
service with their pianos but I personally fear many of my new customers 
would regard that first-time experience as "he didn't do a very good 
job.  Why should it take 2 tunings?   Other piano tuners didn't do it 
this way."  I can envision this in my mind when getting into the car 
after the tuning even though I've explained why it will take two 
tunings.  And then they choose not to call back in two months.   They 
will have guests over and one of them is a pianist that plays their 
piano and makes a coment " This piano sounds terrible.  Who tuned it?"

This is why I choose to raise pianos up to a=440 and perform a fine job 
on the actual tuning process as well.  I can't leave until it's perfect 
(relatively of course).  ----  One of my assets doubles as a weakness.
 
Does anyone do it like this? -------- Automatically charge only one set 
fee for all clients - this fee would cover a full pitch raise or two and 
a full tuning.   Then give a discount to the clients who choose regular 
servicing.  They would love to be "rewarded" for this!

Jay Mercier
Piano Technician / Piano Teacher
Glenwood, MN


>I am amazed at the recent price discussion of PR's.  A pitch raise can 
and
>should be done in a quick 15-25 minutes.  Charging anything more for 
punitive
>damages is ludicrous.  I personally charge an extra $25 for a PR and 
that can
>be done in the time mentioned before.  If it is a PR and tune of 100 
cents or
>more I explain the possible string breakage and actually have small 
print on
>the invoice that states any piano older than 1950 may be subject to 
string
>breakage as well as adverse conditions and so on... then I state that I 
can
>not gauranty stability.  NO one questions that.  I will always state 
the piano
>should be tuned again in 2-3 months.  You guessed it, no one hardly 
ever calls
>back for that tune.  NO one should be penalized or forced to pay for 
three or
>four tunings because you don't know how, or won't pitch raise in one 
pass.  I
>am not speaking of excessive overpull, just bring it up... then tune.  
Then
>tell 'em you'll need to come back in 2-3 months to stabalize the piano.  
If
>they choose not to call then when they call in a year and you find the 
piano
>at 30 cents flat then charge for another pitch raise and suggest the 
same as
>before.
>
>If I failed to change my oil at the "3,000" mile mark and they said 
their
>19.95 special did not apply because I let it go to 7000 miles and the 
charge
>is now $50 I would be upset to say the least.  I know this analogy does 
not
>completely work here, but the principle is the same.  Let us charge for 
the
>work done without punitive damages being accessed.
>
>I look at a pitch raise to be anything above 8-10 cents or more.  We 
generally
>are not referring to concert work here.  The concert work that requires 
a PR
>is charged for the work from me on an hourly rate.
>
>Ed Tomlinson





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