Ordering

Minimum Order!

We have a $25.00 minimum order. Orders take a long time to process and pack, and we have to cover our expenses. So, if you're just ordering a few connectors for a taillight wire, you'll want to add a few doodads or perhaps a Connex chain, or anything that you'll tend to need lots of anyway, to make up the difference.


You can place an order in person, via email, fax, phone or carrier pigeon. The telephone is better than email, particularly when paying with a credit card, as email is not secure. If you do send email, please only send plain text with no attachments in your emails, but do not include your credit card number.

If you use the telephone and get our answering machine, please leave a message with just your name and phone number. Our machine doesn't have an endless capacity for messages and if we're away for a few days, it will quickly fill up. Also, if you're using a cell phone, please do not assume that we can hear your message since they are often garbled. Try to use a land line.

We can ship just about anywhere in the world if you pay with Visa or Mastercard. Orders from Indonesia and Nigeria will only be filled if payment is made in gold bullion coins, 6 months in advance. Most other foreign orders can be paid for with either Visa or Mastercard, at our discretion. If you live in the United States, payment can be via Visa, Mastercard, or US Postal Money Order. International orders paid via credit card can only be shipped to the billing address of the card.

We do not ship any products to the UK, as the government of His Most Groovy Majesticness has decreed that we must collect taxes for Him, at our expense. We think His Most Groovy Majesticness should collect His own taxes. And in that regard, we wish Him all the luck in the world.

We do not accept personal checks for mail orders.

We accept US Postal Money Orders only, as in a money order that you would purchase in person at a United States Post Office. Sorry, but we don't accept any other types of money orders, such as those money orders you can get at a bank, Canadian post office, or Peruvian post office. Not that I have anything against Peruvians, or Peru. Some of my best friends...

We don't yet have secure, on-line ordering. Carrier pigeon security protocols are currently in beta testing. Some people get mad at me because we don't have a "Shopping Cart" system on the website. Don't get mad. I only recently got past making fire with two sticks. These things take time.

Credit Cards

We take both Visa and Mastercard, and we take no other credit cards. We will need the complete credit card number, including the expiration date, the full name on the card, the billing address of the card, and the "V" code or three digit security code on the back of the card. It's the last three of whatever numbers are in the signature box on the back of your card.

Credit card numbers should not be sent via email since it's not secure. They can be sent via fax or by voice telephone.

For our retail customers, we don't keep credit card numbers on file. However, for bicycle shops that order from us, we will keep credit card numbers on file. We use a paper Rolodex which is stored in the safe every night, so your account data is safe. Credit card numbers are never entered into any computer.

Customs Forms

For shipping outside the US, we are required to fill out customs forms. Often, people ask me to put false information on those forms so as to save them import duty in their country. I don't know what the jail term is for filling out fraudulent customs forms, and I'm not the least bit curious to find out. I've been told federal prison food is terrible. They use too much salt in the bouillabaisse. So, with a heavy heart, we'll be filling out all customs forms correctly.

Shipping

We normally ship via either UPS or USPS, the US Post Office, because both come by every day to pick up packages and it's very convenient. The Post Office comes by around noon, and Fedex comes by around 4:00.

If you want your shipment via USPS, aka, the Post Office, you need to place your order by 5PM the previous day to be certain it ships. Then we'll be sure to have it ready for noon pickup by the folks in the blue uniforms. If you want your shipment via UPS, we need to have your order here by 1:00PM for the pickup. That's Eastern Time!

Shipping to an address outside the USA can be very expensive by private carrier. It's usually best to use the Post Office. For international shipping, the Post Office does have size limits for shipping which are smaller than the size limits for UPS. So if you want a wheel shipped to Scotland, the box will be too large for the Post Office and it will have to ship via UPS. It won't be cheap!

Have an emergency?

We understand. If your order comes in too late for the Post Office to pick up that day, we may still be able to ship the package. But it will mean getting into my car and driving 4.5 miles each way to the Hillsborough post office. If we can do it, we will charge an additional $25 for this service. But some days we simply won't have the time to do this.

How long will it take?

This map is from UPS, so it only relates to the UPS shipping times.

Fedex Map

This map from UPS shows how long it normally takes for a shipment to be delivered by their UPS Ground service to various locations within the United States. This is their map, and of course we don't guaranteee their delivery times. But I have found it to be generally accurate.

For very small and inexpensive items like a handlebar mount for your headlight or FiberFix replacement spokes that don't require insurance we can (if you ask) just put some stamps on the package and the mailman can pick them up. We charge a flat $5.00 for shipping very small items that way within the USA. However, the package will be uninsured and we will not accept responsibility for lost shipments. Fedex and Priority Mail is insured and trackable, though more expensive. And to ship outside the USA, customs forms must be filled out, so that precludes this method.

When placing an order, we can usually give you a close estimate of the final shipping charge while you're on the phone with us.

To get a tracking number for your shipment, send an email to . Include the name that was used for the order, and the date you believe it was shipped. Sheena will send you back an email with the tracking number.

Returns

If we sell you an item that is defective, you can return it within 30 days for an immediate exchange. We try not to sell defective products, but unfortunately we do occasionally let one slip by. We'll pay the ground shipping both ways on defective returns and exchanges within 30 days of the date of sale. We will determine if an item is defective. If we determine that the item is not defective, we will not accept it for return.

