How we do business

Comms

Hubjub is a purely online business. We don't have a storefront, we aren't set up for telephone orders, and we don't publish a street address. (You'll see a PO Box number on the delivery note if you place an order.) We only use e-mail to communicate with customers, but we're really good with that. Most queries get answered in less than a day, even at weekends. Since spring 2011 we've been experimenting with Twitter for announcements but the jury is out on its usefulness for two-way exchanges -- most technical queries are too long for the average tweet.

E-commerce

We do e-commerce via three well-known UK providers: RomanCart, ProtX and HSBC. The combination is relatively expensive for us but gives very good security to customers. We also allow you to checkout via PayPal if you prefer not to use a credit card directly.

Pricing

We source from all over the place, often direct from the manufacturer -- in which case we absorb a large portion of shipping costs and import duties. That makes us cheaper than buying from the US -- most of the time. The exception is when a US shop sets a deep discount to get rid of old stock. 'Phil Wood--50% off!' and so on. Don't hold your breath.

Stock, waiting and ordering (ahem!)

We follow US practice in dividing orders into two classes: stock and custom.

Stock items appear on the main site or in the Skunkworks. We keep them on hand so that we can send them out immediately we receive an order, usually within 36 hours.

Of course, there may be an unexpected run on a stock component. That will mean a delay--usually just a week or ten days--while the manufacturer ships us replacements. If that is the case, we will mail you soon after your original order to explain the situation, and we'll refund your money if you don't want to wait.

Custom orders cover items which we don't list on this site. You can follow the links from our pages to manufacturers' own catalogs to look at the items which we don't stock. It will almost always be cheaper for you to order these items through us than to pay retail plus tax and shipping when you order from the manufacturer.

Custom orders are often slow. The smaller manufacturers often don't keep stock, choosing instead to run off a batch when enough orders have been built up. Or they may sell out while their production schedule is booked up, leaving them unable to produce a new batch.

If you want to place a custom order, e-mail us. We will agree details of the deal including total cost, deposit and likely delivery time via e-mail, then keep you posted. We will not ask you to e-mail your credit card details.

Returns and refunds

Hubjub earns its markup by acting as an intermediary between manufacturer and public. If a problem develops with anything that we sell, you should return it to us. We will in turn mail it to the manufacturer. E-mail us for shipping instructions.

The exception here is Phil Wood. Phil's lifetime guarantee requires a direct link between consumer and manufacturer. In the unlikely event that something goes wrong with a Phil hub, you should contact the company directly for return instructions. We would still like to hear about the problem, of course.