Hello, Everybody:  I'd like to thank Dean Randall for his observations.
He has obviously been involved with many piano moves, many many more
than I have!

I am not a major collector; I only have two Seeburg automatics.  They
were both in need of repair simultaneously.  I am not experienced
enough in the piano moving game to call myself a savvy veteran of the
nickelodeon moving wars.

I put my trust in "The West's Biggest Piano Mover" and got burned.
I couldn't expect worst service had I called upon "Starving Poor Boys
Piano Moving" out of Ensenada.  There were no rehearsals for this sorry
episode.

_I can't say enough good things about the rebuilder who has brought
my Seeburgs back to life._  It was _my_ call to hire these movers,
not his.  He expertly supervised the crew that picked up the piano
at his end.

In my initial conversation with The Mover, no additional insurance
was ever hinted at, or offered.  I later found out that by law it is
supposed to be offered voluntarily, up front, by the mover, per PUC
regulations.

The rebuilder is safeguarding the Next Move (with another mover!) with
extensive protective precautions.  The damage was discovered to be in
the under $200 range: It was discovered that the movers' straps had
crushed the "Violin Off-On" switch, causing the malfunction.  This must
have happened during the re-transfer from the warehouse to my house, as
it was not one continuous move.

I sugar-coated the original MMD tale.  My "dilly-dallying" was due to
the fact that the piano was scheduled to be delivered between nine AM
and noon; I got a call from the dispatcher at 8:26 a.m. telling me the
piano "would be there any minute."  I didn't have my jeans on at the
time; while I was making the coffee I heard the truck pull up.

While I was hurriedly getting dressed, the piano, flipped on its side,
was already at my front steps.  No doorbell greeting, no time to get
out there to oversee the unloading.  You could say I was literally
caught with my pants down!

The story remains the same from then on: calls to headquarters relating
my concerns about a flipped piano, suspicions confirmed when the unit
didn't play properly, piano whisked out of the house, into the truck
while I was on the phone, truck leaving, me being called a "Wise Guy"
by the driver for calling Headquarters.  Truck leaving without them
giving me a receipt.

Fellow MMDers and Mr. Randall, if a moving company fouls up your piano,
and then calls you a "Wise guy" for trying to protect yourself, I defy
you to be jolly.  In fact, I was as tolerant and understanding as one
could be up until that moment.

The "Riot Act" can be open to a lot of interpretation.  I didn't
foam at the mouth or hold my breath and turn blue, but in my best
professional manner (and I have been in some of the biggest corporate
boardroom meetings from coast-to-coast during my career in
advertising), I told them, in person, what I expected from their
organization.  All I expected was Service and Customer Satisfaction.

Unmoved, they naturally, they pointed to a clause in the contract
(that I still hadn't received) stating that they were not responsible
for damage to any internal or electronic parts.  Adding to the
suspense, and what Mr. Randall wasn't aware of, was that I was
scheduled to move to Detroit permanently only a few days later.
(I have since declined the job.)

The movers could have kept my piano in storage indefinitely, and
charged me what they wanted.  It was to their credit that they moved
the piano back to the restorer over a week later (but on the wrong day
from what they promised).

I have spoken to them again and again, about a revised damage estimate
of under $200.  As of this writing, their decision is still pending.
They have "kicked the decision upstairs", which means "Good Luck!"
I'll be surprised if I receive Penny One.

My posting to MMD was a query as to what to do about means of
restitution and/or satisfaction, and also to point out what could ensue
during a piano move if you have no crystal ball handy.  Admonition and
finger-wagging, alas, after the fact, is certainly not what I need now.

My restitution at the moment is not based solely upon damage anymore
(I have since written off that part to experience), but to that
intangible known as "Customer Good Will."  I would like them to rectify
the rudeness of their driver basically calling me an ^%$%$^$, thus
adding insult to injury.  That's why I would like a token remittance:
for their rudeness in their customer relations department.

Most companies would make good on this point alone.  Most companies ...
probably not this one.

Thanks for listening,

Mark Forer