For the last fourteen years, Paul and Jean McVicar's faimily owned and operated business has been dedicated to providing the best possible music education experience for every customer served in the greater Seattle area and Southeast Alaska.
Knowledgable staff, in-store lessons, and on-site repair With a combination of community involvement, excellent customer service, and in-depth industry knowledge have been the cornerstones of the business model.We strive to contribute to the community that supports us, through direct support of school programs and working with area non-profit organizations.
Knowledgable staff, in-store lessons, and on-site repair With a combination of community involvement, excellent customer service, and in-depth industry knowledge have been the cornerstones of the business model.We strive to contribute to the community that supports us, through direct support of school programs and working with area non-profit organizations.
Reviews (8)
April Ross
Jun 26, 2021
Hi- I would be very wary of this business. The owner is very vague about things so I would get everything in writing. We rented an instrument for a few years and when we decided not to buy it from her she began charging us for things that should have been included in the "maintenance fee" which we were paying for.
Derek Carr
Jun 24, 2021
Trying to give them the benefit of the doubt but I've had two accounting issues with them. First, they said that I missed a monthly payment on my rental and then I showed the owner my credit card statement she still didn't believe me. I'm not sure how I could have falsified my credit card statement. I ended up canceling my rental and went to Olsen Violins. They were very up front and honest with me about their charges and pricing.
Katie Newhall
Mar 05, 2021
Robert Bishop
Jan 08, 2021
Shelley Rousseau
Dec 11, 2020
Melissa Summers
Jun 28, 2019
I came here because they are only blocks away from my home. When I went in initially the staff was friendly and set me up with everything I would need for my son's violin lessons. They even referred me to a teacher. Everything seemed fine. Then things went wrong. 1st, the violin teacher never responded to my many phone calls so I had to find one on my own. 2nd the bow warped within a month. 3rd, they never charged me for the violin even after I called them to make them aware of this fact.
They assured me they would get me set up into the billing system and all would be fine. It never happened for an entire YEAR. Just before Christmas the owner called to tell me that there was a problem with my account and accused it on her staff which had subsequently all been replaced. She wanted to charge me for a year worth of rental right then, just before Christmas.
I decided to go to another establishment to get a new violin for my son who needed a size up. My intention was to return the smaller instrument to Metropolitan Music and square up the account after Christmas when I could afford a whole year of rental services all at once. It took me longer to find the time and money than I had anticipated. In February I received a call from the owner again to remind me that i needed to pay.
I told her I would be returning the violin and had chosen another establishment to rent from. She then spent the next 15 minutes badmouthing the establishment and touting her services. I finally returned the violin yesterday. I walked into the building with only a couple of minutes of free time, the owner was on the phone and didn't even turn to acknowledge that I had walked in.
So I set the violin on the counter took pictures and left. I sent her an email telling her how disappointed I was with the experience. The only thing she had to say was sorry I misinterpreted her that she wasn't badmouthing the other establishment I had gone to. She charged me for the full amount. I won't be back and my violin teacher who is AMAZING will not be referring any of his students to her store. Update: Over a year later they charged me for the full price of the violin claiming that the violin had not been returned!
Their accounting practices are horrendous. They voided the charge after I provided an email stating that they had received the violin and the account was paid in full. This was a TERRIBLE experience all around. Beware of this company.
They assured me they would get me set up into the billing system and all would be fine. It never happened for an entire YEAR. Just before Christmas the owner called to tell me that there was a problem with my account and accused it on her staff which had subsequently all been replaced. She wanted to charge me for a year worth of rental right then, just before Christmas.
I decided to go to another establishment to get a new violin for my son who needed a size up. My intention was to return the smaller instrument to Metropolitan Music and square up the account after Christmas when I could afford a whole year of rental services all at once. It took me longer to find the time and money than I had anticipated. In February I received a call from the owner again to remind me that i needed to pay.
I told her I would be returning the violin and had chosen another establishment to rent from. She then spent the next 15 minutes badmouthing the establishment and touting her services. I finally returned the violin yesterday. I walked into the building with only a couple of minutes of free time, the owner was on the phone and didn't even turn to acknowledge that I had walked in.
So I set the violin on the counter took pictures and left. I sent her an email telling her how disappointed I was with the experience. The only thing she had to say was sorry I misinterpreted her that she wasn't badmouthing the other establishment I had gone to. She charged me for the full amount. I won't be back and my violin teacher who is AMAZING will not be referring any of his students to her store. Update: Over a year later they charged me for the full price of the violin claiming that the violin had not been returned!
Their accounting practices are horrendous. They voided the charge after I provided an email stating that they had received the violin and the account was paid in full. This was a TERRIBLE experience all around. Beware of this company.
Jack Von Eberstein
Apr 17, 2017
Julija Naskova
May 16, 2014
Fantastic store and people, real enthusiasts and professionals! The lady was so patient with me on the phone, and even more cordial in person. She really had a lot of information to share in terms of quality of instruments and care. The rapair man was also very sweet and gave us a very good estimate on the repair. If you need supplies for woodwind instruments or repair make sure to check them out. They also offer classes and know pretty much every music teacher in town. What a gem!