ABOUT OUR WEB STORE Our
e-commerce store is a Verisign secure site and was designed with both
the exercise beginner and the seasoned athlete in mind. We offer small
fitness equipment, sports apparel, nutritional supplements, healthy snacks
and more. Merlino Fitness is continually searching the globe for the latest
products to help you stay fit, focused and get the most out of your workouts.
We carry unique, high-quality products
at great prices. All major credit cards are excepted including American
Express, MasterCard, VISA and Discover.
HOW WE SHIP The MerlinoFitness.com store uses USPS Priority mail
and UPS for domestic orders. Most International orders are shipped via
USPS Global Priority mail, USPS Parcel Post or USPS Global Express mail.
For in stock items, most domestic orders are shipped within 24-48 hours
and recieved by our customers within 2-5 business days. International
orders usually take 4 days to 2 weeks depending on shipping restrictions
and the receiving country. All shipping options and costs available to
each customer are shown on the shipping pulldown menu at checkout. To
compare shipping speed and cost also check out our shipping speed chart
during the checkout process. We reserve the right to change your shipping
method at any time to keep your shipping cost to a minimum and assure
the safety of your order.
WHERE WE SHIP
Almost anywhere we can! We currently ship orders to the Continental United
States, Hawaii, Alaska, and most countries world-wide where customs law
allows. The only country we do not currently ship to is Indonesia which
has a dubious history of Internet credit card fraud.
Should your overseas order be seized by custom's for any reason and returned
to us in re-saleable condition, you will be credited for the product minus
the shipping charges. If you have not received an international order
within an appropriate time frame, please check with your Custom's Office/Armed
Forces Base before contacting us as they may have held it for various
reasons. If you have any questions on the status of your order call us
at 713.523.2577 or e-mail us at orders@merlinofitness.com.
SHIPPING COSTS The shipping cost of your order includes the actual shipping costs
and a small handling fee that varies based on the dollar amount of the
order. The shipping cost you are quoted when you check out may sometimes
be more and if there is a sizable variance in the cost quoted on your
order we will notify you by e-mail before charging your credit card or
shipping your order out.
PAYMENT OPTIONS You can purchase products from any of our stores using
American Express, Mastercard, VISA and Discover. Currently, we cannot
accept cash, Paypal, checks or money orders but expect new payment methods
soon. If you are concerned about fraudulent charges
on your credit card, please see our Privacy Policy or Security Policy
to learn more about our extensive efforts in these areas.
CONFIRMING CUSTOMER IDENTITY & CREDIT CARD FRAUD
Due to global credit card fraud, we reserve the right to confirm our customers
identity via phone, fax or e-mail. A legitimate e-mail address
and phone number is required on all orders in the event we need to contact
a customer to confirm order, payment or shipping information. We reserve
the right to cancel any order that does not include an active e-mail address
and contact phone number regardless of whether or not the order is approved
by any of the major credit card companies. Sizable orders from non-English
speaking countries may require further validation before an order is shipped
out. We continually audit all orders we receive for fraud
and notify card issuing banks and/or cardholders of any suspicious and
fraudulant acts that are attempted. We take credit card seriously because
it increases the prices that all of us pay for goods and services world-wide.
For that reason we will prosecute to the extent of the law any credit
card fraud attempted in our e-commerce store.
SALES TAX
Thank God, Congress and the IRS is still allowing most
Internet-based sales to remain tax-free! However, we are required by law,
to apply a 8.25% sales tax to all orders shipped witin the state of Texas,
where our main business headquarters currently resides.
RETURNS
You may return most merchandise within 30 days for a
full refund of the purchase price for the product less shipping charges.
Since socks are under garments we do not except refunds for merchandise
that has been washed or worn. We also do not except refunds on an opened
software products. We honor refunds if the following guidelines are
met:
The product must be in its original packaging.
The original invoice for purchase must accompany the product being
returned.
The product must be returned in packaging that protects it from
damage in transit and received in re-usable condition in our warehouse.
You must notify us to receive a return authorization number via
email at returns@merlinofitness.com.
Please mention details on what items you are returning, sizes and
/or styles and why you want a refund. Refunds will not be honored for
products that have been washed, worn, damaged, defective or are not
the identical product/style/color that was initially shipped. You will
be notified if your return request is approved and requesting a return
authorization does not guarentee that a refund or return will be allowed.
EXCHANGES
You may exchange merchandise within 30 days from the
date your placed your order. When exchanging your item(s), a copy of
the original invoice must be included with your shipment. Please package
the products securely so they reach us without damage. Be sure you meet
the basic exchange requirements outlined in the return policy above.
DAMAGED, DEFECTIVE & LOST ORDERS
If your product was damaged, defective, or lost in transit,
notify us immediately and we will gladly send you a replacement. In
the unlikely event that an exact replacement is not available, we will
offer you an alternative product. If you do not elect that item, we
will refund your money when we receive the damaged or defective item
from you or we have verified that the shipment has been lost. A copy
of the original invoice must accompany all returns and exchanges.
BACKORDERED & OUT OF STOCK ITEMS
Since we do not control manufacturers' delivery schedules
and the sometimes erratic demand of products on the Internet, select
items may be out of stock and in some cases discontinued. Our e-commerce
store usually allows customers to view and order only those products,
sizes, styles etc. that are currently in stock to avoid backorder situations.
We regret that we cannot always provide a definitive availability date.
When the product becomes available, you will be among the first to receive
it. If the product remains out-of-stock for more than 30 days, we will
automatically cancel the out-of-stock item from your order and notify
you via e-mail that your order has been cancelled.
BILLING We
do not bill your credit card until your order is shipped. In the event
your order is split up into 2 or more shipments, we bill you for products/services
and shipping fees as stock is available. You never will pay more than
the total shipping and handling cost quoted even if we have to split
your order into 2 or more shipments. If you have any questions concerning
an amount charged for an order please contact us at orders@merlinofitness.com
or in Houston, Texas at 713-523-2577.
UPCOMING NEW STORE FEATURES Just in time for the 2003 shopping season, MerlinoFitness.com will
be adding some e-commerce features to improve your shopping experience.
Along with adding many new lines of products, we will be adding a wish
list feature and the ability to purchase gift certificates similiar
to those offered on major e-commerce web sites like Amazon.com.
E-Commerce & Shipping Policies 
The shipping cost of your order includes the actual shipping costs
and a small handling fee that varies based on the dollar amount of the
order. The shipping cost you are quoted when you check out may sometimes
be more and if there is a sizable variance in the cost quoted on your
order we will notify you by e-mail before charging your credit card or
shipping your order out.
We
do not bill your credit card until your order is shipped. In the event
your order is split up into 2 or more shipments, we bill you for products/services
and shipping fees as stock is available. You never will pay more than
the total shipping and handling cost quoted even if we have to split
your order into 2 or more shipments. If you have any questions concerning
an amount charged for an order please contact us at orders@merlinofitness.com
or in Houston, Texas at 713-523-2577. 