TubaForum.net

Hey...You know that older car that you have - that still runs great...??



You need to sign this contract, so that you will pay us - over two years - what someone would pay you for that good-running car, in order to rent-to-purchase THIS bottom-of-the-line trumpet, from us...



...so hurry and sign these papers, so ya'll can get started with your band class on Monday.

X COUNTLESS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, EVERY SINGLE YEAR...

Early Halloween sighting of the dreaded Yama-Yama Man??

Someone needs a hobby...

Locals are being handed contracts to rent-purchase beginner trumpets for a total of $1700 over two years.

Even if it’s the Yama-Yama Man, don’t those only cost music stores about 500 bucks…??

(I sell shiny/used ones for $450 - because of the clamor for the name), shiny/used Bach/King/etc, for $350, and Jupiter for c. $300.

Can people not do the math? I quote these prices over the phone and they say, “oh… I don’t want to buy; I just want to rent.”

Around here, band directors are strong armed to stay quiet about the rental racket. I couldn't do it

That’s a nice word for it.

LeMark wrote: ↑Fri Sep 03, 2021 8:44 pm Around here, band directors are strong armed to stay quiet about the rental racket. I couldn't do it

My band director job would be easier and perhaps by some metrics, more successful if I didnt care about other people wasting their money. Don't get me started on fundraisers.

I'm obviously not involved in music education, but with how connected people are these days, I am surprised this is still a thing. It shows how uninformed non-musical families and those who are barely getting by are getting the shaft. For many small local music stores I would think this is probably a big source of survival, albeit an opportunistic, outdated model I would hope they feel ashamed about. This whole thing smacks of rent-to-own stores who prey on those who can't make it paycheck to paycheck. The word that comes to mind is parasitic.

…”looto” tics and payday loan joints come to mind.

It was figured out, a long time ago, that the money is in financing whatever it is you are schlepping, not what one is schlepping.

Yeah…
Even if I found “treating people in that manner” to be attractive, such a large percentage of people (who fall for that stuff) have to be reminded to pay each month and/or default on their payments and/or tear up the merchandise (after only a few payments have been made, and they stop paying) it’s just not something I would ever want to get into. It’s tend to group the “financing” industry in with pawn shops and titty bars.

Three Valves wrote: ↑Sat Sep 04, 2021 7:14 am It was figured out, a long time ago, that the money is in financing whatever it is you are schlepping, not what one is schlepping.

Three Valves wrote: ↑Sat Sep 04, 2021 7:14 am It was figured out, a long time ago, that the money is in financing whatever it is you are schlepping, not what one is schlepping.

Truth.

One problem is, folks without a lot of money are far more willing to spend $30 month (or whatever) than $400 up front... Because they can find $30 now to get started, but can't find $400 so easily.

Side note -- BoJu loves to walk over to my Conn 20J (laying on the floor) and start honking around on it, at random. He's actually pretty good at it, and pops out some.solid Fs and almost a low Bb from time.to time. So... Maybe I already own his first tuba? (He's 6 years old. Big guy. Will still be a few years until he can lift the 20J. Maybe I should get it set up on the Hercules stand I have stored in the garage?). Or, once the Conn Eb is stabilized, get him started with that? It's a much better size and is surely "good enough" to fill the "is a tuba" requirement of learning to play the tuba.

bort2.0 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 04, 2021 2:34 pm One problem is, folks without a lot of money are far more willing to spend $30 month (or whatever) than $400 up front... Because they can find $30 now to get started, but can't find $400 so easily.

I completely get that, but it’s more like $70/mo. (TWO YEARS) vs. $400 cash.

It totally reminds me of people rolling over and playing dead because someone uses the phraseology “The Science” when laying a spiel on them.

bort2.0 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 04, 2021 2:34 pm One problem is, folks without a lot of money are far more willing to spend $30 month (or whatever) than $400 up front... Because they can find $30 now to get started, but can't find $400 so easily.

That’s why there is good term money management/liquidity debt vs. allowing yourself to be screwed debt.

Not all debt is equal or equally bad.

Most any thing - that is deemed too expensive to buy for cash right now, which is only a “nice to have“ – is “bad debt“…at least, in my view.

…and (though they are nice to have) I include “floaters” and “honkers” in that category.