Service / Repair Terms and Conditions

These Service / Repair Terms and Conditions (“Repair Terms”) govern all repair, repad, overhaul, restoration, cleaning, adjustment, and related services performed by Kowal and Son LLC (“Kowal and Son,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). By leaving an instrument with us, shipping an instrument to us, signing an intake form, paying a repair deposit, or authorizing work by email, text, or other written communication, you agree to these Repair Terms.

1. Scope of Services
   Kowal and Son provides woodwind repair, clarinet repair and restoration, repadding, overhauls, cleaning, recorking, polishing, regulation, and related services as described on our website, service pages, intake forms, and approved estimates. The specific work to be performed will be documented through the customer intake process, estimate approval, written communications, and/or internal inspection notes.
2. Service Ladder and Repair Categories
   Our repair model includes multiple service levels, which may include minor pad service, basic service/playing‑condition refresh, joint repads, full repads, and overhaul tiers. Published service descriptions are intended to explain typical service scope, but actual work required may vary based on the instrument’s condition upon inspection and disassembly. This means a customer request for a simple repair may be reclassified if the instrument’s actual condition requires a broader service.
3. Independent Keys vs. Linked Key Systems
   Some clarinet keys operate independently and can be serviced as limited, isolated repairs. Other key systems—especially mechanically linked lower‑joint systems such as the crow’s‑foot cluster, right‑hand ring keys, G♯/E♭ linkage, and bridge‑driven pads—may require sectional repad and full regulation rather than a simple single‑pad repair. If inspection shows that a requested repair affects one of these linked systems, Kowal and Son may require the work to be upgraded to the appropriate lower‑joint repad, full repad, or overhaul service in order to achieve reliable sealing, regulation, and playability.
4. Estimates, Authorization, and Additional Work
   Customers may authorize work in advance, request approval above a certain dollar amount, or require a written estimate before work begins. All estimates are good‑faith approximations, not fixed quotes, because additional issues may be discovered during disassembly, cleaning, or bench testing. If additional necessary work is discovered, Kowal and Son will attempt to contact the customer using the provided contact information and will proceed only in accordance with the customer’s selected approval instructions or later authorization.
5. Pricing, Bench Minimum, and Deposits
   Repair pricing is based on the current published service structure, bench time, parts/materials, and actual instrument condition. A minimum bench charge may apply to instruments accepted for inspection or repair, and certain services may require a deposit before work begins. If a customer authorizes work and later instructs Kowal and Son to stop after work has begun, the customer remains responsible for labor already performed, installed or non‑returnable materials, special‑order parts, and applicable restocking charges.
6. Ownership and Authority
   By submitting an instrument for service, you represent that you are the lawful owner or fully authorized by the owner to approve work, incur charges, and agree to these Repair Terms. You agree to indemnify and hold Kowal and Son harmless from third‑party claims arising out of ownership disputes or lack of authority to authorize repairs.
7. Instrument Condition and Hidden Issues
   A visible condition check may be performed at intake, but many problems—including hidden cracks, prior improper repairs, internal wear, warped keywork, unstable pads, or concealed structural weaknesses—may not be discoverable until disassembly or bench work begins. Kowal and Son is not responsible for pre‑existing defects, prior repair quality, age‑related deterioration, or hidden conditions that existed before the instrument was received, whether or not all such conditions were visible or documented at intake.
8. Inherent Risks of Repair and Restoration
   Repair and restoration work, especially on older, fragile, heavily worn, cracked, or previously modified instruments, carries inherent risks. These can include finish changes, plating loss, tarnish changes, minor scratching, crack movement, discovery of uneconomical repair conditions, or differences in tone, feel, or response after repair. By authorizing repair, the customer acknowledges and accepts these inherent risks.
9. No Guarantee of Musical or Cosmetic Outcome
   Kowal and Son uses professional skill and accepted repair methods but does not guarantee a particular tone, response, playing feel, resale value, audition result, or “like new” cosmetic appearance. Older or heavily worn instruments may retain permanent limitations even after careful repair or overhaul.
10. Workmanship Warranty
    Kowal and Son provides a limited workmanship warranty covering defects in labor and materials supplied by us, subject to the following general categories:

Minor repairs, routine adjustments, and basic cleaning services: limited short‑term workmanship coverage.

