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EcoDirect FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions


Payment

EcoDirect accepts all United States issued credit cards, Paypal, wire transfers, company checks, money orders, cashier’s checks, and purchase orders. Wire transfers must clear before an order can be shipped. Company checks, cashier's checks, and money orders are subject to a 7 - 10 business day holding period after they are received. No personal checks are accepted. Purchase orders are subject to approval, which usually takes 3 - 5 business days.

This is most likely an AVS error. EcoDirect has a system in place that automatically blocks transactions where the billing address on the order does not match the billing address on file with your bank. If you get this error, check the address where your credit card statement is sent, and that’s the address that should be listed on the order. If you still get an error, contact our customer service team at 888-899-3509 ext. 4 and we will be happy to assist you.

Usually, this happens because of an AVS (Address Verification System) error. When you attempt to place a credit card order with us and something doesn’t match (the billing address, CVV code, or expiration date), the issuing bank still approves the transaction and places a temporary hold on your funds called an authorization. However, our payment gateway recognizes the information provided doesn’t match the information on file with the your card issuing bank, and therefore declines the transaction.

This declined transaction will still show as an authorization on your account. If an attempt is made to place the order a second, third, fourth, or fifth time without correcting the error, the same thing happens. If this happens enough times, some banks may place a temporary lock on your card.

Authorizations will fall off of your credit card statement within 72 hours. If you would like a copy of the declined transactions, contact our customer service department at 888-899-3509 ext. 4 and we will provide that information.

When you place an order with EcoDirect, we run an authorization on your card only. We do not actually charge the credit card until the order has completely shipped. An authorization is a temporary hold on funds that answers two questions: is there money in the account, and is there enough of it to cover this transaction. Because an authorization falls off your credit card statement within 72 hours, there are times when the authorization will disappear before the order is fully shipped and charged.

EcoDirect can only process Paypal orders shipping to a "Confirmed" address that is "Eligible for Seller Protection". If the address you would like to ship to is not "Confirmed," Paypal will not allow you to select it as your shipping address. If you must ship to an address other than the one listed in PayPal account, you will need to contact PayPal and add your desired address added and "Confirmed"

Once you have establish some sort of order history with EcoDirect, it is more likely you will be approved for a credit term account. However, a purchase order is required each time you place an order with us. EcoDirect is a small company and can only extend a certain amount of credit among our eligible customers, so every time we receive a purchase order, our financial team determines how much credit we are allowed to extend.

Order Status

You can do this online by visiting My Account or give our customer service team a call at 888-899-3509 ext. 4.

When an order is in processing, it simply means that we have not yet charged your credit card. This does not necessarily mean your order has not shipped; generally, when an order is processing has been issued to the warehouse and we are waiting for tracking to be updated to our system. For a more precise status of your order, please call our customer service team at 888-899-3509 ext. 4.

If you call our customer service team during business hours at 888-899-3509 ext. 4, we will be happy to help you. Don't worry, you won't get stuck waiting on hold just to talk to a person!

Shipment and Delivery

You don't have to wait! We want you to receive your order as quickly as possible. Sometimes, items may have a lead time, which we would let you know. In this case, EcoDirect can ship your items as they become available, or hold your order to be shipped complete. We will not charge you additional shipping in either of these situations.

Not at all! Because we warehouse our products across the US, sometimes we are unable to fulfill your order from a single warehouse location. When this happens, we will split your shipments at no additional cost to you. If you want to receive a single shipment, call our sales team to place your order at 888-899-3509 ext. 2. We may need to consolidate your order in our Carlsbad, CA location and repackage it for you. This may delay your order anywhere from 3-5 business days before shipping.

If you are placing the order online, please add this to the "Order Comments" box on the checkout page. You can also call our sales team to place the order at 888-899-3509 ext. 2.

It can take up to 24 hours for tracking information to register on the carrier’s site. If you check back later and the tracking is still not working, please call our customer service team at 888-899-3509 ext. 4.

Absolutely! When shipping USPS, there is a 3 - 5 business day lead time while we bring your products into our Carlsbad, CA office and consolidate them. Please note that if you are ordering a product that is very large or needs to ship freight, we will need to ship to a physical address.

You certainly can! We have a few options for our international customers, with more planned. Please take a look at our International Shipping guide for more information.

Freight

Anything that has physical dimensions larger than what is allowed by ground, anything that is considered hazardous material, and anything that weighs over 100 pounds. EcoDirect products that must ship freight regardless of weight are:

  • Large solar panels (over 90 watts in most cases)
  • Large Inverters (over 1kw)
  • Rails longer than 9 feet (108")
  • Flooded lead-acid batteries
  • Wind turbines

Products that often fall into this category include:

  • Lead acid batteries

If your freight shipment weighs over 100 lbs, you may need a lift gate. This is a special lift attached to the back of the freight truck that will lower your pallet to the ground for you. If you have access to a loading dock or forklift at your shipping location, you will not need a lift gate. Even if you have a team of helpers, we don't want you to dirty your hands or hurt yourself, so it’s best to have a lift gate.

A commercial zone is an area where there is a high density of businesses and warehouses. A residential zone is an area where there is a high density of homes. A home business, therefore, would still fall under a residential zone.

Because commercial zones are more accessible and tend to be on established freight routes already, making them easier to access for a freight truck, therefore shipping to them costs less than shipping to residential zones.

Other

We are open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific Standard Time (11:00 am to 8:00 pm Eastern time) Monday through Friday. We are closed weekends and major holidays. You can place an order through our site 24-7.

We want to hear from you, good or bad! If you were less than satisfied with your EcoDirect experience, we’d like to know. Please call our customer service team at 888-899-3509 ext. 4 to discuss the issue with one of our team members, or email us at admin@ecodirect.com.