Frequently asked Questions – Retail Customers

Who is Umbrellaworld limited?

Umbrellaworld limited has grown from very humble beginnings! We are a family run company that has developed from a small local based shop in Bolton NW England to one of the biggest online speciality umbrella stores.

Run by Chris and Rebecca and their excellent team, we aim to provide outstanding customer service, coupled with an excellent range of products and superb quality. We really do believe in going that extra mile for our customers – no matter how big or small your order. So if there is anything we can do to help or advise you on your umbrella choice, please do not hesitate to give us a call or email and we will do our best to help. If we can’t we will try to find someone that can!

How can I place an order with Umbrellaworld?

We sell our products through a variety of mediums – the website and ebay – all lead back to the same excellent service. However the biggest range of products and the most up to date info is here on www.umbrellaworld.co.uk. Once you have selected your preferred items we have a variety of payment options to choose from – again all with the same service. However if you don’t find what you are looking for or are having trouble ordering online – please just give us a call and we can take your order over the phone. If we are not available to help for some reason, please do leave a message and we will get straight back to you. Call on 01204 467 809 / 07527 100860 or email info@umbrellaworld.co.uk

What different ways can I choose to pay for my order?

We hope paying for your umbrella purchase is simple and straight forward! Once you have selected your items and added them to your basket – please go through to Checkout. Here you are given the opportunity to pay with a credit / debit card or follow options to pay with Paypal or Google checkout. If none of these options are suitable for you please do call us and we can take your order over the phone.

Is the site safe?

Absolutely! We do whatever we can to ensure the site is safe and all your details are confidential. We use Worldpay for card details to ensure maximum security.

What if I am not happy with my purchase?

Obviously we hope that you love the item you buy from us but we understand that sometimes it just isn’t right so please contact us and let us know you will be returning the item –or enclose a note with your item explaining any fault that we should know about and where you purchased the item from. If the umbrella is unused and not faulty you have 14 days from receipt, to return to us, with all labels intact. We will refund the product cost but unfortunately P&P and return P&P is non refundable. We endeavour to complete all returns and refunds within 1- 3 working days of receipt. If however you have just changed your mind and which to exchange your umbrella this is fine too. Just follow the process above and detail in the note what you wish to receive instead. Any price difference will of course be refunded. Alternatively give us a call and we can help.

How can I return a faulty item?

In the instance that the item was received faulty, please accept our apologies and return it to us in the best way possible. We will refund or exchange the item for you and cover your P&P costs.

Who do you use to deliver my umbrella?

In the vast majority of sales we use Royal Mail to deliver our packages. If a customer buys a number of umbrellas or requires faster delivery we use DHL. For overseas deliveries we use Royal Mail Small Parcels, DHL and UPS.

How much is delivery?

We do our best to keep costs as low as possible so we have a basic delivery cost system. For small, lightweight items such as beanie hats there is a £2.49 charge. Small compact umbrellas are £2.49 and long umbrellas are £3.49. Multiple items are at 20% reduction for each item and the cost will never be more than £10 mainland UK. If you wish to confirm the delivery charges prior to order please give us a call and we can work it out for you. If you need the item quicker please ask us for a quote.

Can I get my item quicker?

Yes we can quote for faster delivery when you call us, 01204 467809.

Can I track my order?

Unfortunately single items cannot be tracked; this is to keep postal costs down. We use Royal Mail First Class and in the event that there is a delivery issue please contact us to discuss. For higher priced items and multiple purchase we use DHL or recorded delivery and the tracking numbers will be given to you when you contact Umbrellaworld on 01204 467809.

What if there is a postal strike?

Again, we wish we could control this but we can’t! In the event of a strike we do our very best to get orders out and delivered within the reasonable time frames that Royal Mail advise. The biggest problem we face with strikes is lost items. If your umbrella does not turn up but there has been a postal strike then please be patient with us...we will do the best we can. Often the package will be delivered as soon as normal service is resumed. If it does not arrive within 14 working days from date of post then Umbrellaworld can file a lost item claim...during which time we will send you a 2^nd

item to ensure you have minimum disruption. Strikes cause chaos for us so again please give us a call to discuss your missing item and we will do our best to rectify the issue.

How do you package my umbrella?

