Frequenty Asked Questions

• How long is IPD's warranty and what does it cover?

  We list the warranty of each product in the product details on each product page on our website. Warranty varies by manufacturer. Most manufacturers offer a replacement parts warranty for one year but a few offer a longer warranty period.  Very few manufacturer's cover replacement labor costs. Most warranty claims require evaluation of the failed product prior to reimbursement.

  Warranty applies to original purchaser and does not transfer when vehicle ownership changes. Warranty does not apply to products that have been damaged by accidents, misuse or have been installed or used in an incorrect manner.

  IPD branded products have a one year warranty.  IPD anti-sway bars have a limited life-time warranty to the original purchaser.  Reimbursement for warranty replacement labor is evaulated on a case-by-case basis.

• Returns and Warranty Information
  • What is your return policy?
    We guarantee your complete satisfaction or you can return the product within 90 days.  No refunds on books, digital media (like DVDs) or installed electrical parts.
  • Can I return a product if I change my mind and it has been over 90 days?
    Yes, but depending on the condition of the product and the current market value, we may not refund you the full purchase price of the product.
  • Is there a restocking fee?
    After 90 days we may charge a restocking percentage for products that are returned for non-warranty reasons.  Items that are not in resaleable condition will also incur a restocking fee.
  • What is a core charge?
    Many rebuilt products have a refundable core charge associated with them.  This means that we may be able to credit you for the core if it's in rebuildable condition and you return the old used part in the box we sent you the new one in.
  • How do I claim a warranty?
    The best way to start this process is to contact one of our Customer Service Representatives.
  • Who pays for shipping on a return?
    This depends on the reason for the return.  If we made a mistake or the return is due to a product defect or failure during the warranty period, we will refund standard ground shipping cost to return the part for exchange or a refund. If you changed your mind or ended up not needing a part and would like to return it, you are responsible for the return shipping cost. To ensure the correct refund amount, please include a note and or receipt showing the return shipping cost
  • What do I need to do to prepare my return and where do I send it?
    You will first need to contact our Customer Service Department and get a (RRN) Return Reference Number. They will instruct you on where and how to return product. You can call or email sales@ipdusa.com
  • What is a RRN (Return Reference Number?)
    We use the RRN to help ensure that your return gets refunded to you.  It is amazing how many packages we get back with no documentation or information as to where and who it came from.  You can simply write the RRN on the outside of the box and we will know who it came from and why it was returned.
  • How will you credit me back for my return?
    We usually credit back using the method that the product was originally paid for.  So if you paid with a credit card, we will issue the credit to that card.  You can request an alternate credit method.
  • How long will my return/refund take to process?
    This depends on the nature of the return.  A simple returned product is usually credited within a week of it arriving at our warehouse.  Warranty credits can take longer depending on the situation (for example shock refunds are dependent upon the manufacturer's evaluation of the failed product.)
• What payment methods does IPD accept?

  IPD accepts PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit cards.  We also accept cash, checks, wire transfers and PayPal.

  Our website does not allow for multiple payment methods on the same order, but our internal order entry system does.  

  If you have a gift card or some other preset limit card, you can use it only if you phone in your order.

• Does IPD accept PayPal?

  Yes we accept PayPal, but we don't prefer it.

  We ship to the address you use during our checkout process and NOT to the address specified in your paypal account.

  We prefer credit cards to PayPal for a variety of reasons:

  • PayPal is a pre-payment method which complicates order cancellations and refunds. Credit cards are a more automated process and require less labor to handle. If you cancel a credit card order, we can simply void an authorization or let it expire, but PayPal requires us to manually refund your money.
  • PayPal is a pre-payment method where as we only charge credit cards at the time of product shipment (or pick-up.)
  • Back orders are a gray area with PayPal.  According to the Federal Trade Commission rules we are not supposed to hold a customer's money for more than 30 days without supplying product.  Since PayPal is a pre-paid method (unlike a credit card) this obviously can create some complications.

  See the Federal Trade Commission's A Business Guide to the FTC's Mail or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule:
  http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus02-business-guide-mail-and-telephone-order-merchandise-rule

• Is IPD affiliated with Volvo?

