Buying, warranty, etc...

First off. YES we ship to Canada, Europe, England, Australia, Mexico, Japan, China, others .. just ask :)

Short version:

• 1. Write us to tell us what you want.
• 2. We put you on the waiting list and try to give you an idea of the lead time. No prepayment required at all.
• 3. We contact you when it's your turn, we still ask for no money at this point.
• 4. We then build the pedal, you pay us for it only after we're done making it.
• 5. Once payment clears, we ship it out to you.

Be absolutely certain that you understand all of the information on this page. Our refund and return policy as well as our warranty policy are detailed below, be sure you understand their contents prior to purchasing from us.

We never wanted our website to simply be a computerized vending machine, we definitely prefer actual contact between our customers and ourselves. It just makes for better business, and better transactions, and happier people. Usually it all begins with a simple email to us.

1.) CONTACT: Write us and begin the conversation at brian@farndurk.com. Start with the basic info.

• Your name and your contact info.
• What pedal you want built.
• Details, options, colors, knobs, etc. We'll go over most of that again when your name comes up on the list for your turn, so a ton of details aren't too important at this stage in the game.
• This gets you on the waiting list and we don't need any money from you at that point. Now we wait ... we wait until the day when the awaited email arrives in your inbox telling you that your turn has come up! YAY!! Until then .. tick tock .. tick tock .. :)
• "Are we there yet?" ... ugh .. SHUSH ALREADY!

2.) BATTER UP: When your turn comes up on the waiting list we resume the tech talk and get your ideas lined out.

• NOTE: If you decide to back out when it's your turn to get started, that's fine ... we'll simply contact the very next person in line and remove your name from the list ... no muss - no fuss - no hassles - no questions asked.
• You may also request to get bumped ~down~ a week, a month, whatever in the event your finances aren't in the same condition they were when you first asked to be placed on the waiting list. We're people and we understand that life changes on you sometimes. You may have the best of intentions but living as a human in the 21st century has challenges that sometimes force us to negate our original course and heading requiring us to follow a new set of directions ... Missi and I get that. So we're ok with changes or the need to back out.
• We'll contact you to inform you it's your turn, and to see if you're ready, and to detail out the build.
• We'll also have you confirm the details and prices in a confirmation email. This might take a few emails between us to get this all properly ironed out .. to the Nth degree .. which is totally cool.
• We'll need your *ship-to* address at this point so Missi can figure shipping costs and add them to your estimate. We typically use USPS unless you prefer another. And jsyk we never *mark up* shipping costs. That stuff is expensive enough without us jacking you for another chunk.
• Once you approve the details and the pricing we begin the build for you. Estimated completion times will be detailed at this time as well.
• As soon as you've signed off on everything and ok'd what has been discussed, I get started building your order.
• .. more tick tock .. tick tock .. but not TOO much, I don't get paid until I'm done building your pedal, do I, now!

3.) GET BUSY: As for the pedal build itself (the actual construction) it's a pretty free flowing procedure. About the only things that get in the way is if the powdercoating shop gets bogged down or we have issues getting those mondo trick NOS MilSpec parts I use. I use a lot (I mean a LOT) of NOS MilSpec parts that are sometimes a certified sumbitch to get my hands on. We even punch out our own flatwashers (the ones for the footswitches) made from surplus MilSpec stainless steel sheets! At times we've run into pedal delivery issues due to difficult availability of some of the parts and internal components that I use in Farndurk pedals. So that gets in the way sometimes. The actual construction portion is a bit more consistant than the parts stocking situation. This building part of the process can be as short as 7 man-hours, and as long as 16 man-hours+. Depends on what sort of critter we're putting together for you.

