Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Music & Arts's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Music & Arts

  7550 Teague Rd Ste 115 Hanover, MD 21076

  
• 

  Ted Herbert's Music and Art Center

  18 March Ave Manchester, NH 03103-4012

• 

  Music & Arts Center

  12274 Rockville Pike Ste K Rockville, MD 20852-5600

• 

  Music & Arts Center

  19721 Frederick Rd Germantown, MD 20876-1337

• 

  Music & Arts

  617 Potomac Station Dr NE Unit B Leesburg, VA 20176

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My credit card was stolen so the card on file for the instrument I am renting needs to be changed. I received a phone call (automated) that lead me to a recording that made me very suspicious of who I was giving my information to. So I went to the store I rented the equipment from and they would not take my new card in person. I was told I needed to call this number 888-731-5396 which is automated again and I am currently online with for the last 22 minutes and counting. I have also received a collections letter in regards to this stating I can call this number 800-676-7760. When contacted I wasn't able to understand or barely hear the person, was transferred to another automated waiting line so I again tried the first number. I am concerned there are scams happening and I want to take care of this IN PERSON since it is my PERSONAL information I am giving. I have been sent to a COLLECTIONS agency because no one will answer the phone and I now refuse to give my card over the phone or mail as AGAIN this leads to fraud. What am I to do now? This is affecting my credit. I have no way to contact anyone other than the in store person stating they can not help me with updating a credit card.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/01/2023

  Dear ******* *****,

  I am writing in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for any frustrations you may have experienced surrounding your rental. At this time, you have returned to your instrument and made your payment at the store for the past due balance. Your account is closed with a zero balance. Our customers do have to update their credit card for ezpay over the telephone or by mail. We are in peak rental season so your hold time for Customer Service will be longer. As the Customer Service Representative explained, you can call on the weekends when the hold times aren't as long. This hasn't affected your credit.

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I rented a Cello for my daughter in order to participate in school program when she was in 4th 2019 grade .. She is now in 8th grade. In 5th grade while she was in class 2020 her Cello broke and needed repair. Her Orchestra teacher took it from her without her permission, without our permission and said he was giving it to the Music & Arts Representative to get it repaired. We NEVER saw that Cello again because they never gave it back. After that we got a charge for $900 for the cello they took from her . we told them we do not have it a representative has it a representative from their own company. They said they can't locate it , they spoke to music teacher and validated what we told them, they spoke to the vice principal of the school and they validated what my daughter said. They then proceeded to report it to collections and I told them the same thing , they got statements from both teacher and vice administrator and they said they took it gave it to the representative and thats the last thing they know of it. They said they will fix it ...it has now been several years where it has affected my credit, i got written up at work by my director because of that bill , I have a security clearance and it is still not taken outof my records. My daughter cant exchange her new instrument for a bigger size because of what they did. I want it to be taken off of my credit report, i want something for all the hassle and pain especially regarding my job which can cost me my employment. I had to rent a whole new cello i want what ever credit i had with the first one put in my account its rent to own. monetary refund.. this is getting out of hand

  Business Response

  Date: 08/31/2023

  Dear ****** ******,

  I am writing in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for any frustrations you may have experienced surrounding your rental. The last payment you made on this account was in April 2020 which brought your account current through February 2020. Since this was the only payment, we received from you your account was referred to ***** for assistance with collections in November 2020. The Cello was picked up by the Educational Representative in March 2021 and returned back to Music & Arts due to your account being in collections. You paid ***** your balance on August 16, 2023, so your credit report will reflect as this debt being paid. Once your account has been sent to collections you lose all exchange privileges, you must keep your account current throughout the contract in order to exchange and use rental credit.

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I placed an order for a ****** ************ Electric guitar pack on June 21, 2023. The order number is #************* and the total cost including taxes was $313.48. The order was supposed to be delivered in 3 to 5 business days but never arrived so I tried reaching out to them on July 8. Couldn't reach their customer service after waiting for a long time so I filed a dispute(charge back) with my credit card company(******* ***) and they ruled in my favor.
  
