[pianotech] basic or full service

[David Ilvedson]

One more thing, have some good local references...

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: wimblees at aol.com
To: Pianotech at PTG.org
Received: 3/11/2010 11:42:05 PM
Subject: [pianotech] basic or  full service



>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