> >My question is this: to what degree am I liable if it was caused by > >their piano and their casters, and all I did was roll it out from the > >wall. > The question (in your best interst) is, what extent do the owners have responsiblility for the condition their instrument that causes damage when rolled around, or having such a weighty instrument on a floor that is easily damaged. The piano was given wheels so that it could be rolled around. Because of the extreme weight of the instrument some indentation on many types of floors is bound to occur. Is the marring confined to the area under the piano? Is this "marring" readily visible, sometimes noticible, or only detectable on close examination? The question in the interest of your client is, what responsibility do you have as a professional servicing their instrument? Should you be aware that rolling the piano away from the wall might mar the floors? Should that awareness lead you to inspect the area to see if the floor is already marred? Is there a reasonable precaution you can take to prevent any or further marring? Since you asked it as a question of liability, it boils down to following standard operating procedures. If it can be established you did not, you are liable. I wouldn't wait for it to go that far. Go back and see what actually is being claimed. Perhaps some floor wax and elbow grease will make it look better than before. Just showing up and expressing concern is often enough to put such worries to rest. You can offer a free touch up tuning if there really is a visible boo boo. The simple solution to avoid caster marks on floors is to carry two moving blankets, place them under each end and slide the piano out. Tilting on a tilter increases the chance of maring as the entire weight of the piano is now on two steel tangents pressing against the floor. ---ric
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