| What is Rental Credit? |
Rental Credit is a courtesy rewards program we offer our rental customers. Every rental contract will accrue rental credit at a variable rate depending on how long the rental has been in effect. In the 1st year, 100% of the base rent goes towards purchase, in the second continuous year of renting, 80% of the base rent goes towards purchase; in the third year, and beyond, 60% of the base rent goes towards purchase.
The required maintenance fees and tax are NOT accrued as part of Rental Credit.
Rental Credit is NOT cash back. It CANNOT be used for small items, books, accessories, repair charges, deductible payments, rent payments, or back rent.
Rental Credit CAN be used to make a purchase of an instrument, instrument outfit, or instrument/bow combination at the time the rental contract is closed down.
Rental Credit can only be used if the rental customer is in good standing with Jan Hampton Violins and has no late or outstanding rental payments due.
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| Can I combine my rental credit from two or more rentals to make a single purchase? |
Unfortunately, no. Rental Credit accrued on multiple rental contracts cannot be combined.
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| Can I save my rental credit for use at a later date? |
No. Rental credit is to be used at the time the rental contract is closed down and the customer is ready to make a purchase. Any unused rental credit will be lost.
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| Is there a minimum length of time I can rent? |
Our rental contracts are, by default, billed quarterly (every three months). The first payment (made the day you signup and take your instrument home) is the only non-refundable period. After the first three months, you are welcome to return the instrument anytime. We ask that you write down your rental payment dates and keep an eye on your email reminders. It is best that you return the instrument before the next quarterly payment so as to maximize your time. We do not prorate rentals - the return date is any day BEFORE the next quarterly rental date.
Please let us know if you need to rent month-by-month when you book your appointment.
If you need an instrument for a gig or a shorter time period - we will charge a minimum of 1-month rent. You will have the full month-long period to use the instrument and return.
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| Do you prorate rental payments for unused time? |
No. Every rental payment (monthly or quarterly) is final - you have until the next auto pay date to return your instrument.
As always, it is best to stay in clear communication with us and to plan ahead. If you know you will no longer need the rental - call us at 804-231-7463 as soon as possible to let us know when you would like to return the instrument. That gives us a way to help you by pausing auto payments and getting paperwork ready to be updated etc.
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| Can I use my rental credit to pay repair charges? |
Unfortunately, no.
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| Can I use my rental credit to pay for back rent? |
Unfortunately, no.
You must be current with your rental to be eligible to use rental credit.
Delinquent accounts (any account that has missed payments for two or more quarterly payment cycles = 6+ months) will lose all rental credit.
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| I want to return my instrument because my child is going on summer break and will not need it. Will I be able to start up again in the fall and still have my rental credit from before? |
Unfortunately, no. Rental Credit is lost if unused at the time you end your rental.
Besides, we highly recommend the student continue to practice during the summer! Summer is a great time to spend with your instrument, getting ahead of next year's music, and making big strides towards leveling up in your playing!
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| Should I rent or purchase an instrument for my child? |
We recommend starting any new endeavor with a rental - this gives the player time to decide if they like the instrument, or even which instrument they might want to play. We discourage purchasing fractional size instruments because every student will continue to grow and will eventually need a larger size instrument. There is no charge to size up your rental instrument with us.
Once a student has played for a few years, has decided they want to continue and have either maxed out the capabilities of their current instrument, or have decided they really love a full size instrument - that would be the time to consider making a purchase.
Purchasing a rental with long-accrued rental credit can also be beneficial even if the player is no longer going to be using an instrument - you can always sell your instrument on the open market and recoup some of the cost you put into it.
We do not buy back instruments.
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| Are your rentals good quality instruments or are you renting cheap, badly made instruments? |
We pride ourselves in offering the best rental fleet in the region. Every instrument is hand-picked and maintained in top condition by our on-site staff and luthier. All of our instruments are made of solid wood construction (NOT the laminated stuff you get on Amazon!).
Our prices also reflect this - our cheapest instruments fall in the $500-$600 range. We do not carry or deal with ultra-cheap instruments.
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| What do your student level instruments typically cost? |
Our student level (rental level) instruments fall in the following price ranges (pending availability):
Violins: $600 - $1,100
Violas: $700 - $1,100
Cellos: $1,800 - $2,100
Basses: $1,900 - $3,200
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| How often should I change my strings? |
Once a year is a good starting point. If the student is playing frequently, strings might need to be changed sooner. If a string sounds dull it is probably time to change it. Do not play on broken strings! If a string looks like it is fraying or is rough to the touch - change it immediately. We don't want you to cut your fingers!
To keep strings happy be sure to always wipe your strings down with the cloth we give you - get all rosin residue off, and wipe off all sweat from both the strings and the fingerboard.
Wipe rosin residue off the body of the instrument with the microfiber cloth we provide.
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| Do you offer instrument / renter insurance? |
We offer a maintenance protection plan (required with every rental) that covers all normal wear and tear including bow rehairing and broken bridges and open seams on the rental instrument. There is also a deductible provision (the cost to replace an instrument in the event of severe damage) that is based on the instrument cost - making the customer not liable for the full purchase price of the instrument. Please review our rental contracts carefully - all of the information on deductibles is listed there.
