Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/26/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 5/16/2024 the company delivered my piano from New Mexico to Colorado. I paid $826.80 for this service and they left promptly. After the movers left I noticed numerous scratches and nicks on the right leg and side. I contacted the company for pictures before the piano had been shipped to determine if this was existing damage or not. It took them approx. 2 months to send the pictures after numerous requests. The pictures indicated that the piano did not have the scratches or nicks on the right leg/side prior to moving. I also shared the pictures with ****** ******, who purchased the piano for us as a gift and had arranged the transport from NM to CO. He too confirmed that the damage was not present when they picked up the piano. I informed the company about the damage as a result of their moving it. I have contacted them over a dozen times via email and phone to ask for them to rectify the situation, in which they said they would send someone out to assess and repair the damage. Every time I have called them they have said they would call me back and never did, or they pushed back the date to come repair the piano. It's now been nearly 5 months and no action has been taken. I emailed the company on 8/31 and asked if I can just get a refund instead for half the moving costs and they refused. The staff has been consistently rude, uncooperative, and hung up on me numerous times. They are inferred that I was lying about the damage. I have before and after pictures that prove there was no damage before they shipped the piano. This is also corroborated by the owner at the initial location in NM. It also appears that many of the scratches and nicks had attempted to be covered up with a Sharpie or black marker, which you can clearly see if you shine a flashlight on the piano. I offered them another opportunity for a partial refund on 9/26 and again they refused and staff was rude. I would like a refund of $413.40, which is half of the cost to transport the piano.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/24/2024

  Piano was delivered to customer’s son and was given ample opportunity to examine the piano and he signed the Agreement for Services form that was presented to him. It states that “Received by Consignee in good condition except as noted and further claim is hereby waived. Please inspect your goods promptly.  Claims for any loss or damaged goods must be filed with the Carrier in writing”. He called several weeks later to complain about scratches on the piano that he alleged were not there when we picked it up.  The piano case was in poor condition, at best. We provided the photos of the piano at the time of pickup that clearly showed the damage and it also was annotated by circling the areas of damage on the condition report. Still he was unsatisfied with the photos.  In an effort to appease him we agreed to meet with him in Denver to review the photos that were taken at the time of the pickup, when we had other moves in the area.  It so happened that we did not have any moves, in that area, during that timeframe. When we eventually were going to be in the area, we did set up an appointment to meet with him. The vehicle had mechanical problems and the crew had to return to our home base, as soon as possible, and therefore were not able to meet with him as agreed. We immediately contacted him and advised him of the situation.  He demanded that we refund ½ of moving fee to repair the alleged scratches that were not reported until weeks later.  We proceeded to advise him that this was unreasonable and unwarranted. He proceeded to dispute the credit card charge and all the aforementioned proofs and signatures were provided to the credit card company.  This is an unfortunate situation that we tried to deal with in the best way we could, in spite of not having any  legal liability for the alleged damage.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/26/2024

  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Written Testimonial: I have a written testimonial
  from ****** ****** (see attached), the person who shipped me the piano, that
  states that the piano was in great condition devoid of damage of the sides/legs
  when it was picked up. It is incorrect that the piano was in poor condition as
  the company claims. I have photos of the piano before it was picked up
  and there is no evidence of any scratches or knicks on the sides/legs prior to shipment.
  

  Condition Upon Receipt: In regards to signing for the
  piano upon delivery. At that time, I
  did not have photos to show the before condition. Also, when the piano was
  dropped off, it was late at night and dark, and the movers did not allow me any
  time to assess the piano and took off almost immediately. I was never told that
  signing for the piano meant that I agreed to its condition and could not
  contest any damage. Nowhere on the one-page invoice does it say this either
  (see attachment). My wife is also
  a witness who was present at the time of delivery who can provide a testimony that the delivery people did not state anything about receiving the
  piano as is, and that only an invoice was given to us, which did not state
  anything about receiving the item as is either.

  Additionally, after the delivery in May, the company had not
  billed me and I assumed it was due to them having caused the damage. It wasn’t
  until 2 months later that they billed me in July without informing me. That is
  when I started the damage dispute. I asked the company for photos of the before
  condition, which they sent on 7/19. The photos they provided DO NOT show the
  damage of scratches and knicks on the sides and legs of the piano, which could
  only mean it was damaged during shipping. Also, you can clearly see that
  someone tried to use a Sharpie or other black marker to conceal some of the
  scratches. If you shine a flashlight on the spots there is evidence of this.

