MLCS Woodworking Frequently Asked Questions
If your question isn't answered here, feel free to e-mail us at sawdust@mlcswoodworking.com or call us toll-free at 1-800-533-9298.
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Shipping

Q: FREE SHIPPING: How long will my order take to arrive?
A: Every item in the catalog and on our web site are shipped FREE in the contiguous USA. For regular free shipping in the contiguous US, we ask you to allow 7-10 business days, not including weekends, for your package to arrive.  Most customers report much faster delivery, but this can vary based on your location from our warehouse outside Philadelphia, PA, and our business volume. If you require faster, guaranteed delivery, please check our UPS Special Delivery Options.
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Q: FREE SHIPPING: How will my MLCS order be shipped?
A: MLCS uses multiple carriers in order to provide our FREE regular delivery most economically. Shipping method for regular free "Best Way" delivery is at the discretion of our shipping department. Most orders are sent by US Mail or UPS Ground Service.
 

Q: How about shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, US Territories, and APO/FPO addresses?
A: Orders to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Guam will automatically be sent via Priority Mail. Customers in other locations can request Priority Mail shipping if desired. Delivery is usually within 3-4 business days but this is not a guaranteed service. Shipping cost for Priority Mail is based on parcel weight and shipping zone and will be accurately displayed in your shopping cart (subject to offline verification).

Q: What if I want my order right away?
A: UPS Special Delivery services are available as follows:
**UPS cannot ship to a PO BOX.**

NEXT DAY AIR: Next Business Day (Guaranteed)
2ND DAY AIR: 2 Business Days (Guaranteed)
3 DAY SELECT: 3 Business Days (Guaranteed)
UPS GROUND: 2-6 Business Days (NOT Guaranteed)

Shipping charges are based on weight of parcel and shipping zone. Exact cost will be displayed in your online shopping cart once you enter your shipping zip code and press "Recalculate" (subject to offline verification). Be sure to press "Recalculate" to display any adjustments when you make changes to your order.

**For security reasons, all special delivery orders must be shipped to the credit card billing address (unless, of course, it is a PO Box).

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Q: How about Foreign Shipping?
A: Sure, MLCS is happy to process orders for our international customers. We can ship to most countries. Shipping charges are based on the size and weight of the order and the country to which we are shipping. International shipping charges will be displayed accurately in your online shopping cart (subject to offline verification). Most orders ship via 1st Class Mail International and Priority Mail International. However, not all shipping methods displayed are available to all countries due to insurance requirements. Please note that customs duties, taxes, and other import fees may be imposed on shipments by some countries. MLCS cannot be responsible for these charges. We urge you to check with local authorities regarding these charges prior to ordering if you are not already familiar with them. Please check the appropriate box in the shopping cart indicating your acceptance of any duties and taxes. We will not be able to process your order without this verification.

Q: How about Shipping to Canada?
A: Shipments to Canada are sent via 1st Class Mail International and Priority Mail International or Global Express Mail. 1st Class Mail International and Priority Mail International can take 3-4 weeks for delivery, so we recommend Global Express Mail for faster service. Shipping charges are based on the weight of your parcel and will be accurately displayed in your online shopping cart (subject to offline verification). Please note that customs duties, taxes, and other import fees may be imposed on shipments by some countries. MLCS cannot be responsible for these charges. We urge you to check with local authorities regarding these charges prior to ordering if you are not already familiar with them. Please check the appropriate box in the shopping cart indicating your acceptance of any duties and taxes. We will not be able to process your order without this verification. All orders are in US Dollars. For a rough estimate of your cost in Canadian Dollars, please visit an online currency converter, such as the one at http://www.xe.com/ucc.

Q: Can I track the status of my order online?
A: Yes, MLCS now offers THREE WAYS to track your order.

1) Shipment Notification E-mail: MLCS now sends an automated shipping confirmation e-mail to the e-mail address provided on your order when the package leaves our warehouse. This e-mail will include the carrier name (UPS or USPS) and Tracking Number (if available). You can visit the carrier's website for detailed tracking information. Delivery date provided in this e-mail is an estimate only. Please allow a full 10 business days for regular shipping. NOTE: E-mail address of 25 characters or less.

2) Order Status Page: Visit our Order Status page, updated daily. Just enter your Internet Order number (as provided in your on-screen receipt and your order confirmation e-mail) and your BILLING zip code. Order Status and tracking number (if available) will appear. For detailed tracking status direct from the carrier, click the tracking number hyperlink (if available).