Strings are not covered under our maintenance plan. If you buy a replacement string from us, we will put it on for free. If you bring a string in to us that you have purchased elsewhere, there will be a $10 fee to install the string.
If you need additional insurance, or want to insure an instrument you have purchased or own, you may want to look into Clarion Associates and Anderson Group Insurance.
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| Is there a maximum amount of time I can rent? |
The maximum term for a rental is 5 years.
Once the final payment has been made - rental credit must be used (or lost) at that time.
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| Do I need to put down a deposit for a rental or a trial instrumnet? |
No deposit is necessary. We typically put your major credit card on file on either the recurring rental auto pay or on the trial purchase contract.
Be advised that this card may be charged if an instrument is not returned in a timely manner. As always, please call us at 804-231-7463 to stay in clear communication with us. We try our best to work with everyone and their unique situation - but we cannot release instruments indefinitely, and if a customer has ceased communication with us they will be liable for the full purchase price of the instrument out on loan.
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| Help! My Instrument is lost or stolen! What do I do? |
First - please call and report the theft or loss to your local law enforcement agency.
If you are reporting your instrument as lost or stolen, please submit a copy of a police or fire report to us as soon as possible. Without a documented record you will be liable for the full purchase price of the instrument (NOT the lesser deductible). This is to prevent fraud and from people "gaming" the deductible provision. We reserve the right to not continue a rental if the customer has repeatedly lost or damaged our property, or who has had more than two late payments.
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| How do I terminate my rental? |
call us at 804-231-7463 to book a time to return your instrument and to let us know that you will be discontinuing the rental (so we can turn off any pending auto payments and pull your physical contract in preparation for the return). Once booked, Just bring the instrument, case and bow in to us, we will quickly look it over for any damage. If everything is clear, that's it! We will close the rental down and you are good to go. If you want to make a purchase, please let us know ahead of time and we will show you purchase options at that time. You can take an instrument home on trial for up to two weeks.
If the rental instrument is damaged at the time you return: we will write up a repair ticket and will charge the amount due for the repairs at that time. If the instrument has severe damage and is subject to the deductible provision - we will charge the full deductible amount at the time of return.
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| Do you ship rentals? |
Please email us at janhamptonviolins@gmail.com to discuss your needs.
We will need information about your location, student size (height and arm length), teacher, school, work contact information.
Shipping will need to be calculated ahead of time and customer is responsible for all shipping costs - to and from.
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| Can I take my rental instrument to my own repair technician or luthier? |
No. Please bring the damaged instrument or bow in to us and we will have our staff evaluate the damage and perform any repairs.
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| What is covered under the rental maintenance and deductible plan? |
Rental Repair Coverages & Fees:
These Are Covered Under Maintenance Fee (No Repair Charge):
- Bow Rehairing
- Broken Bridge
- Pegs
- Loose Fingerboard
- Recut Nut
- Endbutton
- Soundpost Setting
- Open Seams
- Tailpiece
- Endpin
Customers Must Pay Repair Charges For:
- Writing On Case
- Minor Cracks At Edges
- Broken Strings (if you buy the strings from us, we put them on for free - otherwise there is a $10 charge)
- Minor Pegbox Crack
- Small F-Hole Cracks
- Neck Reset - Whole
Customers Must Pay The Deductible* For:
- Break Scrollbox
- Break Neck
- Soundpost Cracks
- Bassbar Cracks
- Severe Cracks
- Damage - Wood Missing
- Willful Defacing Of Instrument
*Deductible Prices are as follows: Violin: $400, Viola: $450, Cello: $850, Bass: $1,200 - this is the amount that will be charged to replace an instrument that has been severely damaged. The deductible, as part of the required rental maintenance protection plan, protects the renter from being liable for the full purchase price of the instrument. Full purchase prices fall within the following ranges - Violin: $600 to $850, Viola: $700 to $950, Cello: $1,850 to $2,100, Bass: $1,950 to $3,200.
Please note - Every new rental goes out with a fresh set of strings. Strings are not covered under maintenance. If you buy a replacement string from us, we will put it on for free, otherwise if you bring in your own string not purchased from our store, we charge $10 to put them on your instrument.
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| Why aren't strings covered under my rental plan? Why do I need to buy replacements when they break? |
Once an instrument goes out of our store we cannot control how the instruments are cared for and used. The strings are the most used element of the instrument and are subject to wear and tear on a daily basis. If they are not cared for, they will deteriorate quickly. We encourage everyone renting from us to carefully read the care and maintenance guide we publish on our website so that they know how best to care for their strings.
We do send every rental out with a fresh set of strings that should last at least a year. Usually you will not need to replace the entire set all at once. Also, if you are sizing up a rental instrument, the next size up will come with a fresh set of strings.
The best analogy we can think of is this: when you rent a car, are you getting free gas? Sometimes you can pay for a full tank ahead of time, but whether you fill it up yourself, or take it back empty and pre-paid, you are still responsible for buying your own gas. Similarly, when you rent a violin - we send the instrument out "filled up" with a new string set. If you don't use your instrument much, your strings will still be fresh. If you practice everyday - driving your violin hundreds of miles - you will eventually need to replace them :)
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