My daughter came to me last fall and said she wanted to follow in the family tradition and play the flute in band at school.  I played the flute for 7 years in school including in the Mt. Tahoma Marching Band and at all of the football games.  It was a great experience for me.  My sister played the flute for about 5 years in school. She was also in the Mt. Tahoma band.  My daughter goes to public school in University Place, WA.  She chose band over chorus and orchestra.  I was very proud of her after watching her progress at her last performance.

She was always practicing and bringing her flute everywhere she went, grandma’s, her friend’s house to show off to them how well she played.  She would play for me all the time and for her grandpa and Dad.  One day she took her flute to the playground at Drum Intermediate a local school near our home.  She had a girlfriend with her and her sister and she played the flute for them there.  She must have gotten sidetracked and accidentally left her flute near the playground and came home.  We live about 2 blocks from there.  When she got home she immediately realized that she had left the flute at the school, she ran back to retrieve it but it was sadly gone.

I tried to call Ted Brown and report it but I got a gentleman that said the lady there that dealt with that was not available.  He suggested I call later.  I did call later and she was running a summer camp program.  I called a 3rd time a couple of days later and she was again not available to come to the phone so I left a message for her to call me regarding this.  I received no return phone calls.  I figured I’d better drive across town to Ted Brown and see what I was to do about this.  I knew I had been paying for some sort of insurance since I began renting the instrument back in August of last year. 

When I got to Ted Brown she was not there, she had left for the day.  I spoke to a nice kid that told me how it usually worked and advised me that I would need to notify the University Place Police and file a stolen item report.  I did call the police who did not answer the non-emergency line for more than 20 rings the first time I called then I called again and finally got through to them after many many rings.  The dispatcher that answered said that she would have an officer call me.  I missed that call that evening at about 5pm.  I had given them my work phone number when I called earlier that day around 12 noon. 

I called the next morning and again waited and waited and waited for the non emergency line to be answered.  Finally, when it was picked up I let the dispatcher know that I had missed the officer’s call the previous evening and that I had a reference number.  She took my name and the reference number, she again advised me an officer would call me back.  I gave her my cell phone this time.  I got the call later that day and Officer Rather advised me that since my daughter had left it that it would not be considered a stolen item.  Although it magically had disappeared by the time she had ran back to get it!? 

So there I was, about $250.00 into an $800.00 flute payment including insurance and a police force that can’t write me a report that will net me a new instrument for my daughter for the next year.  Instead I am stuck with nothing from them and in turn nothing from Ted Brown.

Nothing except a “Thank You.” “Thank you for paying full price for an instrument that you no longer have, one that was obviously stolen but because it was not stolen under specific circumstances we cannot replace.”  I will end up paying $32.10 for a flute for the next 1.5 years.  The girl that handeled it said that she had asked the manager of Ted Brown if they could make and exception and she was told “No!” 

I was told by Ted Brown that if our car had been broken into and the flute stolen I would have been covered.  If our house had been broken into and the flute was stolen it would have been covered.  If the band instructor would have told my daughter to leave the instrument unsecured in a part of the band area or school it would have been covered.  I am not covered since my daughter accidentally left her instrument somewhere as I would not have been covered had she left it on the bus.  AMAZING!  Imagine how much Ted Brown must make off of insurance that never gets used.  If the manager had discretion to grant me another flute if I were to pay the  deductible I wonder what they do with all of the insurance money that I will now pay on an instrument that I no longer have? 

It sure doesn’t prompt one to be honest.  Honesty got me nowhere in this case.  If you ever misplace your instument just full out lie and tell them that your car was broken into or that your house was robbed otherwise you will just be liable for the full payment and insurance payment on an instrument you also no longer have.  If you can help it at all DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH TED BROWN IN TACOMA.  There is another music store in Puyallup called Hi HO music, it’s been there for years, also Hghland Hills Music Store on 6th Avenue in Tacoma.  I will most likely go to one of those for my other daughter’s instument and for the replacement for this one.  TED BROWN TACOMA SUCKS!

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