  A month later on August 6th, Music & Arts charged my card again without my permission or any notification for the same $313.48. This time, I was able to reach their customer service. They refused to cancel the charge or do anything to help. So I filed another dispute with ******* *** and it's in process. In the meantime, Music & Arts left a voicemail today threatening to put my account in bad status and send it to collections if I don't pay up. My point is that there's nothing to pay as the guitar just never arrived. My bank agrees with me as well. I tried reaching out to Music & Arts again today but their customer service is again unreachable via phone or chat or email.
  
  It's been horrible doing business with this company and now it feels like they're indulging in extortion, trying to ruin my credit score, trying to force me to pay for something I never received.
  
  Here's the tracking info for the package they provided back in June :
  ***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
  
  I'm sick and tired of dealing with this company, their shady tactics and request your help in dealing with them.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/30/2023

  Dear ********* ******,

  I am writing in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for any frustrations you may have experienced surrounding your order. We have confirmed that your order was delivered on June 25,2023. Please see the attached for proof of delivery, tracking number ************ was delivered via **** *** As of August 30, 2023, your account has a zero balance however if we receive additional chargebacks this will reopen your account and create a balance due. 

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/31/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The apartment shown in the picture is not mine. I've attached a picture of what the outside of my apartment actually looks like. I never received any delivery from ***** on 06/25 and I don't know where they delivered it to.

  Furthermore, the only tracking information provided to me by your company lists it as "Awaiting Carrier Pickup" and has the tracking ID ************ listed as *** tracking. So there was no way for me to even know that it was delivered incorrectly. This is the company's fault and you've got to own up to it.

  Also, your company was completely unreachable by calls or chat which is why I filed a charge back and it was ruled in my favor.

  However, your company initiated an unauthorized charge on my card on August 6th which is why I filed another chargeback. Even when I was finally able to get in touch with Music & Arts customer service around August 6th, there was no mention of the tracking ID being ***** tracking. Your company is very unorganized and several people have mentioned similar issues here : 

  *************************************************************

  If my card gets charged again, I will be forced to report it as fraud since I've not received the service/equipment that I paid for nor have I authorized any new payments to Music & Arts.

  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ********* ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I never agreed to auto drafts. There was a period of time nearly a year where my account had NEVER been auto drafted prior. I would either call to make a payment at the store level or receive calls from customer service regarding payments. All of a sudden in the month of July my account was unexpectedly charged for back payments as well as current payments all at once, causing my account to overdraft. Now had i previously had an agreement indicating i would be autodrafted OR had there been consistent autodrafts then i wouldn't have an issue. I feel robbed that i was automatically randomly autodrafted without any notice this is not what i agreed to regarding the payment arrangements. Customer service NEVER answers the phone when you try to call even if you select option 1 to keep your place in line for a callback IT NEVER HAPPENS! This is ridiculous. When i reached out store level the associate tried to convince me that there must've been some sort of anomaly or issue with their payment system. How is that my fault? I was absolutely robbed.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/30/2023

  Dear ******** *******,

  I am writing in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for any frustrations you may be experiencing surrounding your rental. Per your contract Music & Arts has authorization to charge any past due balance to your credit card. Please refer to step #5 on the front of your contract and #11 on the back of your contract. July isn't the first time Music & Arts has needed to charge your credit card for the past due balance. If you make your monthly payment on time, we will not charge the credit card you have on file with us. You can sign up for ezpay so the monthly payments are drafted on your due date rather than if you fall past due. There is no refund due to you at this time since you haven't overpaid. You haven't been reported to the credit bureau. 

