|
|
|
Availability / Backorders / Out-of-Stock Items
How to Order
International Orders
Missing Item / Missing Part Policy
Package Not Received
Price Quotes by Email / Phone
Purchase Orders
Return Policy
Shipping Refund policy
How To Order
Phone Orders
There is a $50 minimum for phone orders.
Our system is geared more toward on-line ordering
(please see below). However, we'll be glad to assist you by checking stock or answering other questions on the phone.
Phone number: Toll-free 877-260-6039 (USA only). We don't have a dedicated
operator to take phone orders, but if you call and someone is
available, we'll be glad to help you.
We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
On-Line Orders
There is a $15 minimum for on-line orders.
1.)
Simply add your items to the cart (click "Add to Cart") and then click
"View Cart / Checkout" when you're ready to complete your order.
2.) Choose either Paypal or Google Checkout
(either one can process credit cards). Paypal allows you to place
an order without having to sign up for an account (true at time this page was written; may be subject to change). Google
Checkout has its own checkout button, which you will see in the lower
right-hand area of the checkout screen.
3.)
Simply enter your billing / shipping info and credit card details, and
choose a username and password (if you
are a new customer). A good password should be a
mixture of numbers and uppercase & lowercase letters.
Preferably, a password should be 10 or more characters long. Keep your username and password written down in a safe place (such as with your credit card).
If
you are a returning customer, simply
enter your username and password. That same Paypal or Google
Checkout account can be used with any on-line merchant accepting that
form of payment.
Ordering with a Check or Money Order...
Please give us a call 877-260-6039 (USA only) or email us to arrange that method of payment. We gladly accept valid checks and money orders for payment.
Ordering with a Company Purchase Order...
Please see the Purchase Orders section, below.
| Availability /
Backorders /
Out of Stock Items
Although every attempt is made to ensure timely delivery of orders,
sometimes items go on backorder. We stock many of the items
that we sell; however, even in this case, we sometimes sell out
of an item before we get the chance to update the website to that
effect. Furthermore, some items are subject to temporary
shortages that are beyond our control.
We therefore make no guarantees of delivery time. Though we
strive to fill all orders as quickly as possible, we cannot guarantee
that an order will meet your delivery deadline.
In all cases, the sole remedy shall be refund of purchase price.
Back to top
International Orders:
I. ENGLAND / U.K. SHIPMENTS: Goods shipped from the USA to ENGLAND seem to be handled by a private company called ParcelForce.
We have shipped goods to numerous countries all over the world, but
only in England have we had such problems getting packages
delivered. Parcel Force seems to make half-hearted attempts (at
best) to deliver packages. They then place the burden of
recovering the package completely on the customer, who then faces
frustration, delays, and fuel expense.
PLEASE NOTE that you may or may not receive a customs invoice from
Parcel Force. This can create delays, sometimes of several
weeks. We'll be glad to provide a label number, but you'll have to call
Parcel Force.
We have shipped Express Mail packages that were supposed to take 2-5
days to arrive to customers in England, but through ParcelForce they
took more like 8-10 days. Repeated attempts to locate the
packages only resulted in Parcel Force insisting that we call the US
Postal Service, even though tracking information showed that
ParcelForce were indeed the ones who had the packages.
In
our opinion, privatization of postal services is not the "good idea"
that it's marketed to be. Whatever Parcel Force is doing,
they need to improve.
If
you really want to risk the long delays we've experienced with Parcel
Force , we'll ship to you, but you're on your own there.
Why is my International shipping quote so expensive?
Please note that we ship overseas by Priority Mail International or by Express Mail Service.
These start at around $30-$45. (Sorry, but we do not set
the rates charged by the US Postal Service.) First Class
International (FCI) is cheaper, but we prefer not to take the risk of shipping by
this method. FCI has no tracking number, making it
easier for foreign delivery services to claim the package is still in the USA
(etc.). A tracking number at least prevents them from
"passing the buck".
The good news is that USPS rates are still much less than UPS / FedEx
Express. Overseas shipping rates on those services typically start at $150.
