Cookie Carnival is dedicated to offering quality products and outstanding customer service.  Below are our most frequently asked questions, however, if you question or concern is not shown below, please do not hesitate to email us at customerservice@cookiecarnival.com .  All emails will be answered promptly.
 

Do you have a catalog?
Because our gifts are change often throughout the year, we currently do not have a printed catalog.  Please refer to our website for our most current offerings.

After looking through your site, I still can't find the gift I have in mind.  Do you have any recommendations?
Well, quite frankly we find that hard to believe!  But please feel free to contact us if we can be of any assistance.  Or, you may visit our sister sites at www.ShopforGiftBaskets.com where you will find a huge array of gift baskets for any occasion, or www.BabyGiftsandBaskets.com for the perfect baby or new parent gift.

Do you share any of my personal information with other companies?
Never!  Information entered on our website during checkout can only be viewed by us.  Your information is encrypted using SSL (secure socket layer) technology.  Click here to view our Privacy Policy.

How do I contact you?
We are available during business hours by email or phone.  We can be contacted by email 24 hours a day.

Cookie Carnival
416 Jefferson
Elyria OH  44035

phone:  (877)321-9463
fax:  (440)322-6633
email:  sales@cookiecarnival.com

Can you personalize an order?
Most gifts can indeed be personalized.  All of our Cookie Bouquets can be personalized with your message on the center cookie.  Most of the Cookie Pots can be personalized by our talented artists.  Each product's detail page will indicate if personalization is available for that particular item.

How will my gift arrive?
Your gift will arrive as shown in the website photos, securely wrapped in cellophane or shrink wrap with bow and a personalized greeting card.  It will be packaged in a durable shipping carton and delivered by UPS, FedEx or US Postal Mail.

Are items ever substituted?
On occasion, some items in the candy bouquets and gift baskets may be substituted for other items of equal or greater value due to product availability and seasonal changes.  Chocolates are substituted in hotter temperatures.

Will my cookies still be fresh by the time they are delivered?
All cookie orders are baked fresh daily.  We do not offer ground shipping on cookie orders, so depending on the shipping method you choose, your gift will arrive no later than 3 business days after shipped from our bakery.  Cookies will remain fresh for up to 10 days.

Can I return cookies because I changed my mind, no longer need the gift, or it did not arrive when expected?
Sorry, but cookies cannot be resold and therefore we cannot accept returns or provide refunds in these circumstances if we shipped your order according to our policies in the manner you specified.

What if I am not satisfied with my product or your service?
If for any reason, you are not satisfied with your gift or our service, please send us a detailed message within 1 week to sales@cookiecarnival.com .  We will work with you to rectify the situation. 

If an gift arrangement arrives damaged, please contact us as soon as possible and retain all items and the shipping carton.  We will send a replacement or refund your payment.  If one certain component is not satisfactory, we will replace that item at no cost to you.

We cannot guarantee any items late or lost due to an incorrect or incomplete shipping address that you provided.  We do not guarantee any gift delivered to a hospital.

If your guaranteed air shipment arrives late due to a delay with the shipping carrier (FedEx, UPS, USPS or other) we will refund your shipping costs, with the exception of the following circumstances:

What is the shelf life of your food products?
Cookies will remain fresh for at least 10 days after we ship.  The food items in our gift baskets can last anywhere from 6 months to a year.

How do I find out the status of my order?
If you've received a shipping confirmation by email with the tracking number, please click here to track your order.  If you did not receive the tracking number, please email us at shipping@cookiecarnival.com .  Please include the order number and the purchaser's name.

What if I did not receive a confirmation after I placed my order?
A confirmation is sent via email automatically after you place your online order.  If you do not receive one within 2 hours after placing you order, please contact us.  It is possible the delay may be due to high web traffic, or you may have entered an incorrect email address on your order.  If you placed your order by fax or phone, we will send you a receipt by email, fax or regular mail.
 

How can I place an order for multiple recipients?
For placing orders of 5-10 recipients to different addresses, you may complete our excel order Form A.  For orders of more than 10 recipients, please complete excel Form B.  These forms do best if returned by email, however, they can be faxed to 440-322-4366.  For orders of less than 5 recipients, please enter each order separately online.

What methods of payment do you accept?
We currently accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.  We also accept PayPal and Electronic Check through PayPal. 

