pitch raising survey

[Farrell]

Ooohhhhhhh, that is a sticky one. I too would like to see the range of
opinions on this question. I do not charge extra if the piano is 5 cents or
less. I do charge extra if the piano is more than 10 cents off (average). If
the keyboard is between 5 and 10 cents off, I sit there for a while and wish
that I knew what to do. I know what the piano needs, but what should I
charge extra for.

In part, I try to get a feel for what the client expects. If the client is a
good pianist and has a good piano, I talk to them about the need for a
separate pitch raise (and separate fee), and likely two additional passes
for a fine tuning (both for the standard tuning fee). If the client is Suzie
6yo and the piano is a 45 yo Winter spinet, I have a dillemma, do I charge
for a pitch raise and then just do a one pass tuning? Do I do a two pass
tuning (with the first one raising the pitch)? Do I do a one pass tuning
while raising the pitch (using the AccuTuner)? I don't know. Fortunately,
most 45 yo Winter spinets are a half-step flat - and I charge for however
many pitch raises it takes.

What do others do???

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: <Staccatomusic@cs.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, March 06, 2000 9:28 AM
Subject: pitch raising survey


> Just wondering, at what point do techs start charging for pitch raises?
(or
> lowering)
> I always include a little pitching in my standard tuning fee but what is a
> little? I believe if a customer has failed to keep the piano tuned they
need
> to pay for the extra work. It is normally expected for the pitch to drift
> some between schedule tunes but how far until we start charging for those
> pitch fees? Care to comment?
> BP
>