We have spent many years trying to perfect the way to post umbrellas. We now use a variety of means depending on the size, length of your chosen umbrella. Small umbrellas are packaged in bubble wrap or padded envelopes and postal bags. Well taped and labelled as fragile, this keeps the cost down and ensures your product reaches you in perfect condition. For longer items or multiple buys we use postal tubes. Again well wrapped and sealed we have found these the best way to deliver umbrellas in perfect condition. If however the item reaches you and is damaged, firstly accept our apologies. Occasionally items are damaged in transit and are once again out of our control. In this event please do contact us and let us know we then follow the faulty item process as detailed above and will get another umbrella to you asap.

My umbrella hasn’t turned up like you promised?

Every order we receive is posted either same day or within 24 hours of receipt and we pride ourselves on going that extra mile to ensure a fast, efficient service. If your payment has gone through and you have not received your umbrellas within 48 hours of expected delivery time please get in touch, by email or phone. Usually late items or those that get lost are out of our control; however we will do what we can to get your umbrella ASAP. We recommend that you check with neighbours first as often items are left with them but no note is posted to explain. If that does not help we recommend you contact your nearest sorting office. Many items that cannot be delivered are taken back there, again without any communication. They will often sit in the sorting office for weeks before they are returned to us. The packages are hard to miss with fragile tape and our logo emblazoned all over them! If nothing turns up here please give us a call and we will re send an item and follow the lost claim report as detailed above. If the original item is then delivered we ask it to be returned to us / rejected at delivery and we will refund the P&P. Again the honesty of our customers is very much appreciated in these circumstances.

There is a dusty film on my umbrella – is it dirty?

No! Clear dome umbrellas are covered with a protective film at the manufacturing stage as this ensures that any heat during transit prevents the sleeves of the umbrella from sticking together and hence ripping once opened. The film can easily be removed with a damp cloth, allowed to dry and folded again. If you are giving as a gift – it is worth explaining this to the recipient!

It’s called a windproof umbrella so why did it break?

Unfortunately we cannot control the weather! So we and the manufacturers of umbrellas advise that you use caution opening an umbrella in windy conditions and to avoid use in gales. Due to this we cannot refund umbrellas broken by misuse in the wind, as faulty. We are happy to refund genuine faults that do not stand up to everyday conditions. Windproof does not mean it will not blow inside out, it refers to the frame used which means in the event that the wind blows the umbrella inside out, it can be reshaped and used in the same condition as previously. However umbrellas do not have lifetime guarantees! We sell good quality products and steer clear of cheaper, mass produced umbrellas in the hope that you get many happy uses with your chosen umbrella.

I have seen umbrellas in my local shop for a £1, why don’t you sell them?

Here at Umbrellaworld, we never have and never will sell inadequate, cheap and nasty umbrellas. The conditions in which these types of umbrellas are made are opposing to our corporate, ethical responsibility and quite frankly they do exactly what you would expect from something that cost pence to make...they break! It is not worth our time and effort to sell these umbrellas as many years working in retail has told us...you pay peanuts and you get monkeys. So, for retailers that sell these onetime use umbrellas for a £1 we wish them well and for those that choose to buy them we hope they have plan B! We look forward to many more years of selling excellent quality umbrellas and appreciate our customers that invest in them!

Do you have gift certificates?

We do! If you want to buy a gift certificate please call us on 01204 467809 and we will take payment over the phone. We can then either post to you or send direct to the recipient. You can have any quantity you require and when they are to be redeemed we ask people call us and we take details over the phone – we find this way gets rid of any confusion over postal costs and what to do If they want to buy something of a higher value. The gift certificates are in card form so you can add your own message if you wish and the designs change regularly.

How do I redeem my voucher code?

If you have a voucher code from one of our ad campaigns, please add the code when you get through to the checkout page, any problems give us a call.

I am very pleased with the service / my umbrella how can I tell you?

Fantastic! Please send us an email with your thoughts and we will hopefully use it on our site as one of testimonials. It is great to hear from customers who love our products, are pleased with the customer service they received or just want to give us a shout out! We are always looking for partners to share back links and recommendations with, so if you think this may help your business and ourselves, let us know.

Send us your pictures

We would really love to see any pictures of the products we supply being used by our customers. Have you used them during a promo give away or at an event? Have you had great feedback from others or have you been forced to use your umbrella in an unlikely place? Let us know and send us a picture and we will try to feature it on the site.

None of your FAQ answer my question?

Call us! Or send us an email. 01024 467809 or rebecca@umbrellaworld.co.uk we are always happy to answer any questions we can or to receive feedback from you.