  IPD is an independent aftermarket and OEM parts supplier.  Although we do sell lots of Volvo OES products, we are not affiliated with Volvo (or Ford or Geely.)

  We have access to the same systems and warranty policies of any independent repair facility.

• How do I contact IPD? What are your business hours?

  The IPD Group is a real brick and mortar business.  We employ a helpful Customer Service staff to answer your questions and take your order. 

  Give us a call during business hours: 800-444-6473   (503-257-7500)

  You can also send email to sales@ipdusa.com and we'll answer your questions as quickly as we can.

  Our business hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM (17:00) Pacific Time. 

  The current date and time at our location is Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - 7:54:47 PM (19:54).

• Does IPD have a store where I can buy or pick up merchandise?

  Yes we do.  Here is a link to Google maps.   Also here is more information about our facility.

• Shipping Information
  • How much does it cost to ship this item?
    We get lots of emails asking us to quote freight.  It is much faster if you do it yourself by using the real-time freight calculator on our website.   We offer a shipping calculator on every product page, on the shopping cart summary page and during checkout.
  • How long does it take to get my parts?
    This really depends on whether the item is in stock and what shipping method you choose.  See the freight calculator on the website for transit times.
  • Do you ship Internationally?
    Yes, we ship worldwide daily.
  • Why won't you ship my (large) item by postal/mail?
    There are many countries with postal package weight and dimensional restrictions. Our website shipping calculator is aware of these restrictions and won't offer options not allowed by your country.   APO and FPO addresses do cause problems because we have no way of knowing whatthe destination country is so we occasionally get these packages rejected by the post office..
  • What shipping companies or couriers do you use?
    We primarily use UPS, USPS (Postal/Mail) and BAX (Burlington Air Express.) 
  • Can you ship my stuff cheaper?
    Maybe but it really depends on what we are shipping.  Small shipments (under 50 pounds) really aren't worth shopping around as the savings is small.  Bigger shipments could potentially save some money using BAX over UPS.
  • Are duties and taxes included in your shipping quotes and charges?
    No.  Taxes and duties are not included in shipping charges and may be collected by the carrier upon delivery.
  • Can you mark the items at a lesser declared value or as a gift/sample for customs so I can avoid paying taxes and duties?
    Nope.  You don't stay in business for over 45 years by disobeying the law. In order to continue exporting products and avoid fines, we will not break the law. Your tax experience may vary by the method you choose.  For example, we have heard from Canadian customers that their postal (mail) carriers sometimes don't bother with import taxes. UPS will always collect taxes.
  • I don't see my country listed as an option in the shipping calculator
    There are a few countries that we are restricted from shipping to but you'll need to contact Customer Service to check yours.
• Do you keep my credit number on file? How secure is my personal data?

  Our web site only stores your credit card data until the order is transferred to our in-house order processing system.  The card data is temporarily stored on the web server using 256-bit encryption in a secure database. Credit card information is purged when the order is imported in to our internal order processing system.  Our web server is PA-DSS (PCI) compliant and the server and external IP addresses are scanned daily by McAfee Secure and quarterly by Security Metrics.

  Our web server is hosted in-house running on separate equipment on a separate firewalled network subnet.  Our server is a self contained application server and does not use any external systems for data storage.  Direct access to this machine is limited to essential personnel and the machine itself is sitting in a restricted access server room. 

  Our internal order processing system utilizes user security and limits what users can do on the system including access credit card numbers.    Once a customer service representative has entered your card number (when you phone in) and closed your order, the card number is no longer visible to them.  You will need to give us your card number each time you place a new order.    We do have the option to save a credit card number for future use if you request it but it is not standard procedure.  Only the last four digits of stored numbers are visible to employees. Our order processing system is certified PA-DSS complaint.

• Do you share my personal data? (email, address, phone, etc.)

  We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our customers.

  We will will ask you to supply various personal data when placing an order, such as name and address, credit-card information, email address and what vehicles you own.  We use this data only for the purpose of filling an order or communicating with the customer or supplier about the status of an order.  We also use email and mailing addresses for sales promotions.

  We treat this customer information as private and confidential, and we will not disclose this information to other individuals or organizations unless required by law.