3) Customer Registration Account: Tracking information is also available if you log into or Customer Registration feature and view past orders. NOTE: This order requires you to be logged into our Customer Registration feature at the time your order is submitted. Only online orders submitted while logged into your customer account will be available for tracking in this way.
**Some US Mail shipments will not have tracking numbers available.**

Backorders

Q: What about backorders?
A: MLCS strives to have all products available for immediate shipping and backorders are rare. However, they do sometimes occur due to higher-than-expected demand for certain items. Once an item arrives in our warehouse, we will ship within a week (to allow for testing, etc.) MLCS will NEVER charge your credit card for an item until the backorder is released for shipping. Items will automatically be placed on backorder and shipped when available. All available items on your order will be shipped right away--we do not hold orders to ship complete. Most backordered items will display the word "BACKORDERED" in the item description in the online shopping cart. ALL out-of-stock items are listed on our Backorder Status List.  For more information on availability status, please check our Backorder Status List. or call toll-free 1-800-533-9298.

Shipping to Canada


Returns and Exchanges

Q: How can I return items?
A: All MLCS items have a 3 year guarantee against defects in
workmanship and materials.Katana® items have a LIFETIME guarantee against defects in workmanship and materials. No RMA number is needed for returns. If you need to return something, just do the following:
1) Repackage the item, and fill out the MLCS Return form by either of the following methods:
1. Fill out the Return Form on the back of your invoice.
2. Download our PDF Return Form.
Include the completed form with your return. Please note that non-defective merchandise being returned for credit or exchange should be unused.
2) Send the package to: Attn: Returns, MLCS Ltd., 2381 Philmont Ave #107, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 (No Return Authorization number is needed).
Note: Returns of non-defective merchandise will incur a restocking fee of 10% of the purchase price of the returned item/s (minimum restocking fee is $2.00).
Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing of a return.

Online Ordering

Q: I'd like to order an item from your catalog, but can't find it online--what can I do?
A: There are 4 ways to find It. The MLCS navigation bar (see below) is at the top of every page.

1) Quick Order Entry: We offer a Quick Order page. Click on the "Quick Order" link at the TOP RIGHT of any page on our site (see graphic above), then just type your item numbers and quantities from our catalog or magazine ads into this form and the items will be added directly to your online shopping cart. 

2) SEARCH Feature: Most of our products are displayed online and we're adding new ones regularly. The SEARCH text entry box is at the TOP RIGHT of every page on our site (see graphic above). To find a product, enter the description or item number in the text entry field and click the Search button.

3) BROWSE by Category: You can browse by product category clicking on a PRODUCT TAB link in our navigation bar (see graphic above). Note that the items listed in our magazine ads may have different item numbers than those that appear online. You may wish to search by keyword to find the right item if you're ordering from a magazine.

4) OUR NEW CATALOG ONLINE SECTION: The complete 60 page MLCS catalog can be viewed in its entirety online, and the Catalog Online looks just like the paper catalog. You can order easily and quickly just by clicking on the item number of the product you wish to order.

Customer Registration
Q: Can I save information so I don't have to re-enter it on future orders?
A: Sure.  MLCS now offers a Customer Registration feature which can store shipping address information and/or billing and payment information so you don't have to re-enter it on future orders. Just follow the links on our shopping cart page to register or sign in.

Q: I've ordered with MLCS before, but I can't log into Customer Registration...how come?
A: Just being a former MLCS customer or E-Club newsletter recipient does not create a Customer Registration account for you. You must create a Customer Registration account using the link in the Shopping Cart. If you have ordered before, but not yet created an account, click the "NEW! Click here to register (optional)" link.

Q: Do I have to register to place an order with MLCS?
A: No, of course not. You can still place your order by proceeding through our shopping cart without registering or signing in. Registration allows us to enhance our service to you by providing you with access to order history, saved information for ease of future ordering, and special coupons for registered customers which may be applied to your online account with us from time to time.

Q: I can't seem to register or log-in. Why not?
A: Registration requires the use of cookies. These must be enabled in your web browser in order to use our Customer Registration feature.  Please follow your web browser's instructions for enabling cookies.

Q: Is my information safe?
A: All information stored in our Customer Registration database is secure and encrypted in keeping with industry standards.  In addition, you can choose not to save your credit card information online if you feel more secure.  NOTE: If you do not store your credit card information, your billing address cannot be saved at this time either, as that information is connected to the credit card information.

Q: What if I forget my username and password?
A: Your username is simply the complete e-mail address with which you signed up. If you forgot your password, you can receive a reminder by clicking the "Forgot Password" link on the Shopping Cart Sign-In page.  You can also update your e-mail address once you log into the account with the old e-mail address.

