As with any company  that you are considering doing business with you will need to research their reputation before giving the piano moving company serious consideration. The obvious and often overlooked method for doing this is by calling the references that they provide. Many people think that if someone provides names as references then those people will offer glowing recommendations. This could not be farther from the truth. In reality references will often open your eyes to problem areas or additional considerations that you may not have thought of.

One question you should always ask of the references is whether the actually had a piano moved. This is especially the case if you are contracting with a general moving company as opposed to a company that exclusively moves pianos.

Another method of checking out a piano movers reputation is to call the local Better Business Bureau or check the BBB online. If there were ever any complaints filed you will be able to see these here.

Word of mouth is another tried and true method. Word gets around, and it is nice to choose somebody that comes highly recommended.

If you have any experiences moving your keyboard that you would like to share – I would love to hear them!

Here the answer is a resounding and emphatic – NO! You should absolutely hire piano movers for the job.

Trying to move your own piano can result in injury to yourself and your instrument. This attempt to save time and money can easily backfire. Both your and your piano’s medical bills will be more than the cost of the piano movers! All joking aside, this is one area where hiring a professional crew is imperative.

Why? Primarily because of the size, shape, and weight of the piano. These unwieldy instruments can easily top a thousand pounds. Add to that their awkward shape and you have a recipe for an accident waiting to happen. Plus, the weight of a piano is not balanced – with the keyboard side being lighter than the rest.

Piano movers make the job look easy, when in reality they have the right tools, skills, and experience to pull the move off without a hitch.

My advice? Leave this job to the piano movers and cut corners on another, more easily handled, aspect of your move.

Obviously there will be a large variation in the amount that piano movers will charge. The smartest thing to do is to get several quotes and size them up based on each other. The charge will depend on the reputation, reliability, and experience of the company involved.

Here are some guidelines as to how piano movers determine their charges. Some piano movers will charge an hourly rate – this is consistent with the way standard furniture movers determine their charges. Other piano movers will charge a flat fee.

This price is calculated by looking at many items that will influence the difficulty of the move. First, they will look at the brand and style of the instrument itself.

Then the piano movers will examine the trip and how far the piano is going. The conditions at the origination and destination will also contribute to the difficulty of the move. Are there a lot of stairs and tight corners? That type of thing.

Based on the perceived difficulty, piano movers will need to decide how many people they will need on the crew. Obviously, the more people the greater the cost.

Finally, the time of year or the timeframe in general will have an impact on the overall cost as well. Busier times and tighter schedules will carry a higher charge.

If you are moving a piano, it is important to consider all your options. Remember that while dedicated piano movers may charge more, correcting damage to your instrument caused by inexperienced and inexpensive movers may cost you more in the long run.

A piano is a very large instrument. It may be obvious, but you need to make sure that the piano will fit into your new location. Measure all doors and hallways on the path to your final destination. Make sure that there are no obstacles in the way so the piano movers will have a clear shot from the truck to the spot you have selected.

When the piano movers arrive to pick up the piano, make sure they wrap the unit extremely well with padded blankets. Scratches and dings are unacceptable and refinishing a piano can add up to a hefty bill. Also, make sure that the moving company has adequate insurance.

I have heard of this practice, but thankfully, have never experienced such a thing. “Keyboarding”. Apparently, some piano movers will try to remove the keyboard from a piano to make it fit through tight spaces. This practice could damage the instrument and should be avoided. Discuss this with your piano movers before the move and make sure that they do not try this with your instrument.

First, are the movers taht you are considering furniture movers or piano movers? A company that is dedicated to moving pianos only will be more experienced with moving these large instruments, and thus, probably a better choice. If the company moves other furniture as well, inquire as to how many piano they have moved, and whether they have a particular person on staff that handles all the moving of pianos, ie: a specialist.

Second, analyze the crew. Does the moving company hire part time workers, high school and college kids with little or no piano moving experience? Or are the employees seasoned long term employees who have been doing this for years? I don’t need to tell you which type of crew is more desirable for the job.

Check out the trucks. A piano movers fleet should be well maintained, climate controlled, with air ride suspension. A bumpy ride can wreak havoc on your delicate instrument. If your move involves storing the piano, check out the warehouses as well. Are the warehouses climate controlled.

Doing some upfront research on your piano movers will help your move go smoothly. Make sure to check references – you can even call the store where you purchased the piano, your instrument tuner, or even a local music school for recommendations. Once you have chosen a few companies, check them out with the Better Business Bureau, and make sure that the piano movers are licensed and insured.

Having recently gone through piano moving fiasco – we want to ascertain that our dismal experience is never repeated.

A piano is often a family’s prize possession and it is important to find piano movers that understand and respect that. A piano is not a standard piece of furniture and should not be treated as such. Whether you are moving your piano down the hall, around the corner, across town, or across the country, you need the peace of mind to know that your instrument is in good hands.

We hope the information that you find at Piano Movers will help make your move a bit easier.