SmartBargains: Customer Service - Frequently Asked Questions


	How do I place an order? What does "Compare at" mean? What does "Ready to Ship in 24-48 Hours" mean? An item that I want is sold out. Will it ever become available again? What does "Additonal Shipping Charge" mean? What does "Factory Serviced" mean? What is The Bargain Alert^SM? What is SMARTShoppers Club? What is the Lowest Price Guarantee on Footwear? What is the 30-Day Sleep Guarantee? Where do you find your bargains? Why are your prices so low? What is a reward card? How do I use a reward card? What is the status of my order? How can I cancel my order? Can I specify which carrier I want to ship my order? How will I know what carrier is being used to ship my order? How can I change the shipping method after my order has been placed? How can I change the shipping address after my order has been placed? Why did my new order get submitted with the address from my previous order? I used the wrong credit card for my order. How do I change this information? My credit card has already been charged for my order and it has not even shipped. What is this charge?		Why wasn't my promotion applied to my order? The Order Detail for my order indicates "Billing Information Received." Was my package shipped? I have not received my package and the tracking information indicates "Delivered." What can I do? The tracking status for my package says that it is being returned to sender. I still want this package. Can you ship it back to me? What do the UPS Tracking Status terms mean? Why was my order/part of my order canceled? How do I return an item? How do I return a gift I received? How do I use the UPS return label on my packing slip? Do I have to use the UPS return label provided in the package for my return? I lost my packing slip. Can I still return my merchandise? How can I find out if my return has been received? Where can I find out how much credit was issued for my returned merchandise? Why can't I return items beyond the 30-day time frame? I returned my item to the wrong warehouse. What can I do? How long does it take to see a refund reflected on my account?

Shopping and Placing an Order

How do I place an order?
To place an order, visit www.smartbargains.com and place items in your shopping cart. Once your selections are complete, click on the "Proceed to Checkout" button. Follow the screens to successfully place your order. You can be confident that our site is secure. We use SSL and Verisign encryption technology, digital certificates, secure commerce servers, and authentication to ensure that your personal information is secure online.

What does "Compare at" mean?
Compare at is the retail price at which an item or comparable item may, in the reasonable judgment of our experienced buyers, be sold on an everyday basis (i.e., excluding special promotions or sales) at retail stores. In the case of factory serviced items, the "Compare at" price reflects the retail price of that item, if new. For our items that are sold in a set, for example, in cookware and cutlery, the "Compare at" price reflects the retail price of each individual item if sold separately.

You may wish to use 'Compare at" as a guide in your evaluation of our prices. Because we sell our merchandise over the internet on a national basis, and because the items offered by SmartBargains.com are closeouts, overstocks, end-of-season or otherwise remainder inventory, it is not possible to know if our merchandise is sold at "Compare at" price in any particular location or at any particular time. Comparative prices may be used as an approximate guide as to what you would or could have paid elsewhere.

What does "Ready to Ship in 24-48 Hours" mean?
Most orders require a 24-48 hour processing time before shipment. Once shipped, your merchandise will be delivered according to the level of service that you select at Checkout.

An item that I want is sold out. Will it ever become available again?
There's always the chance that it will! Our expert buyers look for great bargains to pass on to our customers, so if there's any way to bring back a popular item at the right price, we'll do it. However, in many cases, the bargains they find come in limited quantities and cannot be restocked. We encourage you to check back often - you could find the same bargain again, or you might discover something you love even more!

What does "Additional Shipping Charge" mean?
Some of our bargains incur an additional shipping charge in addition to our regular base shipping rate due to their size or weight. Read our Shipping page to learn more about how shipping is calculated for each order.

What does "Factory Serviced" mean?
Factory serviced and refurbished products are items which have been returned to an authorized factory repair facility for inspection, testing, and repair, or which have been repaired by certified technicians, before becoming available for purchase at SmartBargains.com. All factory serviced items come with a warranty from the manufacturer or vendor. Plus, our 30-day return policy applies to every factory serviced item we sell.

What is The Bargain Alert^SM?
Never miss a bargain! The Bargain Alert^SM is the free email newsletter that keeps you informed about all the exciting savings at SmartBargains.com. In each issue, you'll find new offers, exclusive savings, expert recommendations, and more. Sign up now at www.smartbargains.com/subscription.aspx.

What is SMARTShoppers Club?
Join the club for the very best that SmartBargains.com has to offer! Membership perks include early access to new bargains, a private members-only shopping area with bargains not available in the main store, $2.95 standard shipping on qualifying orders for a full year, and much more! Annual membership is just $9.95. Learn more about SMARTShoppers Club.

