Fuel surcharge?

[Willem Blees]

What Bob said. Several years ago when gas was going up, I asked my son, (the CPA), if I should raise my fee, and he explained it just the way Bob just did.?I think most companies that are adding a "surcharge" are doing it mostly?to get more money out of?us, than to compensate them for the added fuel charge. ?Raise your fee if you haven't done so in at least a year. Otherwise, just let it go. 

One thing you can do to save money is to bunch your customers together more than ever.?Tell them to save gas, you really want to tune their piano and others in the?same zip code, on a particular day. Even go as far as telling them that you'll call them the night before and give them a time, so that you?can drive in a straight line within the same zip code, instead of crossing?tracks. I think most?customers will probably respect you for it, and adjust their schedule accordingly.?

Even on a small island like Oahu I have been able to make adjustments to my schedule so that I don't have to cross paths. 


Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT
Piano Tuner/Technician
Honolulu, HI
Author of 
The Business of Piano Tuning
available from Potter Press
www.pianotuning.com


-----Original Message-----
From: BobDavis88 at aol.com
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Fri, 6 Jun 2008 6:51 pm
Subject: Re: Fuel surcharge?



Fuel surcharges are very trendy, but I assume that my customers are as irritated by them as I am (same with paying fifteen dollars to take a bag on an airplane - I would rather pay?fifteen dollars more for the ticket). 

?

Also, just for the sake of argument, assume one customer is ten miles from the next, and that my car gets 30 mpg (it does). If gas goes from $2 to $4 per gallon, it costs me an extra $0.66 to drive to their house. I recently raised my fee by $15, so I don't think I want to?annoy them for an extra 66 cents.

?

Bob Davis

?


In a message dated 6/6/2008 9:02:55 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, mkurta at roadrunner.com writes:


??? ?Last week I got a bill from my pool service with a fuel surcharge added.? Today I got another from my lawn service with a fuel surcharge also.? Should we, ?1. Absorb the higher travel costs and say nothing or, ?2. Add a fuel surcharge too or, 3. Raise our rate to cover the extra cost and lump it together with tuning?? Comments?

??? Mike Kurta, RPT

??? Auburn, NY

??? Soon to be moving to the Chicago area.....






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