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FAQ / How to Buy with ErgoCanada.com 2. How do I Buy Product Once I have Decided What I Want? 3. What Taxes Will be Charged on My Order? 4. How Much Will Shipping Cost? 5. How Long Will it Take to Receive My Order? 6. Wouldn't it Be Cheaper to Order from a US Location if the Price is Less? 8. What are Your Return Policies? 9. What if I Receive a Defective Product or My Product Develops a Defect Within the Warranty Period? 10. What if UPS or Canada Post Fails to Deliver the Shipment on Time? 1. How do I Look for Product?If you have an idea of what you are looking for, click on the products link in the navigation menu at the top of the page to browse our online catalog. Once you find a product you would like to purchase, simply indicate the quantity (and the model and accessories, if applicable) and click the 'Add to Cart' button. If you are not sure what you are looking for, ErgoCanada recommends you phone in and speak with a member of our staff. If you prefer self-directed research, you can explore our Ergopedia which has comprehensive information on a wide variety of topics. Our for a quick tip sheet, check out our Basic Ergonomics for Computer Workstation Users which should assist in determining what aspects of your workspace are not ergonomic and should be addressed.
2. How do I Buy Product Once I have Decided What I Want?Once you have added all the items you wish to purchase to your cart, click the 'View Cart' button and then the 'Complete Order' button. This will take you to a screen where you can change the quantity of each product in your cart and delete items you do not want to purchase. Once you have finalized your decisions, you will be prompted to enter in your billing and shipping information.The web site will generate a temporary invoice for you including all applicable taxes. The shipping cost will vary depending on the size, weight and quantity of products shipped, and destination of the shipment. As a rule of thumb shipping costs vary between $15 and $25 for single items, and for multiple items rarely exceed $40. Once ErgoCanada receives your order you will be contacted to confirm your order, and will be provided the exact shipping cost and final bill, and have your method of payment confirmed.
3. What Taxes Will Be Charged on My Order?GST of 5% (or HST, see below) will be charged on all shipments delivered or billed to Canadian addresses unless a GST Exemption Number is provided and written notification is faxed advising us of such exemption PRIOR to the release of the shipment. PST of 5% will be charged on all shipments delivered to or orders billed to Saskatchewan addresses unless a PST Exemption Number is provided and a written notification is faxed advising us of such exemption PRIOR to the release of the shipment. HST will be charged to all shipments delivered or orders billed to Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick addresses at 13%, to PEI at 14%, and to Nova Scotia at 15%.
4. How Much Will Shipping Cost?Shipping/handling charges vary greatly depending not only on the number of products and type of product, but where ErgoCanada is shipping to (in Canada). In general for Purolator Ground, Fedex Economy or Canada Post Expedited level of service you can expect a charge of $15 for most mice and very small keyboards, $17.50 -$20.00 for most small and regular keyboards, $25 for heavier keyboards and trays, and $30 or more for articulating arms. Express services are typically available at approximately double the above rates. If you need an exact quote, please call or email ErgoCanada for more information. NOTE: All products from ErgoCanada are shipped FOB Saskatoon i.e. if the product is damaged or lost in transit to the customer, ErgoCanada will pursue a claim with the courier company, but the ownership of the product transfers to the customer when the product is picked up from ErgoCanada's warehouse. By default, insurance will only cover the first $100 of damage or loss to a product in transit; should you wish full insurance, please mention this when placing your order. For UPS shipments, it is available at a cost of $2.10 for every $100 above the first $100 you wish insured (e.g. products who total value is $490.00 would cost an additional $8.40 to insure ($100 free plus 4 x $2.10 = $400 of additional coverage). For Purolator, the cost is $4.50 per $100 (excluding first $150.00 of value).
5. How Long Will It Take To Receive My Order?Delivery time varies greatly depending on the location the product is being shipped. The graphic below shows the delivery times for Purolator Standard Ground Service in Canada. ErgoCanada also offers Purolator Express Service to all of Canada which is next business day to most of Canada. Canada Post Expedited, UPS Standard Ground and FedEx Economy are also available and typically the same transit time as Purolator Standard Ground. ErgoCanada typically ships orders within 2 business days, with the majority of orders shipping out on the next business day. Express orders confirmed prior to 10:00 AM Saskatchewan time (which is CST during Daylight Savings, MDT after Daylight Savings), will be shipped the same day. If ErgoCanada receives your Express order after 1:00 PM, then every effort will be made to ensure it is shipped out to you that day but ErgoCanada cannot guarantee that it will ship. ErgoCanada does typically maintain stock on all the product SKUs shown on the web site, and when you place your order you can always confirm that stock is available in the quantity and model that you require. The colors are coded as follows (note transit time is number of business days not including day of shipment):
6. Wouldn't it be Cheaper to Order from a US Location if the Price is Less?There are a couple of factors you should keep in mind if ordering from the United States. First: The exchange does vary - here at ErgoCanada we make a reasonable effort to adjust prices as the US-Canadian dollar exchange rate varies but fluctuations happen constantly. Keep in mind that if you pay by a Canadian credit card to a US company, your bank will charge a commission on converting the Canadian funds to US dollars (usually around 3-5%). Second: The cost of shipping from a US location is usually higher than within Canada - especially for larger or heavier items. Third: The courier company or Canada Post will charge you GST/HST on the value of your shipment, so you don't 'beat the GST/HST' by ordering from the United States. In addition, you are usually charged a fee for collecting the GST/HST (this is called the disbursement or bond fee - usually between $5 and $10 CDN). Fourth: All couriers charge a brokerage fee (for air shipments, the fee is usually incorporated into the shipping charge) which varies from courier to courier but is quite substantial. Here is the fee guide from UPS as of January 1st, 2011 (and they are more reasonable than some):
As a consequence, what looks like a 'great deal' at first may end up costing you significantly more. For example... Say you find a product on our site (a keyboard for example) which is listed at $250.00 CDN. In addition, you find a web site in the United States that is having a sale on that same keyboard and listing it for $185 US. Let's say the posted exchange rate (that you see in the newspaper, etc.) is 1.00 CDN = 1.10 US. Sounds like a great deal doesn't it? Let's run the numbers on it...
