[pianotech] Business insurance/attitudes...

[William Monroe]

What David (L) said.

I carry it, haven't had to use it, don't like paying for it, wouldn't be
caught working without it.
Even as a tuner - maybe you pull an action and (yes unlikely) you drop it
and do hundreds or thousands in damage.  I'd rather be covered than have to
eat it.  I'm sure it wouldn't take much imagination to come up with a few
other scenarios in which on-site tuning/servicing would benefit from
insurance.

However, if I did not do rebuilding in my shop, and other work which
requires me to have client pianos at my location, I probably would eschew
insurance, as well.

But..........by not having insurance for say 10 years, the money I'm not
spending on premium would only cover my costs for an action rebuild.
 That's not much, in my estimation.  Maybe the premium is worth it.
 Especially considering the number of times I've seen posts on pianotech
about folks having their tools stolen.  That would be worth a lifetime of
premiums for me.

YMMV.
William R. Monroe



On Fri, Mar 30, 2012 at 9:24 AM, David Love <davidlovepianos at comcast.net>wrote:

> 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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