Shopping, Ordering & Navigating this Site
Since the best purchase decision is an informed one, we stand firm on
our commitment to explain and demonstrate our vacuum cleaners to anyone
who is considering purchasing one. This site is designed to assist the
public in purchasing the best vacuum cleaner for their specific needs and
preferences. Much of the information can be applied to any type or brand
of vacuum cleaner although we have included more specific information on
many models which we recommend and sell in our stores and via the World
Wide Web.
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Navigating Through Our Web Site |
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You should find this site quite easy to navigate since it is primarily
menu and list driven. These are easily accessed via the menus in the left
margin and tabs along the top. You will also find links to related items
and our extensive glossary as you read the text. This site consists of
three distinct groups of pages which are tightly woven together by
indexes, lists and links. One group contains general educational
information that relates to most vacuum cleaners including performance
aspects, design and construction aspects, different types of vacuum
cleaners, personal preferences, etc. Another group consists of detailed
feature articles and specification tables for the specific models,
accessories and supplies we promote on our web site. The third group of
pages consists of Brand and Product Lists, Order Forms, Secure Personal
Data Entry Forms, etc. which you use to select and purchase products in
our Online Store.
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Left Margin and Dynamic Flyout Menus |
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The menus in the left margin enable you to easily select the product
type and brand for accessing product information and order forms. When you
move your browser's pointer over a menu's product type a flyout menu will
appear displaying the available brands for that specific product type.
Selecting the desired brand will produce a web page containing a list of
available products that match the type and brand that you selected.
Selecting the product's name from the list produces an order form for that
product including a brief description. Also available for most vacuum
cleaners are links to their detailed Feature Articles and Specification
Tables. When viewing product information, you can easily move between the
order form, feature article and specification table pages using a special
set of tabs located below the main page heading.
The flyout menus are quite convenient for selecting the desired brand
for the selected product type. The special set of javascript functions that
dynamically create them was developed by Peter Belesis. To learn more
about these "HierMenus" and how they are implemented, see HierMenusCentral.com.
Since these flyout menus increase the page load time, especially noticeable
on slower computers, you may wish to toggle them off when they are not
being used and on again when needed. This can be easily done with a
special Flyout Menus On/Off
link under "Important Articles" on the right side of the page. Turning
the flyout menus on or off takes effect on the next page your load. Even
when turned off, selecting the product type in the left margin menus
produces a special page listing the available brands for the selected
product type. This feature also ensures easy access to product
information for browsers which are not capable of producing these dynamic
flyout menus.
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Preferred, Featured and Popular Products |
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For your convenience, we have included a list of "Ristenbatt Vacuum's
Preferred Models" containing select models listed in the order of our
preference. The Preferred selection in the left margin takes you to
this page. Each brand of vacuum cleaners we carry has a special main index
page containing "Featured Products in Our Online Store." These are
accessible via the Featured Vacs selection in the left margin. Listed near the bottom of these pages and some other product lists are
links to special Popular Genuine Accessories, Popular Accessories to Fit
and Popular Genuine Supplies pages containing product photos and
descriptions. When viewing these popular products pages, you can easily
move between them using a special set of tabs located below the main page
heading. These popular products can be ordered directly from these pages.
The "Lookup" selection in the left margin takes you to the
Product Lookup Page. When you select the desired category and brand and
click on the "Lookup" button, a list of matching products will be
presented with links to their Order Forms and, if available, their Feature
Articles and Specification Tables. These categories are more specific than
selecting the product types from the menus in the left margin.
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Using the Top Tabs to Navigate |
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The tabs along the top are handy for moving to the various parts of
this web site. The Brands, List of Products and Product
Details tabs provide an easy return to product related pages which
were most recently visited. The Cart and Checkout tabs enable
you to view or modify your shopping cart's contents and proceed to
checkout to complete your order when ready. The Educational tab
takes you to a wealth of information about vacuum cleaner performance,
design and construction. The Glossary tab takes you to a page
containing the web's most comprehensive list of vacuum cleaner terms and
their definitions. Most pages on this site contain links directly into
this glossary. Information about Ristenbatt Vacuum Cleaner Service, its
employees, locations, etc. is available through the About tab. The
Policies tab leads you to Ristenbatt Vacuum's policies on privacy,
product returns, etc. Lastly, the Help tab takes you to the page
that you are currently viewing.