II. Restricted Countries
We're sorry, but due to the high incidence of credit card fraud, we do
not ship to certain countries. Because the scammers have expanded
their operations, we may exclude additional countries without further
notice.
As of now, we cannot ship orders to any of the following places:
Africa (all) China (People's Republic) Eastern Europe & Asia Minor (all) Egypt Indonesia Israel Malaysia Thailand
We also do not ship to Iran, North Korea, or Syria.
UPDATE: If
you are an Ebay member with high positive feedback, we can ship to your
address in Russia, China, or Eastern Europe, as long as the shipping
address matches the one on your Paypal account.
III. Customs Delays and
Fees
You are responsible for obtaining your package from your customs
service.
That includes making any necessary phone calls to the appropriate
postal agencies. We cannot assist you with this. We can
provide you only with the label number, but beyond that, we have no
other
information.
The label number of a First Class International package CANNOT be used
as a tracking number. It is only an aid to assist postal workers
who have physical access to packages in your local post office.
We cannot provide you with any help or even advice to locate such
packages. If you want better tracking capability, please choose
Priority Mail International. Even then, all tracking &
package recovery is up to you.
If you want the most reliable way to receive packages internationally,
please choose Express Mail Service (EMS). It costs more but is
extremely reliable (unless you're in England; please see above).
We cannot reach into the workings of foreign postal services. Once a package has left the
United States, you are responsible for finding out who has the
package. Normally, this is a matter of making a few phone
calls. We're sorry, but we cannot make these calls for you. (If you are in the UK, please call Parcel Force or use their web site; we'll be glad to provide a label number at your request, but you'll have to take it from there).
You are also responsible for any and all customs duties and fees.
Please be advised that a few countries (e.g., Italy) can take as long as a couple of
months to clear a package through customs. There is nothing we
can do to speed this process.
Please read this section again. We cannot help you locate
international packages, and we do not provide refunds for items lost in
the mail.
If an item is valuable and important to you, please consider paying the
extra money for insured UPS or FedEx international shipping. They
handle all customs forwarding, making it more easy and reliable to
receive your package in a timely manner. The trade-off is that it
costs more to ship that way.
Back to top
Price Quotes
Current pricing for most items is published on the on-line
catalog. Our on-line shopping cart will automatically calculate
the shipping cost when you add the items to your cart. Simply
enter your ZIP code and it will give you several shipping
options.
We recognize that some companies and agencies require formal price
quotes; however, if that's not the case, please obtain your price
and shipping quote from our website. That allows us to put more
attention on getting orders packed and shipped out.
If you do have technical difficulty with getting price and shipping information from our site, we'll be glad to help you.
The more succinct and less open-ended a request is, the more quickly we
can assist you. Simple "yes or no" questions require the least
typing and thus the least putting-aside of orders and other office
responsibilities. Unlike big companies who mysteriously appear
out of nowhere with all the resources they want, we are a small
business and have to do things ourselves. Thanks for your
understanding!
Purchase
Orders
I. Does your PO come with Terms and Conditions? We cannot accept any purchase order "terms and conditions" which run
contrary to our own Terms of Sale / Terms
of Use.
(A summary of main points: (1.) the sole remedy in any case shall
be refund of actual purchase price of goods; (2.) although we
make every effort to provide goods according to desired timetables, we
make no guarantees of such; and (3.) buyer assumes total
responsibility for handling, storage, and use / misuse of item(s).)
Please be advised that inclusion of contrary terms with your
company's PO can delay (or cancel) the filling of your order.
However, our filling an order shall
in no way signify our acceptance of such terms, even if we fill
your order without comment.
All sales are governed by our Terms of
Sale / Terms of Use.
Your sending us a Purchase Order will be taken to
mean that your company / institution accepts and agrees to these.
If your company is very bureaucratic, consider buying the required
merchandise yourself (i.e., personally) using a credit card if you have
time constraints. We cannot afford to jump through
bureaucratic hoops on small orders, as this takes away from our service
toward other customers and is unfair both to them and to us.
II.