  We will not distribute any customer information to be used in mailing lists, surveys, or any other purpose other than what is required to perform our services.

  We DO NOT sell our customer lists.

• When does my credit card get charged for an order? Can you charge me in advance?

  We authorize your card for the stock we have available at the time of order entry.  Typically, back orders are not authorized until the stock becomes available. In some cases the entire order gets authorized.

  Authorization means that we placed a hold on the funds but haven't actually captured them yet.   This means the money is "held" or reserved for the merchant that did the authorization.  It doesn't mean that you've actually been charged yet. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorization_hold for more information about credit card processing.

  Your funds are captured when we actually ship the products.  This means that when our shipping system confirms shipment, our order entry system collects funds against the prior credit card authorization. This is when you are actually charged for the products.

  You may cancel your order any time before it ships and your card won't be charged.  Usually any credit card authorizations are voided at this point but depending on your credit card company, you may need to wait for the authorization to expire to have access to that "held" money.

  95% of the credit card companies in the world hold card authorizations for 5-7 days.  There are a few that hold them longer.

• I don't see a part I am looking for on your website. Can you get it?

  Our website may not have all of the products we sell because we have so many part numbers, but we are working to make the website as complete as possible.  Our website is far more current and complete than our catalogs and we are adding new items almost daily.

  If you are seeking a product that we have not sold before or currently do not have listings for, we may be able to source it through one of our various suppliers.  We recommend you contact Customer Service for special order items.

• Your website shows a part as out of stock. When will it be available?

  That really depends on a variety of factors. We list a lot of products that we do not actually stock because it is simply bad business sense to tie up cash with slow moving stock.  We still want to offer you products that you may need but we can't justify actually stocking the slow movers. 

  We can usually get any item we list on our site.   We try not to list any items that are not readily available from one or more of our suppliers.  Typically, anything we don't currently have in stock is available to ship to you within a few days. We list lead times on every page with the product details.

  If there are no commitments against a slow moving product, we may not bring it in until there is an order for it. 

  Our website shows purchase order estimated arrival times, but that does not guarantee we will have stock available for new orders by that date.   We may only have enough product coming in to satisfy the current demand.  If you really want the product, we recommend you place an order for it so we know there is demand and can get the appropriate quantities coming from our supplier. We will notify you if the item will be back ordered and you can always cancel your order.  You don't need to worry about us holding on to your money because we never charge your credit card until the product actually ships.

  Backorders can be canceled at any time prior to shipment.

• Does IPD offer free shipping if I buy a certain amount of product?

  Generally, we don't offer any free shipping, but there are times that we do free shipping promotions that last for a limited time.  We typically send out post cards and emails stating when this will occur.

  That being said, there are times that we will reduce or eliminate the shipping costs of large orders or for repeat customers (phone-in orders only.)

• Does IPD offer volume discounts on products?

  Not normally, but depending on the circumstances, it is possible.  We do group buys from time to time also. 
  Please contact Customer Service to find out.

• Does IPD offer a Club/Forum/Military/Senior discount?

  IPD does not have a regular discount for forum or club members but we frequently run sales promotions and sales on our products.   We occasionally run forum promotions.  We do keep the prices on our maintanence and repair items very competitive.  Please contact our customer service department with any questions regarding this.

• Pricing discrepancies

  Despite our best efforts, a small number of items may be mispriced and if an item's correct price is higher than the price listed on our website, we will either cancel the order and/or contact the purchaser to notify them of the error.

• Will adding aftermarket performance products void my car's factory warranty?

  U.S. Federal law sets forth requirements for warranties and contains a number of provisions to prevent vehicle manufacturers, dealers and others from unjustly denying warranty coverage. With regard to aftermarket parts, the spirit of the law is that warranty coverage cannot be denied simply because such parts are present on the vehicle, or have been used. The warranty coverage can be denied only if the aftermarket part caused the malfunction or damage for which warranty coverage is sought. Disputes in this area usually boil down to arguments over facts and technical opinions, rather than arguments over interpretations of the law.

  Additional information: https://www.ipdusa.com/blogs/1/will-adding-aftermarket-performance-products-void-my-car-s-factory-warranty