Wim says>>> "PS. Some of you will disagree with that opinion, which I respect, but that still doesn't give you the right to tell me I'm full of it or that I'm out of my mind. " How about you not telling us it is unethical to charge differently than you do and we won't say your out of your mind? David Ilvedson, RPT Pacifica, CA 94044 ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- From: wimblees at aol.com To: Pianotech at PTG.org Received: 9/10/2009 3:07:16 PM Subject: [pianotech] charges >In light of the recent discussion about charging, let me make?some comments. >To be sure,?I totally agree that we are entitled to charge what we want.?Some of >you charge by the hour, some by the job.?How you charge by the job is up to you, >but it should be based on some criteria. Most?charges for labor are based on an >hourly rate, whether it's changing a tire, washing windows,?cutting grass, etc.?Our >rates should be based the same way.?The?criteria for the hourly rate should >be?based on a number of factors, like your overhead, your profit margin, and your >experience.?In regard to experience, if we charged by how much experience we >have, most of us would be charging $200 per hour, or more. But then we need to >consider the "going rate". If the going rate for piano tuners is in the $75 - $125 per >hour, and you charge $200 per hour,?you might be able to get a few customers, but >most of the time, we'd be sitting waiting for the phone to ring. >This experience, however, comes into play in how long it takes to do a certain job. >The more experience?you have, the easier it is for you to do your work. If you?have >lots of experience tuning over dampers, or squares, or regulating dampers, the >easier it will be to do the work. But sometimes you'll?run into a?repair you've never >done before.?This is when?your hourly rate?should be used as a basis for the >amount you charge. But regadless of what your hourly rate is, I don't think it is >ethical to charge different rates per hour based solely on how?"difficult" a job >is.?What is the?definition of a?"difficult" job? For Conrad, should he charge extra >because?it more difficult for him?to?tune a square or a tall upright because he is >vertically challenged? Should I charge more to?tune a spinet, because a large >protrusion in my middle makes it more difficult?to get closer to the tuning pins? >There is another factor that come into play when we figure out how much to charge, >namely our traveling time and distance between customers. Some of us work in a >metropolitan area, where most of the clients are within an hour's drive of our house. >Should we charge extra because it is more difficult to navigate rush hour traffic? >Others live in a rural setting, where driving 2 hours to our first customer is the >"norm". Should we charge more in the winter because it is?difficult?driving on?ice >packed roads??Should we charge extra because it is more difficult to get to a >customer's house??For example, this morning I?returned an action to customer who >lives at the top of an 80 step staircase.?I'm overweight and have high?blood >pressure. Should I charge this customer extra because it was very difficult for me to >carry that action up those 80 steps? >The bottom line is this. We have?fees for tuning a piano, regulating an action, >hanging dampers, restringing a piano, etc., all based on an?hourly rate. That fee >should be charged regardless of how difficult, or how easy, the work is. To?charge >more, based on an arbitrary decision on how difficult a job is, in my opinion, is not >ethical.?? >Wim >PS. Some of you will disagree with that opinion, which I respect, but that still doesn't >give you the right to tell me I'm full of it or that I'm out of my mind.
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