During the warranty period, after 30 days the customer must pay the cost of shipping the item back to us. We will pay the cost of shipping the replacement or repaired item back to the customer via ground shipping.

Guaranteed Shipping? No!

Peter White Cycles will not, under any circumstances whatsoever, be responsible for your package arriving by any particular time or date. We are in Hillsborough, New Hampshire and we do not personally deliver packages anywhere. We depend on the US Postal Service and UPS to pick up packages from us and deliver them to you. If a shipper tells us they offer shipping to your address by a particular time and date, we will pass that information on to you. But, if the shipper then fails to deliver the package to you by the stated time, we will not be held responsible. That is a matter between you and the shipper. We will not pay the shipping charges for a package that does not arrive by the date and time you expected it to arrive, and then refuse or return. If the shipper refunds those charges, we will of course pass the refund on to you.

NOTICE!

We will only pay ground shipping costs for defective returns. Even if your original purchase was shipped via Next Day Air or some other express shipping method that costs oodles of money, we only cover regular ground shipping cost for defective returns. Here's why.

Non-defective returns for refund are subject to a 10% restocking fee. This applies to any purchase other than wheels, bikes (which I have to build before we can ship) and other special order items.

There are no returns on wheels, bikes, and special order items.

Exchanges can be made on unused items within 7 days. There is no restocking fee on items returned for exchange towards items of equal or greater value, though shipping costs will apply.

If you receive a defective product and want a replacement, call us to arrange a return. When we receive it and determine that it is defective, we will then send you a replacement. If you can't wait for us to receive your returned product before sending out a replacement, we will have to charge your credit card for the second product. And if, when we receive the returned product, it turns out not to be defective, but instead has been damaged by improper installation or use, you will now own two products. It's best to wait until we receive your return. Many times people think a product is defective, when in fact the problem turns out only to be caused by improper use. When we receive the product, we can often determine the cause of the problem, and explain it to you so that you can use the product properly.

We've had too many instances of people installing a light or other product incorrectly, think the product is defective, and return it, get a replacement, have the same problem, etc. etc. This is understandable since many of the products we sell are not commonly used in the US, so people are often unfamiliar with them. If you receive a product that doesn't seem to work, don't get angry or frustrated. Call me and explain the situation. More often than not the product isn't defective and I can help you figure out how to use the product correctly. The last thing I want is for a customer to end up with two products, all because he didn't use the first one correctly.

But we have also had instances where people damage products during installation, and assume that the damage was due to the product being defective. We've sent out replacements without charging for them, only to get back products that have obviously been damaged by the customer. The credit card companies will not allow us to then charge the customer's credit card, and we end up with damaged goods that the manufacturer will not accept back from us. This is why we can't send out replacements for products you believe to be defective, without the replacements being paid for.

Cosmetics

We sell bicycles, bicycles parts and accessories to be used by people riding their bicycles on roads and trails in the real world. The real world can be a messy place. And most people who have ridden a bicycle for any meaningful distance quickly notice that the bike gets dirty, paint can be scratched, and metal parts can oxidize. Some people buy bicycles and bicycle parts not to ride with, but to look at. They want the finish on their frame to be 100% free of imperfections. They want their aluminum rims to shine like mirrors, and they can't stand the thought of any discoloration on an anodized handlebar. If you want to buy something we sell to display on your living room wall, please let us know. We charge $60 per hour to inspect products in our inventory to find the item with the absolute best finish work. Then, before we assemble the product (build up the bike, build the wheel, whatever) we'll send you the item at your expense via insured carrier for your inspection. You can then return the item to us for final assembly.

If you are instead just going to ride your bike, please trust us to ship only products that look like new, in the real world. In other words, small imperfections in the polished finish of a frame, crankset, chainring, hub or rim, brake lever, handlebar, uneven stitching of a pannier, etc., things that have no affect whatsoever on the performance of a component but are only noticeable upon close inspection, do not constitute cosmetic defects warranting replacement at our expense. The key issue here is trust. Please trust our judgement that what we have shipped to you passes our standards of cosmetic quality.

There is no such thing as a perfect anything. If you look closely enough, you can always find a defect. The issue is what level of defect is acceptable. Since there is expense involved in shipping products back and forth, there has to be some method of determining what level of cosmetic defect is acceptable and what isn't. Since if you aren't buying here in the shop you're buying sight unseen, you need to trust that what we ship is acceptable. In other words, you need to be willing to accept OUR standards of what's acceptable and what isn't. Otherwise we end up shipping stuff back and forth, at great expense, all to get you the perfect handlebar stem. At some point it gets a bit ridiculous. And in the case of built up bikes and custom wheels, the expense is even greater than just the shipping cost, since rebuilding takes shop time.

So, if we send you a part that doesn't look right to you, we'll take it back for exchange at your expense. If it's a part of an assembled product, such as a bicycle or hand built wheel, there is no return, period.

Thanks!


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It's best to call before 4PM Eastern time since after that we're either running around like headless chickens or at home ready to jump into the pot.

Please don't place an order without first reading this.

This page updated: Saturday, May 14, 2022

Peter White Cycles LLC
24 Hall Rd.
Hillsborough, NH 03244
USA
603 478 0900 Phone