Rentals FAQ
Regarding general rental instrument information:
We can switch out your rental instrument to another size at any time and at no cost! We inspect the current instrument to ensure good condition and minimal damage before returning and issuing a different size instrument. Your contract plan stays the same. We recommend calling ahead when looking to change your instrument size to confirm availability.
Once your rental payments, not including tax or insurance, equals the value of the instrument, you can opt to purchase it entirely with rental credit. Since it might take some time to reach this point, at any time you have the option to “buy out” or pay the remaining balance to officially own your rental outfit (instrument, bow, and case). Up to 21 months of rental payments (not including tax or insurance) can be applied towards purchasing a higher quality sales-only instrument at our shop. This rental credit expires 60 days after the rental instrument has been returned.
We honor other shops’ rental credit so you can use it towards the purchase of one of our instruments. Please provide us with a receipt of your rental credit (can be received through an email request to the other shop).
No! As long as you provide us with a receipt of your rental credit, we’ll merge your existing rental credit with the credit you earn through renting at our shop that can be used towards a future purchase with us.
We have two options regarding rental contract lengths. You can pay the first 3 months upfront and then be charged automatically on your credit card on file once a month thereafter. Otherwise, you can pay the first 10 months upfront and receive 2 additional months of rent for free to equal a full calendar year which will then go to a month-to-month rental charge after the first 12 months. The 10 month plan also covers 6 months of insurance when you choose to cover the other 6 months upfront. We recommend the year long plan for children who are playing in school orchestras throughout the school year, the additional 2 free months allow the child to practice over the summer as well.
If there is a problem with your rental instrument, bring it into the shop to get looked at. Even if you are unsure, it is a good idea to bring it in! While changing strings is okay, all repair and maintenance work on our instruments must be done within our shop.
If your child is planning on playing their instrument for the next year of school, we do not recommend ending your rental contract. Any built up rental credit will expire 60 days after a contract is terminated. Our year long plan covers a whole calendar year with the additional 2 free months, not just a school year and will automatically bill you every month once expired. Pay attention to the date in which you started your contract to know the exact date in which your year long plan covers until. If you are unsure, you are welcome to visit the shop or give us a call to ask for the date or to renew your contract for another year if you wish to do so.
You may return your rental instrument at any time, regardless of the length of the contract. However, we cannot refund the initial payment being either the 3 months or 10 months payment depending on the plan you chose. Once we receive the instrument, we will cancel billing going forward. You are always welcome to call at any time to check the day of the month in which you are being billed for planning purposes.
No appointments are necessary, we are available at any time during our business hours to assist you with anything related to rentals. Please keep in mind we help customers in order of arrival at our shop. We are able to reserve a rental instrument for you in the case that you provide your information and payment through the phone to process a rental contract. When you come to pick up your rental instrument, you would then sign your contract but you would be billed according to the date in which you reserved the instrument and not the day in which you receive your instrument.
Unfortunately we are not able to refund any rental payments that are charged due to returning a rental instrument past its due date. Make sure to return your instrument before its due date if you do not wish to renew your payment.
Regarding our insurance policies:
The insurance covers any repair or service work that is below the insurance deductible amount for your particular instrument. The insurance deductible is the amount of money we would charge in the case of major damage that would cost us more than the value of the deductible to repair. For violins, it is $150, $200 for violas, and $550 for Cellos. This would apply in the case of a major top crack for example. In the case of any damage valuing at higher than the respective deductible amount, then you are only responsible for paying the deductible. The insurance deductible is meant to protect you for being liable for 100% of the value of the instrument in these rare cases. If another instance of major damage occurs after a deductible has previously been charged as a result of poor instrument care, we reserve the right to change the coverage of the insurance to instead the renter being responsible for 40% of the cost of any repairs and us covering the remaining 60%.
Insurance does not apply in the event that the instrument is stolen or lost. Basic upkeep and maintenance such as replacing strings and rehairing the bow are the renter’s responsibility. This is routine and every player will need to change their strings and bow hair every so often regardless of how well the instrument is cared for. We offer an exclusive 15% off discount to rehair bows belonging to rental customers and 10% off of strings with free installation onto your rental instrument.
While optional, insurance is always recommended for instruments because they are very fragile and kids who are new to playing in particular are more prone to damage their instrument in some way. The insurance would remove the burden of being 100% liable for any damage or repairs it would need. Choosing not to add insurance would make the renter fully responsible for the entirety of the value of the instrument.