Repads, sectional repads, and full repad/overhaul services: longer workmanship coverage.

Used instruments refurbished and sold by us: limited coverage only for workmanship directly related to our refurbishment work.

Warranty coverage applies only under normal use and only to the original customer. Warranty service requires return of the instrument to Kowal and Son for inspection and service. Kowal and Son does not reimburse third‑party repair costs unless expressly approved in writing in advance.

11. Warranty Exclusions
    The workmanship warranty does not cover normal wear, pad settling, cork compression, environmental damage, humidity or heat exposure, shipping damage, accidental damage, drops, unauthorized third‑party work, abuse, misuse, pre‑existing disclosed problems, or problems caused by changes made after pickup. It also does not cover cosmetic outcomes, personal preference about response or feel, or deterioration caused by storage or handling after the instrument leaves our possession.
12. Shipping and Transit
    Customers are responsible for proper packing, insurance, and carrier selection when shipping instruments to Kowal and Son. Risk of loss or damage in transit to the shop remains with the customer and/or carrier until the instrument is received and checked in. For return shipping, Kowal and Son will pack with reasonable care, but risk of transit loss or damage after the instrument is delivered to the carrier remains with the customer and/or carrier unless otherwise required by law or separately agreed in writing.
13. Storage, Pickup, and Abandoned Instruments
    Customers must pick up the instrument or arrange return shipping within the stated period after completion notice. Storage fees may be charged for unclaimed instruments after the posted grace period. If an instrument remains unclaimed after completion notice and reasonable attempts to contact the customer, Kowal and Son may treat the instrument as abandoned property and may exercise available rights under applicable Florida law, including an artisan’s lien, to recover unpaid repair charges, storage charges, and reasonable related costs.
14. Right to Refuse or Discontinue Service
    Kowal and Son reserves the right to refuse, limit, or discontinue repair work where, in its professional judgment, the instrument cannot be safely repaired, contamination or biohazard conditions make handling unsafe, the repair is economically unreasonable compared with instrument value, required authorization is not provided, or the customer’s requested scope of work would create an unreliable or misleading result. In such cases, diagnostic fees, inspection fees, bench minimums, shipping, and costs already incurred may still apply.
15. Cleanliness, Biohazards, and Additional Cleaning Charges
    If an instrument arrives with mold, bodily fluids, infestation, severe dirt, or other contamination, Kowal and Son may require deep cleaning, apply additional charges, or refuse service if the condition is unsafe to handle.
16. Documentation, Photos, and Records
    Kowal and Son may photograph or document instruments before, during, and after service for internal records, insurance support, quality control, training, and process documentation. Non‑identifying photographs may also be used for educational or promotional purposes unless otherwise prohibited by law or separately agreed in writing.
17. Limitation of Liability
    To the fullest extent permitted by Florida law, Kowal and Son’s total liability for any claim arising from repair, restoration, storage, or related services is limited to the lesser of:

the amount actually paid for the specific service at issue, or

the documented fair market value of the instrument immediately before the repair, if such value is documented.

Kowal and Son will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, including loss of use, lost performance opportunities, lost income, or loss of expected future value. Nothing in these Repair Terms is intended to waive liability where waiver is not permitted by applicable law, such as for gross negligence or willful misconduct to the extent non‑waivable under Florida law.

18. Governing Law and Venue
    These Repair Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida. Any dispute arising out of or relating to repair or restoration services must be brought in the courts located in or serving Alachua County, Florida, unless applicable law requires otherwise.
19. Relationship to Website Terms
    These Repair Terms apply specifically to instrument service work. They supplement, and do not replace, the Website Terms & Conditions that govern website use, online browsing, e‑commerce, and general website transactions.