A Friend For Life
Dear Clarinet Friend,
I (semi) jokingly tell my customers that the job you are paying for me to do for you, is to help you find or refine your musical voice to sound and play your very best. Of course, what you will leave with is a clarinet in a case to accomplish that shared goal.
My point in telling you this, is that while I absolutely allow my instruments to go out on trial, you should be coming to use my service because no one will help you better, or work harder, to help you identify and find for you exactly what you need to sound and play your best. I am known for going the extra mile for my customers (to the best of my ability)- regardless of if that means flying to Buffet to meet the needs of one specific customer or doing special set up work to meet specific criteria you have and need done to reach a decision. I am told by others that there is no one out there as devoted to serving musicians as I, and I have to say that I feel it’s true. If you become my customer, you will have a friend in me for life- someone devoted to helping you achieve your musical goals like no other. And as a result of my work ethic and level of commitment to my customers, I am picky about the loyalty my customers return.
In general, I think loyalty is important in professional relationship. Not just because you get the best out of someone (hopefully) for being loyal, but mostly because, over time, of the growth of the friendship and trust that loyalty brings.
So, if you are new to this idea, and would prefer to shop around and try instruments from a variety of shops, I wish you well on your journey. I simply ask that you do that before you come to mine. All I ask of new and returning customers is to be willing to be loyal to me until I prove I am unable to serve you. If you are willing to work with me, even if you don’t know all the answers or you think you do, together we will find exactly what feels right for you and makes you sound and play your absolute best.
Your friend for life,
Our Trial Policy
I know how important it is to you to find the perfect instrument to meet your playing needs. If by chance you are not sure if you love what I have sent, I will be happy to look for more for you to try. All you need to do is ask me. And if your worried about the shipping, because I usually get it right on the first try, if you need to try more for some reason, the shipping to you will be on me.
I take a great amount of pride in my selection process and have done this for many fine players like yourself for over 30 years now. I trust you will be satisfied with my selection.
Completing your purchase
REMEMBER: Don’t use the swabs in the cases! They cost $10.00 each to replace and we don’t want to have to bill you for those you return that are used.
If you purchase an instrument there is no trial fee. If you select a more expensive instrument then what you were originally charged for, the balance will be charged at the end.
Return Shipping
Note: you are responsible for shipping both ways. I offer return labels at my standard shipping rate, which most tell me is considerably less than what they have been quoted when they go to UPS or Fed Ex to return instrument. Feel free to email me and ask me for one and I can bill your account for it. All return labels are fully insured and sent through email and can be printed out.
Time line for Instrument Trials
Your approval is for 14 days from the date of your invoice. I ask that you only have the instrument(s) postmarked back to me within that time period. If you need an extension please call and ask for one. You are responsible for the instruments while they are in your possession. When returning those you do not wish to keep be sure to insure them. I am flexible if you need a little more time but only if you call me prior to the end of your first 2 week trial. It is very difficult to maintain the quality level of instruments I have, while managing to send more instruments, than someone will be purchasing, out to try. I am always in a position where someone else has 2 or more of a specific type of instrument I need for someone else who is waiting to try. I very much appreciate your timely return and respect for how difficult it is to maintain inventory that is this expensive while meeting all of the very particular needs of the my customers I am here to serve.
Trial Fees You Will Incur If You Do Not Make a Purchase
If you do not purchase an instrument you will be charged a $10.00 trial fee per instrument plus the original shipping and insurance charges. You will also incur a 3% set up fee based on the price of 1 of every 2 instruments you try. So as an example if you try 2 R13 Bb for $4000 each, we will expect 3% of $4000 to be paid if you purchase nothing from us. If you also try 2 A’s at $5000 each you would incur $150.00 more. However, if you make a purchase no set up fee will be charged or $10.00 trial fees. The only thing you are responsible for is shipping both ways plus the cost of the instrument you are buying.
These fees do not anywhere reflect the amount we actually spend. We spend between $150-$200 per instrument (or $300-$400 to set up 2 clarinets) doing our basic set up work. So if you elect to not make a purchase, paying $120.00 towards our costs is more than reasonable.
So why do we spend this money in the first place?
We spend this money in order to make it easy for you to make a buying decision that would not be possible if we did not do this work. While no one likes paying fees, I make no exceptions in charging these fees whatsoever. The work I do is expensive and a risk to me that I will absorb these costs if for any reason you change your mind. Other dealers charge for set up work routinely, where we do not. As such, if you don’t make a purchase you will be paying for a portion of it as described above.
Instruments returned between 15 and 30 days will be charged a flat charge of a 20% restock fee. Instruments returned after the 3oth day are not returnable whatsoever and will be returned to you with additional postage charged to you.
If you choose to not purchase an instrument from Lisa’s Clarinet shop, your money will be refunded (less the fees listed below, within 5 business days of the receipt of the instrument(s) return, either through electronic transfer back to your credit card or by check. Due to the slow delivery of US mail these days, if you paid in cash or by check, while the check will be mailed within 5 business days it is likely to not arrive for 10-12 business days.