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/05/2023

  I never said it was the first time I was charged I said it was the first time I was auto drafted. If I've had a payment schedule this entire time where does it say in the contract that you will charge at will without any pattern to the payments ? Once again I never was auto drafted this entire time I've had a contract so it doesn't matter how sarcastic you get in the comments I was not auto drafted prior to July in the year plus time I've had the instrument. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  cancelled rental of cello from Ramsey, NJ Music and Arts on July 15, 2023. I have a receipt. Got a bill for August for $79.97. Called 888-731-5396 to discuss billing. on hold for 2 hours! no human.
  Who do I complain to before this goes to collections?

  Business Response

  Date: 08/30/2023

  Dear ***** ******,

  I am writing in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for any frustrations you may have experienced surrounding your rental.  I can confirm your last charge of $79.97 was on July 15th, 2023, prior to when you returned your instrument. You returned your instrument the same day July 15, 2023, therefore you were refunded $79.97 on July 21, 2023, to your credit card ending ****. On August 8, 2023, we received notification from your credit card company that you disputed the July 15 charge of $79.97. Since this was previously refunded to you, the dispute created a balance due on your account. On August 16, 2023, we received a notice from your bank that we won the dispute and the $79.97 was given back to Music & Arts, this put your account at a zero balance. As long as we don't receive any additional disputes on your account it will remain closed with a zero balance.

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/31/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  This is the second time I had to call and complain about a bill. Both times I was kept on hold nearly 100 minutes.

   I question whether this is a poor business tactic to discourage people from resolving billing flaws. The local store referred me to the single billing phone number that takes forever to get a live representative.  How is this honest business practice? Someone needs to officially address this process.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  To clarify, the local store I worked with did a phenomenal job in trying to fix this issue; to them, and only them, I offer my gratitude for their patience and help. The main office and their customer services? Absolutely not. I have been working for over half a year attempting to resolve what should be a very simple issue. Due to the teachers vacation and the holiday season, the teacher my son was going to for lessons had to cancel for three weeks. The three lessons that were canceled weren’t canceled on our end, mind you. As compensation, since the inflexible policy (everyone knows that life never goes as scheduled) is to only offer makeup lessons instead of compensating with refunds, I was told lesson payments were paused for three weeks.
  
  When the payments started back up, my card was incorrectly charged twice instead of once. The store recognized the error and has been fantastic about trying to help me. They contacted the main office(whoever charges the lesson payment) to get it fixed, but I never received a refund on the overcharge. I went back to the local store to ask about it and they sent a few more emails, never receiving a response. I then contacted the customer service number provided on the website, who said they couldn’t do anything about it. I then began emailing customer service on multiple occasions, and when that didn’t work, I emailed a corporate address, which was also utterly useless. After all of this, I finally got a phone call in July! They said they’d get back to me. They never did. So in simple terms, customer service on both the website, on the phone, and the main office are all completely nonexistent. My time has been completely and utterly wasted. I am absolutely tired and sick of this ridiculous farce of a company, I will never be returning to M&A for their wretched business.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/12/2023

  Dear **** *********

  I am writing in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for any frustrations you may have experienced surrounding your lesson account. I can confirm you were refunded $108.00 on September 5, 2023, to your credit card ending ****. Your lesson account is closed with a zero balance.

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/28/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I wanted to bring to your attention an issue I encountered with a recent rental reservation and subsequent cancellation.
  
  I had reserved a violin online for rental for the amount of 53.61, and I received a call from a store associate in Huntersville, NC. They informed me that there would be a delay in delivering the rental and asked if I still wished to proceed. However, considering the anticipated delay, I decided to cancel the reservation as I wouldn't receive the instrument in time for my needs. The store associate kindly canceled the reservation, but unfortunately, the rental fee had already been processed.
  
  I was advised by the representative to contact the number 888-731-5396 in order to have the fee credited back to my account. However, despite my numerous attempts to reach out to Music & Arts over the past month, I have been unable to connect with anyone. I have spent hours on hold, with the longest wait time being two hours, as evidenced by my call logs.
  
