[pianotech] Water damaged piano

[Ron Nossaman]

On 10/13/2011 2:47 PM, Rob McCall wrote:
> So, does anyone have any proven methods of dealing with the insurance
> and the flood mitigation company that want solutions yesterday? The
> insurance company wants to pay it out, the owner wants their piano
> back, and the flood company doesn't want to store it.

This was my thought at the first mention of waiting the months for it to 
dry out before committing. No universe I've ever inhabited has contained 
an insurance company that would agree to such a thing. They want it 
wrapped up NOW. My approach is a letter explaining that, since I can't 
accurately anticipate the long term damage until some long term has 
passed, the only way I can expedite the process is to assume the worst, 
and presume total or near total destruction. I include the damage repair 
estimate based on that presumption, and approximate replacement cost as 
an alternative, and turn it in.

I find this to be more dramatically effective than caveats and 
contingencies relying on guesses as to what damage was actually done, 
and puts the responsibility and risk on them rather than on me. The 
piano owner loves it, since it doesn't leave them twisting in the wind 
at the mercy of "that claim has already been settled" when the fenders 
fall off (as it were) next year.

But then, this is possibly why I don't get repeat calls from insurance 
companies too...

Ron N