You have to figure out your potential liability and determine if it makes sense for you. If you carry actions home or whole pianos to your shop where things can happen, you want to protect tools from theft, cover yourself for the contingency that you damage someone's property, it might be worth it for you. If you simply go into the home to tune and that's the extent of your work you have less exposure. It's weighing small monthly costs versus potential large liability. I do carry it though I've never had to use it. David Love www.davidlovepianos.com -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of David Renaud Sent: Friday, March 30, 2012 6:46 AM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: [pianotech] Business insurance/attitudes... Hello list A fellow technicians was asked if they had insurance...... He in turn asked me what I thought. Upon reflection, it could make a very interesting discussion. Those that have, any stories of claims made and reason your glad you had it, those that Don't, any stories of disaster and wishing you did have it? Below is my response..... Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me why I should reconsider, or not. ---------------------------------------------------- I have no business insurance. On a few performance gigs at commercial clients, festivals, shopping centers, people Are starting to ask for liability insurance. That can be had through the musicians union.... For us, in canada, PTG can not cover us, we would have to go through a commercial insurance agent. Expensive. Do i want to work for people that demand I spend more money on more administration, Or be full with people that don't want to force me to spend more time, more energy, More money, for the privilege of tuning their piano. I choose the later. Clients invite me into their homes and establishments because they like my work, They Ike me, and they trust me. If they don't trust me, and don't like me or want my work bad Enough that did does not mitigate other administrative details then I'd rather not do it. It's usually just a piano tuning. Do they want insurance from the person that vacuums the rug, waters the plants, plants a rose Bush. We are Not like an electrician that could burn down the building, or a plumber that could flood it. Not like a construction worker that could fall off the roof. Do the musicians need insurance because their flute might fall on someone, or clarinet might explode. A tuning is not working With power tools, working in a crowd of people, etc. it's more like a musician....just adjusting Piano strings. Insurance......if a string breaks they want insurance to pay for it? I think the chances of a piano tuner needing to use insurance, having a claim, are so much more remote then most every trade......unless your doing rebuilding on site in their location.... But we are just turning screws, and adding pieces of paper or felt for the most part. Just an opinion.........I could be wrong..........I certainly have an attitude toward insurance companies. Cheers Dave Renaud
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