Shipping

Dear Customers,

We at SozoSoundz would like to put out some information regarding shipping. Recently, there has been some confusion about this. SozoSoundz has had many customers unhappy with us for mistakes made by shippers. This company does not work for, nor has any control over shipping companies. The money that our wonderful customers pay for shipping, actually goes to the chosen shipping company. Our website acts as a portal to the shippers' websites to calculate shipping. When the customer pays for shipping from the designated shipper, the money given goes to them, which in turn supplies SozoSoundz with a label. So, please understand that we cannot pay money back for shipping as it went to the shipper. If there is damaged or lost property, that is a different story. We pay insurance on packages for that reason. We pass our savings as a commercial account for shipping fees to our customer. Otherwise, shipping would be higher than what it is now. While we can tag on additional charges to their shipping fees for handling, we don't. Our wonderful customers getting our commercial rate and actually saving money. Please see below for insurance information.

 

Delays

Shippers are always having delays. Whether from Covid, the situation in Ukraine, weather, etc. Please be advised that SozoSoundz is not responsible for shipment delays. That is a matter that the customer will have to take up with the actual shipping company. SozoSoundz attempts to get orders out in a timely manner. Please be advised on many days after 1 PM PST/PDT, the shipment will go out the next day. My shipments are usually picked up at that time frame. 

USPS Priority mail

Anything sent via priority mail is generally 16 ounces or more. First class is not an option at 16 ounces. Ground is an option and can take up to 8 business days. When a customer chooses priority mail it goes through the USPS portal and says 2-day shipping. That is a guideline not a guarantee. On the USPS website priority mail is 1-3 day shipping. Even then, they do not guarantee any type of service but overnight. There has been some confusion on this as I cannot encode my website to say otherwise. It is going through the USPS portal at that point.  

DHL

As DHL is not easily accessible in this area, please allow 1 business day for pickup. Basically, they need advance notice to make a pickup on a package. Please be advised that DHL only accepts physical addresses. P.O. Boxes are undeliverable. If you list a PO box for a DHL delivery, it will go part of the way and then show a failed delivery at a sorting facility. The item is generally returned back to SozoSoundz where we will refund the customer the portion for the product that was shipped. We can also check with our customer to determine if they want to pay additional shipping fees to have the package reshipped to a physical address. At the point, the initial shipping money is not refunded by DHL. For that reason, it is greatly emphasized to only use physical addresses and not P.O. boxes. This can be a very costly mistake especially in international orders. Money that went to DHL is again non-refundable. Is the customers responsibility to provide a deliverable address. SozoSoundz is not responsible for incorrect addresses. We merely print the label that has the information the customer listed. 

UPS

UPS, like DHL only accepts physical addresses. If a customer lists a P.O. Box and not a physical address, then it may go a portion of the way and returned to the shipper. Like DHL, the money spent for the label is not refunded. SozoSoundz is not responsible for what the shipper does or doesn't do. It is the customer's responsibility to make sure they provide a physical address. If it is returned to SozoSoundz, we will give the option to our customer if they want to pay for more shipping or if they want the product refunded. 

Insurance

SozoSoundz will purchase insurance for all shipments domestic and internationally. There is an allotted time frame for filing a claim. Therefore, SozoSoundz cannot file a claim unless it falls in Shipify's requirements. It is different time frame requirement for domestic versus international shipments. Once the claim is processed, SozoSoundz can either refund the customer in whole for what they initially paid or reship a replacement order. It depends on what the customer prefers. Insurance is only used when items are lost, or damaged in transit. It is not valid for items stolen or slightly delayed. 

Returned Items 

If a customer returns an item or wants to exchange an item, they are responsible for shipping and up to 15% restocking fee. The customer has up to 30 days after the order is received to return an item. If the item is returned used or damaged, SozoSoundz will not refund the purchaser. 

Disputed Items

At times, customers may believe there is an issue with a tuning fork in regards to the way it was manufactured. In those cases, SozoSoundz will have the fork sent back to the manufacturing company. At that time, the manufacturer will determine if it was a manufacturing issue or if the item was actually misused causing damage. While this is not a shipping issue per se, it can affect shipping. If the tuning fork is found to be a manufacturing issue, SozoSoundz will reimburse the customer for all shipping costs. If this is a case of misuse, SozoSoundz will not refund the customer for any shipping costs. SozoSoundz or the manufacturer will send a replacement product to the customer if it is determined by the manufacturer to be defective. 

International Shipping

Please be aware that your country may charge you taxes/tariffs and other fees on top of what you are ordering. That is the buyer's responsibility to pay that and not the seller. Please check with your country to determine what fees may be added so that it will not come as an unwanted surprise. Generally speaking, going through USPS is much less costly that way. In many countries they do not charge taxes or tariffs when it ships through USPS. Please be advised that both UPS and DHS will charge brokerage fees on top of Taxes and tariffs. However, every country is different so I would encourage my customers to check with their local customs agency to make sure. As I mentioned above, only residential addresses can be used for DHL or UPS. PO boxes are undeliverable. It is the customers responsibility to provide a deliverable address. Any fees incurred for using a P.O. box are non-refundable. SozoSoundz is not responsible to pay the customer back for choosing an undeliverable address. Please provide both an email and a telephone number as the shipper will need to collect the countries import fees before delivering the item. So, the shipper will need to be able to get ahold of the the customer ordering the product. 

Domestic purchases over $199 only

For USA orders, we offer free shipping on orders over $199. In those cases, SozoSoundz will send all orders USPS or UPS Ground. For shipping under $199, the buyer chooses the desired shipping method. As international shipping fees are exorbitant, we cannot unfortunately pay for free shipping. 

 Please be advised that SozoSoundz is not responsible for any items delayed, damaged, or lost in transit. That includes custom holds for international orders. Any items stolen after delivery is a matter for the police. Insurance will not pay on stolen items. SozoSoundz is also not responsible for stolen items. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. We at SozoSoundz strive to offer our customers the best possible service. Besides all of our items being discounted, we want our customers to be happy with their products. Our tuning forks are made from the only two sound therapy tuning fork manufacturers in the United States. Both are world renowned. While it may seem like a lot of rules in regard to shipping, it boils down to what we can and cannot control. We unfortunately have to mention it as in these days of having multibillion-dollar companies like Amazon, it forms a culture where buyers believe that a small business owner is responsible for everything. Many do not understand that those companies actually pay these shippers directly to deliver their products. For instance, will USPS deliver packages on Sunday for anyone other than Amazon. No. Those of us that are small businesses would soon go out of business if we were responsible for what other companies did or didn't do. It is so much a cultural issue that it is actually referred to as an Amazon mentality. Honestly, I wish we were multibillionaires so we could give you that type of service. We hope you will continue to support us. Amazon and EBAY often inferior products in regard to tuning forks. Most of them are made in India or Pakistan. Even the scientific companies in America provide inferior products and are sold there. We want you to know that we very much value support and we are deeply grateful for each and every one of you that shop with us. Blessings to all of you!