Welcome to our INFO page - we're glad you're interested! For on-line shopping, please start on our front page (click HOME button at left.) Below you'll find the details: Shipping Rates, Delivery Times, How to Order, Return Policy, info on Rush Orders, Gift Wrap, Mail Orders, Catalogs, our Methods & Materials, and how to check the Status of your Order. Just scroll down to the parts that interest you. If you still have questions - or perhaps a comment or suggestion - please contact us. We answer all email promptly. You can contact us by mail: WHIMSY WOODS 1022 C.R. 114 EUREKA SPRINGS, AR 72632 OR BY EMAIL: whimsywoods@yahoo.com whimsywoods@yahoo.com OR BY TELEPHONE: 479/253-7798 (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. CST.) Please note, we're a small family business and do not have full-time office staff. We're also in a rural area and our phone system is decidedly low-tech, so we apologize if you have difficulty getting through the busy circuits. We prefer the mutual convenience of email but are always happy to talk to our customers, and do try to return calls within 24 hours (or the next business day.) If your telephone message is not returned, please try again -- it probably means we did not hear the entire number clearly, or a power surge re-set the answering machine. No solicitations please. HOLIDAY SCHEDULE: Please see our HOLIDAY HELPER page for the most up to date information on ordering deadlines and deliveries during December. THE LATEST: Please click the 'refresh' key to be certain you are viewing the current version of our website. SHIPPING AND HANDLING are computed online for all states except Alaska and Hawaii, and will be displayed BEFORE you authorize the charges. Standard shipping is via FedEx Ground or FedEx Home Delivery Service, with delivery to most addresses in 3-5 business days. Orders to AK and HI incur higher shipping charges which are not displayed online, however we'll provide estimates BEFORE we process those orders. We only ship to U.S. addresses at this time. NOTE: Most of our boxes fall into the "Oversized" catagory and frankly, FedEx has much better rates for these large packages. Shipping charges are just that - we add no additional surcharge for packaging or handling. STANDARD DELIVERY: Most handpainted orders ship in 30-45 days, please allow 3-5 business days transit time for FedEx Ground or Home Delivery Service. The average time is 4-6 weeks, but special orders can take a bit longer, and weather and holidays affect our schedule. Genuine hand painting is still pretty low tech. Factories no doubt have production schedules but in our small studio we just start one order when we've finished another, so estimates are approximate. Let us know if you need something by a special date and we'll do our best. Please be sure to provide accurate, up-to-date billing and shipping information as errors can delay your order. We send email notice the day your order ships, so you'll know to watch for delivery. STATUS: You can check your order on the Status Page. A link is provided by Yahoo with your order confirmation message.* The status page will reflect estimated time from order date to shipment date, it DOES NOT COUNT DOWN, but will show when an order has shipped. *Note: the Status Page address is quite long and some email systems try to break the link into shorter lines. Once the link is broken it will not work and attempted access results in an error message that sometimes indicates we no longer exist! If that happens please contact us for assistance. (We've been a Yahoo store for nearly 12 years and have no plans to move our website.) BILLING: We offer split billing, and like most custom painters we require a deposit. Most orders are billed 51% when an order is processed and the balance at completion. Rush orders, custom designs or special order items are billed before we start painting. Incorrect or invalid payment info will delay your order so please check accuracy and provide update if your card number changes. PERSONALIZATION AND INSCRIPTIONS: We offer free personalization on most chairs and stepstools, however must limit the number of letters we can fit nicely on some smaller pieces. There is a $10 charge for personalization on toyboxes, beds, etc., and we can add a name, initial, monogram or title to almost any item - just ask. We're happy to paint a simple inscription on a gift item -- the charge is $10 for a SHORT message ('Happy Birthday' or 'Welcome to the World') plus date and 1-3 names. These are hand lettered on the back or underside of most items. Contact us for prices on longer inscriptions. PRIVACY: Whimsy Woods does not sell, share or trade it's customer information with anyone else, never has and never will. And we don't do bulk mail advertising. RETURNS: Standard orders can be returned within 3 days of delivery if the item has not been used, marked or damaged in any way. Purchase price will be refunded minus a 20% restocking fee (min. $25.) Item must be returned completely undamaged so please re-package carefully and insure for entire purchase price. Rush charges are not refundable. Used items are not returnable. Customer is responsible for all shipping costs. Refund will be issued when returned item is received. Sorry, no refunds or returns on customized, special order, inscribed or personalized items. EXCHANGES: We're sorry but we cannot offer to exchange or re-paint an item in different colors. In many cases the cost of the extra