Klarinet Archive - Posting 000150.txt from 2004/06
From: Andy Raibeck <klari_1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Clarinet issues - A or Bb??
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 08:46:29 -0400
Hi Umar,
From your description, I would say that the condition of your instrument is
"less than new". However, if you go to the Music123 help pages, you will see
the following from their FAQ:
"I cannot believe your low prices! Are these for new items?"
"Yes, we are an authorized dealer for all the brands we sell. Music123 only
sells new merchandise in factory sealed boxes. ..."
Although the instrument may have been in a factory sealed box at the time they
received it, I would guess that your instrument has been tried and returned
multiple times by other customers. The above statement is "misleading", to put
it politely. :-)
Music123 seems to be a different front for the Woodwind & Brasswind store. See
http://www.wwbw.com and you will find the web pages are not *exactly* the same,
but they are sufficiently similar that it can not just be coincidence. If you
go to wwbw.com and look at their FAQ, you will find the same FAQ statement as
above, except it refers to "Woodwind and Brasswind" instead of "Music123"
Your experience is similar to one I had a couple of years ago when I tried
several clarinets from WW&BW. I was very dissatisfied with the condition in
which I received the instruments. For example, one of the Selmer clarinets I
tried came with a barrel that clearly was not the one originally shipped with
the instrument from the factory, and the case was severely scuffed, as if it
had gone through an airport baggage handling system several times. I also tried
a Patricola that was so badly out of adjustment, it was unplayable; and the
inside lining of the case was stained. They were certainly not what I would
call "new". I ended up sending everything back, and because of actual condition
of the insturments versus the advertised condition, I was able to get them to
refund all of my shipping costs.
I would recommend that you contact Music123's customer service (their "Help"
web page has a link) and ask them your question about the kind of clarinet you
received. You should also ask them for the year of manufacture. They *should*
be able to tell you exactly what kind of clarinet they shipped you; and if is
an "A" when it should have been a "Bb", they should let you return this
instrument and send you a new one, at no additional cost to you.
With all of that said, it is certainly possible that even if the condition of
the instrument is not "new", it may be a very find instrument worth keeping.
Still, Music123 should do something to make this up to you: send you a *brand
new* case, sell you the instrument at an "outlet" or "used" price, etc. I would
point out to them their own FAQ claim runs counter to the actual condition of
your instrument. I understand that the instruments they send out may have been
tried and returned by other customers, but I would think that after so many
"try and return" cycles, there comes a time when the instrument is no longer
"new".
Best wishes,
Andy
http://messenger.yahoo.com/
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