Pitch raises, The Professional Standard

[EugeniaCar@AOL.COM]

First, PTG _does_ have a professional bulletin on pitch raising, written
several years ago by Bill Spurlock. It's one of the best explanations I've
ever seen, written in layman's language, professionally presented on an 8x11,
hard stock, soft color page, for educating the piano owner. I've used it
successfully for years.

Second, PTG _does_ have professional brochures on how to care for your piano,
including recommendations from the major piano manufacturers for tuning
schedules. I've used them successfully for years.

As a matter of fact, PTG has a stock of written materials that explains just
about every aspect for the care and maintenance of the piano. Just look in
your Journal, call the Home Office or ask your RVP. Want to educate your
customers and maybe yourself? These are a great place to start.

Now as to pricing, we USA piano technicians are one of the last, fortunate,
few NOT to be regulated by the government. I don't know about you guys, but I
certainly don't want that to change.

One of the best aspects, IMHO, of a free society is that we, as individuals,
set our own fees. As a matter of fact if we were to collude here and set
prices, we would all be setting ourselves up for charges of price fixing.
Supply and demand regulate the prices the customers are willing to pay. Our
own ethical behavior sets what we charge. It certainly would be nice if we all
had the same ethical standards; however history proves over and over again
that just isn't the case.

I personally can do a p/r and tuning, on an at least halfway decent
instrument, in an hour, and I teach a class on how to do it (and will be
teaching it again in Kansas City). Now, just because I can do this doesn't
mean that everyone one else is required to so do. 

Do I charge extra for pitch raises? You bet I do. I'm in this profession to
earn a living, not to be a philanthropist. If I were rich enough not to charge
for my services then I wouldn't be in this profession. No matter how you
define what we do, what we actually sell is our knowledge and time. That's the
service we provide. And if I don't charge for my service, I don't pay my
mortgage, etc.

Bill, if you really want to have a standard to uphold, get a copy of the PTG
Mission Statement and our Code of Ethics. These very well describe our
standards. They're not perfect but they're a darn good place to start. And if
you want to make them better, then join and help make positive change.

Gina

Gina Carter,
Charlotte NC