Terms and Conditions
for Mike Boessen's Radio Attic
General. I DO NOT SHIP INTERNATIONALLY! Prices shown do not include shipping and handling costs.
Also, please feel free to contact me with questions or if you would like additional pictures.
Sales and Payment. I will sell to the earliest email received stating the
intent to buy. Your email stating you intend to buy constitutes a sale. I will
reply with an email requesting the ship to address and payment preference. I
will accept personal checks and PayPal. I prefer PayPal. PayPal will ship right
away. Personal checks require a waiting time (until it clears my bank, approx
5-10 days) before shipping. For local pickup, payment must be made in cash or
prepaid as described above. Payment must be received in full within ten (10)
days of the sale
Guarantee. All radios, if restored and stated as working, are
guaranteed to work for 90 days after receipt. If the radio fails in that time
span please contact me and we will work together to solve the problem or if
necessary ship it back for repair. I will either repair and return it or refund
the purchase price, whichever is the best course of action. A buyer shall not
attempt a repair without contacting me first. Failure to contact me will void
the warranty! It is generally more prudent to try to find a mutually agreeable
local restorer, if possible, to evaluate/repair a set, as shipping a 30 pound
radio several times is risky and expensive. On one thing you can rest assured. I
am a meticulously honest person and will give every benefit of doubt to the
customer.
Shipping. The customer pays shipping and insurance costs. I have
shipped many radios with great success. I use heavy duty boxes, large bubble
wrap, Styrofoam peanuts and in some cases, foam rubber. I will do my best to
protect your purchase from the rough handling of the shipping company gorillas.
I prefer FedEx Home Delivery. Upon receipt, the customer should inspect the
package immediately and notify the shipper promptly if damage is apparent.
Summary. I have been restoring radios for several years, but have
dedicated a lot more time to it since retiring in October 2017. I do this out of
love for these classic electronics. I will do my very best to make you happy
with your purchase.
I have been an electronics technician for over 50 years. I hold a Federal
Communications Commission radiotelephone service license. I perform all of the
work, so you only have one person to deal with if problems occur. Problems
rarely occur because of the procedures I use in restoration. With few
exceptions, I replace all wax/paper and filter capacitors with new modern ones.
Resistors and tubes are also checked and replaced if out of spec. Unlike most
restorers, I do not ship radios with tubes that just barely make it into the
“good” range. I never install a tube that doesn't test 70% of new value. All of
my restorations are followed with proper tuneup and alignment so all stations
appear on the dial as near as possible to where they should be. Speakers are
re-coned if needed.
As for cabinetry, I usually refinish the cabinets. When I do, I use proper
sealers and lacquers, same as was done originally. I will re-veneer cabinets if
the original veneer is too damaged to restore. I do my best to estimate the
color of the original finish and match it as best I can. (The buyer should
understand that it is not possible to know exactly what the color of an 80 year
old radio was at time of manufacture. ) I do my best to get accurate color
rendering of my sale photos, but the customer should be aware that the
appearance of color varies quite a bit with the type of lighting. I will never
use polyurethane or other modern finishes. Most of my radios will have between
12 and 18 coats of lacquer and 2 sanding operations for a nice, slick finish.
This kind of attention to detail will cause my prices to be a bit higher, but
you get what you pay for. These days a lot of people try to pass off dings,
scratches, wood grain, and deteriorated finish as "character." I call it
"damage" and I want my radios to look as near to new as possible, within the
constraints of the value of the radio. I'm honestly doing this because I want to
save as many of these amazing pieces of American history as I can, so they can
bring enjoyment to their new owners just as they did for their original
purchasers (and also to keep myself out of the bars).
I do not install Auxiliary cables as part of a restoration. Some people want their sets to be absolutely original. I will install an aux cable at buyer's request, for an additional charge, which will vary. This is a fairly easy procedure for some sets and very difficult for others. If you have several sets, I believe it is much more prudent to purchase one of the many RF transmitters available on the market that can broadcast to any number of sets you have. I also have available FM converters and Bluetooth receivers. These are a bit expensive, require the addition of a lot of extra parts and wiring, and a lot of extra labor. If you are interested in one of these options, let me know. I will pull a schematic for the set you are interested in, determine if it can be done and give you an estimate.