FACE THE MUSIC
‘Completely ghosted me,’ cries woman hit with surprise $1k bill from mover – it held item ‘hostage’ but demanded she pay
The company eventually apologized to the customer
A WOMAN has shared her frustration over receiving a $1,000 bill after she was ghosted by a moving company.
When she requested to retrieve her property in 2020, Kana Takahashi said the company didn't answer her and then held her piano hostage for years.
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It took Takahashi four years to finally get her $15,000 Yamaha Baby Grand piano back.
She inherited the piano, a family heirloom, from her late father, who died unexpectedly.
At the time of his death, she didn't have a place to store the piano, so she sought help from Quality Piano Movers in San Francisco.
She asked them to store her item while she found a place to live that would fit the antique.
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Takahashi said the piano moving company originally said she would pay $50 a month; however, they billed her a one-time fee of $250, which she paid in full.
When she asked to retrieve her piano in 2020, Khanna said the company "completely ghosted" her.
It wasn't until she contacted NBC affiliate KNTV to investigate the situation that she received her piano back.
"They never got back to me with anything," she told the outlet.
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Quality Piano Movers didn't respond to Kana until 2023, when they billed her $1,000 for holding the heirloom.
She responded with an e-mail, saying, "I was ready to take my piano back since 2020.
"I will not pay for the last 3 years that you've held my piano as collateral."
Once KNTV got involved, the company waived Kana's fee and returned the piano to its rightful owner.
OWNER RESPONDS
Following Takahashi's reunion with her family's piano, one of the owners of the company told KNTV, "All I would like to say is that I do take responsibility for what has happened.
"During that time I was dealing with work and other problems."
Additionally, when the outlet looked up their Quality Piano Movers' state license, they discovered their license had been revoked.
The Bureau of Household Goods and Services revoked the license in March of 2021 due to their "failure to file their quarterly report and fees," KNTV reported.
As of 2024, the company apparently continues to take on jobs.
In addition to storing pianos, its website says the company provides room-to-room moves, after-hour deliveries, and same-day services.
According to Yelp, customers have listed reviews as recently as February 2024.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Quality Piano Movers for comment.
Despite the many years it took for Takahashi to retrieve her piano, the San Fransisco resident says she "can't imagine a happier ending."
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However, she is still eager to know what happened in that time of radio silence.
"What happened? And are other customers in the same bind?" she asked.