Our Policies - Shipping, etc.
Read the Official Policies Page at: (http://www.cdr3.com/shipping). We do have set policies and procedures that we use to help customers with questions and problem resolution. When you order from us, it is a contract, and you have agreed to the terms and conditions talked about on the Shipping Policy webpage (http://www.cdr3.com/shipping).
The policies and all of our webpages change over time as they get updated. Mostly these are simple edits, sometimes webpages get complete overhauls. As with the policies, it is the latest revision on the shipping policies webpage that takes precedents over all previous pages. We do not "grandfather" old version or policies. The one exception to this are booked orders. A booked order locks-in the prices for those items, even though prices may change later.
We send good healthy plants, but they dont always arrive that way. The plants are good, the packaging is good, but we have no control over the package care while in transit. Once out of our care, we can only hope they arrive in good shape. Most of the time the package and plants are fine, but not always. It is critically important that if there is a concern about your plants or the condition of the box upon arrival, to contact us immediately. Our warranty is very limited, and if we need to take a corrective action, or make a claim to the package carrier, so please contact us immediately. We guarantee the delivery and the initial planting, but not the growth, survival, suitability thereafter.
You can have excellent success planting our trees and shrubs, and we do our best to get you good plants, but the shipping is the key. Some plants are held in cold storage, others are not. All plants are inspected to make sure they are good when packed, and all are handled and packed with the best of care. We carefully prepare some plants, which we call trimmed for transport, a technique that greatly reduces the transplant shock and increases the likelihood of recovery. Our basic delivery service is via Fed-Ex Ground, but for post office boxes and rural routes, we use Priority Mail. Fed-Ex Air (2nd day delivery and Overnight) is also available, and that cost will be quoted and added to the total order. Depending on your needs, weather conditions, or just for the best delivery service, use Fed-Ex Air.
All orders are processed by hand, and credit cards are not charged until the order is ready to pack and ship. When orders are placed, it may take up to several days before we receive it and then send out order confirmation messages due to seasonal high volumes of ordering. We try to get the confirmations sent as quickly as possible, and the message will have your order number with an estimated ship date. Keep that message or write your order number down. Order confirmation numbers are coded, which aides us in looking your order and other information. The estimated ship date takes into account seasonal order volume, weather conditions in your area, customer-preferred ship dates, item availability, and other factors. Orders can be received and sent in as early as a couple days, but generally it takes about two weeks to get it once placed. The spring is our busiest time, so all orders and emails will be subject to delay. During the busy times, email replies will be few and far between, so have extra patience. As long as you have received the order confirmation message we send after we get the order, it will be in-process or pending processing for later ship times. If you never got the confirmation message we send out, let us know, because we likely never got the order. Connection problems, mail server problems, and other system gliches can disrupt an order transmission.
Should your plants arrive in poor condition, or the box arrives in poor condition, it is up to you to let us know right away. You have to tell us immediately about any delivery damage to the box so we can get a claim started. You then have up to three weeks (21 days) to let us know that your plants are not alive or doing poorly. If your plants have problems, it is likely due to the delivery and handling. Plant problems show up quickly, so let us know. The replacement of your plants is limited to this period, and claims outside of this timeframe will likely not be honored. It is also important to understand that we can not guarantee the plants, nor the growth and survival, nor the performance or expectation in any manner, either expressed or implied. Plant growth factors are complex and vary considerably, and are certainly outside of our control. All we can assure is that the plants are good before they leave our care, and that they will arrive in good shape. The rest is up to you and the plant (and growing conditions).
Go to the Official Shipping and Policy webpage by Clicking here.
Email is the best way to contact us. We no longer offer customer phone support, and we just assume have everything in writing to avoid confusion. During the late winter through spring busy season, all mail replies (and orders) will be delayed due to the high volume, so please be patient, emails and orders will get out asap. One other very important note about email... If your email has filters or blocks, make sure you have us on your "approved" list. Emails that are blocked or filtered, or addresses you give us that are incorrect, will slow down any and all correspondence.
Any further questions not already answered or found on the Policy webpage, do feel free to ask us...
Last Update: 09/04/2007
Web Author: See the Catalog (http://www.cdr3.com/catalog)
Copyright ©2008 by 1997 by Empire National Nursery, LLC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED