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8: I didn't get an order confirmation within 2 work days.

Having sent many thousands of emails over the last few years we have discovered that occasionally one disappears into the electronic void never to be seen again. We also get a fairly large number of email confirmations back as undeliverable for various reasons. Usually because the Email address was typed wrong, your Mail box is full, or there is some Spam filter that stops our Mailing.  Most days we process 80 to 125 orders. In stock orders usually process within 2 to 4 work days. Occasionally an order may slip through the cracks. Please contact us if you haven't heard from us within 5 work days. We operate the shop under normal hours 9 to 5 Eastern time, Monday through Friday. You can send an Email to our Customer Service Desk.  You may hear from us by Email at any given time as we work when spare time allows. We try to take the normal holidays and most of the shop closes for a week around the 4th of July, so communications and shipping may slow at those times. Online orders continue to process and ship during this time.

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9: What does OEM stand for?

Original Equipment Manufacturer. These are original parts or subs as supplied by the product manufacturer or their parts distributor. These items are not your normal retail items. They are considered service parts by the industry. This means they are provided as repair parts to the manufacturers service companies. This is what makes them difficult for the average retail dealer to supply. Rarely are they in any type of retail packaging and OEM remotes seldom come with any instructions.

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10: Why does the remote I want say NLA?

No Longer Available.   NLA indicates a remote that has been discontinued by the manufacturer.   If there is a substitute offered by the manufacturer it will say use "brand" sub and there will be a link to the sub part.  If we have determined a sub or if there is a remote that has the same or more features, but the manufacturer does not supply it as a sub, we will indicate ERS Sub (Electronic Repair Service sub).  Occasionally a manufacturer will bring back a discontinued remote, but it is fairly rare.  Most of the time they throw away the mold. 

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11: What does ETA mean?

Estimated Time of Arrival.  Also referred to as Estimated Shipping Date. Used to indicate the manufacturer or suppliers latest estimate to supply a back ordered item. Normally these are fairly accurate, but the dates are still estimated and subject to change in either direction. Some of our suppliers will give an ETA a month in the future and on problem items they will increase the ETA by a month until they are able to supply the item or until the manufacturer discontinues it.  We have had remotes on National Back Order for as long as a year and a half and then have the manufacturer discontinue it without ever supplying the item or a substitute. Other suppliers will show No ETA even if it will only be a short back order. National Back Orders are classed when a manufacturer and all their distributors are out of stock for over 30 days.  There is typically nothing we can do to speed matters in the case of National Back Orders. 

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12: What are Generic Remotes?

Generic Remotes are remote controls designed to only operate a specific brand, but they are not built by the original manufacturer.  They do not have to be programmed and do not have any programming ability for other brands. Any generic remotes that have built in VCR functions will only operate the same brand as the TV.  VCR  menu functions or specialty features are not guaranteed, but they work most features on the models we have tested. They do not work any other items such as cable boxes or DVD players unless specifically noted.  Because the generic remotes are designed to operate a specific brand they have a much better chance of actually working the features of  that brands sets than universal remotes plus they don't have to be re-programmed when the batteries are changed. Generic remotes are best used as replacements for smaller sets with limited special features or sets with no listed substitutes when the original is No Longer Available with no manufacturer supplied substitute. See Policies For Compatibility Guarantee.

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13: Why are so many remotes listed as "Special Order"?

Just due to the sheer number of available remote controls there is no way to stock them all. And there are a large number of remotes that only a very small number of people would be interested in. We try to stock popular remotes and have about twenty five thousand in inventory at any given time, with more being added constantly. Most non stocked remote controls are available within 7-14 work days. Any that take longer than a couple of weeks will be on back order from the manufacturer and may not be available from any supplier.

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14: What Are "Posted Price" Orders?

Posted price is an old format that we don't use any more.

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15: Can I place an order by other methods than online?

We prefer online ordering to ensure accuracy in pricing and availability. Payment by check or money order are not options included in our online shopping cart. 

Send orders to:

Electronic Repair Service
623 Campbell Street
Thomasville, Georgia 31792

Mail orders should use the online shopping cart and follow the directions for your preference. This will ensure that your item will be reserved in our inventory.

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16: Why did my credit card fail?

Approximately 1 Out Of 20 Orders Are Held Up By Incorrect Credit Card Info!!
Be Sure To Read Number 3 & 4 below. 

There are quite a number of reasons for a credit card to fail.
These tips are for general problems that can prevent your order from held up.

A: To minimize exposure of your credit card and other personal information to the Internet we do not authorize your card online at the time of initial order. This gives you better security, but causes a higher volume of failed credit card charges.  In other words if you put your card number in wrong the shopping cart will not catch a problem and let you know while you are online.   If there is an error when we process your order it will either be declined or it will return an error message.  We then have to contact you for credit card information before your order can be shipped. Please double check your card number.

B: The second most common failure is "Declined".  Cards can be declined for a number of reasons. 

    1: AVS did not match. This is when your billing address info does not match what the credit card company has on file for you. At the time of authorization the credit card processing company performs an "Address Verification Service" request from your credit card bank.  The bank uses this info, as well as order cost and other variable factors, such as your account status, in the decision to authorize your card.  All orders that don't exactly match are not declined for this reason, but enough do that it is a problem. Always include a billing address if it is different from your shipping address. To insure the AVS match your street and ZIP should be entered exactly as the bank has it on your credit card statement. Also See Number 4. 

    2: Incorrect card number. See "A" above about card numbers. Occasionally a card will decline because an incorrect number made it look like a good card number that did not fail on the normal errors and is declined because the other corresponding info does not match.

    3: An incorrect expiration date will sometimes cause a card to decline. Because credit card date is often taken from a drop down list as in our shopping cart be aware of how easy it is to accidentally change the date after you have selected it. This is especially true if you use a "wheel mouse" of any kind.  Also be aware that the shopping cart takes the time and date from your computer system. The range of available card expiration dates is calculated from this info. If your computers date is off by years, or if you are using some non standard OS or browser you may not get a valid date range. Should this happen just enter your expiration date in the notes section. The Order You See When You Place The Order Is Exactly what We Will Receive.

    4: Some Banks Will Decline Your Card If You Do Not Include The Card Verification Number.  See Credit Card Verification For More.

No Orders Over $50.00 Or Orders That Have Different Shipping And Billing Addresses Will Be Shipped Without A Valid Card Verification Number.

And Always Remember!!
Your Credit Card Will Be Billed By:
Electronic Repair Svc.
Not NewRemoteControl.com

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17: What Is The Inventory Status?

Our online catalog pages derive the information in the third column from a database that is maintained on our server. This database is updated every weekday and the information about stock and availability is usually very accurate. We try to maintain enough stock for popular items that availability is no problem in most cases.  Low volume items that are only stocked in single pieces will occasionally have more than one order before the stock is replaced, but it's rare that it happens. Items stocked in singles are usually extremely expensive remotes or remotes for slow moving specialty items or VCR's.

Normally Stocked = Stock is normally available for immediate shipping. On the rare occasion you catch us out of stock you will be notified with your order confirmation. Quantity orders are subject to available stock. Most normally stocked items are readily available in distributor stock and are replaced in our stock within a few days. We normally process orders within one to two work days after receipt. We may drop behind our normal schedule after busy weekends or during holidays.

Limited Availability = An item that the manufacturer has discontinued and we are selling off the remaining stock. When we get down to the last few we will often indicate the quantity remaining. All orders are first come first served.

Non-Stocking = Any item that has a slow sales volume and we do not keep on hand. 

Back Order = A manufacturer that has run out of available stock and our stock has also been depleted. This status is use when the manufacturer indicates that the item will be available again.  Any ETA listed by the supplier will be listed on our shopping cart. A listed ETA does not mean that the supplier will actually supply the product by the ETA. Many suppliers just increase the ETA by 30 days every month. We are at the mercy of the manufacturer to supply his product and there is nothing we can do to speed the process. If we know of an acceptable substitute we will indicate it on the site. Most National Back Orders are taken care of within 30 to 60 days, but we have seen back orders exceed 18 months and occasionally after a long back order the manufacturer will discontinue the item with out ever supplying any more stock or necessarily even a substitute.

