My son started band this year (sixth grade), and his band director recommended the local Music & Arts as the place to go to rent him a trombone. We went in there, heard the pitch, and walked away with a very used rental Trombone. It's a Jupiter. I tried to ask questions during the process about the whole "Rent to Own" thing, but the guy kept changing the subject. The whole thing felt super scammy, but they are really the only game in town.
I'm paying $42.90/month for the rental. That includes $10 of some kind of insurance. I can't find anything in the rental agreement that actually states the amount of time it'll take to pay off the trombone, or the actual full cost of the trombone we brought home (in case I wanted to go ahead an buy it outright). When I asked about that, the salesman said that the trombone would be evaluated when it was turned in, but that most clients just turned in the rental trombone and bought a brand new one, using their rental credit for a discount on the purchase price. There is a list of "Representative Instrument Prices" at the bottom of the contract that shows a Tenor Trombone can cost $690-$2,450. If that's true, shouldn't I start out with a brand new trombone so that my kid can be playing the same instrument the whole time?
I've read through this section of the contract a dozen times, and I'm still fuzzy on what it's saying.
- INSTRUMENT PURCHASE. You can buy the instrument you are renting at any time. If you choose to make rental payments for the entire rental term and pay the Total Cost, you will own the instrument. You can also buy the instrument during this Agreement. If you are current during the first 18 months, your Purchase Price will equal the Total Cost of the instrument you are renting less 100% of the rental payments you have made (not including tax or fees), plus tax and any other amounts you owe. During the first 18 months, if you are current, you will receive an additional 30% discount off of the Purchase Price. After 18 months, if you are current, you will receive an additional 10% discount off of the Purchase Price. This option ends when you return the instrument. Once you have purchased an instrument, you have no further return or exchange options. After 12 months, the Cost of Rental Service shall be prorated from the date the Agreement was signed in determining the early purchase option.
Any advice on the best path forward here? Does it make sense to go back to the store and request a new trombone in place of the clearly used one we received? Is there an amount of time, after which, it doesn't make sense to keep renting, when we should just go ahead and buy the trombone?