Novice Question - Do I need a new cartridge?

If you did not tell them in advance to stay away from your table, you should fire yourself!

Try to bend it back carefully with a Q-tip. The chance that it is ruined are not that large. If it snaps you will have at least tried.

It will snap. If you play it while crooked, it will be all out of whack. You need a new one.

You cannot bend it back--there's no way you can restore the proper alignment.

However, you may not need a new cartridge, just a new stylus. Contact your dealer or Music Hall about a replacement.

Yep, my wife told them the whole system is off limits, guess the orders did not get down to the actual cleaner.

Kicking myself for not putting us the signs, like I did when the last lot started.

I understand stylus is not replaceable.

Thanks to all, for the for the feed back.

The stylus is not user-replaceable; you'd have to ship it back to the factory. But that should be cheaper than a whole new cartridge.

My wife hired a cleaning lady without my consent years back to be charitable to the cleaning lady, whom she met at church.
At that time I did not have a dedicated listening room.
yes she did dust the turntable, and bent the stylus on my at that time Benz Glider. I did move it back into place (I thought) but during critical listening I could hear the distortion from the misalignment. when I tried to bend it again SNAP, to bad so sad.

Now I have a Shelter 501 and loving it. This is an opportunity to get something new and better. This is a GOOD thing, and your wife can't say anything.