Acme Guitar Works - Guitar Parts, Pickups, Electronics, and Prewired Assemblies

FAQ - General

Is your server secure?

Yes. We have a valid SSL certificate for www.acmeguitarworks.com from a known Certificate Authority (CA). Any page on our site that displays or asks for your personal information is a secure (encrypted) page.

You can verify that a page is encrypted by looking at the address of the page, encrypted page URLs will begin with https:// rather than http://.

You can view our certificate from any encrypted page by double-clicking on the padlock icon in the bottom right corner of the browser window.

How do I pay with PayPal?

We are a Verified PayPal Business Account holder, so you can feel confident paying us through PayPal. When you place an order on our website, there is a PayPal option on the last page of the checkout process where you choose the payment type. Simply select the PayPal option and click the "Place Your Order" button. You will then be shown a link that says "PayPal - Click Here to Pay". Click this link, and a new window will open. Simply enter your PayPal username and password and send us the payment (the dollar amount and our email address are already filled in).

Why is your website refusing my credit card?

Billing Address Not Entered Correctly
A common problem that we see is when a customer inadvertently enters their shipping address as the billing address. For instance, if you want us to ship to your office and you enter this address as the billing address, the card will be rejected (unless your office address is also the card's billing address). If you're going to enter separate billing and shipping addresses, be sure that the billing address you enter is in fact the address where you receive your credit card statement.

Address Verification System Failure
Our credit card processor uses the Address Verification System (AVS) to verify certain pieces of information (such as address and zip code) on every transaction. This system helps protect Internet merchants from credit card fraud.

When you enter an order on our website and pay with a credit card, the transaction details are forwarded to the card-issuing bank (your bank). Your bank accepts or declines the transaction based on their own criteria (funds availability, card status, etc.), but they also return an AVS code to our bank that indicates how well the address you provided matches up with the address they have on file for this card. There are many AVS codes that may be returned (search for "avs codes" online for a list), and our bank then makes an accept/decline decision based on this code and other factors.

Most of the time, cards fail because some piece of information does not match what the card-issuing bank has on file. If you have recently moved, for instance, and the issuing bank still has your old address on file, but you enter your new address, the card will be rejected. Understand that small inconsistencies (such as entering 7802 Any Street while your bank thinks you live at 7802 Any Road) won't cause the card to fail, the banks realize that these sorts of things are bound to happen. They're more interested in whether the street number and zip code match.

When we tell customers their transaction failed because of AVS, customers often respond that they can use the card successfully with other retailers. There are several reasons why this might be the case. First, AVS is only used by online retailers, as an added measure of security since the card is "absent". In card-present situations, such as at a restaurant or at Home Depot, they're not using AVS, so the fact that the card works there is not relevant. If the card can be used successfully at other online retailers, then one of two things is occurring: either the retailer's card processor isn't using AVS (unlikely), or they're less conservative than our card processor and are allowing transactions even though the address doesn't match what the bank has on file. Our processor doesn't give us the option of circumventing this situation though, if the address doesn't match, then they're not accepting the risk whether Acme Guitar Works likes it or not.

The easy solution here is to call your bank at the customer service number on the back of the card and get them to change the address on file, since the AVS code they're supplying to us is the same as the code they're supplying to everyone else. Note that we've seen situations where the customer was receiving their statement correctly, but somewhere in the bank's records was another address for this customer, and this was the address being used for AVS. We even saw one case where a customer had applied for a card while living at his current address, had received every statement at this address, but the bank had other addresses in its records from older accounts, and was using one of these older addresses for AVS. A quick phone call to the bank will resolve this issue.

Complications of an AVS Failure - Funds Debiting
Understand that your bank may accept a transaction while our bank declines it. For instance, if your bank accepts the transaction but returns an AVS code of "N" (no address match), then our bank will decline the transaction because it is deemed a poor risk. In this case your bank will have debited your funds availability for this transaction, but you will not ultimately be charged for it.

