Terms & Conditions

Chris Piano Technician
5 Ashbourne Mews
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK10 3RR
United Kingdom

07572 683698

info@chrispianotuning.com

These terms apply when you book a piano tuning, repair or assessment visit with me. By booking (including through Gazelle), you agree to them.

1. Booking

Appointments are requested through my online scheduler (Gazelle) or by email/phone.

A request is not confirmed until I accept it. You will get a confirmation. Recurring clients may use a private booking link in reminders; that still counts as a booking under these terms.

Please give an accurate address, a working phone number, and any access notes (parking, flats, entry codes, which piano).

I cover Cheshire as standard and travel across Great Britain by arrangement. Longer journeys may need a travel fee or a minimum visit, which I will tell you before I confirm.

2. The visit

I come to the piano. Please make sure:

  • someone 18 or over is present

  • I can reach the piano and open the lid

  • the room is reasonably warm (very cold pianos are harder to tune stably)

  • there is somewhere to park close by, or you have warned me if not

A standard tuning visit is typically about 1–1.5 hours. Pitch raises, repairs and neglected instruments take longer.

I am insured and DBS checked. I will treat your home and instrument with care.

3. What I will do

Depending on what you booked, the visit may include:

  • Standard tuning — a tuning of an instrument already near pitch

  • Pitch raise — bringing a flat piano up towards concert pitch (A440 unless we agree otherwise). This can take extra time and may need a follow-up tuning

  • Repairs and regulation — as discussed on the day or in advance

  • Assessment / estimate — inspection and a quote for further work

I will say if the piano cannot be tuned safely or stably (for example broken strings, a cracked plate, severe rust, or a frame that will not hold tension). In that case I will explain the options. You still pay a call-out / assessment charge for the visit unless we agreed otherwise in writing.

4. Extra work

If I find extra work (broken strings, sticking keys, pedal faults, a needed pitch raise), I will tell you before I do it and agree the extra time or cost. I will not carry on with paid extra work without your say-so.

Quotes for larger repairs are estimates until I have seen the piano. Parts, if needed, are charged in addition.

5. Fees and payment

Prices are as shown when you book, or as I confirm to you. Travel outside the usual Cheshire area may be extra.

Payment is due on the day of the visit unless we agree otherwise. I will say how I take payment (card, bank transfer, or as offered through Gazelle).

If a piano needs two visits (for example a large pitch raise), each visit is charged unless I have quoted a package.

6. Cancellation and no-shows

Please give at least 48 hours’ notice to cancel or move an appointment (via Gazelle, email or phone).

  • More than 48 hours: no charge

  • Less than 48 hours, or nobody in when I arrive: I may charge a cancellation / wasted-journey fee up to the full visit price, especially if I have already travelled e.g. half the visit price.

If I have to cancel (illness, vehicle, weather), I will tell you as soon as I can and rebook. I am not responsible for other costs you incur if a visit is postponed.

Online bookings for a dated home visit are a scheduled service. If you ask me to come on a specific day, you agree the visit can go ahead as arranged and that the usual 14-day cooling-off period for distance contracts may not apply once that date is set. You can still cancel under the notice rules above.

7. Results and the piano

A newly tuned piano should sound in tune when I leave. How long it holds depends on the instrument, the room (heat, damp, sunlight, radiators), how much it is played, and whether it was badly out of pitch.

I cannot guarantee that:

  • a piano which was far below pitch will be fully stable after one visit

  • a worn, rusty or poorly maintained piano will play or sound like a serviced one

  • strings will not break on old or heavily rusted wire (I take care; breakage is a known risk on neglected pianos)

If something is clearly wrong with the tuning on the same day through my error, tell me promptly and I will put it right without extra labour charge.

8. Liability

I am responsible for loss or damage caused by my negligence, up to the limit of my public liability insurance, except where the law does not allow a limit (death or personal injury caused by negligence, or fraud).

I am not liable for:

  • existing faults in the piano

  • strings or parts that fail because of age, rust or previous work

  • delay caused by traffic, access, or the condition of the instrument

  • indirect loss (for example a cancelled concert) except as the law requires

Keep the piano in a sensible environment. Extreme dryness, damp or heat will undo a tuning.

9. Your information

I keep client, piano and appointment details in Gazelle so I can schedule, invoice and remind you. I do not sell your details. See the Privacy Policy on this website. Recurring reminder links are for your bookings only — please do not share them.

10. Complaints

If you are unhappy with a visit, email or phone me as soon as you can, ideally within 7 days, and I will try to put it right.

11. Changes and law

I may update these terms; the version on this page when you book is the one that applies. English law applies. The courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction.

Last updated: 22 September 2026