Terms and Conditions

1. Pianos are mechanical musical instruments and are susceptible to changes as a result of variations in heat and humidity, stresses of stringing tension and as a result of regular usage. As such, the purchaser is expected to follow our warranty guide on how to maintain your piano (see condition 4)

2. When purchasing a piano online or via telephone order where the description of the product is reliant on the pictures of the item(s) viewed on our website, or sent to the customer via email, accompanied by written or verbal description. If the item arrives and is not as described or not as you expected it to be, you will receive a full refund of any payments. This refund is only available upon arrival and refusal of the item. The customer has a period of 14 days following the delivery of the item to return the item, which must be returned in the same condition as it arrived. It must also be signed for on the delivery sheets. Our expert piano transport team will then recollect the item. Please note that the customer is responsible for paying all return and transport costs. Refund will be made by company cheque addressed to the original purchasers BACS payment into the original customers preferred bank account. Any deposits made reserving an item enters the purchaser into a legal obligation for purchase of that product. The deposit for the item(s) is refundable only up to 24 hours after the payment has been processed. Any deposit refund outside of this period cannot be refunded. Deposits made that exceed the 28 day period from the date of purchase without the delivery being made at the discretion of the customer will require that the full payment is made unless previously agreed.

Card payments made when not present - all card details are destroyed after the transaction is complete.

3. Returns, Damaged Goods and Storage Conditions

All piano orders are prepared to play at the highest possible standard prior to dispatch. The appearance of new items is carefully checked prior to dispatch and again on delivery by our specialist expert delivery service team. At this time, the recipient will be requested to inspect the item and sign a declaration that states that the order has arrived in acceptable condition. Any items that are damaged in transit and are not in acceptable condition may be returned within a period of 14 days to be repaired or replaced with the same type of product by professionals.

When items are delivered by post or not by our own delivery service, the customer should notify Shackleford Pianos, our sister company, within 24 hours of receipt of any damages caused to the item(s). We will need photographic evidence of the damages to be sent to us via email. All items that are damaged will be expertly repaired or replaced with the same product. Manchester Piano Specialists or any of our sister companies cannot be held responsible for any damages reported after the 24 hour period of receipt.

Any pianos collected that are left in our storage facilities without any contact from the customer will result in a storage fee of £15 per week as well as VAT and insurance. This fee will continue until the piano has been arranged to be delivered or collected either by ourselves or a third party company. Any piano parts left in our storage facility without contact from the customer will result in a £5 storage fee per week, including VAT and insurance. As well as that, this will also include a delivery fee, where the price depends on the delivery location. Any pianos collected by a third party company will require full payment of any outstanding storage fees before collection.

4. Our warranty and how to look after your piano

At Manchester Piano Specialists, we offer a guarantee on all of the pianos that we sell.

The length of the warranty varies depending on the piano, but the minimum length will be five years. You will be advised of the length of your warranty. Our guarantee covers any technical faults encountered with our piano, although any fault as a result of misuse, problems encountered from not having your piano serviced regularly and any problems caused due to inconsistent changes in temperature or moisture will not be covered by our warranty.

To ensure that your piano is covered by our warranty, it has to be ensured by a representative of our sister company, Shackleford Pianos. As well as following a frequent servicing plan, you should also follow our tips on how to keep your piano in good maintenance -

  • Your piano will go out of tune even if it is not used. You should make sure that your piano is tuned every 6 months.

  • Fluctuations in humidity can cause technical problems in your piano. Try to keep your piano at a humidity level of around 60%.

  • Do not place your piano adjacent or near to a radiator, open fireplace, log burner or against an outside wall as this will cause technical issues as a result of inconsistent temperature changes.

  • Keep vases, plants and drinks away from your piano to avoid water damage.

  • When you clean your piano, use a microfibre cloth to avoid scratching the piano. Do not use furniture polish.

Your piano is best kept at between the temperatures of 21 - 24°C. An environment of extremes in heat and humidity is the worst environment a piano can be exposed to. For instance, if you leave your home for a few days, letting it freeze, and then return only to turn your heating on high, technical issues will likely arise in your piano. Rather than introducing a vast level of heat instantly, gradually introduce heat into your home.

Our beginner’s pianos are all tuned to concert pitch (A440), respond to a grade 5 playing standard and are guaranteed for 3 years against any technical issues. These are the ideal pianos for you to get started on. Then, if you decide within the 3 years that you love the piano to the extent that you wish to upgrade to a better model, we will give you what you paid for your beginner piano (less transport costs) as a trade in value on your better piano. All we ask of you is that you follow the above guidelines and this will maintain the warranty.

5. Billing conditions

Billing is not done on the Manchester Piano Specialists website but rather on the website of our sister business - Shackleford Pianos - where we sell our pianos. At the Shackleford Pianos website, we use Shopify Payment powered by Stripe to collect process transaction data. Please see their security policy at https://stripe.com/gb/privacy. All payment processes are fully PCI compliant and are made to us within 2 days via Shopify Payment. We constantly monitor all payments made online through Shopify Payment. If we need to refund you for your item, we can make a full refund within 5 days of the agreement.

Card payments made when not present - all card details are destroyed after the transaction has been completed.

We do not pass on the details of a customer to any third party.

6. Advertising features and cookies

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