advertising & stuff

[Jarred Finnigan]

I approach it this way.  My standard tuning charge is $100 + taxes.When a
customer asks me how  much I charge to tune a piano I tell them its $55 for
the tuning(if that's all the piano needs) and a $45 dollar call out fee.
People are use to being charged a call out fee by other trades people and to
date I have had no problems with presenting my fee in this way.  This
approach overcomes two possible problems. 1 The piano is  not tuneable, no
charge for the tune you cant do just the $45 for the call out fee. Often
this scenario turns into a quote which I usually don't charge for, this way
you still get paid.  The customer is not upset or surprised because you have
already told them about the $45 call out fee. 2 The customer is a no show,
leave an invoice for $45. No surprises as you have already mentioned you
charge $45 as a call out fee.

Works for me!

Jarred Finnigan
----- Original Message -----
From: Tom Cole <tcole@cruzio.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2001 1:07 PM
Subject: Re: advertising & stuff


> pianolover 88 wrote:
> >
> > On a lighter note, If a customer failed to show up for a tuning
> > appointment, would you charge her mileage to make a second trip? I
> > did.
> >
> > Terry Peterson
> > Precision Piano Service
> > Torrance, CA
>
> Terry,
>
> You say you charged for the mileage but not for the time lost (or
> spent)? You've just lost a tuning charge (let's call it $100) and now
> you're going to nick 'em for five or ten bucks? I know that gas prices
> are going up. So what do you charge for mileage?
>
> Everyone's policy is different, no right or wrong about it. The main
> thing is that the customer knows in advance what you charge for, whether
> there is a missed appointment fee, mileage, whatever.
>
> Now, if the customer was in the _Valley_ and I had to drive the 405 in
> stop-and-go traffic, yeah, I'd charge them plenty. El Segundo, no, I'd
> let 'em slide.
>
> :-)
>
> Tom Cole
> formerly of The Valley