the return

So last night the viola finally snapped. Well, the one string did. I promised my daughter we would go to Music & Arts the following morning and get it fixed, but we would also have a look at an adult sized viola to possibly buy. I have mixed experiences with Music & Arts. It is mostly negative, I will admit, so to be rid of this mediocre instrument that she's been using and find her something better, that would not be a tall order at all.

We popped in at the store in Conshohocken where the instrument came from and the few selections that they had were disappointing. We picked what we thought was the best one and had it priced but it was going to cost us around $1,200 even with the equity on the rental applied so we decided to just have the original rental we brought with us fixed. I thought that with the LDW that we pay for (I think that means liability and damage waiver?), a string change would be included. How wrong I was. They still charged us for the string and I left there most unsatisfied. 

My husband asked me why I seemed upset as we crossed the street to get lunch. I said that I was just really frustrated because I absolutely hate the instrument that we have and our daughter deserved better. With the winter concert just around the corner, we needed that new instrument today. 

I did enjoy my lunch. We got sushi, ramen and tempura. Thankfully, lunch went well. When I got back to the car, I thought, with the few minutes we had before we needed to pick up the student from the train station, we could check out another Music & Arts. I was reluctant to go to the store that was actually closest to our home because I also had an unpleasant experience there. That was the main reason we ended all the way out in Conshohocken in the first place. But, I looked for the location on Lancaster Ave and decided to call them anyway. A pleasant sounding lady picked up the phone and I told her my problem and what I needed. Miraculously, she found a 16" viola in their backroom where they keep the rental instruments. For some strange reason, she said, this one looks completely unused. I said I would be there shortly. 

This is the part that felt absolutely like there was another hand at work to help us out. When I put the phone down and hit the directions button to head to the store, I realized that I had called the Ardmore location and not the one in Wayne that I had been looking for. Apparently, there were 2 Music & Arts locations on that street and I had never been to this one in Ardmore. After a brief moment of being unable to find the store because of construction in the shopping complex they were at, we arrived. She had the instrument ready for us and when she took it out of the case, I could literally hear the angels singing. To see a pristine-looking instrument in the rental bins, that in itself is a rarity. This one wasn't a Strobel, like all the rentals we had in the past. And it really did look like nobody had ever played it. We applied rosin on the bow, tuned the instrument and with a borrowed shoulder rest, my daughter started to play. The look on her face? I knew that look. I was familiar with that feeling, knowing you had found the instrument that would be coming home with you. I just had that experience when I bought my Epiphone guitar. 

The lady who assisted us was supremely helpful. She asked her manager the most cost-effective way for us to pay for the instrument. In the end, they did a swap out for our current 15" rental and then a buy out of the new instrument, applying our equity to the sale price of the instrument. I don't think that the other store would have allowed us to do this but I can't tell you how much I appreciated the hook up. Let's just say that for less than $300, we were able to take the beauty home and it came with a case and a bow, even some sweet new rosin. Such a different experience from the other place that was charging us $1,200 and that was instrument only. I was also told that had I come in for a mere string change, they would not have charged me for the string in Ardmore. It made me upset about the other store but I was able to let all of that just slide because of my happiness to finally be rid of the rental contract, return the 15" and get an instrument that my daughter likes for a lot less money than I was thinking we might spend. Best of all, I'm so happy that I never have to call Music & Arts for another rental ever again. 

We rushed down to the train station after this and ended our day reunited with the student. My girls are home. All is well.

Playlist Recommendation: Somewhere Only We Know, Keane