Most of what we sell is too large to travel by parcel carrier, so it ships by freight on a tractor-trailer. That changes how you receive it, and there are a few things worth knowing before you order.
The short version
You do not need to work out which applies. When you add items to your cart, the system reads what is in it and shows only the delivery methods that actually apply. Adding more of the same item can move an order from parcel to freight, and the cart will reflect that before you check out.
Freight orders arrive on a full-size tractor-trailer. The driver is responsible for bringing your order to the back of the truck. What happens after that depends on which option you pick at checkout, so it is worth thirty seconds.
I have a dock or forklift
Your building has a loading dock at trailer height, or a forklift and someone trained to operate it. Common in warehouses and larger commercial buildings.
No loading dock (liftgate)
A liftgate is a powered platform that lowers your shipment from the truck bed to ground level. Choose this for most offices, storefronts and homes. If you are not sure whether you have a dock, choose this one.
School, church, government or restricted site
Choose this for schools, universities, churches, military bases, government buildings, medical facilities, construction sites, farms, and self-storage. Also choose it if a full-size trailer cannot pull up to the building, or if your site requires a scheduled appointment or an escort. Carriers charge extra to serve these locations whether or not it is declared in advance.
If the wrong option is selected
The driver may not be able to complete the delivery. When that happens the shipment returns to the local terminal and you are billed a redelivery fee, daily storage while it waits, and the correct service charge. That normally costs more than the difference between the options above, and it typically adds three to seven business days.
If you are not certain what your location needs, call us at 877-226-2244 before you order and we will confirm it in two minutes.
Your rate is calculated in the cart from what is actually in your order, and that number is final. No fuel surcharge added later, no adjustment after the fact. If a carrier adds a service at the time of delivery because the site needed something that was not declared, that is passed through at exactly what we are charged, with nothing added.
One thing to expect: if your order combines items that ship from different plants, that is physically more than one delivery to your address, and the rate reflects it. You will see it in the cart before you commit.
Standard freight pricing covers the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.
We ship to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico as well. Those move by ocean or air for part of the trip, so they are quoted individually rather than at the standard rate. Add what you need to your cart and call us, or request a quote, and we will price the freight before you pay anything.
Clearance items are the exception to that timeline. Availability is limited and the stock sits in varying warehouse locations, so clearance orders can take longer. We will tell you the window before you order.
The three options at checkout cover getting your order off the truck. Anything past that point is arranged by phone before your order ships, and quoted for the job:
All three need advance notice. Each one is far easier and cheaper to arrange before your order ships than after a truck is sitting at your door. Call 877-226-2244.
Assembly and installation are not sold at checkout, because the scope varies too much to price sight unseen. Site access, elevator availability, flooring, the number of pieces and how they are configured all change the job. We do offer it, through licensed and insured local installers, and we quote it per project.
Tick the installation request box at checkout, or call us, and a representative will follow up with scope and pricing. Nothing is charged for it on your order.
A freight delivery is not a package left on a step. Someone needs to be there, and that person has a job to do in about ten minutes. A small amount of attention here saves an enormous amount of trouble later. Our full receiving instructions cover the paperwork and claim process in more detail.
Before you sign
The one thing that costs you your claim
Signing a clean delivery receipt is a statement that the shipment arrived in good condition. Once that is signed, a carrier can decline a damage claim, and our ability to help you shrinks to almost nothing. Claims for external damage or missing pieces that are not reported within 48 hours of delivery will be denied. Noting the damage takes fifteen seconds and preserves everything.
Do not refuse the shipment. Even when something is damaged, note it on the receipt and accept the delivery. Refusing sends the freight back to a terminal, which delays your resolution and complicates the claim rather than speeding either one up.
Then report it within 48 hours. Contact us at 877-226-2244 or info@usdiscountofficefurniture.com with your order number and photos. We handle the carrier claim from there. You should not have to negotiate with a freight company you never hired.
Open every carton within 48 hours, even if you are not installing right away. Occasionally a box looks fine and the piece inside is not. That is concealed damage, and it is claimable, but the window is the same 48 hours. A carton discovered three weeks later is very difficult to recover.
If anything here is unclear, or your building is unusual, or you are ordering for a site you have not seen, call us before you order rather than after. We are happy to help you get it right.
877-226-2244 · info@usdiscountofficefurniture.com
