Metropolitan Music in Kirkland offers a charming mom-and-pop atmosphere with a wide selection. Renting and returning is a breeze, thanks to their knowledgeable staff, always ready with helpful tips. read more

Abusive staff and improper, unauthorized credit card charges: MM recently charged my credit card more than $1300 for a rental from more than 2 years ago -- without contacting me or explaining the charges. When I called, they were bizarrely rude and suggested *I* was to blame. I eventually got most of the charges reversed, but I had to endure bizarre hostility. I tried to reach out to the owner to discuss my experience, but she did not return my messages. Believe the other negative reviews, and monitor your credit card statement! read more

I would be careful of this business. I rented an instrument for my daughter here for the past year and even though I paid for the "maintenance fee" every time it has to be taken in for service the owner charged me $75. read more

I've been taking tenor saxophone lessons at Metropolitan for going on a year. My experience has been excellent so far. Family owned and operated! Aaron is a high quality teacher! Everyone who works there has been great to me. read more

I had an old trumpet which needed valve alignment and clean. I took it to Metropolitan Music Service which was recommended by the trumpet teacher last Thursday. The lady at the store was nice to give advice about the trumpet case. The store called notifying me it's ready to be picked up this Tuesday. I got the trumpet back and I am happy to get it done so quickly. The place is very small. There are several rooms in the back for private lessons. I had trouble finding this place because the entrance was small and the sign was easy to miss. read more

Metropolitan Music - The store front - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Some of the worst customer service and instruments I have experienced and seen. The front desk woman was nice, but when the owners helped me and my son, it became unpleasant. The instruments they carry as rentals for students are straight-up bad, I believe they carry Jupiter. This coming from someone that has playing experience in a professional setting. Owners are very arrogant and judgmental. The only redeeming quality of this company is that some of their private instructors are decent. Take your business elsewhere. read more

I called in interested to sell an instrument this afternoon and I'm going to save you the trouble and tell you to read the reviews and not waste a second calling in. Initially I had some man who seemed pleasant pick up but instantly once I asked if he would be interested in buying the instrument he changed into a much more condescending attitude as he transferred me to talk to some woman. As I told her the make and make and model she scoffs and replies "that's not a real instrument", keep in mind this instrument is in perfect condition and is retailed at upwards of $1500 and positive reviews that can't be said of this establishment. Don't waste a SECOND thinking about this place. If anything I recommend even chain stores like Kennelly keys or music and arts have much better costumer service. Please read the reviews read more

My time here was absolutely horrible. Both owners were beyond smug. They will not treat you well. Seek some alternative, literally any music place, but this one. I should have read the reviews. read more

Buyer Beware! I rented a violin from Metropolitan Music for which the rental fee was automatically charged to my credit card monthly. After returning the violin, the rental fee continued to be charged to my credit card. I went in to get the charges refunded and talked to Jean (the owner) who claimed that another employee had misfiled my paperwork. She said she would get in touch with the third party rental company (Harmony Music) and have them discontinue the charges and get me a refund. Another month went by and the charge appeared again. I called and she acted frustrated with Harmony Music, claiming that she had contacted them and didn't know why they were still charging me. This become an awful customer service experience! Each month the charge would appear and I would contact Jean. She NEVER called me back and when I did reach her, had a long-winded excuse for the lack of resolution. In the end I was charged for 6 extra months! Finally, sick of the excuses and lack of responsiveness on MM's end, I asked for a contact at Harmony Music so that I could attempt to resolve this. I called them once, left a message and they called me back right away and reversed the charges. They claimed all they needed was a faxed form from Metropolitan Music, but they never received it. They were not doing business with her any more since this had happened repeatedly. Disappointing! read more

Non-existent customer service! I rented a cello for my son for a school year. Although I paid for insurance, it apparently didn't cover damage that was considered above "normal wear and tear." We had to pay an additional $225 for the repair. I also noticed irregular withdrawals for the rental from my checking account. I have sent 2 emails and placed 2 phone calls in search of an explanation, but have yet to hear back from anyone. The repair guy there is great and the person who rented me the cello was nice, but I returned the instrument to a grump and this lack of response to a customer inquiry is inexcusable in my book. Rent here with caution! read more

The experience of renting an instrument for my child who was beginning orchestra at school was certainly OK, but I've experienced better (2 star). I'm writing because, as a new-to-this-type-venture mom, I would have liked to have known more about the finances of renting to own from MM so I would have made a different decision. We asked for a used student grade instrument. The one they came out with was in beautiful shape and almost new, which must?? be why they charged so much for it. Unfortunately I neglected to ask what they were charging (I was just relieved I did not have to pay for a new one) or to apprehend that I was actually paying more than that same instrument would be new in some places. Although it must have been clear from the paperwork, this fact was not made clear to me when I signed up for the minimum of two month rental. So, definitely ask all the pertinent questions so you won't be caught off guard (I had asked for the monthly rate, but neglected to ask the other relevant question - how many months will I be renting before I own it - ie. what is the price - in my case I would be renting for 54 months!). When I asked for used I did so with finances in mind and thus, was taken by surprise when I finally asked to find that the used price was actually more than double the retail value of a used instrument at any place I subsequently went to. It was even significantly more than double the price of a used excellent condition Intermediate grade horn at Trading Musician. (I must also mention that you can buy a NEW one of the exact thing for 30% less on Amazon than I was paying for the used one, but I am a fan of bricks and mortar so would not have gone that route, but see it as a comparison point - new for 30% less than I was paying for used). I think the moral of the story is that used instruments in the retail market are a relative bargain - even excellent quality ones are less than half the price of a new one - so if you are wanting to go the used route, check other stores to compare. When I took it back, the employee (a different one than the others I had worked with) spoke three words to me: "what's your name?" - which is again "OK" in terms of Yelp rating. read more

