Hi All,  Over the years I've always been questioned about my labor
rate, my service charge and my mileage charge.  People seem to think
that a skilled craftsman should work for less money than an auto
mechanic, an electrician or a plumber.  I think 'they' must be from
another planet.

Today I had the unfortunate need to call in a plumber to have the
4-inch main drain snaked.  It seems the roots from one of my bushes
found their way into the drain pipe and everything got backed up.

The plumber arrived at 11:37 AM and departed at 12:18 PM.  A grand total
of 41 minutes.  The charge: $125.00 plus tax (6%).

Now I'm not complaining about the charge, I think it was fair.  But
the point I want to make is that charging $80-$90 an hour for highly
skilled labor -- like piano tuning, or player piano repair work or
music box repair work -- is, in a word, cheap!  Okay, inexpensive.

So the next time someone seems a little put off by your charges,
remind them what it costs to hire a plumber for less than an hour.

Musically,

John A. Tuttle