When I suggested a full time, fully insured professional PIANO mover, I meant just that - someone who does nothing but move pianos all day long, every day. The company I use here in New Hampshire does about 2,000 moves a year. That includes concert grands as well as pianos of any size. They do difficult stair moves of some fairly large grands when needed, and basically have had just about every curve ball thrown at them over the years. You may not have the benefit of movers of that caliber in your area, and yes, there are many piano movers who can only be trusted to a certain level of difficulty. If you know of such competent piano movers in your area, I would be hard pressed to believe that you would have the same level of skills as them (no disrespect to you at all intended - you wouldn't expect your piano mover to be as good a tuner as you, would you?) But that's your call. The sticking point for me would still be the exposure to liability associated with your assistants should something go wrong. Would you be enlisting the assistance of others who have never moved a piano before? I certainly hope not, as that would be unwise. I wouldn't expect the judge in the personal injury lawsuit to show a lot of sympathy. Most of the time we get away with doing something careless or unsafe. That's true for BP too, except for that one big WHOOPS we hear about every day. Will From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Gene Nelson Sent: Monday, June 21, 2010 10:12 AM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] not for the feint of heart or anything else I believe the pro mover is familiar with routine moves. I do not believe they are any more ready for this situation that I am. Gene ----- Original Message ----- From: William Truitt <mailto:surfdog at metrocast.net> To: pianotech at ptg.org Sent: Monday, June 21, 2010 3:07 AM Subject: Re: [pianotech] not for the feint of heart or anything else Why not ask the obvious question: What's wrong with hiring a full time, fully insured professional piano mover, assuming such an animal exists in your area, Gene? If I had any interest in being the go to person for any repairs the piano might need, I would go to the site to see the piano and the accident scene before engaging the services of the mover. Perhaps have contacted him prior and told him of the situation, then call on your cell at the site. The 5 or 6 strong backs and weak minds are not a good idea. All you are doing is moving a big slice of liability pie onto your plate, both for the piano and your workers. It sounds like the client tried to move it himself rather than engage the services of a mover, probably to save money. Otherwise, it would be the responsibility and liability of the mover to correct the mistake. It is likely that any method used to right the piano will likely (and unavoidably) cause some further damage to the case as you begin to right the piano. Your client may want to blame you for that too. At this juncture, it is important to ask yourself how your own interests are served by directly participating in moving this piano. Will Truitt From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Terry Farrell Sent: Monday, June 21, 2010 4:56 AM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: Re: [pianotech] not for the feint of heart or anything else I'm not sure my comments or any other method is really a "good" way to go about this. Probably the only real good way to do it would be to hire a suitable truck-mounted crane. However, not that I have direct experience with temporary labor pools, but it seems to me that last thing you want is a bunch of guys that have never handled a piano doing this. I wouldn't be comfy with it anyway...... Terry Farrell On Jun 21, 2010, at 3:08 AM, tnrwim at aol.com wrote: Gene This sounds like a prank. Who was moving this piano? Where are the movers? But if it is for real, and the customer is really panicked, I would reschedule my first two customers on Monday morning. But don't try to do this yourself, and I wouldn't use any mechanical tools. Call the local labor pool and hire five or six strong backs to help you pick up the piano. Wim -----Original Message----- From: Gene Nelson <nelsong at intune88.com> To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Sun, Jun 20, 2010 6:12 pm Subject: [pianotech] not for the feint of heart or anything else Got a call from a frantic client. Piano fell off of a dolly and is lying upside down and wants me to get involved to right it. It is a 9' concert grand. Will not be able to see it till late tomorrow or Tuesday. I have a portable engine puller and an overhead winch/snatch block mounted on a trailer than is probably usable and it sounds like there is good clearance around the piano for access. Have plenty of straps, blankets and pads. Anyone care to share experience or give advice would be appreicated. Gene -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20100621/1fcd5ff2/attachment.htm>
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