What is the Lowest Price Guarantee on Footwear?
We are confident that our prices on footwear are the lowest online, but if you find another qualified web site that offers a lower price, we'll refund you 110% of the difference between the lower price and our price. For more information and complete instructions for receiving your refund, click here.

What is the 30-Day Sleep Guarantee?
We're so sure we've got the best quality sheets and duvet covers at the best values around, we'll give you 30 days to try them yourself. If you're not absolutely delighted with your sheet set or duvet cover set, send it back within 30 days and we'll refund your purchase price. Click here to learn more about our 30-day Sleep Guarantee.

Where do you find your bargains? Why are your prices so low?
It takes a team of expert buyers to find the bargains we sell at the low prices you love. Our buyers are professional shoppers who search the globe for exceptional quality and high-end brands at genuine savings. Thanks to their expertise and dedication, we're able to offer you an edited selection of merchandise that represents the true quality and value you've been hunting for. Learn more about how our expert buyers find bargains for you.

What is a reward card?
A reward card gives you access to a one-time special offer that may be used at SmartBargains.com. It may be extra savings, a special shipping rate, or another benefit. Whether you received a printed reward card from a promotion or an email from SmartBargains.com, your reward card will describe the type of offer and include a unique reward code that you may use at Checkout.

How do I use a reward card?
Add bargains to your shopping cart and go to Checkout. In the payment section, you'll see an area that says, "Do you have a reward code?" Enter your reward code here and click "Apply." Your reward code is a series of letters and numbers found on the back of your reward card or in your reward card email.

Order Fulfillment

What is the status of my order?
It's easy to check the status of your order online. Simply login to My Account and locate the order. Next to the order total, you will see the current status of your order. If your order has been shipped, click "View Details." You will notice that your tracking number is an active link. Clicking on the tracking number will take you to the website of the shipping carrier, which will have more information about your package.

How can I cancel my order?
We are very sorry, but orders cannot be canceled once they have been placed. We process orders very quickly, and once an order enters the fulfillment process, we are unable to modify or cancel it. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope that in the majority of cases our faster processing time works to your advantage.

Can I specify which carrier I want to ship my order?
We offer our customers a choice of level of delivery service (i.e. the speed), but not a choice of carrier.

How will I know what carrier is being used to ship my order?
Click on the "View Details" link for your order in My Account. You will see that your tracking number is an active link. Click on the link to see the shipping carrier and more details about your package.

How can I change the shipping method after my order has been placed?
We are very sorry, but we cannot change the shipping method once the order has been placed. We process orders very quickly, and once an order enters the fulfillment process, we are unable to modify or cancel it. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope that in the majority of cases our faster processing time works to your advantage.

How can I change the shipping address after my order has been placed?
We are very sorry, but we cannot change the shipping address once the order has been placed. We process orders very quickly, and once an order enters the fulfillment process, we are unable to modify or cancel it. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope that in the majority of cases our faster processing time works to your advantage.

Why did my new order get submitted with the address from my previous order?
Orders will automatically default to the shipping address that was used on your last order unless you specify otherwise. Please make sure you check your shipping address before submitting your order.

If you wish to update your saved addresses in My Account, login to My Account and click on the "Saved Addresses" link. On the next screen, you will see all of the addresses you have saved to My Account. You'll be able to add a new address or edit or delete an existing one.

I used the wrong credit card for my order. How do I change this information?
We are very sorry, but we cannot change credit card information on an order once it has been placed. We process orders very quickly, and once an order enters the fulfillment process, we are unable to modify or cancel it. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope that in the majority of cases our faster processing time works to your advantage.

If you wish to update your credit card information in My Account, login to My Account and click on the "Saved Credit Cards" link. On the next screen, you will see all of the credit cards saved to My Account. You'll be able to add a new credit card or edit or delete an existing one.

My credit card has already been charged for my order and it has not even shipped. What is this charge?
SmartBargains.com never places charges on your credit card until an order is shipped. However, as with all purchases with a credit card, an authorization is placed on your card. This is not the same as a charge. An authorization holds the funds for your purchase. If your order is not shipped, the authorization should drop from your card within 3-5 business days, and the funds should be freed up.

Why wasn't my promotion applied to my order?
To ensure that you receive your promotion, please make sure you arrive at SmartBargains.com by clicking on one of our emails or on the link with the promotion on one of our partner sites. To claim your promotion, you must click the specific promotional links.

The Order Detail for my order indicates "Billing Information Received." Was my package shipped?
Yes. UPS delivers most of our merchandise. If you see the message "Billing Information Received," your package was given to UPS for delivery, but was not scanned at the first destination. Once the order ships, it can take 24-72 hours before your tracking number becomes valid and your merchandise can be tracked online.

