Shipping & Return Policies
SHIPPING POLICY
Quality Assurance
It is very important to us that you receive all of your Dilettante Chocolates at the very peak of their perfection. Chocolate confections are are extremely susceptible to heat. To avoid spoilage due to high temperatures, we chill and insulate each package when shipped. This protective treatment lasts for only 48 hours. Therefore, in order for you to receive your chocolates in their very best condition, we must restrict the total delivery time to no more than 48 hours for many, but not all, of our products.
Order Processing
All orders received before 12:00 noon Pacific Time will be shipped the same day. All orders received after 12:00 noon Pacific Time will be shipped on the next business day. Please note that orders are not processed on weekends or holidays as our transportation partners are closed on these days. Commercial Shipping
All orders that will be shipped to a commercial location have been price-quoted with the assumption that the commercial location has the ability to accept commercial shipments from a standard commercial shipping carrier (semi truck and trailer) to either a loading dock or to a front door. If special arrangements are required for delivery, e.g., hand unloading, alleyways, parking lots with no turnaround, etc., then additional costs may occur.
Shipping Options
Orders are delivered using our “standard” shipping method unless you choose other options. Our “standard” shipping method is FedEx Ground delivery and FedEx Home (a FedEx Ground service). Expedited FedEx delivery, e.g., Overnight Air, 2nd-Day Air, 3-Day Supersaver, etc., is also available at a higher cost and may be chosen in our SmartShip Calendar on the Shopping Cart page. FedEx 2nd-Day Air is our default shipping method for some chocolate products during the hottest Summer months.
However, even during these hottest Summer months, FedEx Ground Shipping will remain the default shipping method for most chosen arrival dates in most of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California (because your package will still arrive to these locations within 48 hours in most cases). (See Choosing a delivery date with SmartShip.NET™ below.)
Shipping Cost
In order to keep shipping costs as low as possible for all our customers, we have implemented SmartShip.NET™ technology to calculate real-time costs for all FedEx shipments based on prices provided directly from FedEx’s main server. All orders are shipped from Seattle, Washington. The “transit time” and cost of your shipment is calculated based on the recipient address, provided by you, and your chosen shipment method. The exact shipping cost for any given shipment may be viewed and confirmed on our Order Confirmation Page — just before the Payment page.
Choosing a delivery date with SmartShip.NET™
SmartShip.NET™ is a user-friendly, calendar-based feature of our website that allows our customers to preview and choose delivery options based on available delivery dates. Only logical delivery dates, e.g., excluding Sundays, holidays, past dates, etc., are offered to our customers in the SmartShip Calendar. SmartShip automatically calculates your available delivery-date options based on the time and date of your order and your delivery location. It then displays the exact shipping cost and shipment method for each available delivery date.
The least-expensive option is “standard” shipping which is automatically chosen for you unless you select another date. Faster delivery options will be offered to you as well, but at a higher price. You may also choose a “delayed” delivery date in the SmartShip Calendar. For example you could ask for a delivery date several days, or even several weeks, after the date of your order.
Please note that deliveries can be delayed due to weather and other circumstances beyond our control. While we and our transportation partners will make every effort to deliver your order on the chosen date, delivery date selections cannot be guaranteed.
Shipment Transit Times, and Arrival Dates
Shipments from Seattle, Washington to US recipients range from 1-5 days in most cases. By accessing the FedEx database directly, our SmartShip calendar, located on the Shopping Cart page, allows you to chose the exact arrival date you desire for your shipment. Only “logical” arrival dates are offered in the SmartShip calendar, and your choices are accurately and reliably fulfilled. In rare cases, depending on the recipient zip/postal code, time of year, weather and other factors, FedEx may attempt to deliver your package one day early or one day late, but this is very uncommon.
Shipment Confirmation
We will send a confirmation email notice to the billing party’s email address as soon as your order ships. A tracking number will be provided for all FedEx shipments. Additionally, you may track your FedEx shipments anytime simply by clicking on the FedEx logo in the bottom-left corner of our website. Orders of 32 or more cases shipped via common carrier freight cannot be tracked due to shipper limitations.
International Shipments
Please note that all products on this website are currently available to businesses, residents, and organizations located in the United States and Canada. We are actively working on a more extensive international program and we are offering our products internationally through our Customer Service department at 1-800-482-0281.
======================================
RETURN POLICY
All returns must be received within 30 days of delivery. If you are not satisfied with your order for any reason, please return any portion of your order and we will happily credit your credit card for the full amount of the returned merchandise less shipping costs.
If you have questions please email us at service@dilettante.com.
|