Minimum Purchase Order Amount: Our minimum order for P.O.'s is currently $100 (one-hundred U.S. dollars).
Please pre-pay for orders having a merchandise total of less than $100.
III. Faxing a PO:
UPDATE: We no longer have a fax number.
Please email your purchase order, or call us at 877-260-6039.
Back to top
Return / Exchange Policy
Your satisfaction is very important to us.
Most items have a
30-day money-back guarantee. Return the goods and we'll refund the merchandise cost if you're not satisfied.
Special Notes & Exceptions:
1.) No refunds or exchanges on items that have been abused or misused.
2.) Refund does not include return shipping costs. There are no exceptions. Please see also our SHIPPING REFUND POLICY for original shipping cost details.
3.) LW Scientific items (MiniVid, BioVid, most microscopes & centrifuges) have a 15% restocking fee. We have no control over this.
4.) Platinum Wire - no refunds / returns / exchanges on this item; all sales final.
5.) Microscope Slides & Cover Slips - no refunds / returns / exchanges on these items UNLESS the original, outer wrapping is completely intact (i.e., box must be unopened). This is a safety issue. We are unable to test them for contamination.
6.) Laboratory Glassware
- We reserve the right to refuse returns on glassware. This is a
safety issue. We have no practical way to test glassware for
contamination.
If we have a well-established business relationship with you, we'll be glad to accept returns of unused glassware.
7.) Shipping Damage:
we take great care to cushion fragile items so they'll withstand
shipping. Most of our packages can withstand considerable
abuse while
maintaining the contents intact. That's because we use
professional-quality methods and materials to keep your order safe in
the mail.
In the unlikely event that an item arrives damaged from shipping,
please notify us right away. If possible, please provide a photo of any breakage. This helps us determine whether
there's anything in our packaging that needs improvement. Our
goal is zero breakage during shipping.
If your package was shipped with insurance (UPS, FedEx), please report the claim to them.
Back to top
Missing Part Policy
Q: What recourse do I have if an item was stolen from my order?
A: If you choose an insured shipping method
(UPS or FedEx), you must file a claim with them to obtain reimbursement
for the stolen
item(s). Many of our USPS orders ship with insurance, especially
if they are $100 or more.
If you live or work in a place where a package is likely to get stolen
from your porch, please write "SIGNATURE REQUIRED" in the comments
section of your order. We will ship the order that way. You
will need to have someone present to sign for it.
It is your responsibility to have someone present when a package is delivered. We cannot offer replacements for packages that were stolen from your porch (etc).
Missing Parts
Background:
Fraudulent missing item / missing part claims have become a very common
form of cyber-shoplifting. These activities contribute to increased costs for everyone else.
We
have to take this into consideration when evaluating a missing
part / missing item claim. Generally, we do not issue replacement
parts. That's because we take extreme care to make sure every
part is in the shipment at the time of packing. Our packing
process involves a checklist, where each item is checked against the
order as it is put into the box.
The upright rod from our support stands is one of the most popular
items on which to claim non-delivery. We still don't know
why. We now take extra-special care to make sure there is exactly
one rod per base. We even reinforce cartons inside or out, to
make sure the rods cannot break through during shipping.
As a security measure, we have started randomly selecting orders to
photograph the packing process. Though it's a shame we should even have to do this, we will photograph a $25
order: not every single one, but some of them. If a
"missing parts" claim arises from one of these orders, we may contact
the police to report theft. We take cyber-shoplifting very
seriously and will pursue the issue aggressively whenever
possible.
We apologize for the inconvenience to honest customers, who represent
the majority.
If you do receive a package and something was stolen out of it in the
mail system, be sure to report it to the Postal Inspector. If you
cannot contact them directly, speak to your local Postmaster.
Interference with the US Mail is no light thing.
"Package Not Received" claims
If your tracking number or Delivery Confirmation Number indicates that
the package was delivered to your address, then your order will be
regarded as having been filled.
In other words, we are not responsible for postal service errors, packages stolen from your front porch, and the like. It is the buyer's responsibility to have someone home or otherwise arrange to accept the package.