In other words, your bank has been presented with a transaction, and they have looked at your card balance and credit limit and confirmed that you have sufficient funds available on the card for the transaction. They have approved it. They assume therefore that a charge for that amount will be presented by our bank within the ensuing several days, so they reduce your funds availability on the card by this amount. If you try the card again and the same thing happens, then they will assume that two transactions will now be presented by our bank, so they will reduce your available funds again.

However, because your bank returned an "N" AVS code, our bank has declined the transaction, and so to them the transaction is dead and will never be presented for payment. Your bank doesn't know this, so the debit on your funds availability will remain in place for some specified period of time, then will fall off automatically when no charge is actually presented by our bank. This time period varies from one bank to another, but generally it's 48-72 hours.

If your credit card is already charged nearly to its limit, then this debiting of your funds availability might mean that even if you sort out the AVS issue with your bank, you will no longer have available funds with which to make a purchase. For instance, if you have a $1000 limit and a $500 balance, and you present a $300 transaction which your bank approves but ours declines, then your bank will now show only $200 available. So if you were to retry the $300 transaction, your bank would decline it because your available credit is less than $300. Of course, since our bank declined the transaction, it will fall off automatically in a few days, and then you would be able to retry the transaction.

This can be infuriating, knowing that your available funds are being tied up for several days by transactions that are already dead and will never be presented. So if you run into this then let us know, we may be able to call (or fax a letter to) your bank stating that as the merchant, we won't be presenting the transaction for payment. This will usually be sufficient to have them remove the funds debit. However, we cannot research this for you, it will be up to you to provide us with the following: an appropriate phone or fax number and (if possible), a contact name at your bank; your name; and the amount of the debit[s] you want removed. We can login to our bank's website and confirm that the transaction has been declined, and then we will contact your bank.

Can I pay with my American Express card?

Possibly. We don't accept Amex, but PayPal does, and PayPal is one of the payment options available on our site when you checkout. The only problems would be if the Amex card you want to use is linked to a PayPal account, or if the email address you use is linked to a PayPal account.

To use the PayPal system to pay with Amex, go through the checkout process on our site, selecting the PayPal payment option, and click the "Place Your Order" button. You will then be shown a link that says "PayPal - Click Here to Pay". Click this link, and a new window will open. This is where you would login to your PayPal account in order to pay with PayPal, but there is also a link on this page that says something like "Click Here If You Don't Have A PayPal Account". Click this link and you'll be able to pay with a credit card, including Amex.

If either the credit card or the email address are linked to a PayPal account, then you'll get a message that basically says that you need to login to your PayPal account to make the payment.

How do I enter separate shipping and billing addresses?

During the checkout process, the first address the system asks you for is the billing address (the address your credit card company sends your bill to). If you are going to enter separate billing and shipping addresses, please be sure to enter the billing address first, or your credit card will be rejected!

The system assumes that this address will also be the shipping address, unless you tell it otherwise by unchecking the box that says This is also my Shipping Address. If you uncheck the box, then the next screen will tell you to choose your shipping address. Since you have not yet entered the shipping address, you will need to click the Add Address button, which will take you to another screen where you can now enter the shipping address. Click the Save and Continue button.

At this point, you may get a message telling you that you are about to be redirected to a connection that is not secure. You will need to click yes, but you will almost immediately be returned to a secure page. You will now see both addresses that you entered. Choose the radio button for the address you want us to ship to and click Next.

If you have problems with this, just give us a call, and we can take your order over the phone and enter it for you.

Can I order over the telephone?

Absolutely! We love all orders, even ones that come in over the phone!

What is your refund / exchange policy?

