Repair Shop SWITCHED my Flute Head!

[DianaMarie]

ADVISE PLEASE! I took my beautiful vintage 1968 ARTLEY professional open hole Silver Flute (to the same Store that I bought it in 50 years ago) to have a tiny dent removed from the base of the flute head piece.
2 weeks later, they called me to retrieve it and to my HORROR, I found that they had stolen all of the original (RARE) Sterling Silver hole Plugs AND SWITCHED my original 1968 Silver Head with a worn out scratched & multi-dented STUDENT Silver-PLATED Head with NO Artley logo or serial number on this head!!!
Upon confronting them with this shocking observation they replied, "We don't know anything about any STERLING SILVER plugs and if you don't like the repair-job then you can take your business somewhere else."
I am shocked and devastated!
HOW can I retrieve my ORIGINAL SILVER FLUTE HEAD & Silver Plugs from these souless & disgraceful THIEVES in NYC???

[Classitar]

DianaMarie,

That is a horror story, to have that happen after 50 years

Seems to be only a few options:
First :
Threaten to do the following:

Get the law involved especially if you have photos or friends that are knowledgeable about your flute

Post the culprits info here and other public forums
Ask the membership to call or write the thieves demanding a resolution - I have a lot of flute friends in this area - I'd want to make sure they know about this place

A lot of these shops do work for schools and larger music stores - they would want to know about this

So would the better business bureau
That group has saved me several hundred in the past

If you have time - make up a sign and stand in front of the place


If you present these possibilities calmly or in writing to the thieves they'll have time to consider the possibilities, look a little further and hopefully find your parts

If the threat of these actions don't matter to them then go ahead and do as many of them as you can
At least you have the satisfaction of having tried

Very sorry to hear about this it must be heartbreaking
Hopefully we'll hear of some other options too

[Gandalfe]

Have you considered small claims court?

[SylvreKat]

Go in and talk with the manager, or if possible and better, the owner. Be calm, don't be accusing despite the situation, be reasonable. Explain what happened. Act like someone just made a mistake. If the manager tries to dismiss you, get firmer. That's when you say you will file a claim of theft with the police if they really want to force you to go that route, but you'd much rather the manager just check around and find your original Artley silver head. If manager still refuses, then call the police on the spot. And if there's a news station in your city, esp one that has a Call for Action/Consumer Help feature, call them after the police. Tell them your situation. Make sure the manager hears you doing all this. If manager still does not try to produce your original head, then sit there remaining polite until the police and hopefully the news camera/reporter all show.

Do NOT get hysterical, loud, angry, hostile, or threatening (esp never the last). All any of that does is makes the store person, guilty or not, less willing to help or to "happen to find" it. Always remain courteous, polite, calm, reasonable.

Please keep us posted how this goes for you. Fingers crossed you get your original head returned.

>'Kat

[mirwa]

Two sides to every story, it would be interesting from there point of view.

Steve