Shipping Policy
FILLING YOUR ORDER
If we are out of anything on your order we will attempt to contact you using the contact information you give us while placing your order to advise you of the out-of-stock item and give you the option of shipping what we have, holding your order to wait for the missing item, or cancelling it altogether. If we do not receive a response from you within two business days we will process your order with what we feel is the most suitable substitution. If we have not received a response from you and we do not have a substitution we would use ourselves, we will ship your order minus the missing item while placing the item on backorder for shipment when it comes into our warehouse. Depending on the missing item, we may be forced to cancel your order if we do not receive a response from you.
98% of our orders are filled and shipped on schedule, not delayed by any out of stock items. However, if your order is urgent and can not be delayed while we attempt to contact you regarding an out of stock item, please send an email to us at info@winemakersdepot.com so we know this.
ORDER and SHIPMENT CONFIRMATION
When your order has been received by our system you will receive an automatic email from our system confirming that your order has been received.
When you order has shipped you will receive an email from our shipping department confirming your order has been shipped with a link to our system for tracking your shipment. This link will include your tracking numbers for future reference.
SHIPPING SCHEDULE
Orders placed Monday through Friday before 1:00PM CST will usually ship the same day, excluding major holidays. Orders placed after 1:00PM CST will usually be shipped the next business day. Most orders placed on Saturday, Sunday or on a Holiday will usually ship the next business day. However, on weekends with heavy sales volume some orders may not ship until the second business day, i.e. Tuesday.
Keep in mind even if you selected a Fedex Ground Service, at the time of shipping we switch about half of these ground orders to USPS Priority Mail (2-3 Day Delivery). These orders that are switched to USPS Priority Mail are typically smaller orders that weigh less than 2 lbs. There are a lot of factors that a website shipping program simply can not take into account. At the time of shipping all factors are taken into account and often times we upgrade the service to USPS Priority Mail, and always at no expense to our customers. If you have selected a Fedex Ground Service and cannot accept a delivery from the USPS, please let us know via the Add a Note option at the end of Checkout or send us an email.
Click TRANSIT TIMES for Delivery Schedule.
SHIPPING METHOD
We ship all orders with either Fedex, UPS or USPS. The shipping charges you see during check out are based upon shipping weight and or size of the package, shipping distance, the service selected (Air, Ground, etc.), and carrier published rates. There are variables related to shipping created by the combination of buyer selected items that can not be accounted for by any website and computerized shipping program. Winemakers Depot reserves the right to select which carrier to ship with based upon these variables at the time your order is processed for shipment. We will absolutely honor your requested mode, i.e. Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, etc., but we may choose a different carrier than that selected at Checkout. If one of the offered carriers, for whatever reason, can not provide service to your delivery location please notify us by attaching a note to your order, via email, or a phone call at the time you place your order. Keep in mind, if you select a USPS mode of shipping, the Post Office does not guarantee delivery nor do they insure their packages for loss or damage.
To help ensure prompt delivery of your order we transfer to the shipping label any phone number you have given us so that if there are any devilvery questions or problems the carrier can get a hold of you.
LARGE OR HEAVY ITEMS
Products such as Wine Presses and Grape Crushers MUST be sent via a commercial truck and these costs can be expensive. The shipping estimate produced by our website may have to be adjusted for one of these items. We will be more than happy to give you a shipping estimate over the phone or through email if you prefer.
SHIPPING RATES
As mentioned above your shipping charges will be calculated based upon the shipping rates we are charged. However, all shipping rates are subject to change at any time. UPS typically adjusts their rates in early February of each year and the commercial truck carriers currently do not follow any specific schedule for rate adjustments.
CREDIT CARD CHARGES
We do not bill your credit card until your order actually ships. Although we put great effort into maintaining our inventory for 100% order fulfillment and customer satisfaction, the availability of some items are beyond our control such as imported items delayed by Customs, weather related delays to carriers bringing us our stock, or natural disasters in the region a product is manufactured. If we were to process your credit card payment at the time your order is placed and an item is out of stock, you could be billed for an item that you might not receive for many days after payment. We simply don’t think you should pay us for something unless we can get it to you.
DAMAGED SHIPMENTS
We guarantee the damage free delivery of all your products. If you receive your shipment and find a damaged item please do the following to obtain your replacement item: Inspect the box the item was shipped in. If there is damage to the box we need you to save the box, the packing materials, and of course the damaged item. If the damage is to a liquid item please store the damaged item and the packaging so that it will not damage your home or office. Call us within two business days of receiving your order at 888-326-4999. We will decide whether to contact the shipper for an inspection by the shipping company. If a claim needs to be filed with the shipping company, we will take care of it. The shipping company may need to inspect the item and the packaging materials; this is why you must keep them, plus we may need the item returned to us. If the shipper needs to inspect the item and packing materials we will have them contact you directly to arrange a convenient time for an inspection.
WHO HAS FREE SHIPPING?
NOBODY DOES – UPS, FEDEX, nor The Post Office pick up and deliver packages for free, they always bill somebody for the costs. Anybody that offers free shipping is paying the shipping costs and adding the costs somewhere, which is typically to their retail price. The only exception to this might be a limited time promotion of some sort. When you compare our prices to those that offer free shipping you will typically find that their prices are 20% to 200% higher than our prices. Really, 200%! These higher prices need to be charged to cover their shipping.