Q: Why can't I see all my past orders when I log into my account?
A: At present, the Order History feature will only display orders placed online while logged into your account. Phone and mail orders and online orders placed without logging into your account will not be displayed.

Q: I thought I stored information in my account previously, but it isn't showing up when I log in...why not?
A: For shipping address and billing information to be stored in your account, you must complete and submit your order.  If you follow through the process to save the information without completing the checkout process, the data will be lost.

Q: How will my information be used by MLCS?
A: MLCS will not use information in online Customer Profiles for contact, other than issues related to orders-in-progress. If you want to receive our promotional e-mails, please sign up for our MLCS E-Club.

Privacy Policy
Q: How does MLCS use my personal data?
A: MLCS collects personal data from you when you place an order with us. From time to time, we may share your name and address with other companies who can offer products and services that may be of interest to you as a woodworker. To be removed from such offers, please send your full name and mailing address to “sawdust@mlcswoodworking.com” with the subject “MLCS Mailing List Opt-Out” or call toll-free 1-800-533-9298. MLCS will NEVER share your phone number or credit card information with any other company, except as needed to fulfill your order or as required by law.

Q: Why am I receiving e-mail from the MLCS E-Club?
A: Please remember, everyone on our E-Club list has opted for inclusion in our list. We do not send any unsolicited e-mails. If you prefer not to be included in our special E-Club, just uncheck the box at the bottom of the shopping cart page before submitting your order. If you are already a member, visit our E-Club Sign-up page and enter your e-mail address in the second text field to be removed from the list.

Q: Will MLCS share my e-mail address with anyone?
A: We do not share our E-Club mailing list with ANY outside parties, not even affiliated companies. We also take appropriate steps to ensure that e-mail addresses in our files are kept safe from theft. E-mail addresses are shared with UPS when appropriate SOLELY for the purpose of providing our customers with tracking information for pending orders.

Q: What about Cookies?
A: We think they’re yummy. ;-) Actually, a "cookie" is a small file stored on your computer which helps our website to remember information about you to simplify your shopping experience (or keep track of the items in your shopping cart). Information collected is used solely to aide in processing an order with us. Some non-personally identifiable information is also used to monitor traffic patterns on our website so we can continue to improve our website and product line to serve you better. You can refuse to accept cookies using the Privacy preferences of your web browser. However, some features of our website, particularly Customer Registration, will not function properly without them.


MLCS Data Security
Q: How does MLCS protect my sensitive data?
A: MLCS is committed to providing a safe and secure online ordering experience. We have recently taken a number of steps to further enhance our security precautions. Some of our security precautions include:
• McAFEE SECURE: We've partnered with the security experts at McAfee and our site is now scanned daily for a wide variety of potential issues and security risks. The McAfee Secure logo on our webpages confirms that our site has passed McAfee's stringent tests to be safe from hackers and data breaches.
• 128 BIT SSL ENCRYPTION
All data transferred from your computer to our servers in our Shopping Cart is secure and encrypted with industry-standard 128-bit high grade SSL encryption. Confirm this with the padlock icon in the bottom of your browser window and the "https" in the address bar (when in our cart, step 2 and beyond). You can also verify the identity of our site by clicking the GeoTrust icon on our shopping cart page.
• NON-PERSISTENT CREDIT CARD DATA
You may have noticed that whenever you leave our shopping cart page and come back, any credit card data entered has been erased, even when other form data remains intact. This is a deliberate security feature to prevent other computer users from accessing this information.
• FREQUENT DATA REMOVAL
Credit card data for orders is removed from our online servers as soon as your order is
downloaded for processing.
• SECURE DATA STORAGE
While on our online servers, data is secured and encrypted in full compliance with Visa’s CISP program. Our offline processing systems are also secured with multi-layer password protection, up-to-date firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware software.
• AVS VERIFICATION
We use Address Verification Service to confirm that the address to which your order is billed and shipped matches the information on file with your credit card company. Please help us by always providing the address at which you receive your credit card statement in the "Billing Address" fields on our order form.
• CVV VERIFICATION
The CVV2 or "Card Verification Value" is the extra 3 or 4-digit number on the back (Visa, MC, Discover) or front (American Express) of your card. This number is used in online and mail order purchases to confirm that the person placing the order has physical possession of the credit card (and not just a number stolen from an electronic source). In keeping with credit card company requirements, the CVV value is only used for approval and is never stored electronically with the card number. Effective June 30, 2005, we will not be able to accept an order without the CVV2 value.