Pricing Pinblock Treatments

Mike Spalding mike.spalding1 at verizon.net
Fri Jul 20 07:32:08 MDT 2007


John,

I charge the same for verticals and grands.  With the grand, you've got 
to remove the action and protect the keybed.  Also, since the tuning pin 
field is " on display" in a grand, I try to clean it up beforehand so 
that I'm not CAing a bunch of dust mice to the plate, and I have to be 
more careful about keeping the CA from going where it doesn't belong.  
In the end, grands might even be more effort than verticals.

Mike

John Formsma wrote:
> I agree with Dean that the service performed is generallly of a
> greater value than what our hourly rates are. It gives life back to
> the piano, so it should be worth more.
>
> Yes, a CA job is something a customer could do himself. But it's our
> knowledge and experience we're selling. I could repair my plumbing or
> home appliances, but I'd rather save myself the cursing. Not to
> mention having to make several trips to the hardware/plumbing store to
> buy what I need.
>
> I've been doing CA jobs for $150, but have decided to go up. I quoted
> $225 for a Wurlie spinet that is beginning to see deterioration.
>
> Way I see it, if I'm going to make two trips (30 miles one way) with a
> tilter, I have to charge more.  Now if I'm doing a grand, I would
> probably quote less. And I generally try to combine CA jobs with other
> service calls.
>
> JF
>
> On 7/20/07, David Nereson <dnereson at 4dv.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>> I'm wondering what folks out there are charging, typically, for CA 
>> treating
>> an upright block, maybe expressed as a percent of tuning fee or hourly
>> rates.
>>
>> Also, are you offering a warrantee?
>>
>>
>>
>> Alan Barnard
>>  Salem, MO
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> I charged $40 once, then a separate fee for the tuning.  There's a tech
>> around here who charges $650  [sic] !!  I don't know how he justifies 
>> that
>> except for telling the customer that the old way was to replace the
>> pinblock, re-pin, and restring for $2500 or so, after which $650 sounds
>> "dirt cheap" to them, he says.  I know I'd have an extremely 
>> difficult time
>> trying to sell the job for any more than about $200 tops.
>>
>>             --David Nereson, RPT
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>


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