Prewired Assemblies

Refunds - Assemblies Ordered From Our Website (restocking fee applies)
Stock assemblies may be returned within seven days of receipt. You must contact us first for a return authorization number, and you must include all items associated with the assembly, including the jack, pickup packaging, etc. We will assess the condition of the assembly when we receive it, and recondition it as required to make it saleable. Returned assemblies will be subject to a restocking fee of up to 20% based on their condition and the time required to make them saleable, so it behooves you to return any assembly in as clean and complete a condition as possible. Again, please include all packaging.

Refunds - Custom One-Off Assemblies (restocking fee applies)
Custom assemblies may be returned within seven days of receipt. A restocking fee of as much as 30% will apply, since we'll need to recondition (and in most cases, discount) the assembly in order to resell it. You must contact us first for a return authorization number, and you must include all items associated with the assembly, including the jack, pickup packaging, etc. We will assess the condition of the assembly when we receive it, and recondition it as required to make it saleable. The restocking fee's percentage will be decided on a case-by-case basis, less-popular options and assemblies with unusual switching and control layouts will incur a higher fee since they will appeal to a smaller percentage of our customers. Again, please include all packaging.

Pickup Swap Policy - Stratocaster
We also offer a pickup swap service for Stratocaster assemblies, the cost is $30 plus shipping (plus/minus any difference in price between the new pickups and the old pickups). Use this option to have us swap the pickups out of your assembly for another set of pickups. We offer this service because it's impossible to know in advance exactly how a set of pickups is going to sound in your guitar. We don't want you to get stuck with pickups that you are not happy with. This option is available within 30 days of receipt of your order. Please call first for an RA number.
Please Note: You must return the entire assembly to make use of this option (including all packaging), please don't return just the pickups. Send us the assembly just as you received it (if you ordered your assembly on a template and have transferred it to a pickguard, then send us the pickguard). We'll remove the old pickups and install the replacements, and send you back a tested, fully-functional assembly.

Pickup Swap Policy - Other Pickups
Please call to discuss options, we can usually work something out.

All Other Products

Refunds
Within 15 days of the date you receive your order, you may return as-new, unaltered merchandise in its original packaging (where applicable) for a refund. All returns are subject to a 15% restocking charge.

Exchanges:
Within 15 days of the date you receive your order, we will exchange as-new, unaltered merchandise in its original packaging (where applicable) dollar-for-dollar for new merchandise. There is no service charge, but you will need to pay all shipping costs.

What's with the account you created for me?

Our system requires users to create an account before they can place an order in our online store. Your account provides several benefits for you:

The system will remember your name and address so you don't have to re-enter it every time you place an order
Your credit card is retained for only 30 days, the system masks it after that for security reasons
You can check the status of orders in our system to see their status (shipment pending, shipped, etc.)
You can look up tracking numbers for shipments, and track them right from our site
The system maintains a record of any order you place with us, so you can always log in and look at old transactions, and print copies of invoices, etc.

Despite the benefits, some people don't like the whole "account creation" thing, some people might think it's a privacy violation, others might just think they already have enough usernames and passwords to keep track of. However, we can't turn this feature off, it's part of the shopping cart software we use, and it's in keeping with e-commerce norms. Rest assured we won't spam you, we won't EVER sell your email address to spammers, and we won't EVER sell your personal information.

I can't login, and I'm using the correct username/password!

Most likely, you're experiencing a conflict between our shopping cart and some security application you're running (such as Norton Personal Firewall). Your browser's security settings may also be causing a conflict. Disabling your security application (or modifying your settings) before logging into our site should fix it.

This probably sounds like our problem, and asking you to disable your security software while visiting our site may seem like a poor suggestion, but software engineers will roll their eyes when asked about interoperability issues between all the software used on the Internet. Unfortunately, there's not always an easy solution, as session-based software like shopping carts use cookies, which are handled differently by different browser and security applications. Throw in the fact that there are many different ways to configure most of these applications, and you have a complex problem.