You will find that the tabs will remember the most recently visited
pages associated with them. Most browsers will display the title of these
pages when the tabs are "moused over." As an example, if you had most
recently visited the page titled "Power of the Vacuum Cleaner Suction
Motor" under the Educational tab, selecting that tab later will return you
to that page. If you wish to move up to the "Educational Articles" or
"Performance Aspects" menus, make that selection from the article's path
displayed along the bottom of the colored page heading. The product
related tabs work in a similar manner. You can easily return to the most
recent product list by selecting the List of Products tab. The Brands tab
will produce a page containing a list of brands matching the type most
recently selected from the menus in the left margin.
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Adding Items to Your Shopping Cart |
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Upon visiting our site, you are given a virtual "shopping cart" into
which you can place items you want to purchase. Adding items to your cart
is done on the Popular Products and Order Form pages in our Online Store
by clicking on the "Add to Cart" button. If more than one item is desired,
you can change the quantity in the field above that button or click the
button more than once. Either way, quantity discounts that are available
on items like paper bags will apply. The item's quantity in your shopping
cart is shown as well. At any time you can check all your cart contents by
selecting the "Cart" Tab along the top or the gold "Cart"
Icon in the left margin. When viewing the cart contents, quantities
can be changed by entering a different quantity and selecting the "update"
button. To delete an item from your cart, update it with a quantity of
zero.
You can freely move around on this or any other site without loosing
the items placed in your shopping cart as long as you visit one of this
site's pages within twenty-four hours. The cart contents are automatically
emptied after you complete the purchase by checking out.
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Redeeming Special Ristenbatt Coupons |
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If you have a coupon issued by Ristenbatt Vacuum Cleaner Service, you
can redeem it by ordering via the US Mail as described below. For coupons
which entitle you to a free item, select the qualifying quantities and we
will add the free item to the shipment. When redeeming a discount
coupon, select the qualifying items and we will subtract the
discount amount of the coupon when processing the order. Before sending a
coupon to us, look for the Ristenbatt Vacuum logo as shown
at the top of this page to ensure that it was issued by us.
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Check Out to Complete Your Online Purchase |
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When you are done adding products to your shopping cart and are ready
to complete your purchase, select the "Checkout" Tab along the top
or the gold "Checkout" Icon in the left margin. Alternately, you
can select the "Cart" Tab and then select the "Go to Checkout"
button on that page. You will then be presented with a secure page
containing a form where you can enter your "Bill To:" and "Ship To:" (if
different) addresses. There is also an area in which you can enter special
instructions for us. You will notice that your browser indicates that this
page is secure by closing the padlock or making the broken key whole. To
reduce charge card fraud, we perform automatic address verification on all
charge card orders. Orders can be charged to any major charge card account
in the USA.
Our secure forms for personal data entry provide the industry standard
security measures available through a secure server and your Web browser
called SSL Authentication and Encryption. Our own
Secure
Server Digital ID and its related Authentication
Certificate issued by VeriSign, Inc. will ensure that you are dealing with
Ristenbatt Vacuum Cleaner Service and that your personal information is
being protected by SSL Encryption. To learn more about this, see our
article on Online Security of Personal
Information.
For customers who do not want to enter personal data online or desire
to place an order via the US Mail or FAX, there is a special checkbox near
the bottom of the Checkout page which activates this option as described
below. Otherwise you will enter your name, address, etc. on this page,
select the shipping and payment methods on the next and enter your charge
card information on the third page. A final invoice page is then displayed
which shows the complete order and suggests that you print it for your
records. You can abort the checkout procedure at any time before you click
the "Submit Your Order" button after entering your charge card
information.
If you live in Pennsylvania, the PA Sales Tax will be automatically
calculated, otherwise we will not charge sales tax. When your order
qualifies for free shipping, a shipping allowance equal to the UPS Ground
shipping cost will be applied to your order. For those in Alaska and
Hawaii, this allowance is based on the UPS Ground shipping cost to
California since it is the highest cost that we normally provide free.
When selecting the shipping method, you are also presented with the rates
for the available shipping methods to help you make the best choice. These
rates do not reflect the shipping allowance, if available, since it is
subtracted as a separate item. We ship only within
the United States of America and to APO or FPO Military Addresses.
