In a message dated 3/25/2000 7:19:15 AM, you wrote: <<Not caused by my tilting truck... it seems it was the piano casters. She didn't think it amounted to much, but asked me to stop by on my next visit to the area to see what I could do.>> John; You have gotten some really good takes on this thingee about grooves in the floor.........another take won't hurt too much I hope. :-) If you are responsible, or take responsibility, for their casters grooving their floor are/should you also take responsibility for their casters denting the floor had you not moved the piano? If the piano had been setting on a tile floor and your moving it had chipped/cracked some tiles would you also be responsible? Tiles chip due to many circumstances but usually they crack due to poor/inadequate bedding. Would you be responsible for those chips/cracks? If the customers had supplied you with a chair to sit on and the chair was faulty and subsequently broke, causing you to fall to the floor and break a bone...would that also be your fault? There is always a degree of risk when working in someplace that is not owned by you but that risk is shared by the customer/client by an implied warranty of suitability of working conditions.........moving a piano out from the wall is an entirely acceptable work function and is in fact a neccessity in most instances with vertical instruments. If they knew that they had soft flooring they should have mentioned it before hand...they didn't, presumably, and there are now "grooves" in their floor from their piano casters doing what casters are meant to do, i.e. roll across the floor. Did they have caster cups under the casters??....if so that could be a sign of caring about their floor and damage from the casters...if not that should be a sign that they felt the floor was adequate for its job viv-a-vis the piano casters. Normal, needful, non malicious, activity is not a cause of action and therefore is not actionable.............................advice has already been given to check with a lawyer if it comes to 'legal' action and it was good advice................... The remaining portion of this quandry is the customer relations standpoint. 'If' the customer presses in holding you responsible for these "grooves" then it is doubtful whether they are of the character to give you good recommendations/referrals whatever the outcome of any agreement arrived at.....human nature being what it is. 'If' they insisit on you footing the bill for this "grooving" (sic) then you would be better off without them in your database of customers. The decision, in my opinion, is what level of responsibility you, yourself, choose to accept for this "grooving". If you want all, some, or none of the responsibility and that is your decision for whatever reason, i.e. customer relations, peace of mind, unsureness as to best course of action........... or wanting to remove any blot, imagined or real, you may have put on your reputation AND 'If' this is truly 'your' decision in this thingee then it will be the right one. Were I in your shoes in this quandry I think I would let the attitude of my customer weigh heavily in my decision though :-) Good luck, let us know what you decided and why...if you don't mind. Jim Bryant (FL)
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