Customer Service

Ordering
We encourage you to use the many descriptions and resources on our website to find the instrument and gear that is right for your needs and budget, or to contact us for expert advice. If you have decided on items you would like to purchase, simply add them to your online shopping cart and proceed to checkout to place your order. You may place online orders anytime of day or night. If you need help or prefer to place your order over the phone, please call us toll-free M-F, 10-6 at 866-900-8400 for speedy expert assistance from one of our knowledgeable, friendly sales people.

Shipping & Delivery
We do our best to ship orders of in-stock items within 24 hours of order placement. If an item you ordered turns out to be backordered or otherwise unavailable we will contact you within 1 business day to let you know this and provide a delivery time-frame. We take great care to carefully package your purchase and ship it to you fully insured anywhere in the world! We ship through trusted carriers such as UPS, FedEx and USPS at our discretion depending on whichever method is cheapest or fastest to deliver. If you have a specific carrier preference or need to expedite shipping, try selecting the appropriate options at checkout. If you need assistance with this or would like an accurate shipping quote, please contact us directly.
A word about shipping charges: Because we now offer free shipping on most orders over $99(click here for full details and exclusions), the shipping weights in our shopping cart are the dimensional weight, not the actual weight, of the item. This is because expedited shipping charges are based entirely on dimensional weight. If you order an items totoalling under $99, the shipping charges may occasionally seem too high. When an order under $99 with ground shipping comes through, we will manually calculate the correct shipping charge, and your card will only be charged that amount. Your register receipt and the Authorize.Net receipt for your order will reflect the lower shipping charge. If you are uncertain about the quoted shipping amount in your cart, please feel free to contact us before placing your order.
In the unusual event that a shipping box looks damage - accept delivery anyway, noting to the driver the details, e.g. “accordioned in middle,” “ corner crushed,” etc. In almost all cases, the merchandise will be fine despite the condition of the box! In the rare event that you discover damage to your gear, contact us immediately so that we can initiate a damage claim on your behalf and work to get your item replaced. You will need to keep the damaged goods, carton and packaging material until a representative of the shipping company can inspect them.

Payment
We accept payment with all major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover, PayPal, Western Union, bank wire transfer and personal or institutional check or money order. All shipments are withheld until the full payment has cleared.

Pricing Matching

We strive to offer all of our products at prices that are competitive with the big box chains and other online retailers, and do so while adding value with free instrument setups, comprehensive product knowledge and outstanding customer service! However, if you find an instrument at a better price than the one we offer, we would love the opportunity to match that price and get your business! The following limitations may apply:
  • Only applies to instrument purchases.
  • Competing listing must be for a new, in-stock instrument and sold by an authorized dealer (no gray market or non-warrantied items)
  • We may require proof of the lower price, e.g. a link or screen shot of an offer. Contact us for details.

Promotions
Click here for information on promotional exclusions and special offer details.

Privacy & Security
We go the extra mile to ensure that your confidential personal and payment information is kept secret and kept secure. ElectricViolinShop.com is protected by Trustwave's Trusted Commerce program. In addition, we are fully compliant with Payment Card Industry [PCI] data security standards. All domestic and international credit cards are processed through the 3rd-party processor Braintree. Payment card data are not logged or stored on our website or server. Your email address is not shared and is securely stored in our customer records. Email and other contact information is used only for contacting you regarding your purchase, sending you tracking information, or emailing you our promotional materials with your permission.
**ElectricViolinShop.com is 'Heartbleed' secure as of 4/9/14. Click here, enter https://www.electricviolinshop.com and click 'Go' to test our site for Heartbleed security or click here to learn more.**

Approvals
Our track record for suiting players with the perfect instrument for them is unmatched! We take great care and pride in listening to your wants and needs in order to determine which instrument matches your style and your budget. Electric Violin Shop does not offer a traditional violin shop approval program, however, we are happy to help you narrow your choice down to two instruments and send both. You would pay for both, and return one of them within the terms of the returns policy for a refund of the purchase price (less shipping). Your comments on why you liked your favorite are most welcome!

