Common Customer QUESTIONS/ANSWERS
Below is a highlight of common questions/issues that are most commonly asked by clients and customers.
(1) Q: What are your project turn-around times?
A: That depends on several variables. On average for “production” items (rank plaques, proud plaques, layered projects, etc), about two weeks. More times than not, we will finish your product sooner but expect two weeks for the smaller projects. The larger custom projects may take 3 weeks and up to a month to complete depending on complexity and backlog of other customers “in line”. When we talk to you through email or some other method, I will give you a good approximate time estimate for the project you request. Also please keep in mind that our special project and production products purchases/requests increase significantly for holidays, most notably the Christmas season so expect a longer turn-around for those items during holiday seasons. Also, please keep in mind that we are a small family part-time venture that has seen a dramatic increase in business so our adjusting to a higher demand is an uphill battle for us and will most likely be for a while to come. Your patience is very much appreciated. Trust us, it’s worth the wait.
(2) Q: I just sent you money early through PayPal to pay for the item because I’m anxious!
A: Please do not send us money through PayPal or any other method early until we have sent you a bill. Most of the time, we send the bill after the completion of your project. This has happened on several occasions where I have received an alert that someone (customer) has sent us money before receiving our electronic bill. Although we appreciate receiving payment for the item early, that throws us off a little. If for some unforeseen significant reason we can’t complete your project (this has never happened yet but could) we would prefer to just contact you and let you know we had an issue and may not be able to complete your project or describe the delay as apposed to trying to go through the process of issuing you a refund through PayPal. Also and most importantly, it prevents our Chief Financial Officer (my wife) from asking me with a puzzled look on her face why we just got a payment for something we haven’t sent a bill for yet.
(3) Q: “I want my project made first thing and I want it tomorrow!” (Rush Job)
A: Our turn-around time averages 2-3 weeks. Like we have mentioned, we can usually get it done sooner but expect between 2-3 weeks. When you contact us and get the ball rolling, several events take place in order and that process will take a while. If you want your project put in a “Rush” status and I think I may be able to pull that short time off, expect to pay 50% additional to the original quoted amount. Say for instance you okay the project on a Thursday and you want it by Monday, expect the 50% “Rush Charge” to get that project done faster. I do reserve the right to not accept the rush project no matter what is payed, because sometimes I just don’t have enough time in a day. I’ll tell you right off the bat if I can pull that off or not. If you choose to pay the “Rush Charge” and I can’t complete the project, the price will default to the original quoted price and a new completion date will be assigned to your project.
(4) Q: I want to pay for my project early.
A: On rare occasions I will ask for half of the project price to be payed up front, otherwise payment is due at completion of the project.
(5) Our RETURN POLICY on custom made projects:
A: If we make a custom made project for you to your specifications that item can not be returned. If we made a mistake on your project, we will do what it takes to correct it. If it’s our mistake and we can’t correct the issue, we reserve the right to replace the item or offer you a full refund. Returns will be handled on a case by case basis. (5B) If the return is on a non-custom project (Etsy purchase, etc.) then we will offer a full 30 day return if not satisfied with your purchase. The product must be returned unused and in original packaging.
(6) Last minute changes to a custom made project:
A: All custom made projects are final. All changes and updates need to be done during the consultation process. Consultation is free and can last as long as you want in order for us to get the project adjusted to what you want but when the consultation is finalized and the physical creation of the project begins, changes can not be realistically applied at that time. You can call us to see if we have started building it but at that point we can’t guarantee that we can adjust it at that point.
(7A) A note about our prices/estimates:
A: We do our best to keep your custom projects as affordable as we can. We create our custom wood projects by absolute scratch and that takes time. We set our prices based on wood size, project complexity and wood prices. Unfortunately prices have significantly risen for wood recently and that’s put us in a bind. Some of our product prices may rise a little to offset this. As an Alaskan business, we will tell you that as soon as prices go back down, we will reflect that immediately on our prices and pull them back down as well. For the most part, you won’t notice because we keep our prices reasonable and do what we can to pass reasonable prices to you as a customer. (7B) How to estimate the price of your requested custom sign/plaque? Our prices may vary up or down due to the material/type of wood used for the base of your sign. Currently we charge a standard of $65.00 a square foot. That includes complete carving of your sign, sealing and finishing of your product including basic hardware to completion.
So if you have a project in mind, think about what size of wood minimum it would take to cut your project. Calculate what square foot that wood would come to. Then multiply 65 by that number and that will give you a good idea of total cost of creating the plaque. Remember, that price includes the finishing/sealing/hardware added to the project so you aren’t charged extra! We simplified the process and we have found that including the finishing/sealing/hardware in this method of estimate is absolutely the best for the customer. Please see Shipping for shipping charges.
(8) No on copyright infringement:
A: We can’t and won’t recreate copyrighted material. A good example is Disney Company products. Disney is very aggressive on copyrighted pictures, photo’s and wording. Unfortunately if your requested “custom” project falls under (and sometimes just close) to a copyrighted material, I’m afraid we have to decline the project. A sizeable lawsuit isn’t worth it. Yes, I’m looking at you Baby Yoda fans…. Please take note that you can make a project yourself from a copyrighted material, the catch is that you can’t sell it or make a profit in any way from it and before you ask, no, we don’t give free copyrighted projects out.
(9) Shipping/Hand Delivery/Tracking:
A: Currently we utilize USPS for shipping our products locally if they need to be shipped. It’s quite a bit easier for us to use USPS for us, you and our sanity. We will provide a tracking number and remain in email contact with you for you to track your package through every step of the way right into your hands. Our new Etsy shop offers different shipping for our online ready-made products but that’s calculated automatically for your and our ease and convenience. When we make custom products for you, either we drop them off to you if you live local (Fairbanks/North Pole area) or we use USPS to ship it to you directly.
(9) Why do I need to fill out an order form for a layered project/request that I would like built?:
A: We do not build layered art projects without first getting valid contact information from the customer ahead of time. These projects are very customer specific and do take some time to complete. When we receive the completed entry form we will start your project.
(10) What is the typical wait time for my requested layered project to be completed?:
A: If the project is a project that we have already designed, to build, stain and complete, approximately two weeks.
(11) Can you engrave on my grandpa’s antique rifle stock?
We currently do not engrave directly on any customer pre-owned/purchased products. Replacement liability for your item is to high for each piece especially family heirlooms for example. You may consider requesting us to engrave a text plate to attach to the product as an alternative solution.