AGAPE BEARS
Privacy Policy and Other Such Stuff
Credit Cards
Your credit card is manually processed when we ship your order. We are required to keep the credit card terminal receipt for 7 years. The slips are kept in a secure location and will be shredded after the 7 year holding period. We do not maintain a customer credit card database. Our on-line server does not store any of the information you enter
on the order form. It is safe from hackers. It is therefore important that you provide your credit card information with each order.
E-mail Addresses
When you submit your order we ask you for your e-mail address in the form. Our secure server cannot capture this information off your computer. It is important to include your e-mail address so we can reply with your order confirmation. We do have a mailing list for our Valued Collectors (see below) which you can join if you want to receive discounts and special offers. Customer records are managed manually on equipment that is not accessible through the internet. We respect our customers and do not send out spam or divulge email addresses (see below for more information on spam)
Shipping Addresses
Our point-of-sale system maintains the last shipping address and telephone number you provided to us. This is not an on-line system and is safe from hackers. We use this information only for repeat orders.
Mailing List
We do maintain a mailing list of customers who regularly purchase collectible teddy bears. This list is not on-line and is safe from hackers. Our mailing list is used to provide our regular customers with our newsletter which is published only a few times a year. You may request to be placed on our mailing list if you would like to receive our newsletters and notification of any special discounts on collectible bears. If you want your name removed from the newsletter mailing list, just reply and ask to be removed and we will do so. If you change your email address or want notifications sent to additional addresses, we will gladly update your information or add the additional addresses. (See below for more information on spam)
Returns
We will accept returns for refund if notified within 7 days of receipt of the product. We will accept a return for exchange within 30 days of receipt of the product. You must notify us in advance of your return. We must receive the product back within 10 days of notification of intent to return. It must arrive at the store undamaged in saleable condition. This means no tags removed or damage to special packaging such as collectible boxes. Refunds will be credited back to the card used to purchase the item. We do not refund shipping.
Damaged Goods
If goods are damaged during shipment by UPS, save the item, the box and all packing material. Notify us and we will place a claim with UPS. UPS insures all shipments and so far has made good on them. You may have to allow a UPS representative access to inspect the damaged merchandise and packaging before an adjustment can be made. We will replace the product at the carrier's expense. If you request that we use the US postal service and decline insurance to save on shipping cost, any adjustment for damage will be between you and the post office.
Canceling Orders
We take pride in prompt shipping and most orders are shipped the morning following our receipt of the request. Orders received on Friday or over the weekend will in most cases be shipped the following Monday. If you decide you do not want what you ordered, it is imperative that you e-mail us immediately at beargift@erols.com. Once we ship the item you may return it under the conditions stated above, but we will not refund the shipping cost.
Ty Products
Ty will not allow us to sell beanie babies via mail order. We always have a generous selection of Ty products in stock, but you must buy beanie babies at the store.
Fraud or Dishonest Transactions Our business does not have the resources to absorb fraudulent transactions. We will hunt down and prosecute any one who tries.
Unsolicited Spam email
If you have received email from an address @agapebears.com that is not an invoice, delivery confirmation, reply or a subscription newsletter, it is not from us. We respect our customers and do not send out spam or divulge email addresses. Spammers use "robot" machines or "address miners" to surf the web and find the return address of legitimate businesses then use that return address to send out spam so they can get past the spam filters. Spammers also purchase and sell mailing lists with hundreds of thousands of email addresses and if you received one of their emails, your email address is most certainly on one of their lists. The laws protecting businesses and consumers from this practice has not caught up with the technology and much of the spam originates from servers in third world countries where US laws and authorities have no jurisdiction. Spammers don’t care how they make their money or who they hurt. The email addresses of our customers can not be remotely accessed and are safe with us. When we send out an email, we use our true return address and a reply our emails comes directly to us. If you are still in doubt if an email came from us or not, just call us at (703) 841-2444 (M-F 10-4 US eastern time)and we will be glad to let you know if we sent it or not. We apologize if you have received mail that is not from us.