• We start by building your PC Board to the specs we've discussed during the email/ordering process.
• Next we do the layout, metal stamp the lettering (all by hand) and drill all the holes for the control plate components.
• Then we finish the last of the metal prep work. We make certain that the pedaltop is flat. This is a big deal, and time consuming as well. After all of that hammering (up to 90+ hammer-strikes when doing the hand lettering) the pedaltop can get even more warped than it was from the factory. So, the top is made as flat and as square as possible. Then the screw holes are machined and deeply countersunk, and lastly the edges of the top are prepped.
• Then the fully metalworked pedaltop is ready for finishing. If you've opted for the Aluma finish, we begin the surface grinding and polishing procedure. Again all by hand. No machines are used in the procedure at all .. OR .. if you've opted for a standard powdercoated finish, the top is delivered to a local powdercoating shop where it is powdercoated with our own powder that we have made to our specs and baked on at 400 degrees.
• Once the top is completely done, we begin assembly of the control plate by installing the control components. We use Loctite on each part, as well as using stainless steel hardware on many of the parts on the top.
• Once assembly is done, then the final wiring is tackled. This can be the longest and most tedious part of the build. Great attention to detail is paid to wiring up your pedal. It can make the difference between a good pedal and an excellent one.
• Once completed, we test each pedal with an actual guitar and an amp, not just for a few seconds, but for at least 20 minutes or so. (It's one of my favorite parts of each build!).

4.) SHIPPING IT OUT: Time to get your order on the road.

• When your pedal tests ok and is done, we email you with an invoice and pics.
• At this point we'll need your PayPal address, or some idea of how else you wish to pay.
• Once payment clears you're emailed a tracking number, and we ship your order out to you. We have found PayPal transfers to be very secure and easy to do, so we'll probably stick with that method for on-line payments. I feel it unlikely that we'll ever have shopping carts or checkout. We also accept money orders as well. Let us know which way you want to go and we'll see if we can do it for you. Worst thing that could happen is we'll say "no thanks".
• We normally use USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation and we insure each package for the full amount you paid for your device(s). If you have another shipping method you'd like us to use, no problem, just let us know!
• We keep your payment held in an account until either the three day evaluation period expires or you write us and tell us to go ahead and deposit the payment, which ever happens first. This keeps your money readily available in the unlikely event that you need to return the custom pedal we built for you. Hey, stuff happens sometimes .. we get that.
• Be certain to make time to read the Warranty section and the Refunds section (both below) so you have a full understanding of how our refund process works. No excuses for not knowing!

Ok, so we built your order, you've then paid for it and the pedal has been shipped. At which point we hold your payment to us until the return period has expired. This guarantees there is plenty of money available in the event that you wish to return the pedal for a refund. Keep in mind we're building only one pedal at a time any more so this fund management is easy, it's not like we're trying to manage numerous builds with numerous customers' payments in some bank account. We're only managing one transaction at a time so keeping clear view of your money is easily done. We really like this setup, and I think you'll agree with us. It certainly reduces the risk of not getting a timely refund if desired.

Now understand that there are some exceptions here. If we build something so off-the-wall custom for you and after all of our time and effort you go through "buyer's remorse" or whatever ... we're gonna need to discuss the whole refund/return issue. Mega-custom units must be handled differently than more standard type builds. This would be something that would come up in our conversations while you and I are spec'ing out your order. So it isn't like it would be sprung on you at the last second or whatever. If you're ordering something that might be an exception to the standard return/refund policy then you'll be made aware of that fact right away and we'll not continue until we know that you understand that. I don't manipulate people like that, so you'll be given every due notice if something you are ordering may be an exception to our standard policies.

• We give you three days (from our receipt of delivery confirmation) to check out your new Farndurk effect.
• If you don't like it ... send it back. It's that easy. Just write us first so we know what's up.
• The effect must be in brand new condition, no stickers or velcro on it, no marring in the finish, etc... And the (inner) box must be kept nice as well. I have to be able to sell it as a brand new pedal. If it isn't in brand new condition when you return the effect, write us first, we'll work something out.
• Your purchase is then refunded. LESS:
  • Shipping you originally paid to get it from us to you (you paid the shipping company to get the new pedal to you, and they got that done. There's no reason to refund this).
  • Shipping and handling costs you incur when you return the pedal to us.
  • You are responsible for the full amount of the pedal if it gets lost when you ship it back to us. That means if it gets lost in shipping, no refund. So we strongly suggest insuring it for the full amount you paid us for it. If we do not receive a pedal, you're not getting a refund. Period. So make responsible choices when you ship it back to us. A couple of bucks for insurance beats losing your entire purchase price to thieves or shipping company fuddups.
  • We apply a flat restocking fee of $10 per device. We get hit with money transfer fees, Paypal fees and the like. Plus I have to test out the pedal again to make sure it's ok for the next person, which all takes time. I think renting a custom made pedal for $3.33 per day is a pretty good deal. I mean you get three days to use it and then are charged ten bux for it's use plus round-trip fully insured shipping. That's seems more than fair, don't you think so? (wink wink). :)
  • For example if you paid us $150 plus $12 in shipping, plus another $12 to ship it back to us ... you'll be refunded the $150 (less the $10 flat restock fee) ... so your total refund comes to $140.00. We submit your refund after we receive the returned pedal in the condition as described above.

We offer a limited lifetime warranty with all Farndurk products. This warranty is fully transferrable and extended to anyone that owns our pedals. So if you buy a used Farndurk pedal we'll cover it under warranty.

There are some exceptions. Negligence is not covered by our warranty such as angry girlfriend damage, barfight damage, using the wrong power supply ... (you see where this is going, right?). Also footswitches. We warranty them for one year after date of original delivery (no matter who owns it at that time). So if you buy a used Farndurk pedal that is only three months old you still have nine months left on the footswitch. Yes, we can track our pedals that closely. :)

Mods: (void).

Please note that if you perform modifications (aka "mods") this will void your warranty. While we encourage the experimenters and free-thinkers out there to extend our designs, we obviously can't warranty someone else's workmanship. However, if there is a failure due to Farndurk's workmanship, we will take care of you. We are confident in our work and our warranty reflects that.

Footswitches: (five years).

We use the exact same 3pdt imported footswitch that 99.9% of all pedalshops use. For the most part they hold up just fine. Now and then we run in to one that wasn't quite up to specs. While rare, it does occur from time to time. We have a limit of five years of warranty that we offer for these footswitches.

Capacitors: (ten years).

As of 2012 we use only the best caps we can locate. We use USA made caps that are rated at a minimum of two thousand load hours. Many of our caps are rated at six thousand load hours. We warranty our circuits for hte lifetime of the designer/builder (me) however we warranty the caps for a period of ten years after "original date of birth" of the unit in question. We keep ridiculously accurate and detailed construction records of every device we sell. We base this capacitor warranty on the birth dates shown in our records.

Grey areas?

We are pretty fair people, and we want only to make our customers happy, so if your situation falls somewhere in the "grey zone" of warranty coverage, we will do our best to make certain the outcome is fair and equitable for both parties. Good communication is the key.

Ask us about the availability of "demo pedals". I have a few of them .. Model 9, Joe, RTOC, one or two others .. that you may use for a bit to try out. You're responsible for fully insured round trip shipping. I don't charge any fees or rent or whatever for the demo pedals.

• For the most part there are generally two types of "demo pedal people" ... (demo pedal people are people that should consider trying out a demo pedal before buying).

  • Policy Abusers: There are some folks out there that actually buy something with almost no intention of keeping it who's main intention is not one of respect, but rather one of exploiting/abusing a return policy. We have actually had a few of those in the past, thankfully only a few. They know who they are, and these types really need to go with a demo pedal rather than wasting our time with games. They can play games with others if they like, but here we just want to get past all of that and get down to the business.
  • The Respectfully Cautious: Then on the opposite side of that issue, there are those that respect us enough to not have us build them an entirely custom pedal on a "feeling of maybe". So rather than hiding behind a return policy and going "almighty consumer" on us ... they respect us enough to want to try out a prebuilt demo unit instead of making us build them something on a "maybe" and then abusing our return policies. I'm totally cool with someone being a bit skeptical about what we build (if I weren't I would not have made demo units .. right?) .. but I'm a bit less cool with return policy abusers ... you know who you are!
  • So, it's no matter to us .. whether you be abuser or respecter we have a few demo units available from time to time. They are not even close to pretty but they work great. The Model 9 has had the hell beat out of it and it's still honking along just fine!

Some pedals build quicker than others, and other factors affect lead times. That having been said, it's best that we advise you of the lead time of your particular project when we work out your order.

If I'm building something custom for you, we'll work out lead times during the ordering process.

We've been told that one of our strong suits is that we are good communicators. We really try to keep you as informed as possible as to the status of your order with regular updates. We like to make sure we can live up to our claims, so we try to give you practical lead times rather than "estimated" or "promised" lead times. Every effort is made to deliver your purchase from us in as timely a manner as possible.