  Attempts to Resolve the Situation: I have given the
  company dozens of chances to work with me. They have told me almost a dozen times that they would
  have someone come out and assess/fix the damage, but then they always ended up
  cancelling at the last minute. The most recent time that they agreed to come to
  look at the piano, I had waited all day and was told they would be at my home
  no later than 7pm. After a half hour passed of the deadline, I called their
  office and was told that they had a car issue and wouldn’t be coming. This was
  but another excuse. Given the numerous times the company has cancelled on me,
  and without warning, I thought it was a fair negotiation for them to compensate
  for the damage by paying the moving fee, but they refused. The staff at Expert
  Piano Movers has been consistently rude, yelled at me, and has even hung up on me
  numerous times.
  

  Overall complaint: This company has been inconsistent
  and unprofessional since I first received my piano in May 2024. I have photos that
  show no damage before the shipment. I have a written testimonial that states
  the piano was without of damage
  from before the shipment. There was no notification (verbal or written) that
  when the piano was signed for that
  I would be accepting it as is and
  unable to contest damage. I have a witness to this. The company has cancelled
  every single appointment I’ve made with them to fix the damage since July and
  I’ve also given them the chance to reimburse for shipping costs, but they have
  been uncooperative at every opportunity. 
   
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ***** ******
  

   

  
  

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

  Business Response

  Date: 11/01/2024

  Please see the attached response and documents from business.

  Responds to BBB,
  Attached is the proof of the damage of the piano at the time of the pickup of the piano on May 18, 2024, the delivery was on May 29, 2024 as noted on the Agreement for Services, not as alleged by the recipient. Upon pick up of the piano the customer, ******* ******, commented that the extensive damage could be repaired with a permanent marker.  We ignored his suggestion, as this is not our protocol for repair or our responsibility.  The credit card was processed on June 3, 2024, when the movers returned from the trip, not as he stated in his remarks, another misrepresentation. We attempted to appease him every time he called, and we were not rude or dismissive as he claims, We have only one person that mans the phone at all times.  He had ample opportunity to bring the attention to the damage when the movers were present, and he waited several weeks to call and allege damage.  The movers set up the piano and always go over the condition report at the time of delivery and nothing was mentioned at that time.  ******* ****** was aware of the damage and mentioned it to the movers and signed the report at the pickup but is misrepresenting it to his son, ***** ******. We are very sorry for this unfortunate event, as we have moved thousands of pianos over the last 24 years, without incident.  It appears, this is an attempt to get a free or cut-rate move.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/03/2024

  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  ****** ****** says
  that there was “only little tiny scratches that were not noticeable at the time
  of pickup” and that it is a lie that the piano had “extensive damage” as the company
  states. He said that it had “a few minor scratches that could be repaired with
  a marker and it was in great shape”. ****** says that only 1 circle was on the
  damage report at the time of signature and that it was altered after the fact.
  ****** has been an expert piano repair/tuner for 50+ years and has worked extensively
  on pianos, including many celebrity pianos like Stevie Wonder. He has worked in reputable piano studios and independently, therefore he has extensive knowledge of the condition of pianos. He has a solid
  track record of trustworthiness and experience in New Mexico and California and
  has no reason to lie about the condition of the piano.   

  My wife has a bank
  statement that we were charged on 7/16/2024 for $826.80 (not on June 3rd,
  2024 as the company claims). As soon as the charge hit the account, we called
  the office and they said there had been a delay due to a problem with their
  system. This is a lie that they charged us right after the job was done. See
  attached screenshot as proof.
  

  As mentioned
  previously, I brought up the damage immediately after being charged. I was
  charged nearly 2 months after the delivery on July 16th. 

  Additionally, I was
  never provided a copy of the “Agreement of Service”, was never told that any
  claim would be waived, and the signature on this form does not match mine. I
  was only ever provided the invoice, which I attached. I believe that this form has
  also been altered.  
  

  This is 100% a case of
  a company not taking responsibility for damaging property, which is why they
  have repeatedly cancelled their plans to come out and assess/fix the damage. I have no reason to lie about damage to the piano and neither does ******. All I ever wanted was the piano delivered in the same great condition is was when it was sent to me. This company has also been deceitful with falsifying documents to try to prove their case. Additionally, the company has offered no solutions to the issue, whereas I asked for them to repair it and/or refund me for the cost of the move, both of which they refused. If they truly care about their customers and business, they would try to rectify the situation rather than dodging me at every opportunity. 

  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ***** ******
  

   

  
  

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]