I have not received my package and the tracking information indicates "Delivered." What can I do?
Please check with the other members of your household and also with your neighbors. Sometimes the delivery will be given to a neighbor in the event you are not home at the time your merchandise is delivered. If you still can't locate the package, contact Customer Service for further instructions.

The tracking status for my package says that it is being returned to sender. I still want this package. Can you ship it back to me?
We're sorry. Once a package has been re-routed to sender (our warehouse), we are unable to resend it to you. The original package will be processed as a return, and you will need to place a new order. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

What do the UPS Tracking Status terms mean?

Billing Information Received: UPS has received the electronic transmission of package detail from SmartBargains.com. UPS has taken possession of the package, but the detailed tracking information is not yet available. More detailed information should be available within 24 hours.

Origin: The package has been scanned at the origin UPS location.

Departure: The package has left its present location and is on its way towards the destination address.

Arrival: The package has arrived at an intermediate sort facility or the destination facility.

Out for Delivery: The package has reached the facility that is responsible for delivering the package. This is a package's last stop before delivery.

Delivery: The package has been delivered. The date and time of delivery is recorded.

Exception: If the package cannot be delivered or is delayed, the reason is noted.

Why was my order/part of my order canceled?
We're sorry. At the time you placed your order, we had all items in stock. However, upon closer inspection of your merchandise, we found the condition of certain items in your order were not up to our high quality standards. For this reason, we were not able to complete your order as requested. You should have received an email regarding this situation. In this circumstance, we verify that your credit card is not charged for the canceled item(s).

Returns & Refunds

How do I return an item?
It's easy. Please follow the instructions on the packing slip that was sent along with your order, and note the correct address to send your return items. We must receive your returned purchase within 30 days of delivery in order to issue a refund. The final date by which we must receive your return is listed on your packing slip.

After we have received your return, inspected it, and approved it for a refund, we will credit the approved refund amount to the credit card used to purchase the returned item(s). We do not accept COD returns of any kind.

Read our Returns page to learn more about returning an item.

How do I return a gift I received?
As with regular returns, please follow the return instructions on the packing slip that was included with your package. At this time, we issue the credit for the returned item to the original credit card used to purchase the gift.

We must receive the returned gift within 30 days of delivery in order to issue a refund to the purchaser. The final date by which we must receive your return is listed on your packing slip.

How do I use the UPS return label on my packing slip?
The preprinted, pre-addressed UPS return label makes returns easy and saves you money. Simply attach the UPS return label to your return package and bring it to any UPS drop-off location. You won't pay for return shipping up front; instead, a discounted shipping charge will be deducted from the amount of your refund (AK & HI: air shipping rates apply). See your packing slip for complete instructions on returns.

Do I have to use the UPS return label provided in my package for my return?
No, you're welcome to select the carrier of your choice for your return. In that case, simply address your return package to the SmartBargains.com return address shown at the front of your packing slip. Then take your package to the carrier of your choice. Please note that the UPS return label is only valid for use at UPS.

I lost my packing slip. Can I still return my merchandise?
Yes, certainly. If you have misplaced your packing slip for a return, please print out your "Order Details" page from My Account and send that along with your items. We must receive your returned purchase within 30 days of receipt in order to issue a refund.

How can I find out if my return has been received?
Once your return has been processed in our warehouse, you will receive an email confirmation informing you of the items processed for return as well as the dollar amount credited. You will also be able to view the items returned by visiting the "Order Detail" section of My Account.

Most returns are processed and posted to your credit card within 7-10 business days after receipt. To expedite this process, please insure that the packing slip or order details are included with your return. Please note that once the returns are processed, it may take 3-5 business days for your credit to appear on your credit card statement.

Where can I find out how much credit was issued for my returned merchandise?
The "Order Detail" section of My Account will show the items returned and the dollar amount credited. Please note that once the returns are processed, it may take 3-5 business days for your credit to appear on your credit card statement.

Why can't I return items beyond the 30-day time frame?
By keeping the return window to 30 days, we are able to keep our costs low so we can continue to offer you great merchandise and low prices. We give our customers 30 days to evaluate each purchase. If you are not satisfied, you may return it within that time period.

I returned my item to the wrong warehouse. What can I do?
If you sent your merchandise to the wrong warehouse, you can contact your carrier to try to have it rerouted. If we can confirm proof of delivery with the incorrect warehouse, we may be able to locate and process your return. We encourage you to send all returns using a carrier that can provide proof of delivery.

How long does it take to see a refund reflected on my account?
It usually takes 3-5 business days from the date processed for a credit to be reflected on your credit card statement.