We've also seen some issues with certain browsers where customers can't login to their account, specifically with Mozilla Firefox 1.0.4, but possibly with other versions of Firefox as well. We don't know whether or not the issue is cookie-related, but some customers have told us that clearing cookies fixed the problem. All we can suggest is that you try a different browser, we suspect that a switch to Internet Explorer (for instance) will fix the problem.

Will you build a pickguard for me using my pickups?

Sorry, we only wire pickups that have been purchased from us.

How do I make use of your pickup swap offer?

You'll need to send the entire assembly (not just the pickups!), plus all packaging to us here:

Acme Guitar Works, Inc.
4005 43rd Avenue
Unit 1
Vero Beach, FL 32960

Next, please click here and you will find a product called Pickup Swap Charge with a price of $30, you can add this to your shopping cart (the website will treat it like it's a product), and checkout. The web site will give you the shipping options, and you can pay with a credit card or PayPal, whichever you prefer. In order to provide you with accurate shipping costs, we've told the computer the Pickup Swap Charge has a weight of 2 pounds, which is typically the weight of a prewired assembly.

As soon as we receive your assembly, we will swap the pickups out and return it to you. Turn around will be within 2 business days, though we will strive to turn it around in 1 day.

Do you have Lindy Fralin pickups in stock?

Bigtime. Perhaps you've heard that Fralin pickups are difficult to get? This is a myth perpetuated by certain dealers who refuse to stock them, so they report that Fralin pickups are difficult to get so that potential customers are duped into thinking it's normal to have to wait for them. The hardest part about getting Fralin pickups from a dealer's perspective is picking up the phone and ordering them.

Will my pickguard be perfect?

Possibly. We use only Fender and Callaham pickguards. Having bought pickguards from other vendors (Allparts, WD, Chandler, Warmoth), we have found some to be less consistent, so we offer Fender and Callaham. That said, they are often not perfect. We used to be more particular about this than we are now, and would call Fender whenever we found minor blemishes on one, but we are now of the opinion that this is unreasonable. The blemishes are typically so minor that most customers won't even see them unless they really scrutinize the pickguard.

The fact is, all of the larger vendors we've bought pickguards from have similar problems with minor blemishes. We believe that this is unavoidable in larger-scale production, so we've decided to stop demanding perfection. (Callaham's pickguards, it must be said, are consistently closer to perfect. This attests to their quality control and care during manufacturing, as well as the pride they take in offering top-quality products and workmanship. But they are a very small shop with only a few employees; maintaining their production standards in a company the size of Fender is a whole different ballgame).

The Fender pickguards we sell are the same as the pickguards on Fender's American products, including the Custom Shop guitars. We reason that if they pass the scrutiny of those customers, they're good enough. They are so easily marred that we believe it's nearly impossible to manufacture them in large-scale production and keep them perfect, so minor imperfections are allowed through.

We are now in the habit of removing the plastic masking from pickguards when we build prewired assemblies, since removing the masking cleanly once all of the components are attached is impossible. This affords us the opportunity to have a close look at the pickguard, and if we find anything other than very minor blemishes (very small scratches, etc), the pickguard is not used. We still do reject the occasional pickguard (maybe 1 in 20 or 25), we don't let anything egregious through. But the bottom line is, if you start looking for imperfections in plastic pickguards, you're sure to find them. If this bothers you, then consider the pickguard's function, which is to take the brunt of the pick's abuse. If you think a new pickguard is imperfect, wait until it's been on the guitar for a month!

Placing Orders

Account Issues

Prewired Assemblies

Is your server secure?

How do I pay with PayPal?

Why is your website refusing my credit card?

Can I pay with my American Express card?

How do I enter separate shipping and billing addresses?

Can I order over the telephone?

What is your refund / exchange policy?

Prewired Assemblies

All Other Products

What's with the account you created for me?

I can't login, and I'm using the correct username/password!

Will you build a pickguard for me using my pickups?

How do I make use of your pickup swap offer?

Do you have Lindy Fralin pickups in stock?

Will my pickguard be perfect?