Klarinet Archive - Posting 000545.txt from 1998/09

From: ROBERT ABRAHAM <rkabear@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Crack warranty
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 05:42:02 -0400

Whether you think the crack/damage repair warranty, think of this. The warranty is not for repair. If your clarinet cracks in the first year (or two, if you purchase the two year)

F. Weiner *REPLACES THE WHOLE CLARINET.*

They do not repair the crack, nor do they give you a new part, which will not match the rest of the serial numbers. I think that that is worth the money. What if you drop your clarinet, and the tenon breaks off?

F. Weiner *REPLACES THE WHOLE CLARINET.*

No questions asked. No paperwork. Just a copy of the receipt, and a new one is shipped to you.

The reason I find this well worth the money is this:

A credit card might double your manufacturer warranty, but will they replace it, or just repair it? And if it needs replacing, how many times does the manufacturer repair it before the cracked joint is replaced? Could take months of not being able to use the horn.

Also, will the manufacturer replace THE WHOLE CLARINET? I think not. One of the things that we do as clarinettists (quite constantly, if you look at the archives for Klarinet) is catalog our clarinet's year, and evaluate it's worth. A mismatched serial number is a reduction in resale value.

One year of this warranty is $99 and two years (whick probably *IS* excessive) is $179. If you paid $2000 after tax for your horn, $99 is LESS THAN 5% for a warranty of this calibre. Or better yet, if you buy an Opus or a Prestige at $3500 - $3700 *after tax* then the $99 becomes less than 3% of the cost for the warranty.

This warranty would not be worth the money for just repairing a cracked joint, the value would be reduced anyway, and a crack can be fixed for maybe say $200, if it happened. The worth comes from having an unpinned, unbanded, serial number matching clarinet at the end of the warranty.

I would *NEVER* buy a used clarinet that had mismatched serial numbers. You don't know if the clarinet is stolen parts, or what kind of pitch problems can come from mismatched bores.

Again...sorry for long-windedness. I just think that this warranty is being brushed off mainly because the warranty is not understood (i.e. replacement instead of repair or partial replacement).

Anyone with thoughts on whether they would be willing to buy a clarinet with different serial numbers? And to the ones that say yes they would buy one...*have* you ever purchased a used horn with mismatched serial numbers.

Also, how many people would pay full resale value for a pinned clarinet. *I* would be willing to buy a good used pinned clarinet, but would *not* pay the resale value for it, because, why would I not want an unpinned horn for the same price?

The dollars add up 3, 5, 10 years down the line, if you can't even make up the original cost of the horn in 5 years (when the resale value should be 30%-40% *more* than what you originally paid for the horn.)

Kelly Abraham
Woodwinds/Computer Geek
New York City
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