Troubleshooting
If an item you purchased is giving you trouble, don't hesitate to call us with your questions. Should you need service, call or email us with the brand and model, purchase date (approximate is OK), and as clear a description of the problem as you can. We'll then either:
  1. tell you how to fix the situation immediately without returning it
  2. act on your behalf with the maker, and determine whether to send it back to us, or to the maker
  3. refer you to a local person who can help
  4. or do whatever it takes to get you happily playing fast!

Returns & Replacements
We work hard so you will be completely satisfied with every purchase. If you have an issue with your purchase, call us immediately. Please follow these steps if you wish to return an item.***
  1. Call us within 30 days of when you received the package to get a Return Authorization Number (RA#). Returns without an RA# displayed on the outside of each package may be refused.
  2. Carefully re-pack all items in the boxes as they arrived from EVS, and insure the package for the value of its contents. Items belong to you until we confirm that the shipping company (UPS is preferred) has delivered it safely. Customer pays for return shipping. COD's are NOT accepted. Write your RA# on the shipping label. Ship promptly - the RA# expires in 5 days.
  3. Upon receipt in as-new condition, including all written materials and accessories, you will receive a credit on your original method of payment for the amount paid for the item(s), less the cost of shipping. This means if we paid the cost of shipping to you ("Free shipping"), our shipping expense will be subtracted from the merchandise refund. A minimum restocking fee of 10% of the purchase price may be charged, or refund may be denied, if goods arrive damaged, either by the customer or by the shipping company, or if goods are not returned promptly.
Unauthorized returns will be refused, or subject to a minimum 15% restocking fee. These include – returning without an RA number, or refusing the delivery without receiving permission from EVS.

***Special orders and custom ordered instruments are non-returnable and non-refundable (see "Custom and Special Orders" below).

International customers (non-U.S. shipments): please refer to our special international returns policy.

Refunds
  • If all conditions of the above Returns policy are met, the full purchase price of your item(s), less shipping costs, will be credited within two to four business days. Depending on your financial institution, payment should be credited to your account within one to two billing cycles after the day the return was processed.
  • If processing, damage and/or restocking fees are due, the refund will be for the amount of purchase less shipping costs and the fee(s).

Processing Fee (additional) -- We reserve the right to charge a 3-5% processing fee, to be deducted from a refund, if a customer has received more than 2 instrument refunds in an 18 month period. (This does not include instruments sent out on approval or authorization only.) This processing fee is not part of standard restocking or shipping cost recovery on returns, and is intended to recover the amount the bank keeps on multiple credit card refunds. Yes, they keep their percentage even when items are returned and refunded!

Trade-ins
We are excited about helping you improve your electric sound. When you trade up to a better instrument or amp and you purchased the original instrument from us, we typically allow between 50% and 70% of original purchase price. The exact amount will be determined by condition and difference in selling prices. Although we have accepted trades on instruments purchased elsewhere, they are not as generous as when one of "our children" comes back home to us!

Custom and Special Orders
We can get the instrument of your dreams made just for you! Put 50% down and we'll have it made as quickly as possible. Because we are such electric violins specialists, most makers give our orders faster turn around time than individuals. Tell us your desired time of delivery and we'll go to bat for you! Once we receive your instrument from the maker and we've thoroughly checked it out to ensure proper setup and functionality, we'll contact you before processing the balance due and ship your instrument that same day.
We cannot offer our standard returns policy or refunds on custom or special orders. If a manufacturer says a special order is going to be difficult, take a long time, or be more expensive than thought, we will consult again with you before placing the order. In the event of any problem or defect in the final product, we will work on your behalf with the manufacturer to have the issue made right.