Payments can also be made by regular check or money order, however, your order will not be processed until your payment is received and has been cleared by the bank.  Please send payments to:  Cookie Carnival, 416 Jefferson, Elyria OH  44035 and include the following order details:

Is it safe to use my credit card online?
Information entered on our website during checkout can only be viewed by us.  Your information is encrypted using SSL (secure socket layer) technology. 

How soon will my gift arrive?
In general, orders that are received prior to 11am EST Monday through Friday are shipped the same day however, this is not guaranteed.  Seasonal peaks and unexpected occurrences may delay shipping until the next business day.  If a gift is needed for a particular day, please feel free to contact us by email to confirm that delivery can be made in time and which shipping method should be chosen.  When computing the delivery time in transit, do not count the day your order is placed (or the next if placing your order after 11am EST), nor should you include weekends and holidays. 

Most items we offer cannot be shipped via ground to insure freshness, however gift baskets can be shipped via ground at no charge.  Ground shipping can take up to 7 business days for delivery.

It is important to note that orders placed after 11am EST on Thursday for Next Day shipping are shipped on Friday and do not arrive until Monday.

In addition, it is possible that in some situations, a gift order that is received after 11am EST may still ship out that same day if our schedule permits.  So if you wish a birthday gift to arrive on a particular day and not earlier, please indicate so in the special instructions at checkout.

Can an order be delivered the same day I place it?
No, all orders are shipped via FedEx, UPS, USPS or other carrier.  The soonest your gift can be delivered would be the next business day if placing your order prior to 11am EST.

How soon will my order be shipped?
If your order is received on Monday through Friday prior to 11am, we promise to do everything possible to ship it out that same day.  Seasonal peak and other unexpected occurrences may prevent us from shipping until the next business day.   If we believe your order will not be processed within 1 business day we will contact you via email.  See our express shipping chart for delivery time in transit.

Do you ship outside the U.S.?
Due to the extremely high costs and to ensure the freshness of our cookies, we do not ship outside the 48 contiguous United States. 

Do you deliver to hospitals?
Shipping carriers will ship to hospitals, however we very strongly recommend shipping to the recipient's home or nearest relative.  Because the shipping carriers must deliver to the hospital dock, the hospital staff has the responsibility to deliver to the patient's room.  This sometimes does not happen in a timely manner and many times we have had the unpleasant experience of orders being "lost" within the hospital.    Other numerous occasions the recipient was discharged early.  Please note that if these situations occur, you will incur additional shipping costs for pickup, rerouting and redelivery.  We can assume no responsibility for gifts becoming lost or misplaced within hospitals, failure of the hospital staff to deliver the gift to the patient's room, or gifts arriving after a patient has been discharged.  The patient's room number must be included when placing your order.

How much does shipping cost?
Shipping costs are determined by weight, size of the shipping carton needed, and the shipping method chosen.  The shipping cost for each product can be viewed on that product's detail page.  All cookie gifts must be shipped express to ensure fresh delivery.  The express shipping rates are based on either the weight or the package dimensions, whichever is greater.  Because our gifts usually need larger size boxes, the air shipping cost can sometimes be costly.

What shipping methods do you use?
Our shipping carriers include UPS, FedEx, US Postal Mail and DHL.  The methods available for each item are listed in the drop down box on each product page.  Methods may include Next Day Air, 2nd Day, 3 day or USPS 2-3 Day Priority.  Because it is important to us that your gift arrive fresh, some shipping methods may be limited.

What if my recipient will not be home when their gift arrives?
If a recipient is not available, gifts will be left in a secure location (back door, front porch), weather permitting, at the discretion of the shipping carrier.  We do not require signature for residential deliveries to avoid delays and possible returns after repeated delivery attempts.  If the shipping carrier does not leave a package, a notice or postcard will be left informing them of the delivery attempt. 

What happens if the tracking record shows that my gift was delivered but my recipient says they never received it?
Please contact us as soon as possible if this situation occurs.  We will issue a tracer with the shipping carrier to try to resolve the issue.  Upon investigation, if the shipping carrier determines that is was not delivered, we will issue you a refund or send a replacement.  It is important to note that after a gift is picked up from our warehouse by the shipping carrier, the ownership of the gift passes onto you, the purchaser.  We are not responsible for stolen packages after delivery. 

