What to Do if Your Lashof Violins'
Rental Instrument has been Lost/Stolen
1. Gather the Identifying Information for Your Rental
Collect the Following Information (Listed on your Most Recent Copy of Your Rental Account)
- Size
- Instrument
- Model
- Serial Number
- Value of the Instrument Outfit Listed on Your Rental Account
- Make note of any identifying features of your rental instrument/case
- ie. If the student has a brightly colored bracelet tied to the handle of the case, this may be a unique, helpful identifier.
- This information will be needed in order to proceed with tracking down your rental instrument. If you cannot find a copy of your rental contract, simply call/e-mail/stop-by Lashof Violins and we will be happy to provide this information to you.
2. Retrace your Steps
If the instrument was last seen at school, contact the school and the orchestra teacher.
- The vast majority of our customers' instruments which have gone missing at school have accidentally gone home with another student.
- Most of the time, the teacher will send home an e-mail to all students in the music program and ask each student to verify they have the correct instrument in their possession.
- If the instrument has not turned up at school after its disappearance, ask the teacher or principal to provide you an e-mail stating that the instrument is not in the school.
If the instrument was last seen on the school bus, reach out to the school and see if the instrument has been turned into the front office by the bus driver.
3. File a Police Report
If you are unable to track down the instrument, file a police report with the police department which is associated with the area where the instrument went missing.
- ie. If your instrument was lost in a Montgomery County school, file a police report with the Montgomery County Police.
- ie. If your instrument was lost in a Frederick County, MD school, file a police report with the Frederick County Police.
- Make sure to provide the following information when filing the report:
- Size
- Instrument
- Model
- Serial Number
- Outfit Value listed on your Rental Account
- Any Additional Identifying Features
- The Size, Instrument, Model, Serial Number, and Correct Value listed on the Police Report must match the instrument information most recently listed on your Rental Account.
- Make sure the person who signed the rental contract is the person who files the police report.
4. Provide a Copy of the Police Report to Lashof Violins within 30 days of Filing the Report
Once Lashof Violins has received a copy of the police report (listing identifying information listed on your rental account), we will provide a replacement instrument outfit as closely to the original as we have available.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happens if we recover the instrument which has been reported as missing/stolen to the police?
- If this happens, return the recovered instrument to Lashof Violins and contact the police to let them know the instrument has been recovered.
- What items are replaced after I file a police report?
- Lashof Violins will replace (as closely as we have available) the items that were rented which, in most instances, include:
- Instrument
- Case
- Bow
- Complimentary Case Tag
- The Maintenance/Protection program does not cover purchased items like shoulder rests, extra strings, endpin rests, etc.
- Lashof Violins will replace (as closely as we have available) the items that were rented which, in most instances, include:
- What happens if I do NOT have Maintenance/Protection and the instrument I rented is missing/stolen?
- If you do NOT currently have the Maintenance/Protection option, you are still responsible for the payments as outlined on your rental contract.
- Lashof Violins will NOT replace a rental that is not covered by the Maintenance/Protection program.
- We still recommend trying to track down the instrument (call the school, retrace your steps, etc.) and file a police report if the instrument does not turn up.
Exclusions
The above-listed information applies only to customers renting instruments from Lashof Violins who actively have the Maintenance/Protection Option.
Instrument outfits that are lost/stolen outside of the Maryland/DC area (beyond a 90-mile radius from Lashof Violins) are NOT covered by Maintenance/Protection.
Instruments purchased from Lashof Violins through the rental program/are personally owned are not eligible for this program.