I. "Wrong House"
Our experience has been that wrong-house deliveries are rare.
They have happened only once or twice in all the time that we've been
shipping orders. Such errors would be expected to happen only if
there's a new driver on the route.
If your package is showing as "delivered" on the tracking info, but you
did not get it, the next step is for you to call your local post
office. There is no guarantee they'll be able to help, but if
you're polite, friendly, and persistent, chances are that you can get
someone to find out who was on that route. You may even find out
where the package was actually delivered.
If
your neighbors are decent people, they'll call the post office if they
get a wrong delivery. Better yet, they'll call you.
If you ordered something to be sent by Parcel Post, please be advised that it can take up to 10 business days to arrive to destinations within the lower 48 states.
We will be glad to furnish tracking / delivery confirmation number for
your order, but we cannot do much, if anything, to assist with "wrong
house" deliveries. Once again, if the delivery confirmation says
it was delivered to the correct address, then the package will be
assumed to have been delivered to the correct address.
If you think your mail was genuinely stolen, contact the Postal
Service. Interference with the U.S. Mail is taken rather
seriously.
II. Internally Lost Packages
Several times we have had larger companies or organizations claim
non-delivery of a package, when the tracking information showed the
package was delivered.
Upon careful search by the customers, the packages were indeed found to have been misplaced after delivery by someone who worked in the building. Sometimes it took them weeks or even months to find the package in their facility.
Again, if tracking information shows the order has been delivered, the
order will be considered to have been delivered. We're sorry, but
it is your responsibility
to make sure packages don't get lost within your company / agency /
facility. WE DO NOT ISSUE REPLACEMENTS FOR "INTERNALLY LOST
PACKAGES" UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
Shipping Refunds - Background
Some sellers, especially large companies, offer full refunds including
shipping. They also pay the return shipping on items sent back to
them.
The shipping companies do not ship goods for free. Thus, the
larger merchants are actually subsidizing the return shipping
cost. They can afford to do so because bigger companies move
enormous amounts of merchandise. They have already calculated in
a certain return rate, and everything is adjusted
accordingly. As shipping costs rise, however, many
companies are finding themselves unable to continue this practice.
We are a very small business and do not have the volume to be able to
subsidize return shipping. Many of our items are priced low
and have an already-thin margin. Given the smaller volume of
goods that we move (compared to big companies), we would have no choice
but to raise prices across the board.
Larger companies may not care if a certain proportion of buyers are
simply treating it as an "approval service" where they can return
merchandise at the seller's cost for any reason they like. We
would love to be able to do this, too, but at this stage, we simply
can't do that and remain in business. We appreciate your
understanding here.
Shipping Refund Policy:
1.) If a return is our fault, we refund the original shipping.
Thus, an incorrect description or an egregious packaging error would be grounds for a full refund of original shipping costs.
Please note that with certain items (e.g.,
LW Scientific) it is not up to us to make the final determination of
whether an item was defective. If they receive a return and
determine that the item was abused (etc) or that the claim is false,
then there will be no shipping refund. There is also a 15%
restocking fee on returned LW Scientific items.
2.) If a return is not our fault, we do not refund the original shipping.
If item has to be refunded because you didn't like it, or it didn't fit
/ was the wrong size / didn't work for your application, please be
advised that the shipping cost will not be included in your refund.
If you're not sure whether something will work for you, please call or email ahead and ask questions before ordering.
3.) Loss or damage in shipping,
when that damage wasn't directly due to a mistake or failure on
our part, shall be remedied solely by filing an insurance claim with
the package service. That is why we suggest UPS / FedEx, even
though these services are sometimes more expensive than postal
service. If someone drives a forklift through your package,
for example, the insurance will cover it.
4). Return shipping (i.e., on goods sent back to us by the buyer) is the buyer's responsibility in all cases.
We've been on the other side of the shipping equation, where sellers
have sent merchandise that was so poorly packed that it caused
destruction of the goods. Rest assured that we don't want unhappy
customers. We make the effort to pack everything securely, and we
want you to feel you've been treated fairly.
Back to top
Main Page
| |