What if I gave the wrong shipping address?
Please contact us immediately with the corrected information.  If your gift has not yet shipped, we will correct it immediately with no problem.  If your gift has already been shipped however,  we must wait until delivery is attempted  before we can change the address with the shipping carrier.  Additional charges will be incurred for rerouting.  Occasionally the shipping carrier will correct an address themselves if it is a minor change (transposed house number, omission of an apartment #, etc.) but they will charge $10-$20 for the correction.

What if I forgot to enter a shipping address?
Please contact us immediately so we can correct it if your gift has not yet been shipped.  If we have already processed your order, it will be shipped directly to you.

If I order more than one item, will my shipping cost be lowered?
Because our gifts must be shipped individually due to their size and for protection, we normally cannot combine items to lower your cost.  If small gifts are shipped to one location, we will automatically credit your account for any shipping savings.

What are consider to be business days when calculating delivery time?
Business days are Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.  Orders placed on Saturday and Sunday are received and processed by us on Monday.

Is a signature required for delivery?
Orders shipped to business addresses require a signature.  Orders to residential addresses may or may not require a signature and is at the discretion of the shipping carrier. If a recipient is not available, gifts may be left in a secure location (back door, front porch), weather permitting.  For the most part, we do not require signature for residential deliveries to avoid delays and possible returns after repeated delivery attempts.  If the shipping carrier does not leave a package, a notice or postcard will be left informing them of the delivery attempt.

Can I request a specific delivery date?
You can request a specific delivery date (no weekends or holidays) in the "special instructions" at checkout if placing your order in advance.  Please be certain the shipping method you select permits us to honor your requested date.  For example, if you select 2-3 day shipping, yet request a delivery date for the next day, your order will ship 2-3 day and not arrive on the day you requested.  Be certain when calculating delivery times, not to include weekends, holidays, or the day your order will ship (same day for orders received before 11am EST or the next day for orders received after 11am EST).  See our chart above.

Can I cancel an order?
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us immediately.  If we have not yet processed your order, we will refund your payment promptly.  However, if we have begun processing your order and have completed any personalization, depending on the gift you may not receive 100% of your payment.  If your order has already been shipped, we are unable to cancel the order or stop delivery. 

Is it possible for my gift to arrive earlier than the shipping method I selected?
Yes, this is possible depending on the delivery location.  In addition, we try to ship orders as soon as possible so if your order is received after our cutoff time for same day shipping of 11am EST, we may still ship the same day depending on our schedule.  If you do not wish a gift to arrive early, please indicate so in the "Special Instructions" at checkout.

How can I assure that my gift will not arrive early?
Please indicate any special instructions or requested delivery dates in the "Special Instructions" at checkout.

Can I order in advance?
Yes!  In fact we recommend it for the holiday season to ensure availability and timely delivery.  To order in advance, simply enter your requested delivery date in the "Special Instructions" section at checkout.  Please do not request Saturdays, Sundays or holidays for your requested delivery date.  Such requests will be delivered on the next business day.

Are the delivery times guaranteed?
Express shipping (2 day, 3 day, next day/overnight) is indeed guaranteed by the shipping carrier.  If your gift is not delivered in the specified time, we will refund your shipping costs.  Please note this is the shipping time in transit, not the time it takes prior to shipping for us to process the order.   Do not include weekends, holidays, or the day your order is shipped when computing processing time or shipping time in transit. We ship orders the same day if received before 11 am EST on a business day, the next business day for orders received after 11am EST.

What is the CVV2 entry box on your order form?
This is a protection against fraudulent orders.  It verifies if you actually have the card in your possession and is not just a card number obtained illegally.  For Visa and MasterCard, this is the 3 digits on the back of your credit card below the signature strip.  For American Express cards, it is the 4 non-raised digits on the front of the card. 

Why do I receive an Address Verification (AVS) error when trying to place an order online?
This means that the billing address you provided does not match the address the credit card company has on file for you.  Please hit the back button and enter the billing address your statements are sent to.  Wait a few moments and continue checkout.  If using a personal card for a company order, you may enter your company information on the Special Instructions.

I made an error when placing my order and I corrected it, but I now receive a "duplicate order" error message.  How do I continue to place my order?
After making a correction, please wait up to 4 minutes before continuing checkout.  This is a precaution against accidentally hitting the order button twice and processing a duplicated order and being charged twice.