  I understand that mistakes can happen, but it is disheartening to be charged for a service I never received. As a consumer, I believe it is crucial for companies to rectify such situations promptly and provide appropriate customer support. I kindly request your assistance in resolving this matter and ensuring that the rental fee is credited back to my account.
  
  I have attached proof of my charge. I sincerely hope that we can reach a resolution.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/05/2023

  Dear ********* *****,

  I am writing in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for frustrations you may have experienced surrounding your rental. I can confirm your rental has been cancelled. You have been refunded $53.61 to your credit card ending **** on September 1, 2023. Please allow 3-5 business days for your bank to process your refund.

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/25/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased 3 items online and paid an extra $19.44 for overnight shipping. The order was placed Tuesday (8/22/23). I received an email yesterday that only 1 of the 3 items shipped which arrived today (8/24/23). The other 2 items have not shipped. I have made numerous attempts to reach customer service via phone, chat, and email with no success. If all of my items were not going to be delivered overnight,I should not have been charged the overnight fee.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/01/2023

  Dear ********* ******

  I am writing in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for any frustrations you may have experienced surrounding your order. I can confirm all of your items have been delivered to you. Since you paid for overnight shipping and did not receive your items timely you will receive a refund in the amount of $19.44 to your credit card ending ****. Please allow 3-5 business days for your bank to process the refund.

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2023

  Dear ********* ******

  I am writing in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for any frustrations you may be experiencing surrounding your order. I can confirm you were refunded $17.35 for the items on September 18, 2023, to your credit card ending ****. Please allow 3-5 business days for your bank to process your refund.

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/18/2023

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ********* *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/25/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Ordered Saxaphone tenor lyre on Aug 21 2023 with 2 day shipping(an extra $9.98) and still have yet to receive it or hear from the company as to when it was shipped or when I can expect to receive it. Tried calling and sending an email and no response.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/01/2023

  Dear ******* *****,

  I am writing in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for any frustration you may have experienced with your order. Since you paid for 2-day shipping and did not receive your order within the 2 days the shipping charges will be refunded back to your credit card ending ****. Please allow 3-5 business days for your bank to process the refund.

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/22/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Under the rental agreement, which was not provided and only a supplement was, stating the cost of the rental and the terms. Under the rental conditions documented on the companies website, I was entitled to an exchange of the instrument to a larger size, to meet the needs of the child needing the instrument. After more than 4 attempts in store spanning the course of close to a year, to exchange the instrument I was told numerous times a manager/customer service rep would call me (after taking my information multiple times) to get the exchange. This never occurred. Recently I tried this again and was told I own the instrument, which was not the case as I was still being charged monthly. After further review, the reoccurring charge was an overcharge, and when brought to the attention of the store, no attempt was made to correct this. This company practices deceptive and bait and switch tactics, and provides zero assistance in correcting its errors.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/01/2023

  Dear ***** ******,

  I am writing in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for any frustrations you may have experienced surrounding your rental. I can confirm that you have not overpaid on this rental account, and you are eligible to exchange to the next size instrument. You need to return the instrument you currently have in order to have the exchange processed. Please stop by the closet Music & Arts store and they will work with you to get your exchange processed. 

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2023

  Dear ***** ******,

  I am writing this in response to your concerns regarding Music & Arts. I apologize for any frustrations you may be experiencing surrounding your rental. Our Customer Service Supervisor Devon emailed you directly and has also reached out to the District Manager in your area to advise him of the situation. Again, I apologize that you were given the incorrect information regarding exchanging your instrument, an exchange is allowed up to the next size/full size violin. According to our records you have not overpaid on your account. If you have record that you overpaid, please forward that to [email protected].

  Thank you for your time,

  Jessica N*****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/18/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Issue is still ongoing and given the previous difficulties, my confidence in getting it resolved is not high.  I have attempted numerous times in the past to get a manager involved to only have the issue not get addressed. Until I can get it resolved, it should remain open.

  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** ******