[pianotech] basic or full service

[David Ilvedson]

That's where you wave a magic wand over the strings/plate and say a little prayer... '-]

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Terry Farrell" <mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Received: 3/12/2010 5:18:40 AM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] basic or  full service


>Sounds reasonable to me Wim. BTW, what on earth is a Rust Blocker  
>shield?

>Terry Farrell

>On Mar 12, 2010, at 2:42 AM, wimblees at aol.com wrote:

>> After digesting all the information recently about basic and premium  
>> service, I have come up with a new way to answer the phone calls I  
>> get asking how much I charge. As I might have indicated before, my  
>> "basic" tuning fee is one of the highest on the island. But what  
>> most customers don't understand is that I do more for my basic  
>> tuning than most piano tuner offer for their tuning fee. But because  
>> all they hear is that high fee, they call other tuners who charge  
>> much less.
>>
>> Well, today, I came up with a brilliant idea. From now on, when a  
>> customer calls asking for my tuning fee, I will tell them that my  
>> "basic" tuning fee will be $%%%. (I won't mention the actual price,  
>> because of ant- trust laws, which I don't completely agree with. But  
>> that's another story), which is competitive with the other tuners.  
>> For that fee, I will give a one pass tuning with an electronic  
>> tuner, but nothing else. All repairs, regulations, parts, etc, will  
>> be extra. Then I will tell them that I also offer a "full service"  
>> tuning, for $&&&& , which is $40 higher, but will include minor  
>> pitch adjustments, minor repairs, minor regulation, some cleaning,  
>> and a Rust Blocker shield, valued at $22. In a sense, I will get  
>> paid the same for what I have been charging all along, but by  
>> offering the "basic" fee first, it will get my foot in the door.  
>> Other tuner also charge more once they get in the door, but they  
>> don't disclose that when they set up the appointment. Even if I wind  
>> up only doing a basic tuning, and collect that lower fee, as I said  
>> in an earlier post, I would rather tune 6 pianos at lower fee, than  
>> 2 pianos at a higher fee.
>>
>> I think this is basically what the other tuner offered, but he  
>> called it "premium", and was offering it to his existing customers.  
>> I also offer additional service, but I'm trying to get new  
>> customers. Because of our current economic environment, and because  
>> I don't have the luxury of relying on my 30 or 40 years of  
>> reputation in the same town, I have to do all I can to gain customers.
>>
>> Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT
>> Piano Tuner/Technician
>> 94-505 Kealakaa Str.
>> Mililani, Oahu, HI  96789
>> 808-349-2943
>> www.Bleespiano.com
>> Author of:
>> The Business of Piano Tuning
>> available from Potter Press
>> www.pianotuning.com