No Longer Available = An item that the manufacturer has discontinued and we have run out of our stock. Occasionally we will leave the link up while either searching for more stock or waiting for the site to be updated. Usually if there is a substitute available we will have it marked in the shopping cart.

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18: Why can't I just return this remote?

Unless specifically noted all remote controls that are in our stock at the time of order may be returned in like new condition for exchange or refund. You must obtain a Return Authorization from the Returns Desk or 229-228-4964 before returning any item. Any items returned without authorization will not be processed and unless you contact us first will be considered abandoned in 90 days. You are liable for re-stocking fees and loss of shipping unless you included your model number on the original order and the remote does not in fact operate your set. Like new condition includes all factory packaging, any supplied manuals or instructions in unblemished condition, as little obvious handling as possible, and NO SCRATCHES. You will not be credited shipping and if the remote is not exchanged you will always be liable for a 25% re-stocking fee. All remotes listed as "Special Order" are low volume remotes that are special ordered for you. Special Order remotes may only be returned for exchange if defective during the warranty period. You WILL be liable for a re-stocking fee if you cancel a special order remote after our order has been placed with the supplier. In the rare instance that "Special Order" items are accepted for exchange they will always be liable for up to 50% re-stocking fees and loss of shipping. Please be sure of what you want before you order. When we place the order to the supplier it is usually processed and shipped to us the same day. Once this has happened we can not cancel the order without liabilities. ANY Remote returned to us in damaged condition including any scratches or broken battery covers will not be credited and the customer will be liable for return shipping. The item will be considered abandoned after 90 days.

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19: Why do you charge a re-stocking fee?

First be serious about wanting what you order and be sure to include the make and model of the set you are ordering it for and most of the time there won't be a re-stocking fee.   We verify the application any time the model info is included.  If you order without including model info you are totally liable for your application.  Most folks don't realize just what goes into the processing of an order. Not counting the basic overhead of the building, utilities, and all the goodies that go into being able to provide an Internet store,  from the time an order is placed you have an employee that has to first take the order and print it into a hard copy. It is then transferred into the shop computer for processing. Your credit card is processed, the item is pulled, paperwork printed, and the order is packaged for shipping. This averages about 15 minutes of a $12 an hour order processor's labor plus materials per order. An item that has to be special ordered usually adds another 5 to 10 minutes. If you return an order a clerical person that makes more like $18 an hour has to process in the paperwork, test the remote, and evaluate it for new condition. If it's still new it has to be repackaged and processed back into inventory. If it has acquired any blemishes it has to be posted as a second and sold for a loss. Processing in a return is rarely accomplished in under 30 minutes. Since the two times add together on a return quite frankly they are quite a loss even with the restocking fee added in. Thankfully we don't have many returns in relation to orders placed. Being a mass produced item, there is the occasional DOA remote that has to be taken care of by the manufacturers warranty. The suppliers also mess up occasionally by packaging the wrong part. In those situations we are at the mercy of the supplier to correct their problem. And being human, even we mess up every now and then. We've had a few wrong model/remote combinations posted(although it's usually from bad manufacturer info), and it's awfully easy to pull the wrong part because so many look physically the same. When we make the error we take full responsibility and try to correct the problem as quickly as possible. Most other returns would not be necessary if the model number of the set you are ordering for was provided on the original order. You should absolutely supply the model number if there is any question about the remote you are ordering. (Model numbers are located on a tag on the rear of the set. Service or suffix numbers should be included if available. It's always better to have too much information rather than not enough.) Just because it "looked like your old one" you shouldn't order it unless you are sure. There are many remotes out there that are in the exact same case, but have a different brain and speak a different language. You can be pretty sure of your replacement if the generic numbers printed on remote matches our generic number listing.

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20: Why can't I just use a universal remote?

Well often you can, but you will rarely be as happy with a universal as with the original. Universal remotes have a very poor track record for working all the features of particular brands. They are generally designed for main stream sets that don't have many features. They usually do poor with TV/VCR combo's or VCR's because they will rarely operate the menus. When using a universal the best advice is the get a universal that is made by the manufacturer of the set you want to operate. I.E.: If you have a Zenith TV your best bet for compatibility would be a Zenith universal remote. Often you still won't be able to access all the special menus, especially for high end, lots of bells & whistles sets. Large numbers of our customers have tried a universal or two before giving up and going for the OEM replacement.

