wear and tear on da nerves

[David Love]

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I was joking about charging extra for the noise.  I guess I forgot my
smiley face.  I have a flat fee for tuning, additional incremental flat
fees for pitch raising (the additional fee will depend on how much pitch
raising needs to be done), an hourly for all other work.  My minimum
show up fee, inspection fee, assessment or  appraisal fee is the same as
my tuning flat fee.  Basically, the first hour costs more.  I do, after
all, have to get there.  My hourly fee is about 75% of my basic tuning
fee.    In all honesty, I don't get near the $300. price I read recently
for a tuning plus pitch raise.  A normal pitch raise just doesn't take
me that much longer, maybe 15 - 30 minutes, so I add depending on how
severe the pitch raise is.  I just don't find that a normal tuning
varies that much in time to worry about the hourly aspect of my tuning
fee.  Variations are usually on the short side, not on the long side, so
it wouldn't really be benefit to me.  At the least it would simply cost
me time in explanations.  I prefer simple fee structures and I think
customers do to.  
 
Pricing structure is important.  I am dubious about claims that a higher
fee will send everyone scrambling for the lower price.  Most customers
are referred and will tolerate a variation in price structure if they
trust they are getting good work.  There probably is a point at which a
higher price structure will cost you more in lost business than you gain
by higher fees.  That's the price point you need to find.  If you can
work less for higher fees and make the same amount of money, you are
better off.  Having a larger client base, however, gives you more access
to potential "other" work, rebuilding and things like that so there may
be other factors to consider.  A larger client base also gives you an
option to pick and choose the work you want to do.  That counts for
something as well.  
David Love
davidlovepianos@comcast.net 
-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Sarah Fox
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 6:44 AM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Re: wear and tear on da nerves
 
Hi David,
 
>Bad idea.  I would say that most of the time my tuning fee exceeds my
hourly rate.   
 
Hmmmm...
 
Then you may be charging too much for your tunings or too little for
your other work?
 
Or if you think your fees are about right, mix flat fees with hourly
fees.  For instance, charge a flat rate to come to the house, plus an
hourly fee on top of that.  If you feel the tuning work demands more
money even so, charge a higher hourly rate for the tuning work,
explaining to the customer that it's more intensive work, requires more
expertise, or however you want to justify it.
 
Or perhaps have a flat rate  to come out, a flat base rate to start
tuning, and your typical hourly rate on top of that.  Structure your
flat rates and hourly rates so that you come out where you want to be,
on average.  Justify the base rate however you wish.
 
Or perhaps charge your normal tuning fee as a flat rate, but allot a
certain amount of time for the tuning and charge a steep (double) hourly
rate for any time you have to go over.
 
However you do it, it's your option how you respond to the vacuum.  If
you're running behind schedule and have several other clients waiting on
you, you can just suffer through, without as good an outcome.  If you're
ahead of schedule, take a paid break while you wait for the noise to
subside.  Your choice.
 
Of if all that complicates life too much for you and/or your customers,
and you would still rather charge a flat rate for tunings, don't
complain when the job gets longer because of doodads atop the piano,
vacuum cleaners, etc -- or difficult pianos, for that matter.  That's
the cost of simplicity.  But guaranteed, if you charge by the hour,
you'll either walk into houses with pianos stripped of doodads, or you
won't mind spending the time ($$$) carefully moving them out of your
way.  And the vacuum cleaner probably won't be fired up, but if it is,
consider it a paid coffee break.
 
Anyway, it's all a tradeoff:  complexity of fee structure vs.
aggrivation on the job.  ;-)
 
Peace,
Sarah
 

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