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Ordering via US Mail or FAX |
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There is a special checkbox available just below the "Submit" button on
the Checkout page where you enter your name and address which enables you
to select ordering via US Mail or FAX. Since
the available shipping rates and sales tax, if applicable, will be
automatically calculated, you need to enter your state, zip code, and
address type on this page. If you also include your name, address, etc.,
they will be printed on your order form for more accurate processing. You
will be prompted to print the order form when viewing the third page in
the checkout procedure.
After printing the order form, print your address, if not entered
before, and payment information on the form and sign it. While we only
accept charge card purchases online, you can pay with a charge card, money
order or cashier's check when ordering via the US Mail. Sorry, we do
not accept personal nor business checks.
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Toll Free Telephone Orders |
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Last, but not least, our toll free telephone line is available for you
to inquire about products, place orders or receive free unlimited customer
support during our regular business hours. As with online orders, we accept
all major charge cards issued in the United States.
Please feel free to call toll free at 800-413-2778 or 717-665-5126 for
details and prices for various vacuum cleaner products. All of our
salespeople are also skilled technicians who are very knowledgeable about
vacuum cleaners, both inside and out. They will be happy to talk with you
regarding your various vacuum cleaner needs, preferences and desires.
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Online Order Status and UPS Tracking |
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You can track the status of your online order as it is being prepared
for shipping. You can also easily obtain UPS Tracking information for
phone and online orders being shipped by them right on this web site by
selecting the gold "Order Status" Icon in the left margin.
Simply enter your order number and destination zip code to view the
status of your online order. After an online order being shipped by UPS is
shipped, a button will appear on the Order Status page which enables you
to obtain UPS Tracking information. Our internal processing status of
phone orders is not available online although the UPS Tracking button will
enable you to easily obtain UPS Tracking information.
UPS Tracking information becomes available late
afternoon on the day the shipment is picked up by their truck.
The Order Status Page will indicate our internal processing of online
orders by sequencing through the following: 1) Received 2)
Processing 3) Packaged 4)Shipped. If an order is delayed due
to a major out of stock item it will be shown as Backordered. An
anticipated ship date will always be shown as well. The UPS Tracking
information will show the pickup date and time as well as location scans
as the shipment progresses toward its destination. It will also show an
estimated delivery date.
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Timely Shipping of Ordered Products |
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We provide FREE SHIPPING for all orders
over $100 via UPS Ground to anywhere in the contiguous USA or via faster
UPS services for the additional cost. When your order qualifies
for free shipping, a shipping allowance equal to the UPS Ground shipping
cost will be applied to your order. For those in Alaska and Hawaii, this
allowance is based on the UPS Ground shipping cost to California since
it is the highest cost that we normally provide free.
We carry a large inventory of vacuum cleaners and related items so we
typically will process and ship orders the same or next business day after
they are received. If there will be a delay in shipping your order, we
will contact you by phone or e-mail so you know what to expect and can
plan accordingly. We are a full service vacuum cleaner speciality store
providing outstanding customer service to all who purchase from us.
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Returns and Order Cancellations |
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Our goal is to provide the best vacuum cleaner for our customer's
specific needs, personal preferences and budget. Since the best purchase
decision is an informed one, we stand firm on our commitment to explain
and demonstrate our vacuum cleaners to anyone who is considering
purchasing one. Since many can not visit our stores for a personal
demonstration, we maintain this website to provide information on general
vacuum cleaner design, performance and construction aspects as well as
specific information on many of the models which we recommend and sell.
Upon receiving their order most people can tell whether a vacuum cleaner
is right for their needs and preferences during the first few times they
use it. In the event that you purchase a household vacuum cleaner and
are not happy with its performance, design or construction, call us
within 15 days of receipt to arrange for its return. For more
detailed information see our Returns Policy
and Customer Satisfaction page.
Orders placed online can be cancelled while the status is showing as
"Received" or "Processing." Sometimes those showing as "Packaged" can
cancelled but only if they have not been physically shipped. Order
cancellation must be done by calling us at 800-413-2778 during our regular
business hours. Due to possible delays in e-mail systems, e-mail may not be
dependable enough to reach us before an order is shipped. You can easily
Track Your Online Order Status
and UPS Shipping directly on our web site. By simply entering
your order number and zip code you can know what day to expect your
order to arrive at your door.
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