Shipping & Returns
Shipping Policy
This is the short version and it's pretty simple, really. There are a few rather reasonable caveats, though.
1. Some large products ship via LTL common carriers, not UPS. Please note that shipping is to buildings with loading docks suitable for freight trucks. Receiving situations requiring lift gates will incur additional charges from the freight line.
2. Deliveries are during normal business hours of 8 to 5, Monday through Friday. Some locations are so busy during the day that deliveries have to be made outside business hours because of local ordinances or building codes. These will require additional charges.
3. Deliveries to secured areas which require inspection prior to entry require additional charges.
4. We don't do inside delivery, receiving, installation, or setup. Sorry. We have it brought to your facility via UPS or freight line, depending on the size. No, we don't use FedEx or the US Postal Service because FedEx has a pickup charge and the Postal Service doesn't have the level of tracking information we require.
5. Yes, we can ship via express methods, but you have to pay for it. Please note that this applies only to the shipping part of a transaction; we can't make the factories move any faster. If the factory tells us that a product has to be manufactured, there are processes that really can't be made to happen any faster than they already do. We've tried. And yes, we will indeed ask the factory on your behalf if they can perhaps get it out any faster, just please don't rely on that. But we will indeed try. And once it ships, yes, it can go via an express method if you want to pay for that.
6. As usual, if you live in Alaska or Hawaii, you're going to pay more.
7. No, we don't ship outside the United States. The paperwork is ridiculous and the penalties if you make a mistake are draconian to an astonishing degree.
8. If a product is returned for any reason, we deduct the outbound shipping from the refund.
This is the short version. For a more detailed explanation, please see More Shipping Info below.
Or, if you'd like a human to talk with, please contact us for a quote for these situations by calling us at 800-727-1485 or email us at info@avadenali.com. We're here 8 to 5, Monday through Friday, Central Time.
Returns Policy
Custom orders made specifically to your color specifications, fabrics, and leathers are not returnable once shipped. Once in production, a custom order may not be able to be canceled at all or at best, will incur cancellation fees.
Please note many of our products do not exist prior to your order and are made specifically for you upon order placement. These orders are considered to be custom regardless of color choice.
If you have questions about the returnability of a particular item, please contact us.
We accept returns of non-custom merchandise up to 15 days after receipt of your order, however no merchandise may be returned without our written consent and shipping instructions and may be subject to a cancellation fee of up to 40% of the list price. Some of our vendors will not accept returns and others have a minimum sale amount of $250.00 before they will even consider accepting a return. If you have any questions regarding which products these are, please contact us either beforehand or make a note in the comment field of your order. Unauthorized returns will not be accepted. The cost of shipping the product to you and the cost of shipping to return merchandise will be your responsibility in any case and by use of and/or purchase from this site you specifically agree to these conditions.
Please be certain you review fabric and finish samples before ordering. We will be glad to send you fabric and finish samples and it is far better to delay your order for a week to be certain you are getting exactly what you need rather than send you a custom product which looked different on your monitor, but which you can't return.
When working with custom products, patience is a virtue.
Although we accept orders from private citizens, we do not encourage individuals to order from us because our terms and conditions may seem surprisingly harsh to a private citizen used to quick and easy returns. Our primary markets are architects, facility managers, interior designers, and general contractors. These are professionals familiar with the products we sell and the quirks of the contract furniture industry, such as restocking fees and orders which can't be canceled. If you order something and don't like it, you may well be stuck with it, not because we want to be jerks about it, but simply because those are the factory's terms and conditions. To sell their products, we work by their rules. If this bothers you, please order from someone else. We'd love to have your order, but even more than that, we prefer not to make you mad.
On the other hand, if you are willing to ask questions, get the finish samples, examine all your options, and be patient while the factories make your products, you will likely be delighted with the results.
If you have questions, please ask before you order.
More Shipping Info
We ship to the continental United States. We also ship to Hawaii and Alaska, but these require additional freight charges. We do not ship to postal boxes or US Territories. We do not ship to countries other than the United States.
For small packages, we use carriers such as UPS or FedEx.
For large packages or shipments, we use freight lines.
The freight carrier driver is a contractor, not our employee, and is responsible only for bringing the product to the end of the truck. They do not have to bring it any further than that point, although many truck drivers will assist you to take it a little further. However, do not rely on this. If you have a heavy shipment, please be sure to have sufficient help on-hand to assist you in unloading the truck and placing it where you wish.
We strongly recommend that if you are purchasing a large or heavy item you allow us to ship it to either a moving or furniture installation contractor in your area. They are set up to handle large and heavy items. They will receive the product, inspect it for damage, schedule an appointment at a time convenient for delivery, bring the product to your facility on their vehicle, unload it, place it where you wish, set it up ready for use and remove packing debris. You will be much happier paying a contractor for these services than if you attempt to handle receiving and setup yourself.
