Trombone loaned to student sold by parcel carrier

The British Trombone Society (BTS) is seeking legal action against DPD after a trombone lost in transit was sold at auction by the parcel carrier.

A Yamaha 882GO trombone donated to BTS by London Symphony Orchestra principal trombone, Peter Moore, is currently being advertised for sale in the West Midlands after being sold at auction. The instrument was reported lost in October 2022 by the society and was sent to an auction house after the parcel carrier failed to deliver it.

In an update posted on the BTS website, the organisation said: ‘We now know where the instrument is, but having it returned to us is proving problematic… We are seeking legal action to help recover our instrument as DPD are hiding behind a barrage of emails.’ The society added that staff ‘have put hundreds of hours into this, and we believe there is some hope along this route.’

The society’s annual instrument loan scheme is intended to provide young players who are unable to afford the instrument needed to progress their studies with access to high-quality trombones. The scheme is open to any society member aged 25 and under with loans assessed on a case-by-case basis after an application is submitted. Applications for the 2023 scheme will reopen in July.

BST originally reported that the trombone was lost in transit between the instrument servicer and the loan recipient and was last seen at the DPD Aldridge Depot on 31 August 2022, according to the company’s Parcel Tracker.