shipping and labor required to refinish a piece would exceed the original price. DAMAGED DELIVERY: Please open and inspect your order as soon as it arrives, and notify us right away if you find an item has been damaged. Damage claims must be reported within 48 hours of delivery. We'll send FedEx back to pick up the damaged item and return it to our studio for repair or replacement. FedEx will not accept a damage claim or return the box to us without the original package. It's also important that you use the packing material, as we cannot file a damage claim on an item that is further damaged by inadequate re-packing. CANCELLATIONS: Standard orders can be cancelled within 7 days for a full refund, after that a 20% cancellation fee applies. Rush orders and special order items must be cancelled within 48 hours, after that a 40% fee will be charged as we will have ordered the item and/or began work on your order. We're sorry but we cannot cancel personalized, customized or special order items once painted. Any order left unpaid, unclaimed, or "on hold" will be considered abandoned after 30 days. There are no refunds on abandoned orders. GIFT WRAP: There is a $10 charge for this service. Small items will be wrapped with paper, ribbon and bow; larger items will simply be adorned with oversized ribbons and bow. Please keep in mind our furniture is wrapped in bubble wrap to ensure safe delivery. A free gift card is included, and you will find a box on the order form for your gift message. CATALOGS: We offer no retail sales literature at this time. Blame it on an aversion to junk mail or the thought of our designs on the bottom of a bird cage, in any case we try to control costs to keep our products affordable. Our web page IS our catalog so hope you'll bookmark the site and come back often. HOW TO ORDER ONLINE: Items are ordered on individual item pages. On most items you will select a design or color from one menu, choose a size or fill out the PERSONALIZATION box if applicable, and then click the ADD TO CART button. From there Yahoo's software will take you through the ordering process, please be certain to complete the form - your order is not forwarded to us until you authorize the charges at the very end. You will be shown the your total, including shipping charges and taxes if applicable, before you authorize the order. If you do not receive an immediate "thank you" and a confirmation message from Yahoo within a few minutes, your order probably did not go through and you should contact us for assistance. The HELP button (at left) is also available for assistance with ordering and site navigation questions. MAIL ORDER: We accept checks, Visa or Mastercard, and money orders by mail. PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH. Returned check fee is $30. You can email an order and we'll process it as soon as payment is received, or mail a printed order and payment (or credit card info) to the address shown above. Please provide all the information requested on our order form, and include the appropriate shipping charges. Arkansas residents add .05125% sales tax. Be sure to provide your telephone number and email address so we can contact you if necessary. NOTE: Split billing is not a lay-away plan. We have limited storage space so please do not place an order if you are unable to pay the total within 4 weeks. Balance-due orders will be held 2 weeks past completion, then considered abandoned. It's very sad, and there are NO REFUNDS on abandoned orders. COMMON SENSE: Whimsy Woods is not responsible for spelling or address errors on your order form, so please check for accuracy and notify us immediately of any corrections. Customers will be responsible for any additional shipping costs incurred by incorrect or incomplete address. We are not responsible for weather-related delays, or service failures by FedEx, UPS or the US Postal Service beyond the shipping cost refunds offered by those companies. And Whimsy Woods cannot be responsible for email glitches or internet service failures, so please follow up if you do not recieve prompt confirmation of your order or any order changes. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We purchase sturdy hardwood and selected pine pieces from well-established U.S. furniture companies. Every piece is sanded and primed, then receives at least two coats of low-odor, water-based, lead-free paint and mulitiple coats of a clear protective finish. The handpainting is all done in our small family studio in the Ozark Mountains. We use only non-toxic, lead-free, American brand name products. Our furniture is intended for indoor, non-commercial use except as noted. CARE: When necessary, clean surfaces with water and a soft cloth or sponge, dry promptly with a soft cloth. No chemicals or furniture polish are recommended. Like any painted or wood surface, our furniture can be damaged by excessive heat, abrasive cleaners, or prolonged exposure to direct sun and/or moisture. We recommend that Indoor/Outdoor furniture be stored indoors when not in use. We paint every design by hand. While each item remains true to the design chosen, variations make every piece an original. Some sailboats have bigger sails, some ponies have longer tails - life is like that. If you're looking for machine-like precision or uniformity, this is probably not the store for you. We promise that every piece is crafted with care and inspected by one very sharp-eyed mother-in-law.