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FAQs - Frequently Asked QuestionsWe want you to be a happy and satisfied customer. To help insure your satisfaction and avoid surprises, we have compiled some frequently asked questions. We hope this information answers any questions you may have. However, if you have a question that is not addressed below, please contact us and we will do our best to provide you with an answer.
How do you determine the color scheme for a design?The colors for each Animated Arrival are selected based on years of experience and an artistic eye. In addition, the nature of the animal design, as well as the age and sex of the child are taken into consideration. The ultimate goal is to create a work of art that is timeless, colorful and pleasing to the eye. Typically, accents in the design will be colored blue for boys and pink for girls. Also, you may indicate a preference for a pastel/light color scheme or a bright/primary color scheme on the order form. Please note, however, that while every effort is made to fill requests to include specific color families, (i.e. include pale blue and yellow) a perfect match cannot be guaranteed due to the enormous variety of color tones, tints and hues. What is the standard processing time?Regular jobs are processed in the order in which they are received and are worked on as soon as possible. They typically will be completed in 3-4 business days. If you need your order in less than 2 weeks, you may request Priority Processing. Priority jobs are given preferential treatment over regular orders to insure completion in a tighter time frame. The fee for Priority Processing is $10.00 per drawing and must be included with your order. What is the typical turnaround time?We know you are in a hurry to receive your order and we do our best to provide your custom art in a reasonable time. Completed orders normally ship within 3-4 business days of receipt of the order (not including weekends or holidays.) All orders ship U.S.P.S. Priority Mail, which typically takes 2-3 days. Therefore, on average, standard processing and standard shipping time for an order will be 2 weeks (a total of 10 business days) from the time your order is received. The baby hasn't been born yet, but I want to give an Animated Arrival as a shower gift. How can I do that?Give an Animated Arrivals gift certificate! That way, you can have the pleasure of presenting a unique gift even though you don't have all of the personalized information. We need the name and address of the person who is receiving the gift (recipient's name), as well as how you would like the gift card to read ("Your Animated Arrival is a gift from...."). We then mail you (or the recipient) a gift certificate that includes: full color "thumbnail" images of the 20 animal designs they may choose from, a form to record the new arrival's birth statistics and reply envelope. Once the baby arrives, the completed form can be returned to us along with their choice of designs. Their drawing will be created and shipped to them with a gift card reminding them that it is a gift from you. Certificates may be redeemed within one year of purchase. Gift certificates are not redeemable for cash. Do you do special requests?We love a challenge! Frequently we get requests for something slightly different from the standard designs. If you have a different animal in mind, a set of twins or triplets, a birthday, adoption, retirement or special occasion to commemorate or would like a specific color scheme with pre-approval of design and colors, contact us and we will evaluate your request and provide you with a cost and time estimate. What if the birth statistics I want are not shown on the dropdown menus?Sometimes customers want an Animated Arrival to celebrate a special birthday or the retirement of a friend or relative and the year they need isn't on the list. The Comments Field of the Order Form can be used to enter the correct year. Who creates the Animated Arrivals?Each Animated Arrivals is drawn by hand by professional artist, Anne Smith. Though a full time corporate communications executive until recently, she has worked with medium of pastel chalks for over 30 years. During that time, in addition to creating thousands of Animated Arrivals and doing portraits of pets and family members, and gifts for friends, she has been commissioned to do work for Union Carbide, local realtors, and other businesses. Her time is now totally devoted to Animated Arrivals. What is your refund policy?Since all orders are custom, accuracy is critical. Please double check all information in your order form before submitting it. If we make a mistake in your order from the information you provided, we will correct the problem and express mail the corrected version to you as soon as possible at no charge. If you provided us with incorrect information, unclear information or you are not happy with the color scheme or animal design, we will be happy to work with you to create a new Animated Arrival at reorder pricing. What do I do if my order was damaged during shipment?If upon unpacking you notice that your item was damaged during shipment, please file an e-mail damage claim with us within 48 hours! What if I realize I spelled a name incorrectly or have incorrect statistics in my order?Once an order is placed, changes are not guaranteed; however, every effort will be made to accommodate your request. Order corrections should be e-mailed within 24 hours of submitting the order via our e-mail address: info@animatedarrivals.com. If I order online with my credit card, how can I be sure the transaction is secure?When you are ready to make your online purchase, you will be transferred to a secure server where you will be asked to provide shipping and billing information. Animated Arrivals uses SSL transaction processing through authorize.net. This insures your credit card information is encrypted --and cannot be read as it is sent over the internet. Can I purchase multiple drawings with a single online payment?Our site has been designed to accommodate single drawing online purchases, as that is typically what our customers request. Therefore, you must click the "Pay Online" button and pay individually for each order form you complete. However, if you would like to ship up to 3 drawings to a single address, you can save on shipping charges. To save on shipping, include the $9.75 Shipping Charge only on your first order form. When computing the Order Summary for your second and third drawings to the same address, there is no charge for shipping and you enter $0 for shipping charges. You can use the comments field of each order form to clarify shipping instructions as follows: "first of 3 drawings", "second of 3 drawings", "third of 3 drawings". Do you offer any special discounts?Attention 1st Time Customers! You can receive an automatic $5.00 off your first Animated Arrival by writing the discount code: FIRST-TIME in the Comments field on your order form and subtracting $5.00 from your order total. Note: this discount only applies to your first order and cannot be retroactively taken. This discount cannot be taken in conjunction with any other discount or gift certificate. What is your privacy policy?Information given here at Animated Arrivals will never be shared or sold to anyone else. Our customers are important to us, and you can be assured that we are committed to protecting your privacy. How can I contact you?Please feel free to contact us - we love to hear from our customers and visitors to our site! Sincerely, Anne J. Smith, Creative Director |