What looked like a great deal initially (save over $50 dollars) actually was a more expensive option, and with the time your package sits in Customs awaiting clearance, you may not see your shipment for a week or two at least. Fifth and finally, if you ever have a problem with the product or want to return it (if they even offer a customer satisfaction guarantee) you have the added hassle of getting the product over the border again (perhaps more than once if repair or replacement is required), and you will not be able to receive a refund on any of the import costs you have incurred.
7. How Do I Pay for My Order (Terms of Payment)?If you are a government institution or established business, request a quotation and ErgoCanada will issue you a formal quotation. Then your procurement department can either fax or email a PDF of your purchase order, and subject to your purchase order being approved, ErgoCanada will release the shipment and provide you Net 15 terms with an additional 15 day grace period. If you are a consumer, there are a couple of options: IMPORTANT NOTE: Please make all money orders and/or bank drafts payable to Micwil Group of Companies Ltd. , NOT ErgoCanada.com. OPTION 1: Money order or bank draft in advance, which can be mailed to our billing address Micwil Group of Companies Ltd. Once ErgoCanada receives your payment, your order will be released. OPTION 2: Mastercard or VISA You must provide complete information on the online form (or simply call the toll-free number), and for first time customers ErgoCanada requires a valid billing address for the cardholder. For security purposes ErgoCanada can only ship to the billing address of the credit card or a secondary shipping address which you have registered with the issuing bank for your credit card. ErgoCanada reserves the right to ship to only the billing address and will advise you if this is the case. PLEASE NOTE: ErgoCanada does not take your credit card information online; a sales representative will contact you after you place your order to confirm your order and obtain your credit card information. Sorry, ErgoCanada does not accept American Express. OPTION 3: Direct Deposit This is the most secure and simplest method of payment available. Simply select this method of payment, and ErgoCanada will email you the information you need to perform a direct deposit. Then go to your nearest branch of the Bank of Montreal and make a direct deposit into the specified bank account. Once you have deposited the funds, email ErgoCanada with the transit number of the branch where you made the deposit and the amount and after the receipt of the funds has been verified, your order will be released. IMPORTANT NOTE: Some branches will not allow this method of payment, it is at the discretion of the branch manager. Customers have indicated that most branches will allow direct deposits however there are a portion that will not (approximately 5-10%). In the event that your branch will not allow a direct deposit, an alternative is to purchase a money order and mail it as an alternative. OPTION 4: Direct Billing If you bank with the Bank of Montreal, Micwil has been registered as a direct biller. Please contact quotes@ergocanada.com to be assigned an account number and instructions on how to pay using this option online through the Bank of Montreal. OPTION 5: Purchase Order ErgoCanada typically accepts purchase orders from companies and organizations who have established a sales history with our company. If you would like to order by purchase order, please request a formal quotation and have your Purchasing / Procurement Department send in a purchase order along with any terms and conditions, and ErgoCanada will advise when and under what terms purchase orders from your organization will be accepted.
8. What are Your Return Policies?Most products come with a 30 day Customer Satisfaction Guarantee, less a handling charge of the greater of $5 or 10% of the value of the product. In certain cases the handling charge may be reduced or waived depending on the condition of the product and the amount of time required to restock the product. In cases where the product or its inclusions (including the product box, inclusions, cables, adapters, manuals, etc.) is damaged either cosmetically or functionally, there may be an additional restocking fee (as it will require repair, repackaging, refurbishing or new packaging before it can be sold again). In all cases the customer is responsible for all shipping charges (both on the initial shipment and on the return shipment). In the event that the payment was made by credit card, an additional 5% administrative fee will apply. Any items to which a quantity or other discount has been applied will be charged a 25% restocking fee in the event of a partial or complete return. Many furniture items have a 25% base restocking charge (e.g. monitor arms, keyboard arms and trays, etc.), as once they have been installed there is scuffing and marks which does not permit us to refurbish the product to new condition. ErgoCanada does not offer a return policy on items which have consumables (such as Ring Pens) as well as certain other items as noted on the web site. To qualify for a customer satisfaction guarantee, the following procedure must be followed:
NOTE: This policy only applies to initial purchases of the product. If a product is returned and then purchased again by the same customer, ErgoCanada reserves the right to restrict this return policy, including increasing the restocking charge. The intent of this return policy is to provide customers the opportunity to try out a product that they have not had the opportunity to use.
9. What if I Receive a Defective Product or My Product Develops
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