FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) about ADC

1. When will my order arrive?

If it's in stock and we receive payment before our sending cut-off point of 2.00pm, we aim to send out the same day (Weekends Excluded). If your item is sent by courier, you should receive your item within 48Hrs (barring if your order is dispatched on a Friday for Monday delivery), though some areas of Mainland Scotland where deliveries are not made daily can take longer. Items small enough for post go via Royal Mail recorded delivery. We cannot guarantee performance of the Royal Mail and have no control over their suggested time-scales for delivery.

2. How do I open an account on your website?

Easy! Start by adding items to shopping basket and when you're ready, click go to the checkout. Checkout stage 1 is for new or old customers. New customers simply enter their email address into the box provided and click the "Proceed" button. You are then taken through the registration process during payment for your items.

3. My delivery seems late, where is it?

If we don't think we can turn an order around within 7 working days, due to stock availability, we will email you to let you know beforehand and offer you the chance to cancel. If your item has been sent via recorded post and is delayed for reasons beyond our control, the Royal Mail will not consider the item lost until 15 WORKING DAYS have passed since date of posting. Therefore, we are unable to launch a claim for failed delivery until that time period has passed. Should your item run out to be lost, we will of course replace it. If an item has been sent by courier, you should receive it within 48Hrs, unless you live in a remote area where courier deliveries are not made daily.

4. Why don't you deliver at weekends?

It costs too much.

5. Why can't you specify an exact time of delivery?

We have no control over items sent by Post. If you want to pay for small items to be sent via a guaranteed postal-delivery service, please ring us to pay the extra cost. The courier service we use do not give an exact delivery time between their operating hours of 8.30 - 5.30. If you wish to have your item sent to a place of work/friend elatives house, please let us know with your order.

6. Why is delivery free to Mainland UK only?

When items are too big to send by normal post, we have to send via courier. Unfortunately, courier costs go up dramatically for non-Mainland UK addresses. If you are located in Northern Ireland, Isle of Wight, Orkney Islands, Isle of Man or similar, ALWAYS CONTACT US FOR A QUOTE BEFORE YOU BUY!

7. How much does it cost to ship to non-mainland UK addresses?

Tell us your postcode first, and then we can quote.

8. Do you ship internationally?

It depends....email first.

9. Why haven't you answered my email/phoned me back yet?

We are not just an Internet shop; we also have a walk-in store. There are occasions (usually seasonal) when we get so busy, that it's not always possible to provide a fast turnaround to your query. Orders are always processed before enquiries are answered, so please bear with us if you are waiting to for us to reply.

10. Will you buy my drum gear?

Maybe, if we think we can sell it and the price is right. We say “maybe”, because there are times when we don't have the space to take in second-hand stock. Once again, it is up to the customer to bring their items to us and to know how much money they want. Unfortunately, we don't have much shop-time to devote to buying in used gear so please bear these points in mind before getting in touch. THESE TRANSACTIONS ARE SOLELY UNDERTAKEN BY ANDREW DWYER.

11. Do you do P/X?

Yes, depending on condition of the item and if we can use it. All P/X deals must be done in the shop, with the onus on the customer to bring their items to the shop. We can do loose valuations if you send us a photo via email. P/X VALUATIONS ARE SOLELY UNDERTAKEN BY ANDREW DWYER.

12. I'm buying a number of items from your website; can I haggle and do a deal?

No. Our prices are set for online purchasing.

13. Can you send me a brochure or describe to me in detail about a product I want to buy?

These days, companies are stopping big distribution of paper brochures and prefer to rely on the Web to inform customers about their products. The only brochures we receive are for dealer purposes only and we are unable to send these out.

14. Do you do drum lessons?

Yes, please phone Julian Marsden on 0151 220 7137 for further details.

15. Why haven't you got the item I want in stock?

Various reasons: No.1 is, like every other UK retailer, we rely on the stock of UK distributors (UK manufacturing is dead and we are a Nation of importers). If they've got it in stock, we can get it. We have a small shop and cannot possibly keep every single product we advertise in stock, though we try to keep to products that have a regular UK distributor stock. Furthermore, we like to provide our customers with in-the-box products free of shop dust, fingerprints and stick marks.

16. Can I combine postage for items from your eBay shop?

As long as you follow the combined postage procedure displayed on all our items.

17. You say - "Our Website prices are often more competitive than our showroom prices. In order to benefit from these discounts, orders must be placed online". Why is this?

When you buy online, you pay an "in the box" price. You do not pay for staff time or demonstrations or any associated extra costs. It's like buying a flight from Easyjet. Buying online from their website is cheaper than going to an airport or travel agent - you pay more for the human interaction!

18. Can I track my order online?

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, we are not able to offer our customers this facility forpostal items sent by Royal Mail. We can of course supply you with a recorded delivery item number which can be used at the Royal Mails website, www.royalmail.co.uk . Regarding items sent by courier, as long as you supply us with a valid email address with your order, we can submit this into the courier delivery system so you can receive email notifications about dispatch. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or reliability of third-party services and we will not be held responsible for the performance-failure of any such services