"How long after I place my order will it be before you ship my products?"
Our inventory is fantastic and it is rare that we are out of something. If you place an order by 4pm (Pacific time), it will most likely be shipped that day (Monday - Friday, excluding holidays) for items in stock at our local warehouse. After you place your order, you will receive an e-mail (assuming that you have provided us with your e-mail address) telling you that we have received your order. Once your order is processed and shipped, we will e-mail you with shipping confirmation and tracking information. If you placed your order after approx. 2pm Pacific time (5pm Eastern time), then we can't guarantee that it will ship that day; but it will ship within 24 hours (Mon-Fri, excluding holidays).

"I would like to create an account with your company so I don't have to enter my shipping/billing information for each order I place. Is this possible?"
We take extreme measures to make sure your credit card number and other personal information is secure. Therefore, once we've completed your order, all personal information is removed from our servers. This way, in the event our information system is hacked, none of our customers will have to worry about their personal information getting into the wrong hands. Nobody is immune to hackers; financial institutions, software companies (including Microsoft), the Pentagon and many other organizations have been hacked into. In order to provide the absolute highest level of security, we choose not to keep your personal information on file. We understand this may be an inconvenience to some, but peace-of-mind knowing your personal information is safe is absolutely critical, and we believe it's worth the trade-off.

"Are you people reputable?"
We have been in the Internet mail-order plumbing supply business since 1995. We believe that we do the most volume business of any Internet only plumbing supplier. We aren't a "fly by night" type of operation! We are proud of our Dun and Bradstreet rating (3A1). We will be here when you need us, because, unlike some competitors, we are a solid company that is not in debt. Our growth has been consistent and steady.

"Why should I buy from you?"
Because we at PlumbingWorld have a fantastic inventory, offer very fast and courteous service, our prices are low, we're very easy to deal with, our shopping cart was designed by and for us and is easy to use, and your products are delivered right to your door. We are proud to say that over 99% of our customers are happy with their experience with us and tell us that they will shop at PlumbingWorld the next time that they need plumbing-related products. We sell top quality plumbing parts and products. We have a very knowledgeable and caring staff. This is the way America will be doing much of their shopping in the future, and we are well-known to be a leader in plumbing products sold on the Internet (since 1995).

"I called your phone number (530-891-6191) but you were closed for the day. Do you offer 24 hour communications?"
Our awesome site is available 24 hours per day, every day of the year but we are here only about 80 hours per week. We do not do outsourcing as we feel that you would receive inferior service. We do offer our phone number when our team members are all here (530-891-6191 8:30am - 7:30pm Central standard time) and we also offer an answering machine phone number (530-891-1556) for when we are not here. We hope that you will e-mail us when you have a question or concern but if you prefer, please do give us a call at 530-891-6191 (8:30am - 7:30pm Central standard time).

"What are your shipping charges? How much do you charge for shipping?"
Our shipping charges are easiest to understand and calculate because they are based on the cost of your products. In the Continental U.S. we charge 8% of the product subtotal, plus a small processing charge. We charge this easy-to-understand-way no matter how heavy or how large or how many packages we ship to you. By doing so, you can know immediately what your shipping charges will be. We have more shipping FAQ's on our shipping FAQ's page. We believe that all questions in regards to shipping are answered on that page. Just click here.

"I'm a Contractor (store/architect/designer, etc) and wondered if you offer 'better' (lower) prices than those listed to customers in the trade (reseller, etc)?" ... And also: "I'd like to 450 of one item, do you offer better prices?"
As you can tell, our prices are low. We simply cannot give lower prices. It was a business decision that we made when we started in 1995. We base our prices on the product and our cost (not what trade our customer is in), and everyone pays the same amount. We sometimes offer a better discount for volume (those volume discounts are always indicated on the page of the products).

"Do you have a catalog?"
Yes, you are looking at it. Our catalog is current. We do not offer or send printed catalogs.

"I'd really rather talk to a live person, what's your phone number?"
Our phone number is 530-891-6191 and we are available from 8:30am till 7:30pm Central standard time.

"How risky is it sending my credit card number over the Internet?"
U.S. News & World report, Dec. 7, 1998, page 44 had an article titled:
"A credit card is your best weapon on the Web." Here are a few quotes from it: "... it's no surprise some people fear their credit card numbers are vulnerable in cyberspace. But that belief is unfounded. When it comes to buying products and services on the Internet, the credit card is the best method of payment because it provides the most protection to the consumer ... Federal law guarantees that cardholders are liable for only the first $50 in fraudulent charges if the number falls into criminal hands - though there are no reported incidents of numbers being grabbed en route to an online store ... Criminals are more apt to target databases filled with credit card numbers."

