After a flood

J Patrick Draine jpdraine at gmail.com
Sun Aug 3 07:52:58 MDT 2008


While I am pessimistic about the average insurance company being overly
generous toward your client, it may be worthwhile looking at the scenario
from another viewpoint (kinda like discussion group in Philosophy 101).Consider
it from the viewpoint of the (or a similarly situated piano owner) making a
warranty claim against Kohler & Campbell/SMC a few years further out. Still
well within SMC's 10 year warranty.
Tuning pin torque so low that a number of notes can't stay in tune for more
than a few days. Dampers sticking, "keys" sticking, due to excessive
friction. "Action plays like a truck." Technician recommends making a
warranty claim. SMC's representative inquires owner as to any possible
"extreme environmental conditions", and the honest owner describes the
flood/super high humidity conditions. This likely voids the company's
warranty responsibilities, as clearly (or vaguely) described in the fine
print of the "warranty guarantee conditions."

Looking through that end of the kaleidoscope, the flood has voided the
owner's "replace or repair" warranty, and he/she deserves from his insurance
company either monetary compensation for that loss, or (preferably) an
agreement from the insurance company to keep the claim "active" through the
piano's warranty period.
All the above is postulated hypothetically; my *assumption* is an ideal
piano manufacturer will 100% behind its warranty as well as its
preconditions. No horror story replies please, or at least put them in
another thread.

Patrick Draine

On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 6:34 AM, Garret Traylor <hpp at highpointpiano.com>wrote:

> Jim,
> I doubt the piano went through the experience OK; but only time will tell.
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