terms and conditions / information
Terms & Conditions
AA Piano Tuners UK (AAPT for short) is a privately run service for piano tuning & repairs. The owner is Colin Nicholson who is a sole trader. Mainly working in the North East of England, covering a radius of around 20 - 25 miles.
[1] BOOKING TUNING ENQUIRIES (mainly for new clients)
Please telephone Colin on 0791 485 4072 for any piano enquiry, such as a tuning. Please do NOT use text messages or emails for your first enquiry. Please make a note of the following, and have a piece of paper & pen to take notes.
I will need to know >>>
1. Your full name + title
2. Your village/ town/ city name + post code. (I do not need to know your house number/ name just yet).
3. Piano NAME (usually printed/ embossed or inlaid into the centre - inside of the keys piano lid); e.g. Bechstein.
4. State if your piano is UPRIGHT or GRAND. (If you own a mini upright piano (eg Eavestaff), photos may be needed.
5. Approx. age of the piano / or serial number. (Don't worry if you are not sure).
6. Approx. when your piano was last tuned? (I only need to know if the piano was last tuned more than 2 years ago.)
7. Your Email address (for sending your pro forma/ booking details & approx. costs.)
8. Nature of your enquiry? (Tuning, repair, service, cleaning etc.)
A provisional booking may be made at this stage over the phone. An estimated price of the tuning will be offered (without travelling expenses unless obvious), but the pro forma will provide the full costs and show your answers to most of above. Any booking at this stage is pending until a payment is made.
[2] PAYMENT
Full payment of the visit (inc. travelling expenses) will be shown on your pro forma, and must be paid in advance by Internet Banking only (BACS).
Sorry, but payment by cheque or cash cannot be made for the initial stages.
The payment will be shown on your pro forma (email attachment) including my bank details.
Payment must be received within 2 working days (ex. weekends) before your visit date.
Should a booking remain unpaid, your appointment will be cancelled.
When payment is made by you, it is a gesture of goodwill to let me know. Once paid, your booking will be confirmed/ fixed.
Should extra work be needed during your visit, a "top up" fee will apply by cash only (mainly for new clients/ unknown piano).
If you wish to pay any top up by BACS, I must be informed before your visit. (Access to my account requires a PINSentry machine for checking).
[3] UNKNOWN PIANOS?
Even after a detailed description of your piano (perhaps including photos) will always remain unknown until I physically inspect the piano face-to-face. The visit will tell me the overall condition, mechanism type (inc. wear & tear), pedal mechanism, and PITCH of the instrument. Also, any photo offered is only for general purposes, as any photo cannot display hidden parts/ behind & underneath.
After the piano has been successfully tuned/ repaired, only then will the piano be fully known to me (for future visits).
Please do not send any photos unless I ask for them.
[4] TRAVELLING EXPENSES
All journeys and milage is calculated from NE63 9PY using GOOGLE MAPS.
The first 5 miles are FREE (local).
6 - 10 miles = £1.00 per mile (return).
Over 10 miles = £2.00 per mile (return).
All milage is rounded UP to the nearest whole mile, and may not include adverse weather, delays/ road works or detours.
[5] House names/ Farms etc.
If your home does not have a house number, I will need to know the following:
a. Name of an adjacent street/ building name (e.g. Public House)
b. Your vehicle name & colour, including the last THREE digits of a number plate.
NB: Some house names are not visible from a main road, and some names are on the back of an open gate!
[6] PIANO REPAIRS
Any piano repair must be VISUALLY inspected (face-to-face) first with the instrument.
Some small repairs may be carried out on-site and incorporated into a tuning, but others may require a separate visit.
If a piano tuning is not possible at this stage, a call-out fee will be charged. For example, if a piano part needs to be ordered, this is to be charged separately, and paid before your 2nd visit.
* NB: AAPT reserves the right to refuse a tuning/ repair, depending on the condition and age of the piano.
A piano repair is also subject to access to the piano, space around the piano and light conditions.
................................................................................
All pianos should be kept away from any direct source of heat such as, direct sunlight, large floor-to-ceiling glass windows/ doors, centrally heated radiators/ underfloor heating/ conservatories. Pianos are best kept in a temperature of 16 - 20 degrees Celcius, and a humidity of around 55%. Separately sold piano thermometers & hygrometers are available on-line.
All pianos (even new) should be tuned every SIX MONTHS, and serviced every 2-3 years.
AAPT reserves the right to change any part of the T&C without notice.
All piano tuning & repairs are different procedures for upright & grand pianos.
