FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT OUR CATALOG AND PRODUCTS:
Here, we have tried to answer many of the questions that we receive. This page continues to expand as we field new questions that may be of interest to those of you who are considering ordering from us. We always feel as though an educated customer is our best customer, and receive more than half of our orders from people who have ordered from us before (we must be doing something right). Please feel free to call us and ask us anything that seems unclear about our policies.
Who am I ordering from?
Insight Publishing
has been in business (fully incorporated) since 1989. We are the publishers
of "Qi: The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health & Fitness"
(Qi Journal), which is an internationally distributed quarterly magazine
that addresses the subject of "Qi" and its many related disciplines
and cultural connections.
The mail-order catalog portion of our company was expanded into a full-fledged
business project in 1996, when it was clear that many of the subscribers
of "Qi Journal" did not have access to books, videos, and other
instructional materials that they needed in order to further their studies.
Although there were many resources available, there was no single source
or location where one could find such items, making it virtually impossible
to find such resources unless you were well-connected and networked to the
qi-community.
Our catalog department purchases products from hundreds of individual sources,
ranging from major publishers and distributors to expert practitioners who
self-produce their own books and tapes.
Are you affiliated with other on-line bookstores?
No, we are not affiliated with the large on-line book suppliers like Amazon,
or Waldenbooks. Although they provide excellent service for mainstream books
from large publishers, it is simply not practical for them to provide the
same level of service, commitment, and knowledge as we can for these rare
special-order items.
With the explosion of Internet "companies" recently, we want to
assure you that Insight Publishing is a solid, reputable company that will
be here many years from now to continue serving you. If the internet continues
to expand as Bill Gates predicts, or if it turns out to be a "fad"
like CB radio, it will not have a significant impact on our business nor
our reliability as a provider of these resource materials.
How do I calculate my shipping costs?
For Domestic US: $3.80 for the first item plus $.75 for each additional
item.
For Canada & Mexico: $5.00 for the first item and $1.00 for each additional
item.
Other Foreign Countries: $8.00 for first item plus $3.00 each additional
item (ground service)
Hawaii and Alaska: Air only (call or email for quote)
California residents: please add 7.75% sales tax
Overnight Shipping (domestic only): Add $15.00 to your normal shipping costs.
UPS Blue (2-day) service: Add $10.00 to your normal shipping costs.
How soon will I receive the item I ordered?
Over 98% of all items are in stock at any given time. We always ship items
that are in stock within 1 business day. If the order arrives before 3 p.m.,
it is usually shipped on the same business day that it arrives.
How long it takes to get from our office to your location will vary, depending
on the service that we use, and the distance from our office. We always
try to pick the best service provider for your order, considering the costs,
weight, durability, and size of your merchandise order.
Overnight Service or UPS blue (2-day) service is an option (see shipping
costs above) for an additional cost. Typically, our customers receive their
merchandise before most mail-order companies can even process their orders.
Do I need to pay sales tax on my order?
If the shipment is destined for the state of California, the law states
that we must charge you our local sales tax which is 7.75% of the total
order. If the shipment is destined for other locations, there is no sales
tax charges applied. Although there has been some government requests for
collecting sales tax on mail-order items recently, the proposals have met
with great consumer resistance.
What type of payment method can I use?
We accept VISA or Mastercard orders, personal or company checks, money orders
or bank drafts drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. funds.
Checks are cleared before shipment (approx. 10 business days). Make checks
or money orders (U.S. funds only) payable to INSIGHT PUBLISHING, and mail
to P.O. Box 18476, Anaheim Hills, CA 92817, USA, Attn: Sales Department.
What type of quality should I expect?
Most of the books we carry are produced here in the U.S. and have good to
excellent paper and bindery. Books from third-world countries are often
printed with paper and print standards that are relatively poor, but the
content is of excellent quality. All books are printed in English unless
otherwise noted.
Videos and audios on these topics are instructional in nature and often
produced by an individual or small company. They may lack the polish of
a Hollywood production staff, but make up for it in their informational
content. We have tried to note where we think production values are particularly
weak and may detract from the video's overall value as an instructional
tool. All videos are VHS only and only play on VHS NTSC players. We carry
no VHS-PAL or VHS-Seacom video tapes. Audio is standard 4mm cassette or
CD ROM.
Computer software is usually platform specific and requirements are noted
in the product description. Software usually requires a sound-card, color
video, and reasonably up-to-date operating system. Technical problems during
installation or operation are referred to the manufacturer of the software
as needed.
What type of guarantees do you offer?
All orders (see videos and software clauses) from Insight Publishing are
fully GUARANTEED. Money is refunded promptly upon return of undamaged
goods within 30 days if unsatisfied for any reason (see return procedures
below). Videos: In accordance with industry standards, video tapes
are exchanged for store credit only. Software: In accordance with
industry standards, computer software cannot be returned if the seal is
broken and/or the software is registered. All prices are subject to change
without notice. Please call for latest price and availability if in question.
What are your Return procedures?
1. Call our Toll Free number at 1-800-787-2600 or our local number at 714-7790-1796
to receive a return authorization (RA) number.
2. Mark this RA number clearly on the outside of the box and ship to: Insight
Publishing, 5130 E. LaPalma Ave., Ste. #203, Anaheim Hills, CA 92807. Include
a copy of the invoice for our reference. No returns can be accepted without
the proper authorization number (RA) clearly marked on outside of the package.
We cannot be responsible for merchandise that we never receive back, therefore
we recommend shipping UPS or other method that has a tracking number for
your protection.
Why don't you use environmentally friendly packing
materials?
Insight Publishing is greatly concerned about our environment, but it may
not be clear from the packing materials that we use. We contacted several
companies near us who receive quantities of electronic equipment and made
a deal where we "recycle" their plastic bags, boxes, and peanuts
by "reusing" them to ship to our clients, thus we add nothing
to the solid waste stream and we rescue those items from the local landfill.
Sometimes our packing is made from recycled materials, but often it is not.
When we have to purchase new packing materials, we always use recyleable
paper products or biodegradable corn-based peanuts. We encourage you to
recycle our packing materials in the same way, by re-using them for your
shipments instead of throwing them into a landfill.
Why can't I just order over the internet?
Due to security concerns and lack of interest on our customers side, we
have chosen to not allow purchases directly from the internet, but you can
easily call our TOLL-FREE number below to place an order with a real
person once you have found the items you want. Our offices are open
Mon.-Fri, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (California Time Zone).
Foreign orderers can call our local number listed below or can safely FAX
an order to us (include complete name, shipping address, and credit card
information on your fax). Requests for foreign shipping quotes can be emailed
to "orders@qi-journal.com" (include your complete email address
and name).