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21: What about TV/VCR Combo remotes?

Everyone wants these to be TV's, but in most instances they are actually more closely related to the VCR. In a lot of models the only remote control that will satisfactorily work combo sets is the manufacturers original. In many cases even manufacturers that build their own TV's, have some other manufacturer build their TV/VCR combo's.

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22: Why the limited online help or phone support?

We have limited technical personnel available and OEM replacement remote controls are typically very specialized items. Usually if we have already done the research it's posted to the web site. If we have not looked it up before, the research involved takes 5 to 15 minutes it's not economical to hold on a phone. And very often a faxed letter to a manufacturers parts ID department is involved which takes several days. Many part numbers being researched are a once in a year (or less) request. The over all volume of actual orders is fairly low and the profit margin slim. We are fairly pressed for personnel due to our philosophy of having technicians in the key research areas. Be patient. We'll deal with all matters as quickly as possible. We always give remote controls a higher priority than other part requests. When making requests for unlisted models allow up to 14 days. If you haven't heard from us by then and your info still isn't posted to the correct page, please ask again. Things occasionally happen. :)

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23: Can you provide programming instructions or codes for my remote.

Keep your code sheets and your owners manuals. They are very important! The code sheets provided by the manufacturer for their remotes are copyrighted material and because we are a retailer we have been advised that we can not post this information. The only times we can post codes or programming info is when it was originally supplied by the manufacturer with a replacement remote that has now been discontinued. We do not collect this information from the remotes we sell and do not have this information available. The code and programming instructions are rarely provided with new remotes.   All remotes we sell are as provided by the manufacturer. The codes should be available in your equipment owners manual. Many manufacturers offer codes from their web sites, and there are independent sites on the web that list various remote codes. The only way we can offer codes is when provided with a new remote control or in an owners manual. Contact the manufacturer for support on these issues.

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24: I found the same remote cheaper. Can you match the price?

Well....... Sometimes. Send us the link to the remote you've found cheaper and we'll do our best. Consider the shipping charge into your total because we will consider it from a price matching stand point.  The truth of retail pricing is that if you hunt long enough, you can often find the same item at a myriad of prices. But some where along the way you have to decide what your time to hunt that lower price is worth. Many things determine pricing of a particular part, but what the retailer paid for it is the primary factor. We may buy an item for one price and have the manufacturer lower it's selling price before we sell our stock item.(sometimes it goes in the other direction too) We recently had a manufacturer that drastically lowered their selling price on most of their remotes. Since they don't send out a note telling us that this has happened, for a short time our pricing for that manufacturer was extremely high when compared to the manufacturers selling price at that particular time. We are constantly hunting quantity lots that can be purchased for less than normal dealer cost and because of this many items that we have in stock are priced lower than any other supplier any where that we have been able to find. There are some manufacturers that sell directly to the consumer, near or even below our dealer cost pricing. We can't really compete with these manufacturers except that our shipping charges are usually less, our shipping on in stock items is typically faster, our research materials are often better, and we have a technician that processes orders and often catches problems before they ship. These factors added to the fact that our selling price is usually not a lot more than the other source often make us the best choice. I've had some very positive comments from customers that admitted to ordering from us even though we didn't have the absolute cheapest price. And in the other light there are huge numbers of items posted to our site that we normally sell below the manufacturers suggested retail price and special priced items that may be well below normal dealer cost.  Another plus that we offer is that all of these pages were compiled by a technician who looks at these items with a different set of eyes than your average programmer or order processor. All of the original info and cross references are taken directly from the manufacturers service manuals or other reference materials. We have already found a fairly large amount of incorrect info that we have corrected, but the particular supplier or manufacturer hasn't. Although we may not know everything about all remote controls, we are in a much better position to find the answer if a problem or question arises, and we learn more every day. And as the final incentive for purchasing from us, you can rely on the fact that by ordering from us you keep the maximum amount of the money you spend in the US helping support a rapidly disappearing part of American business. We are an official small business(under 10 employees including our service center), and intend to stay this way. (we've already passed on a pretty good offer from one of the big guys who wanted to purchase our site)

Thanks for all your support!!
:)

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