Frequently Asked Questions

You can find answers to questions frequently asked concerning this web-site. Below are a list of commonly asked questions which you can click on to go directly to that subject.

	How do I search for an item?
	The Christian Book Depot's search engine allows you to do a search on any item using either the Title, Author, keyword or ISBN. In all searches, upper and lower case letters are treated equally. With all searches except for the ISBN search, you can instruct the search engine to return items that are only english or french or both. After the search engine has retrieved the appropriate items, a screen is displayed with the items listed. Select the item that you'd like to view. A screen will appear with just the selected item and will, in some cases display a picture of the item along with a detailed description. There is also a box that will give you the opportunity to select the quantity you'd like placed in your shopping cart. In some cases, there will also be a link to the author's or artist's web site. This will be denoted by the icon. To go to the website, simply click on the icon. If you know of an author's or artist's web site that we don't have listed, please email us. (Please note we are not responsible for the contents of these links and are providing them for informational purposes only). To get to the search screen, simply click the Search/Order button on the navigation bar located on the left hand side of the screen.
	Title Search
	Start a title search by typing in the complete title or only a few words of the title. You can also specify whether all the words need to be present or at least one of them. Selecting the "At least one of the words" options can return a lot of items. In either case, only items whose words beginning with any of the entered words are returned. For example: Searching for "god love" and selecting "At least one of the words" option will return entries that contain either "god" or "love" or any word beginning with those words (like godliness, etc.)
	Author Search
	You can start an author search by typing in all or part of the author's name. The search engine will retrieve all items beginning with your search arguments. For example: Searching for james will return entries such as "James Dobson" and "Tony Jameson"
	ISBN Search
	If you know the ISBN of a particular book, enter it in the field provided and click on the Submit button. Since all books have a unique ISBN number, this search will yield only one item. The search engine will show the item's description right away (instead of showing you a list).

	What is the shopping cart and how does it work?
	The shopping cart is used to hold all items that you have decided to order. You can put as many items in the shopping cart as you like and you can remove any items at any time. You can also order more than one of the same item. To see what is in your shopping cart, simply click on the Shopping Cart button on the navigation bar on the left hand side of the screen. You can do this from virtually anywhere in the Christian Book Depot's web site.
	How do I add items to my shopping cart?
	The way to add items to your shopping cart is through the search function. After selecting the appropriate search criteria, the search engine will display the results. By clicking on the item's title, a more detailed description of the item will appear and in some cases a picture of the item. You will have the option to select the quantity of the item on this page. At the bottom of this screen is a push button labelled "Add to Shopping cart". Clicking on this button will add that item to your shopping cart.
	How do I make changes to my shopping cart?
	To remove items from your shopping cart, click on the Shopping Cart button on the navigation bar on the left hand side of the screen. This will display the contents of your shopping cart. At the bottom of the screen, there is a push button labelled "Modify Shopping Cart". Clicking on this button will give you option to remove selected items from your shopping cart. In the "Remove" column, select the items that you would like removed and click on "Save". Once this is done, you can click on the Shopping Cart button on the navigation bar to display your newly updated shopping cart.
	How do I order what's in my shopping cart?
	When you have finished selecting all the items that you'd like to purchase, click on the Shopping Cart button on the navigation bar on the left hand side of the screen. This will display the contents of your shopping cart. Verify that it is correct. You can remove items by clicking on the "Modify Shopping Cart" button or continue to add items by clicking on the "Continue Shopping" button. Once you have verified that all the items are correct, click on the "Place an Order" button. This will bring up a Billing/Shipping screen. Enter in the Billing information in the boxes provided. All information is required except for email address. After entering in the Billing information, you can optionally select to pick up the merchandise at the store. (There will be no shipping charges if you select this option). If you decide to pick it up at the store, you can select if you'd like to be notified by phone or by email (in this case the email address is required). If you'd like the item shipped to you, you must enter the Shipping information. If the Shipping information is the same as the Billing information, simply click on the appropriate button. If this button is clicked all information in the Billing information is used as the Shipping information. Once all the information has been entered, click on the "Select Payment Options" button. An invoice will be displayed with the appropriate tax and shipping charges added to your bill. You can then select whether you'd like to pay using the standard server or through the secure server. Payment options using the standard server are: Personal Cheque (by mail), Credit card over the phone, or Credit card by fax.
	How is sales tax calculated?
	Sales tax is calculated based on the address provided in the Billing information. If the address is located in the province of Quebec, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Quebec Sales Tax (QST) are automaticall added to the invoice. (The GST rate is currently 7% and the QST rate is currently 7.5% as of January 1st. 1998). If the address is elsewhere in Canada, only the GST will be added. If the address is in the United States, no sales tax will be added. Customs and any applicable duties are the responsibility of the purchaser. Please contact your local Customs and Excise office for the current rates.
	What are the available payment options?
	You can purchase items using Mastercard and Visa using our secure server. You can also decide to send you credit information over the phone or fax. As well, you can also choose to send us a personal cheque. Please note that we cannot send your order until we have received your payment. In the store, we also accept debit cards using the Interac® network.
	When does my credit card get charged?
	Orders are usually processed the next business day. Therefore, your credit card will be charged the following day. In the future, we plan to have on-line credit authorization so that your credit card will be authorized immediately.
	How does the Christian Book Depot protect my credit card if I order on-line?
	The Christian Book Depot takes every precaution to protect the privacy of your credit card information. To safeguard your information, The Christian Book Depot uses the Secure Socket Layer (SSL). All your credit information is secure. You can safely enter your credit card information using the secure server and it cannot be read as the information travels to our web site. Our security certificate is provided by Dynamic Web Services. To ensure you are communicating with our secure server, view the security certificate as provided by your browser. The certificate should display something similar to the following: Remember, ALL your information is encrypted using the secure server for maximum security. In addition, our ordering system is not connected to the Internet and is not accessible in any way, adding to the security of your information once it reaches us.
	What if there is a problem with my order?
	If our staff discover an error with your order, we will use the information provided in the Billing information. The types of errors that can be found include wrong address, an item is no longer available from our suppliers, or a problem with your credit card. In the event there is a problem, we will not process the order until the problem has been corrected.
	What is the return policy?
	The return policy can be accessed by clicking on the Return Policy button on the navigation bar on the left hand side of the screen.