Today’s post is a positive customer service story — the kind that I like to write!

I purchased a Teenage Engineering EP-40 during the last few days of 2025. Alto Music was having a holiday coupon sale and I said, “What the heck?”

This was my first order from Alto Music. They pop up in product searches and they are one of the few Teenage Engineering (TE) reps in the USA. The stars aligned, so why not?

Alto’s fulfillment was swift. Unfortunately, the EP-40 suffered a hardware problem. I was able to investigate the problem by measuring voltage at the battery terminals without opening the case and voiding the warranty. I reported the issue to Teenage Engineering who determined that the hardware issue is covered under its warranty.

According to TE, warranty issues in the USA are handled through the retailer — in this case, Alto Music. Alto quickly set up the return procedure. Alto kindly covered return shipping in accordance with their policy. I now have a replacement EP-40 in hand and it is working fine.

The staff at Alto Music are very friendly and helpful. I will not hesitate to place an order with them in the future.

A word about patience. Yes, it took time for everything to play out. Most of the delay was due to shipping, weather, and the holidays. For example, the replacement was delayed several times by the atrocious winter weather in the Midwest. In an age of instant communication, we forget that physical objects don’t just materialize. Please be patient and courteous with customer service staff.

I want to conclude by saying “Thank you” to both Alto Music and Teenage Engineering.

Copyright © 2026 Paul J. Drongowski