Layaway
If you want to secure an in-stock instrument, but don't quite have all the funds, put a deposit on it to claim it as yours. We put your name on it and pull it out of inventory, according to these terms:
  1. Down payment is at least 25% of the selling price, $100 minimum.
  2. 90 days is maximum Layaway term. Each payment of 25% is due in 30-day installments, and shipping charges, if any, will be added to the final payment.
  3. If Layaway is cancelled by customer within 30 days, we retain 10% of the deposit, $25 minimum.
  4. If Layaway is cancelled by customer after 30 days, we retain 20% of all funds paid, $50 minimum.
  5. After 2 months of non-payment, and non-communication as to reason for non-payment, we retain all funds and return the item to stock.
  6. If after 90 days from date of Layaway final payments have not been arranged, we retain all funds and return the item to stock.
Returning Layaway Items for Refund
If you decide to return an item purchased by layaway during the normal return period, a restock fee will be subtracted from any refund, to cover our expense of holding the item over the layaway term. Restock fees will vary based on how long the item was not available for sale to other customers (the length of the layaway period), as follows:
  1. Up to 1 month -- 5%
  2. Up to 2 months -- 7%
  3. Up to 3 months -- 10%
Returning Layaway Items for Trade-in Credit
Assuming it arrives in as-new condition, a restock fee of 5% will be subtracted from the trade-in value of any layaway item.

Warranties
If your product is showing signs of a possible defect within the period and terms of the manufacturer warranty, please contact us regarding the issue. If possible, we will help you troubleshoot the problem. Otherwise we may act on your behalf in initiating a warranty claim or instruct you on how to do so yourself. In the case of many instruments we carry, we are an authorized warranty repair shop and may be able to perform any necessary repairs ourselves. For information on your product's warranty please visit our warranty page or contact us.

As is standard with nearly all manufacturer's warranties, you, the customer pay shipping charges to return any defective items to Electric Violin Shop, and we in turn pay the return shipping to you, once the item has been repaired or replaced under warranty.

Terms of Sale

By placing an order you are offering to purchase a product on and subject to the following terms and conditions. All orders are subject to availability and confirmation of the order price. Dispatch times may vary according to availability and subject to any delays resulting from postal delays or force majeure for which we will not be responsible.

In order to contract with Electric Violin Shop you must be over 18 years of age and possess a valid credit or debit card issued by a bank acceptable to us. Electric Violin Shop retains the right to refuse any request made by you. When placing an order you undertake that all details you provide to us are true and accurate, that you are an authorized user of the credit or debit card used to place your order and that there are sufficient funds to cover the cost of the goods. The cost of foreign products and services may fluctuate. All prices advertised are subject to such changes.

(a) Our Contract

When you place an order, you will receive an acknowledgement e-mail confirming receipt of your order: this email will only be an acknowledgement and will not constitute acceptance of your order. A contract between us will not be formed until we send you confirmation by e-mail that the goods which you ordered have been dispatched to you. Only those goods listed in the confirmation e-mail sent at the time of dispatch will be included in the contract formed.

(b) Pricing and Availability

While we try and ensure that all details, descriptions and prices which appear on this Website are accurate, errors may occur. If we discover an error in the price of any goods which you have ordered we will inform you of this as soon as possible and give you the option of reconfirming your order at the correct price or canceling it. If we are unable to contact you we will treat the order as cancelled. If you cancel and you have already paid for the goods, you will receive a full refund. Delivery costs will be charged in addition; such additional charges are clearly displayed where applicable and included in the 'Total Cost'.

(c) Payment

Upon receiving your order we carry out a standard authorization check on your payment card to ensure there are sufficient funds to fulfill the transaction. Your card will be debited upon authorization being received. The monies received upon the debiting of your card shall be treated as a deposit against the value of the goods you wish to purchase. Once the goods have been despatched and you have been sent a confirmation email the monies paid as a deposit shall be used as consideration for the value of goods you have purchased as listed in the confirmation email.