The Instrument
Our hire stock includes instruments of various makes and models. As all trained musicians know, used instruments are very much as good as new ones so long as they have good maintenance. All our Hire instruments are serviced and maintained by us in readiness for rental to ensure they play perfectly.
Getting Started is Easy
- Hiring locally, FREE delivery - To hire an instrument for FREE delivery within Hertfordshire & surrounding areas complete the online hire form or telephone us on 01727 846055. We will then arrange a suitable time to deliver the instrument. We need to see the following documents from you when the instrument is delivered - (1) your driving licence or passport, (2) a recent utility bill, (3) a payment card (credit card or debit card - not Amex), (4) bank details (eg. cheque book/debit card).
- Hiring locally - Reserve & Collect - To hire an instrument to collect from us please complete the online hire form or telephone us on 01727 856055. We will telephone you when the instrument is ready for collection from the Fleetville Community Centre, Royal Road, St Albans, AL1 4LQ (Saturday mornings 9:30 - 12:30) We need to see the following documents from you when the instrument is dcollected - (1) your driving licence or passport, (2) a recent utility bill, (3) a payment card (credit card or debit card - not Amex), (4) bank details (eg. cheque book/debit card).
- Hiring for national delivery - to arrange to hire an instrument for national delivery please complete the online hire form. We will telephone you for further details and email you for you to confirm the details are correct. Delivery will be arranged at a time to suit you Tuesday - Friday by courier. Delivery costs vary from instrument to instrument based on size, weight, value etc.
What Happens Next?
You receive the instrument and hire starts.
Hire for as long as you like
There is a minimum of 3 months hire, but you can continue hiring for as long as you like as long as payments are up to date.
Hire Payments
- The Initial Payment - This covers 3 months hire, plus any postage and/or accessory pack if required.
(If I return the instrument before the end of the first 3 months do I get a refund? No - because the first 3 months hire charge pays for the administration of the hire account, payment handling, stock control, and inspection and testing of the instrument when it is returned to us.)
- Bank Standing Order Payments - In order to be able to hire you need to supply us with a valid bank standing order which starts after 3 months.
(I'm worried I'll pay too much by accident. - Don't worry - when you return the instrument you cancel the standing order with your bank, and if your bank accidentally pays us too much, or continues to pay us after you have returned the instrument, we refund you any relevant over-payment.)
(Do I have to pay by bank standing order? Yes because this is how we keep the cost of hire as cheap as possible - other forms of payment take up staff time and would add to the cost.)
- Card Payment Authorisation - On the hire form you give us authorisation to take the initial payment. After this your card would never normally be charged - it would only happen if you owe us money and we have been unable to obtain payment in the normal way. You need to keep your card details up-to-date with us.
Care of the Instrument
All good instrument teachers give training in the correct handling of the instrument to avoid damage. You should also be careful not to leave the instrument in very hot or cold places (e.g. near a radiator or heater, in a vehicle in cold weather, or in a vehicle in hot sunny weather). Instrument Care information is available on each hire page.
- Free maintenance - General maintenance of the hire instrument against normal wear and tear is FREE whilst you are hiring (although costs of repairing damage need to be paid for by you). The various consumables of an instrument (eg. reeds, strings, cleaners, cork grease etc.) are NOT covered by this free maintenance. This means that we will keep the instrument in good playing order for you but various accessories may need replacing at your expense from time to time.
If you live far away you can send the instrument to us for maintenance, but please be aware the cost of sending it is paid by you. When we receive it we will determine whether the work needed is caused by wear and tear or by damage, and we will only charge you if it is damage. Alternatively to save on postage for small repairs you can get the instrument repaired by your local repairer, who must be a professional repairer, at your own cost.
- Damage - Through inexperience many learners will at some time cause damage to their instrument, very often without even noticing how it has occurred. Damage is quite different from general wear and tear and the cost of repair is not easy to predict until the repair is completed. To support for our customers we always attempt to repair damage free of charge if the job is not too large, but where significant cost is incurred we have to charge you the cost of repair.
- Loss - If you lose the instrument, you would need to pay us the Instrument Value mentioned on the hire form.
Insurance - We recommend hire customers insure the hire instrument. This is not included in the hire price because it would be unfair to charge every customer the same amount. Different people use their instruments in various environments (with some people it stays at home, others may leave it at school, or play it outdoors etc.) and some people have adequate home contents insurance cover. Some people even prefer not to pay for insurance but will take on the cost themselves if something goes wrong. In all cases we leave the decision up to you, but we do strongly recommend that you have some sort of insurance against loss or major damage. For specialist musical instrument insurance we recommend Allianz Musical Instrument Insurance.
Returning the Instrument
When you no longer need the instrument simply return it to us.
- Telephone us for FREE collection - If you live in Hertfordshire or surround aread, telephone us on 01727 846055 to arrange for FREE collection.
- Bring it to us on Saturday mornings - If you live near-by just drop it in to us at the Fleetville Community Centre, Royal Road, St Albans AL1 4LQ (9:30 - 12:30)
- Posting it to us - If you are sending the instrument to us make sure it is packaged well to avoid damage, and make sure you pay the courier or postal service the small extra fee to insure it against damage or loss. Instruments must be posted to our registered office - Britannia Music Shop ltd. Office 156, 17 Holywell Hill, St Albans, AL1 1DT
The Final Check-over
Before we sign-off the hire agreement as ended, we give the instrument to our technicians to inspect and if all is well the hire agreement ends. If our technicians find any significant damage (although this is rare) we will let you know and you will be charged for repair at cost price.
Cancelling Your Standing Order
After you have returned the instrument when you no longer need it, please remember to cancel your Bank Standing Order (we can't do this for you as only you have control of your bank account). You can usually do this by phoning you bank.
Can I buy the instrument I am hiring?
This is not a hire-purchase scheme and the hire payments pay only for hiring the instrument.
Who can hire?
To hire an instrument you must be a UK citizen, at least 21 years old, employed, with a valid credit or debit card and a permanent UK address. Individuals can hire instruments from us, but organisations cannot (eg. schools, colleges, companies, charities).
Information about Instrument Hire
Britannia Music Shop, St Albans
Our hire scheme has been designed very carefully to ensure we keep the price of hiring as low as possible. We do this by adhering to a code of practice which avoids unnecessary losses. In this way we can ensure the hire scheme has a healthy future and is able to offer a cheap way to start playing for many generations to come.