<<BACK
AA Piano Tuners UK (AAPT for short) is a privately run service for piano tuning & repairs. The owner is Colin Nicholson who is a sole trader. Mainly working in the North East of England, covering a radius of around 20 - 25 miles.
[1] BOOKING TUNING ENQUIRIES (mainly for new clients)
Please telephone Colin on 0791 485 4072 for any piano enquiry, such as a tuning. Please do NOT use text messages or emails for your first enquiry. Please make a note of the following, and have a piece of paper & pen to take notes.
I will need to know >>>
1. Your full name + title
2. Your village/ town/ city name + post code. (I do not need to know your house number/ name just yet).
3. Piano NAME (usually printed/ embossed or inlaid into the centre - inside of the keys piano lid); e.g. Bechstein.
4. State if your piano is UPRIGHT or GRAND. (If you own a mini upright piano (eg Eavestaff), photos may be needed.
5. Approx. age of the piano / or serial number. (Don't worry if you are not sure).
6. Approx. when your piano was last tuned? (I only need to know if the piano was last tuned more than 2 years ago.)
7. Your Email address (for sending your pro forma/ booking details & approx. costs.)
8. Nature of your enquiry? (Tuning, repair, service, cleaning etc.)
A provisional booking may be made at this stage over the phone. An estimated price of the tuning will be offered (without travelling expenses unless obvious), but the pro forma will provide the full costs and show your answers to most of above. Any booking at this stage is pending until a payment is made.
[2] PAYMENT
Full payment of the visit (inc. travelling expenses) will be shown on your pro forma, and must be paid in advance by Internet Banking only (BACS).
Sorry, but payment by cheque or cash cannot be made for the initial stages.
The payment will be shown on your pro forma (email attachment) including my bank details.
Payment must be received within 2 working days (ex. weekends) before your visit date.
Should a booking remain unpaid, your appointment will be cancelled.
When payment is made by you, it is a gesture of goodwill to let me know. Once paid, your booking will be confirmed/ fixed.
Should extra work be needed during your visit, a "top up" fee will apply by cash only (mainly for new clients/ unknown piano).
If you wish to pay any top up by BACS, I must be informed before your visit. (Access to my account requires a PINSentry machine for checking).
[3] UNKNOWN PIANOS?
Even after a detailed description of your piano (perhaps including photos) will always remain unknown until I physically inspect the piano face-to-face. The visit will tell me the overall condition, mechanism type (inc. wear & tear), pedal mechanism, and PITCH of the instrument. Also, any photo offered is only for general purposes, as any photo cannot display hidden parts/ behind & underneath.
After the piano has been successfully tuned/ repaired, only then will the piano be fully known to me (for future visits).
Please do not send any photos unless I ask for them.
[4] TRAVELLING EXPENSES
All journeys and milage is calculated from NE63 9PY using GOOGLE MAPS.
The first 5 miles are FREE (local).
6 - 10 miles = £1.00 per mile (return).
Over 10 miles = £2.00 per mile (return).
All milage is rounded UP to the nearest whole mile, and may not include adverse weather, delays/ road works or detours.
[5] House names/ Farms etc.
If your home does not have a house number, I will need to know the following:
a. Name of an adjacent street/ building name (e.g. Public House)
b. Your vehicle name & colour, including the last THREE digits of a number plate.
NB: Some house names are not visible from a main road, and some names are on the back of an open gate!
[6] PIANO REPAIRS
Any piano repair must be VISUALLY inspected (face-to-face) first with the instrument.
Some small repairs may be carried out on-site and incorporated into a tuning, but others may require a separate visit.
If a piano tuning is not possible at this stage, a call-out fee will be charged. For example, if a piano part needs to be ordered, this is to be charged separately, and paid before your 2nd visit.
* NB: AAPT reserves the right to refuse a tuning/ repair, depending on the condition and age of the piano.
A piano repair is also subject to access to the piano, space around the piano and light conditions.
................................................................................
All pianos should be kept away from any direct source of heat such as, direct sunlight, large floor-to-ceiling glass windows/ doors, centrally heated radiators/ underfloor heating/ conservatories. Pianos are best kept in a temperature of 16 - 20 degrees Celcius, and a humidity of around 55%. Separately sold piano thermometers & hygrometers are available on-line.
All pianos (even new) should be tuned every SIX MONTHS, and serviced every 2-3 years.
AAPT reserves the right to change any part of the T&C without notice.
All piano tuning & repairs are different procedures for upright & grand pianos.
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