Rental Information
Does Wichita Band Rent Instruments? If so, which ones?
Wichita Band rents entry level woodwind, brass, & percussion instruments through the Band Shop as well as orchestral strings though the Violin Shop. At this time, there are no rentals for guitars, electric basses, or amplifiers. Step-up & Professional Instruments are not eligible for rental contracts but may be eligible for financing. Please see the "Purchase Information" page for more details regarding financing. Similarly, layaway options may also be available on some instruments.
What are the Rental Options?
We believe that it is in the customer's best interest to eventually own their own instrument. Therefore, we only have one rental option: Rent-To-Own! Once the final payment is made, the renter becomes the full owner of the instrument with no strings attached. That's it. There's no extra fees, no extra paperwork, & no hoops to jump through or paperwork to fill out. It's yours, enjoy it!
How to start a Rental Contract?
Generally, rental contracts are done in the store. There is about 5 minutes of paperwork to fill out, including a background check. Once the paperwork has processed and you have been approved you simply need to make the first monthly payment on the contract to walk out the door with the instrument(s) of your choice.
The other option: Visit us at your local school's display night! Every year schools invite us out to present our instrument for sale & rentals. You can fill out all the paperwork that night and we'll handle delivering the instrument to your school with your local teachers.
Payment Options
As part of the rental contract, an active credit/debit card must be on file at all times. The active card on file can be placed on auto pay or can be run manually each month on the day of the month the contract is set up. If you wish payments to be charged manually, you can call to have your card run or you are welcome to come in to the store to pay by check or cash to keep your card from being run.
If manual payments have not been authorized by the agreed upon date set in the contract, the card on file will be run by default. Similarly, if the auto-payment does not go through, the card will be charged manually. If either manual or auto-payments are rejected for any reason, we will attempt to contact you to update your payment information.
Late Fees & Penalties
By agreeing to rent with Wichita Band, you agree to the full length of the contract & our late fee policy. Any payment 3 business days late will incur a late fee. Once we notice an account defaults on a payment, Wichita Band will do everything in our power to contact you regarding the concern; email, phone, text, snail mail, etc. However, it is not our responsibility to make sure you pay on time. If consecutive monthly payments become late, additional late fees may occur. If three or more months go by without payment, the person(s) renting may be placed for collections.
Simply put, until the contract is fulfilled & the last payment made, every instrument rented is owned by Wichita Band Instrument Company.
Returning & Canceling Instrument Rental
If you start a rental contract and decide the instrument is not for you, or your student, all you have to do to end the contract is return the instrument to Wichita Band. It happens, we will not have any hard feelings. We simply appreciate you giving it your best and are thankful to you for allowing us to be part of your journey. If you need help coordinating a time to return the instrument, simply call the shop. We are more than happy to work with you. Best of all, there's no additional paperwork & absolutely NO cancellation fees!
Warning: Instruments "returned" to a school and await a Wichita Band Representative's pick-up will not automatically be accepted by us. The contract will remain active until the instrument is in the shop, evaluated for missing parts or excessive damage, and payments are confirmed up-to-date. Due to school closures for various reasons & Wichita Band's fluctuating schedule, to avoid having to pay additional months of rent or late fees, it is best to bring the instrument to the shop yourself during regular business hours (see the "Contact Us" page for updated store hours, holiday closures, & contact information). If for some reason you must leave the instrument at the school to be picked up by a Wichita Band Representative, you must coordinate the pick up with the store via phone call or email in addition to corresponding with any respective band/orchestra teacher.
Early Pay Off Discount & Upgrades
For those that know they chose the right instrument and can't wait to own it, you are welcome to pay off the contract early. In fact, we'll give you a discount on the remaining balance as a thank you for the early payoff!
For those looking to upgrade your entry level instrument to a step-up or even your first professional instrument, we are more than happy to work out a "Trade-In & Up" discount. If you are still renting the entry level instrument you may need to first pay off the entry instrument before trading it in. For those who are interested in buying a more advanced instrument for in-door use but wish to finished the schedule rental contract in order to have a less expensive instrument for outdoor use (such as marching band) you are more then welcome to purchase separately as one does not influence the other.
Maintenance & Repairs
All Rental Instruments (as well as purchased instruments) come with Wichita Band's 2 year service Warranty as well as our "Service After the Sale" guarantee.
Wichita Band’s service warranty is the same as it’s been for more than thirty years:
“ALL new and all used instruments sold by Wichita Band Instrument Company come with our 24 month service warranty. It’s in addition to any factory guarantees. For two full years, we will repair or replace, whichever in our estimation is the more advisable, pads, corks, springs or other parts required, at no charge to the customer. Cases and plating finishes are not covered by our service warranty but are sometimes covered by factory guarantees.”
After the 2 year period has expired, we remain at your service to maintain and repair your musical equipment forever. It’s our “service after the sale" promise and has been since 1953!
In the event that a customer requires service under factory guarantees or Wichita Band’s service warranty, the item must be returned to us and not directly to the manufacturer.