OUR POLICIES
We are in the business of satisfying its customers with great products and great service. Here is how we do it: If, for any reason, you are not satisfied, let us know and we will make it right.
Pricing
All prices are in US dollars.
Shipping
We offer free shipping to US addresses on orders of $15 or more (in-stock books only). In most cases we use the United States Post Office Media Mail for these shipments, however at our sole description we sometimes use other services. The USPS is still pretty fast.
Although your package should be the responsibility of the post office, it turns out it’s not—but if we mess it up, we’ll fix it. That said, if the post office or delivery service (post office, FedEx, etc., says the package was delivered, then our responsibility has ended (unless we did something wrong). For orders going outside the USA, our responsibility ends when the carrier takes possession of the package.
If you desire faster shipping, you may select Priority Mail, UPS or FedEx - the cost for this will show up during the check out process, and you can choose the option that best fits your budget.
If you have special shipping requests that do not involve the USPS, please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate you.
If we make a mistake (send the wrong book, send it to the wrong place), we’ll make it right.
At the same time, if you make a mistake, we expect you to make it right. If your package is returned to us because the address is incorrect, or it has been unclaimed, but we followed your instructions, we will refund the cost of the undamaged books, but not the shipping. Thus the cost of shipping will be deducted from the refund.
Typically we ship on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (again, my “day job” requires some time and does hold priority). There are some exceptions - weekends and holidays are obvious exceptions. If we are overwhelmed with orders - as is the case when multiple new books are released simultaneously - we ship on consecutive days so to relieve the backlog. Also, because my wife Denise and I are a two-person operation, if you notice on the show calendar that we will be attending a show well away from Milan - we won't be shipping during the travel days. In any event, we know how important your items are to you, and strive to get them to you as quickly as possible - and in excellent condition. Our system will send you an email with tracking number when your order is shipped. In the rare instance something is missing our damaged, we must be notified within 10 days of receipt, or 30 days of shipping, in order for us to make any adjustment.
Outside USA
Unfortunately, due to rate increases in the last few years, shipping outside the United States can now be quite expensive. Our system automatically estimates shipping cost based on the weight of the items ordered and using the carrier that most economically provides transportation between us. In most cases that is the postal service, but in some cases it is UPS, DHL, or FedEx. If you specify a carrier of your choosing, there will likely be an extra cost beyond what is estimated at checkout, and an invoice will be issued for that amount, which will need to be paid prior to shipping.
For CANADA shipping is $15.95 for the first pound, $41.95 for up to two pounds, and $5 per pound thereafter up to four pounds. Four pounds and beyond is $51.95. Some of our shipments to Canada are handled by FedEx or UPS. As a practical matter - if you are in Canada, I STRONGLY recommend that you email me for an exact quote on shipping. Be sure to include your full address in that email. Actual shipping is often far less than the system calculates automatically, as it cannot account for exact destinations beyond the country as a whole. From what we understand, in some cases there are customs and brokerage fees assessed on the receiving end. These fees are not included in the shipping costs we charge, and are billed separately by the carrier/government on your end.
For the rest of the world, shipping is $33.95 for the first pound, $55.95 for up to two pounds, $59.95 for up to four pounds, and $75.95 for up to 19 pounds. Above 19 pounds up to 66 pounds is $89.95.
In some cases, depending on location, this automated shipping charge calculation can result in a substantial overcharge beyond actual shipping. Because of the size of the books, publications in the Legends of Warfare series will tend to ship toward the upper end of the rates above. Orders NOT containing those books tend to ship for substantially less, which results in a refund of excess shipping charges, usually in well less than 24 hours.
In each event, you are paying us for the TRANSPORTATION, any duties, brokerage or other fees are between you and your government, and we will not falsify the shipping records to avoid this.
We understand that this leaves a lot of ‘unknowns’ - so if you would like an exact overseas shipping quote before ordering, use the “contact us” link and let us know exactly what you would like to order, and your full shipping address (sorry, the rate calculator can’t do the math with things like “two books to London”). With your complete information we can give you an exact quote before ordering.