We do not provide inside-delivery or setup directly and these charges are separate from any freight charges from the factory to your address. Freight carrier drivers are not required to bring in your furniture or install it. Please understand the freight carrier driver follows an entirely different set of rules than your friendly, everyday small-package delivery person.
These trucks typically unload at freight docks. If your building does not have a dock, you will require a lift gate and there will be an extra charge for this.
If you are having your product delivered to a residence, many freight lines have additional charges for deliveries to residential areas.
We will be glad to assist you in locating a company to receive and deliver your furniture in your area, but you will contract and pay that company directly. This is to allow you the maximum amount of control for the minimum amount of money. We do not sub-contract receiving and installation and receive no money from these contractors and you specifically agree that the actions of contractors you employ are out of the control of Ava Denali and you will in no way hold Ava Denali responsible for the actions of such contractors.
Freight carriers will not call before delivery without payment of a $25 fee for this service. If you want this service, please contact us so the notation can be made on your order and your account billed accordingly. If you requested this service and it is not performed, you have the right under Federal law to refuse the shipment and make the carrier redeliver the product 24 hours later, without redelivery charges. In practice, if you receive the product anyway, the carrier will not refund the call-before-delivery fee.
If you are not able to accept a shipment between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM on weekdays which are not holidays, please let us know so we can make note of this to the manufacturer and they can alert the freight carrier. If the driver attempts to deliver your product and no one is there to receive it, the freight company may charge you a re-delivery charge, which is your responsibility to pay and you specifically agree to this condition.
Freight Damage
Yes, it's rare, but it happens. Here's how to make the right people pay for it.
If there is any damage to the product, save ALL packing materials and contact us immediately.
No matter what you've heard, if there is damage, DO NOT refuse a freight shipment. Refusing the shipment complicates the process enormously and you will be responsible for additional charges created by refusal.
Inspect the boxes when you receive them before you allow the freight carrier's driver to leave. This may make them a bit grumpy, but it's part of the driver's job. If there is the slightest mark on the box, open the item and inspect it. If there is any damage whatsoever, mark the freight carrier's delivery ticket with a notation of the damage. List the damage in detail on the freight bill before you sign it. If necessary, make a separate document, but include the freight bill number on the document. Have the freight driver sign your copy of the freight bill along with the damage notes.
We are not responsible for freight damage, but we will assist you in filing a freight claim. Don't worry, it will be made right, it's just one of those complicated processes that come along. We'll deal with the paperwork and the phone calls, but we need your help in saving the packaging (all of it) and in noting the damage to the carrier when it's first dropped off.
Since the process is a bit complex, please allow us to explain why it works this way:
Once the product leaves the manufacturer's dock, it belongs to the freight company. Your signature upon the freight company's bill of lading indicates your acceptance of the shipment in perfect condition, therefore, please do not sign the carrier's paperwork until you are certain it is indeed in perfect condition. Freight companies often deny claims for "concealed damage" or pay a fraction of the cost. Your only hope of getting the full amount of the cost of the product is to have noted the freight bill appropriately. All packaging for any damaged product must be saved. As we are neither the shipper nor the freight line, we cannot replace your product without payment of full replacement or repair cost from the freight line.
Here's the way the process works:
1. You buy it from us. The factory owns it until it ships from their dock.
2. A freight line is contracted to move it from the factory dock to your dock. At the factory dock, the freight line driver signs for it as being perfect. The document he signs removes it from factory ownership and transfers ownership to the freight line.
3. When it arrives at your dock, an employee of your organization inspects it and signs for it. At that point, any damage should be noted on the freight bill. Until the freight bill is signed, it still belongs to the freight line. Once it is signed for, ownership transfers to your organization.
4. If concealed damage is found, freight lines do everything possible to wriggle out of it, implying the shipment was delivered perfect and someone at the end user site must have damaged it. Otherwise, why did you sign the freight bill without noting any damage?
The whole convoluted process and chain of custody is regulated by Federal law since the product is crossing state lines. It makes it possible for strangers to make interstate commerce work. If you can think of a better way to make this work, please contact your legislators.
Sometimes we hear, "Oh, this looks like it came from the factory like this." Let's think about this for a moment. Why would a factory box up damaged product and ship it across the country as if you won't notice? Damage is a hassle to deal with for everyone. It's far cheaper to send a perfect product rather than expect anyone would accept one that wasn't. No, the freight line did it. Let's work together to make the actual guilty party pay.
We cannot emphasize strongly enough: If there is any damage to the product, save ALL packing materials and contact us immediately.