When it arrives, look it over very carefully and document any lacquer flaws, including areas of acid bleed (brown areas typically near joints/seams) or sections where the instrument was not buffed or lacquered properly. Also look for dents and scratches. Report any flaws to the company immediately, so that they have a record in case there are questions when you return the tuba. I received a new Mack Brass tuba recently and it had multiple finish flaws (a.k.a 'blemishes'). The horn plays/sounds great and finish was at the bottom of my list of priorities, so I don't care so much and I KNOW (see below) that self-inflicted blemishes are inevitable. You will need to care in order to receive your $250 credit.
You might also consider skipping the rental scenario entirely as (I'm not sure how else to put this), you WILL almost definitely inflict blemishes, dings and dents from regular use over 10 weeks. I would say that's almost guaranteed. It's a tuba. It's big and clumsy and easy to whack. You can claim to be the most careful person around (I do that all the time!), but it will get whacked. Waiting 10 weeks isn't going to change your life, particularly since you will be starting over fingering-wise. It might save you $250, which would be useful as you play mouthpiece roulette. :)
By the way, who is responsible for the cost of wear, dings and dents inflicted on the rented tuba? Did you get that in writing?
Stands:
The Hercules stand is not a playing stand. It's for storing the tuba while not in use. It's sturdy/stable, but take look at pictures on the Hercules web site as the tuba sits at an angle. Someone else might chime in about whether that makes placing the tuba on/removing the tuba from the stand awkward. If you're looking for a **playing** stand (tuba rest), models are made by Baltimore Brass (recommended by Scott and many others) as well as K&M. This is for playing, not storage. You'll need to determine if a storage stand is necessary (i.e., to avoid inflicting blemishes) as an alternative to placing the tuba on its bell or back in the case.
aaronliu wrote: 2. Immediate shipment of a rental tuba that he has in stock, a B flat horn with 3 valves, new, of the same brand. This is being rented to me for $250. However, if I am able to return the tuba to him in new condition without blemish, he will apply my rental fee towards the purchase of the horn I am ordering from him.