According to AP writer Elizabeth Weise in an article dated Jan. 29th 1996:
"... experts say sending your credit car number over the Internet to buy something is as safe as calling up L.L. Bean and ordering a sweater ... By law, if there is no signature, the customer is liable for nothing. Security problems have been over hyped....Individuals buying a few CD's on-line aren't at risk..."
Also according to Stephen Cobb - security analyst - as quoted in the April 30th 1997 issue of Investor's Business Daily ...
"I perceive it to be a lot safer (to use my credit card on the Internet) than giving it to an underpaid waiter who takes it to a back room for a time to do who knows what."

In the unlikely event that unauthorized use of your credit card resulted through no fault of your own from purchases made at our web site, we guarantee that you will not be out one cent as we guarantee your credit card transaction at our site, PERIOD.

If you still don't feel comfortable, then you can fill out our online order form (leaving the credit card information blank). Then you can either leave your credit card information on our message phone 530-891-1556 or fax it to us at 530-891-0654.

"What countries do you ship to?"
We ship anywhere where customs is not an issue. That means we will ship to anywhere in the United States and its territories and all U.S. military APO's.

"Why don't you offer a toll free 800 phone number?"
Just like the world's largest book seller Amazon.com, in order to be efficient, provide great service and for us to have low prices; we must have low overhead. We decided, when we started in 1995, that if we wanted to offer low prices and the best service that we had to "trim" someplace. Not having a toll free phone number keeps our prices lowest. This is the Internet ... you can order by our "toll" free order form method. Also, you can order by e-mail or by fax. You can contact us; ask questions, etc. by emailing us ... "toll free." This keeps our overhead down (your prices down), and we show our most frequently asked questions on each page.

"How long will it be until I receive my order?"
We normally ship by UPS. West of the Mississippi generally takes 1-4 working days and east of the Mississippi, 4-8 working days. If you need to get it faster, we can ship 2nd day UPS - check out our 2nd day rates.

"I need a part and I'm not sure which one that I need. PlumbingWorld.com shows two different ones. I'd like to buy both and return the one that I won't need. What is your return policy?"
Our return policy is spelled out very clearly on our return policy page. Just click here and it will take you to that page. Basically (to make it short) we wish to offer the lowest prices. We also wish to stay in business. Returns cost us time and money and in some situations we have seen customers order over and over and continually returning products. Ultimately that would cause a company to go broke and so we have a return policy that we see as a "happy medium" and fair to both our customers and us. That also means that our return policy isn't the most generous policy on the Internet. Simply click here and you can read all of the specific details of our return policy.

"Do you sell pipe?"
Because of the high shipping cost, we only ship flexible pipe such as vinyl and flexible PVC pipe. UPS/FedEx charges a lot for boxes longer than 4 feet.

"Is your company environmentally sensitive?"
We are proud of our recycling programs. About 50% of our waste products are recycled. In addition, to save natural resources (and overhead as well), over 35% of the products that we ship come to you in recycled boxes. We have tested and found that shipping in new boxes compared to recycled (used) boxes has had no impact on the amount of shipping damage. The only effect has been that some customers will contact us initially complaining that they received the wrong products. They might get a box that on the outside says "Gateway Computers" but on the inside contains the correct plumbing products. It is rare but it does happen that we get a complaint such as that but over 98% of the customers that we surveyed are happy that we recycle. They really don't care what the outside shipping box looks like. We have never had a complaint about recycled boxes once our customer knows that what is inside of the box is correct.

"My products are being shipped to California and I noticed that I was charged sales tax on my shipping and processing charges. Is this correct?"
The California State Board of Equalization requires sales tax on shipping charges UNLESS you are charged actual shipping costs. If the shipping charges are other than UPS/Postal/FedEx/etc. actual charges AND/OR processing fees have been added, then sales tax MUST be charged when shipping to California. Our shipping charges are based on the cost of your products, not the actual cost of shipping.

"I click on a product link and it leads me back to your front page????"
That can happen. We have our site set so that if a link tries to go to a non-existing page (in other words, when we are human and list a bad link) then generally it will send you to our front page. Please let us know by emailing us and we will fix the link as well as direct you to the right page.