Terms & Conditions:
CUSTOMER CARE
Ordering furniture is a big commitment, and we realize that the piece we build or finish for you will be impacting your happiness in very practical ways every day for a very long time. Since almost all of our furniture is made to order, and we keep little or nothing in stock, you cannot see, touch, and sit next to an existing physical object, (as you could in a brick-and-mortar store). This means that we must be creative in our communication, and there are specific methods we use to make sure you get you what you really want. We will guide you through the entire process, because when you receive your piece and are delighted, it makes Every. Minute. of the sweaty / noisy / hazardous / labor intense and remarkably unglamorous work we do between A and Z worth it.
In made-to-order or bespoke work, we'll need to get very clear on every detail of your project before you put down any money. We'll discuss all of this, by phone or in person or by email. It's a great idea to call or send us an email. We are happy to talk with you. I have tools at my disposal, such as an extensive online photographic library of full-resolution photos so that you can zoom in on our work. Also I have in my office, detailed notes on every project that we have ever done, including full scale drawings and all dimensions for every part. We may also wish to refer to photos published by others, for inspiration. Another tool is our collection of finish samples, some of which will travel to you so that you can choose colors in your own lighting. In some cases we create finish samples specifically for your project. The furniture pieces that we list for sale in our online store are tried and true designs that are buildable and functional, and for any proposed change you would like us to make, we will tell you ahead of time any issues associated with it.
My job is to fill in your knowledge gaps and bring up issues that you may not have considered so that you can make the best choices. We'll make sure we are on the same page, and nothing is binding until we write up a contract and you agree to it. This written document will specify everything, and when you approve of this, it places you on the construction schedule. At this time we will ask for 1/3 of the total as a deposit. Final 1/3 balance will be due at completion of finishing and prior to shipping. We will take photos to show the final product for your approval prior to shipment.
PAYMENT METHODS
Because of the nature of our business - made to order - we will want to communicate with you first about all the details that you can specify, and create a written contract. When it is time for payments, we will generate a bill according to the contract's terms, and notify you by email.
- Credit / Debit card via our online store (at Etsy)
- IPN electronic check: pay securely (ACH) and get a 3% discount
- Offline Payments: available in special circumstances
Information about IPN's e-check
SHIPPING & RETURNS
SHIPPING INFORMATION
How do we ship our furniture?
There are two ways: 1) crated 2) blanket wrapped, and we prefer blanket wrapping for the reasons below. As our customer, you always get your choice as to what shipper we use. We have a shipper that we usually use, and we will give you a shipping quote at the same time we give you a price estimate or quote on your piece. This quote usually comes with a 90 day expiration date, and if our lead time is greater than this, we will honor the original quote that we gave you. The shipping quote will include full insurance coverage against loss and damage, for the full quoted value of the piece, with no deductible. If you are local to the Portland area (within a day or two drive) we may be able to deliver the piece ourselves, which is fun for everybody.
How is blanket wrapping done?
Our shipper comes to my shop and mummifies the piece in heavy shipping blankets and tape before moving it an inch. If there are multiple components (like table leaves) they have brightly colored number-coded tape to identify each piece and match them to the other pieces, and to the bill of lading. I check that their bill of lading shows your address correctly and double check that all the pieces are marked with colored tape. They inspect the piece of course, and because our work is distressed, they generally point out all of the imperfections that exist already. Then they (usually two guys) move the piece onto their truck, which is generally a medium sized moving truck designed to get into small residential streets. They will transfer the piece to a large truck for highway transport.
Why do we prefer blanket wrapped rather than crated?
We usually use blanket wrapping for the following reasons:
a. it is typically less expensive than crating.
b. we've had experience with two blanket wrapped shippers and neither has damaged or lost a piece.
c. blanket wrapped pieces are treated like furniture and moved by humans, whereas crated pieces are moved by forklifts and can be stacked upon one another in warehouses.
d. if we feel the piece needs extra protection (like mirrors), we can crate it ourselves in the shop.
e. there are no packing materials for you to dispose of on your end with blanket wrapping. They unwrap the piece and take the blankets with them.
Is crating ever appropriate?
Yes. We don't have much experience with crating companies, and the one good crater (Gateway) in Portland is no longer in business. We did have one customer choose to have a very large multiple component piece of furniture crated, and they chose a shipper based in Seattle who got the piece across the country in a matter of a few days. We feel that crating is essential for things like mirrors, for extra protection. We have had Gateway do them in the past, and we have built our own mirror crates a couple of times in the shop.
RETURN & EXCHANGE POLICY
We apologize, but we are unable to accept returns on made-to-order goods. In the event that a piece arrives damaged or defective, you are responsible for complying with the shipper's policies for timely reporting of the issue and for collecting on the insurance.
PRIVACY POLICY
Privacy Notice
Effective Date: April 28, 2018
Information Collection, Use, and Sharing
We only have access to/collect information that you voluntarily give us, and we will not sell or rent this information to anyone. We will not share your information with any third party other than as necessary to fulfill your requests.
Unless you ask us not to, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about specials, new products or services, or changes to this privacy policy.
Photos
We retain the right to take photographs of our work and publicly display these on our website. We will request permission from you before sharing photos that you take and send to us.
Security
We request information from you on our order form. To buy from us, you must provide contact information (like name and shipping address) and financial information (like credit card number, expiration date). This information is used for billing purposes and to fill your orders. If we have trouble processing an order, we'll use this information to contact you.
We use an outside shipping company to ship orders, and a credit card and electronic check processing company to bill users for goods and services. These companies do not retain, share, store or use personally identifiable information for any secondary purposes beyond filling your order.
We take precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and offline.
Wherever we collect sensitive information (such as credit card data), that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a closed lock icon at the bottom of your web browser, or looking for "https" at the beginning of the address of the web page.
Links
This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of any other site that collects personally identifiable information.