Took a saxophone there for a simple repair. they seemed friendly, but then came the SELL. 1st the wife(owner).. then the husband on the phone; really HARD SELL..to up the repair from $80 to $750. I'm a professional musician and clearly the shop did not have the expertise to fix my horn. I retreived it after 5 days unrepaired. STAY way far away from this place read more

Incredibly unprofessional service and environment. I have both a B.M. and an M.M. and can tell you that music is hard enough without the scare tactics and pointlessly ruthless demeanor this store's owner shows towards capable musicians. If you're looking to waste your time and money on subpar instruction from a musician with bare minimum skills, a lack of collaborative ability, and no real experience playing music at a high professional level, look no further. read more

This is a small family-run business focused on instrument rental, repair, and the local music community. I've used their practice spaces as an adult cello student, but I'm really writing to let everyone know how generous they are to Green Lake Elementary School: they donate a PA system to us twice a year (for our Walk-and-Roll-athon and for Field Day). I think you should support a business that supports the community and the public schools! read more

We took my clarinet here to be repaired, and our experience can be best described as traumatic. We were persuaded to pay for a complete re-padding. In retrospect, I think it may have been better to only get what was necessary, but we aren't pinching pennies with maintaining my clarinet. When we got it back, it quickly became apparent that it did not work, squeaking all over the lower half of the instrument. We brought it back to them, and only then discovered that their repair guy did not even play the clarinet himself. The owner told us that the "clarinet guy" would play it and then they'd would look at it again. He was not there, so we said. "we'll wait". This is when things really went south: the owner yelled at me and my mother, who was already upset, saying "just go!" He falsely claimed that "it was working when it left the shop." I have been playing the clarinet since I was 8 years old and I know when it is not working. We decided that we had no alternative but to let them try to make good, having already spent 300 dollars. Well the story gets even longer from here. We eventually had to give up on them, eat our losses and take it to someone else. We learned an important lesson: do not trust your irreplaceable instrument to just anyone. What really concerns me is this: what about music students who don't know the difference, who think that their instrument is fine and that it is their fault that they can't play it? They might be better at brass, but please don't take your woodwind here. read more

This buisness is very nice, with fairly inexpencive rooms to rent. These rooms are very useful, as they can be used for lessons or if you would like to practice music in peace. Next door is a bakery that parents can relax in while thier chid is having a lesson. There is a fairly large selection of chapstick and cleaning supplies. Overall this place is the place you want to go! read more

I came here because they are only blocks away from my home. When I went in initially the staff was friendly and set me up with everything I would need for my son's violin lessons. They even referred me to a teacher. Everything seemed fine. Then things went wrong. 1st, the violin teacher never responded to my many phone calls so I had to find one on my own. 2nd the bow warped within a month. 3rd, they never charged me for the violin even after I called them to make them aware of this fact. They assured me they would get me set up into the billing system and all would be fine. It never happened for an entire YEAR. Just before Christmas the owner called to tell me that there was a problem with my account and accused it on her staff which had subsequently all been replaced. She wanted to charge me for a year worth of rental right then, just before Christmas. I decided to go to another establishment to get a new violin for my son who needed a size up. My intention was to return the smaller instrument to Metropolitan Music and square up the account after Christmas when I could afford a whole year of rental services all at once. It took me longer to find the time and money than I had anticipated. In February I received a call from the owner again to remind me that i needed to pay. I told her I would be returning the violin and had chosen another establishment to rent from. She then spent the next 15 minutes badmouthing the establishment and touting her services. I finally returned the violin yesterday. I walked into the building with only a couple of minutes of free time, the owner was on the phone and didn't even turn to acknowledge that I had walked in. So I set the violin on the counter took pictures and left. I sent her an email telling her how disappointed I was with the experience. The only thing she had to say was sorry I misinterpreted her that she wasn't badmouthing the other establishment I had gone to. She charged me for the full amount. I won't be back and my violin teacher who is AMAZING will not be referring any of his students to her store. read more

I took my flute here to get it overhauled and they were very nice and seemed competent, but after bringing it back twice because of problems with the overhaul, I've had to take it to someone else. I think the repair guy here is probably okay to take your student flute to (reasonably priced!), but if you have a professional flute (I have a Yamaha 681), they really don't know how to do the kind of fine adjustment needed to get the flute to play properly. read more

I was on the hunt for a new trumpet, as a comeback player. I am an experienced musician and I've been around a few music stores in my day. Most of the other places I found in the area were "generalists" - in fact, one store (not to be named) tried to convince me that Bach trumpet mouthpieces changed their depth by the number rating rather than the letter rating (dorky brass stuff, I know). Not this shop. From the moment I picked up the phone to the minute I walked out of the shop with a new horn, I knew I'd found a top-rate store. I thought I knew what I would want, but both the wife (who was not a brass player by trade, but knew her stuff) and the husband of the team (who is brass by trade) were able to walk me through my choices, were very patient with me as I tried a few different horns and mouthpieces out, guided me to the right horn, and helped me secure a really good deal on the instrument for a lower price than I could find most other places. read more