ORDERING
and other information
Not a theatre person? read this
> To place an order by e-mail, just send the following information to questions@woc-usa.net ;
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the shipping address |
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any billing information |
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the name of the theatre (the company, not the venue) |
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the name of the show (for rental orders) |
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the list of items needed |
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the date you need the items to arrive, (please don't say "ASAP": if that means Tuesday the 12th to us, but you open on Friday the 8th, then neither of us is going to be very happy.) |
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and the closing night of the show (for rental orders). |
but we may still want to contact you to pin down specifics for your show. And, by the way, we are a theatrical supply company. No rentals for costume parties, weddings, quinceañeras, etc. Don't bother to call - we just don't.
> To place an order by phone, just give us a call at 707-226-2845. We'll ask you for the same information asked for above, and may also ask some questions related to the specific needs of the production and help you choose the right items for your show.
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To place an order by purchase order, be sure that it includes all of the
information asked for above, especially the closing
night for rental orders (people tend to forget that). Purchase orders are great
for purchases, but they are horrible for rentals.
E-mail is faster than
standard mail, and we don't use fax anymore. But just because you have submitted
a PO doesn't mean that the order has been placed, or that items will be available on the day you need them. Be sure
and confirm your order by e-mail or phone. Better yet, place the order
before you fill out the PO.
One more thing - yes, we accept purchase orders, but no, we
don't keep track of what your institution requires in terms of paperwork. That's
between you and your school. We are happy to bill them, but if they deny payment
for any reason, then the person who called in the order has to pay.
We do not accept EFT's (electronic fund transfers)
Invoices are mailed out AFTER the items have been shipped. You might get your invoice from a week to a month after you receive the boxes. We do not provide packing slips, pre-invoices, or written estimates. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we just don't have the staff to do anything but build your order, ship your order, and then invoice the order, in that order.
"How long does it take to get my order?"
Anywhere from one day to three weeks.Especially for rental orders, if you have a show opening on a certain week, everybody has a show that opens that same week. And the odds are pretty good that a couple dozen theatre are doing the same show that you are. So if you call late, not only is there already a backlog of orders that we have to get out first, but most of our inventory will be out in other theatres. People who made plans months ago get first crack, so even though there may be items on our shelves, most of them might be spoken for.
Sometimes we can ship your weapons out on the same day that you place the order. Sometimes we might need to finish working on other orders first, or wait for items to return from other shows. Our rental rates start from the time the items are in your possession, not from when you place the order. So reduce headaches all around and order early.
All items are rented for the minimum listed fee, even if the rental period is for less than thirty days. Whether it is for one month or one hour, the rental is the same. [From our experience if rentals are on a weekly basis, theatres will want delivery on items only a day or two before first tech.] We know that having the props earlier is safer for the actors, and if theatres know that they pay the same price for one week or for four, they are more likely to order early and get the props in the hands of the actors well before tech week.
Ah, but anything after thirty days is pro-rated per day, and in addition based on only half the first month rate.
So let's say you need a sword listed at $40, but you need it for 6 weeks. The rental fee is going to be $50. Not $80, not $60 ... $50. Get it?
Shipping and Returning Rental Items: Shipping charges are extra and depend on the weight of the box, the distance it has to travel, and how quickly it needs to get there. We charge for the outgoing shipment, and then it is the theatre's responsibility to handle and pay for return shipment. For an additional fee, pre-paid return shipping arrangements can be made at the time the order is placed. Because we are a volume shipper, the pre-paid return labels are going to be cheaper than if you just take the box yourself to UPS. But the weight and dimensions of the return must match what you received.
Shipping is expensive. Prices keep increasing, and there are a lot of other variables which affect the final price [residential deliveries, remote businesses, size of container, distance from California, number of boxes, amount of packing material, etc], so it is very difficult to give an accurate estimate over the phone. We really don't know exactly what the shipping is going to cost until we get the order boxed up.
We use UPS. Their prices are good, and their tracking system is exemplary. If you want us to use another carrier, we will, but we can't vouch for specific pick-up or delivery days. (The US Postal Service in particular has such a dysfunctional tracking system that once a package goes in their system, no one can tell you where it is - sometimes even after it is delivered. )
This map shows how long things take to get from Napa, CA when we use UPS ground service once they pick-up the package. Note that "transit days" assumes only business (week) days. UPS doesn't move packages on weekends. Sorry, no shipments outside of the USA. For Puerto Rico, we are not allowed to send any blank-firing guns.
Next-day, 2-day, and 3-day services are also available, but keep in mind that expedited shipping is very expensive.
VISA, Discover, MasterCard, American Express, and checks are accepted for payment.
"Can I pay using PayPal?"
You bet. PayPal® is safe and secure. We pay all fees. You'll just need our e-mail address (shown above and below) and the invoice number from your order. Go to PayPal.com and hit the "send money" tab, then follow the directions. (When you get to the part where you can send a message, please type in the invoice number.) And if you wish we can send a PayPal request via e-mail.FYI: PayPal® cannot be used to pay for purchase of blanks, which they (and only they) consider ammunition. If you are buying blanks, you'll need to call us with your credit card info.
Are you a non-profit theatre? Unfortunately, in this day and age, all theatre is non-profit. Educational, community, professional ... all are hit by the same lack of funding and diminished audiences. That's we keep our prices so low, but it also means that we can't cut those prices any lower than where they are.
Naturally, most of what you receive has been used before, most of it repaired several times. All items are checked to see that they are in acceptable shape before we ship it to you. We'd like to get it back from you in the same condition, which means firearms cleaned and lubed and all items maintained. We understand that damages can occur during the rental period. When that happens, we handle it in the following manner:
Once we receive the items back from the client, we evaluate the nature of the damage.
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If it is a simple fix, there is often no charge. |
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More time-consuming repairs or those that require the purchase of replacement parts are charged accordingly. |
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Some parts on items of foreign manufacture are not available in the US. If the prop is still intact but the damage reduces its working mechanism, we charge for the reduction in the overall value of the prop. |
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Finally, there is damage so severe that the repair charges would cost more than the value of the prop. In that case we charge the original full replacement value, and the client may choose to have the broken prop returned to them, as they in essence have purchased it. |
Fees are charged if returned items require repair, extensive cleaning, or for loss of metal on edged swords. Rental items sustain a great deal of abuse from prior rentals, but if something breaks while in your possession or during return shipping, you will be charged for damages.
Weapons of Choice
makes every effort to insure the proper working condition of equipment but does not guarantee equipment against failure of any kind. We reserve the right to hold, at our discretion and prior to shipping, a deposit for any order placed.NON-SCHEDULED RETURNS: We know that theatre can be chaotic, so we do not charge for items that don't make it on stage by opening night - for whatever reason. So if your director suddenly decides that the fighting in Romeo & Juliet should be done with bananas instead of rapiers, you only pay for the original shipping charge.
The same goes for sales purchases. You are obligated to pay for the shipping, but you get a full refund on the purchase price for items shipped back to us within ten days of receipt.
Sorry, but due to the nature of what we do, absolutely no visitors are permitted at either of our facilities.
If you don't know what you want, just call. We can go over the needs of your show and find the items that will best suit the production values.
Thank you