As mentioned earlier, for packages going outside the USA, our responsibility ends when the carrier accepts possession of the item. You will receive confirmation that we shipped the goods and the carrier accepted the package(s). While in most cases, even overseas packages reach their destination quickly, in some cases it can take weeks or months, and given the uncertainty of the global political situation, these delays could be indefinite. Thus, no refunds can be provided for packages that may have been delayed our lost in international transit, so long as our shipping of the package can be documented. We regret that global politics and transit difficulties have forced us into this position.
PLEASE NOTE: Starting January 21st, 2018, the USPS is no longer allowing First Class Mail International (FCMI) service using the Large Envelope/Flat package type to ship anything but Documents. For any content type other than Documents, the USPS will now require shipments to use the package type of Package or Thick Envelope, because of this, we can no longer be offer this inexpensive option.
Pre-orders and reservations
Because we write many of the publications that we sell, we often have an idea about what is about to be released! Although oftentimes there are contractural restrictions concerning our discussing this, once we have the okay, and we know with some degree of certainty when the books will arrive, we offer pre-orders on these books.
This allows our customers to reserve a copy of the publication, assuring delivery of the book, and typically being among the first to receive these. The vagaries of product distribution prevent us from truthfully saying "You'll be the first on your block with the cool new book" - but oftentimes that is the case. In most instances, there is an additional discount associated with reserving books, although some publishers do not allow this practice.
Pre-orders are handled by an entirely different system than are regular orders. You are not actually charged for the reserved item when you make the reservation. When we get confirmation that the books are about to arrive, you get an email advising of the secure link you are to use to pay for your reserved books and provide ship-to information.
Telephone orders
We do not accept telephone orders. There are a number of reasons for this. Chief of these is PCI Data Security compliance. That is “we” don’t have any customer’s credit card info at any time. The on line payment processor we use, which is fully PCI compliant, handles the transaction - Denise and I never get your card info. If someone breaks in and carries away the computer I am typing this on - you are still safe, because your card data is nowhere in our home. And we want to keep it that way.
Other factors include - my “day job” is writing books, this often includes travel and research in archives that do not permit the use of cell phones, plus, as those of you that meet me at shows know, I like to talk. I can’t write and talk at the same time, and if I don’t write, I don’t pay my bills - or have books to sell.
For those who REALLY don’t want to order on line, you can order by mail. If you live in the US, we ship orders over $15 via media mail at no charge, so it is easy enough to send us a note listing specifically which of the books we offer you want, add the prices shown on the website, and mail the note and payment to:
David Doyle - PO Box 110 - Milan, TN 38385
The bottom line is - we don’t take telephone orders. We know that this means some of you may elect not to order, but one of the beauties of this country is that freedom of choice!
Returns, errors and screw-ups
We are committed to customer service and will promptly address any customer claims of shipping errors, damage, defects, missing items, etc. if we are contacted within 10 days of delivery, or 30 days of shipping. In order for us to remedy any problems regarding missing or damaged items, it is critical that you keep any and all packaging as well as any notices provided by the carrier. Be prepared to send photos by email if required by carrier policy. We answer all emails promptly.
DO NOT return any products without prior written authorization. So that we can address your problem properly, please include your original order number in any correspondence concerning missing, damaged or wrong orders. Damaged, defective or missing products will be replaced or refunded.
Because we're committed to helping you, under no circumstances should you ever contact a third party to dispute charges, or air grievances without contacting us first. We will solve all genuine customer service problems through refunds, reshipments or whatever else it takes to reach a fair solution to the problem—that's our promise! But it's your job to inform us a problem has occurred.
If you purchase one of our products from a dealer, please address any product concerns (shipping damage, material defects, etc.) with that dealer. We will also solve all genuine customer service problems to the best of our ability—with that dealer—but not directly with their customers.
Privacy and stuff
Your privacy is very important to us. Except for cases where we comply with a lawful demand for information by law enforcement authorities, or attempt to secure relief in cases of customer fraud, we will never disclose any personal information you provide us (such as your name, shipping address or telephone number), or any information related to your purchase history with us to any third parties.
When we gather your email, it is solely for the purchase of informing you about our products and us. We never share that information either.
DavidDoyleBooks.com does not retain your credit card information. We are “PCI Compliant,” no numbers are stored or otherwise recorded on premise.
Occasionally, digital versions of our publications will pop up on the Internet. The only digital content that we sanction is that which will appear, or is appearing on this website. Anything else is stealing.