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Customer Service and Help
Sections:
- Membership and registration
- Display settings
- Searching and browsing
- Browsing by “tags”
- Shopping basket and ordering
- Checkout Information
- Shipping (UK and International) and Product Availability
- Used books
- Contact information
If you have further questions after reading this page please contact us.
Membership and Registration
- Membership
- You are able to browse, search and purchase from the site without registering. You are required to become a member if you wish to review items or comment on blog posts. Membership is free and you also get a 10% discount off your first order. If you become a member, we are also able to pre-populate checkout forms and other contact request forms.
- Membership – Creating Your account
- At the top of every page is an option to “Join Us”. If you select this option you will prompted to register and create your membership account. You will need to provide a username, email address, password and agree to the terms and conditions of membership.
- Membership Page
- Each member has their own member’s page on the site. This page includes information about you such as your favourite sport, most interesting fact or what you’re currently reading. In addition it will also display your most recent book reviews or blog posts. You get to decide how much personal information is displayed about you on the site. Once you’re registered simply select “edit profile” and choose the options that suit your preferred profile.
- Members’ Community
- The members’ section lists all the latest member reviews, the most popular reviewed titles and other highlights from our members’.
Display Settings
- Personal Display Preferences – Members
- If you’re logged in as a member, you can amend the “recently viewed items” facility. It is defaulted to 10 items but if you want to change the number of items to display, select “edit profile” from your member page and then amend the number to your preferred option in the “personalise your store view” section.
- Personal Display Preferences – General
- Search displays are defaulted to 10 items per page. If you want to change the display (to 20, 50 or 100 per page) then choose the relevant number from the drop down box and select “go”. If you have cookies enabled, then your preference will be remembered throughout the remainder of your session.
- Site Presentation – Spelling
- We use local variations on the site depending on the origin of a product. If a title has, for example, “colour” or “programme” in its title or description that will indicate it’s a UK title. If the same words appear as “color” or “program” that will indicate it’s a US publication.
Searching Word Of Sport
- The Search
- Our search facility allows you to search titles, authors, keywords, phrases and ISBN. You can also search across different product types (books, dvds and prints) and you can also search the entire database including reviews (from both publishers, word of sport and the critics) and blog posts.
- There are 2 search facilities available – quick and expert:
- Quick (Standard) Search
- This is the broadest search. This search will search across all product types and all areas of the database (with the exception of authors). This search does not include frequently used words such as “and”, “of”, “the” etc.
- The quick search also allows you the option of searching by ISBN. If you know the ISBN, this is the quickest way to find a title. Please be aware that different editions of the same book will have different ISBN’s.
- Expert (Advanced) Search
- If you want a more detailed search option then you should choose expert search.
- By default, the expert option will search for “all words” across titles, subtitles, reviews and all product types. You are able to apply filters to the search criteria to limit the number of fields that are searched. For example, you could choose to select to search for “exact phrase” in titles and subtitles and only within books. This would reduce the number of possible returns.
- You are also able to use the advanced search to search by author. If you select search by author, you will not be able to search any other fields at the same time.
- Entering a partial name eg surname only, will return all authors with that surname. Entering the full author name will restrict results to those that match the full name. You should not separate the author names with additional characters such as commas. If you do include additional characters the search will not obtain any results.
- Search Results
- Most search results are returned according to their relevancy to the search criteria. There is no option to reorder the search results although you can choose to alter the number of results per page to your preferred setting by making your selection from the drop-down menu and selecting “go”.
- Author Search Results
- Results returned using an author search can be reordered by title, publication date (latest/oldest) or price (highest/lowest). You are also able to amend the number of results per page to your preferred setting by making your selection from the drop-down menu and selecting “go”.
Browsing Word Of Sport by “Tags”
- What are tags?
- Tags are descriptive keywords or phrases. We have organised our classification system by tags. A product can have an unlimited number of tags associated with it. This enables us to present items in multiple listings and should assist a user when browsing as you’ll be able to locate the same item in a variety of different ways.
- How to use them
- As an example of the way tags are applied consider the tags applied to a book on Arsene Wenger. It could have the following tags: biography, managers, Arsene Wenger, football teams and Arsenal FC. Selecting any of those tags will reveal that item - as well as any others that have that been allocated that tag.
- Finding items on teams, sports ,events or people by tag
- The primary tags are sports. If you select a particular sport, you will be presented with a list of the entire range of items (books, dvds, prints etc) that have been allocated to that tag. The results are defaulted by publication date but you can sort the results by title (ascending/descending), publication date (ascending/descending) and price. Choose your preferred display option from the drop-down menu and select “go” to reorder the display.
- You are also able to browse by individual teams (team tags) or the “others” list. The “others” list includes both generic groupings like managers or American Football Teams as well as tags specific to individuals like Bob Paisley or Babe Ruth. Selecting a generic tag, can produce quite broad lists (for example American Football Teams will display items associated with every American Football Teams. Tags about individuals or events are specific to that person/event only and are therefore a highly targetted way to browse.
Shopping Basket
- Shopping Basket Summary and Purchase Options
- To order a product from us online, browse the site for products of interest. On each item page you will have the option of adding the product to your Shopping Basket. Adding an item to your Shopping Basket does not commit you to buying it – you are able to remove it prior to confirming your order.
- Once you have placed one or more items in your Basket, and you’ve finished shopping, you can review the products you have chosen. Simply select “view basket and checkout” and you will be presented with a summary list of all the items you have selected. If you no longer require a particular item, then remove it from the basket and select “update basket”.
- Once you’re happy with the items in your basket, you are then asked to complete the “purchase options” section. If you have a promotional voucher available you should redeem it now. You will also be asked to confirm the country the item is being delivered to and your shipping preferences.
- You will be presented with a summary of your order including item total, shipping charges and any applicable VAT charges. If you’re happy with these details then select the “Checkout” button to proceed to the next stage.
Checkout Information
- Billing and Delivery Information – Step 1
- If you are a member and you have completed your profile, the billing information will be pre-populated using the information you have already provided. If you are not a member you have the option of becoming one (and qualifying for 10% discount) or proceding without registering. If you do not want to register for membership, you will need to complete the form from scratch. If you’re sending the goods to the same address as your billing address, you can select the “use billing address” to duplicate the information and save yourself from retyping the same information.
- Checkout Summary – Step 2
- Review the billing, shipping and product summary before proceeding. If you need to make any changes, use your browser’s back button to return. Once you’re happy with the information provided, select “confirm”.
- Card Details – Step 3
- During the checkout stage you are required to enter the card number you will use for the purchase. The transaction is processed using Sage Pay’s Secure Server and information is encrypted. Further information about Sage Pay can be read in our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
- Card Payment
- We currently accept the following card types: Visa, Mastercard, Switch, Maestro, Delta and American Express. Unfortunately we do not accept Solo, JCB and Electron cards.
- Order Confirmation and Despatch – Step 4
- An e-mail will be sent to you summarizing your order. Your orders will then be packaged and posted to you. You will not be charged for any order until it is about to be posted to you.
- Order Progress
- Once orders are submitted an email will be automatically generated acknowledging receipt of your order. A despatch order email will also be sent once the order has been processed and has been despatched. If there is a delay with any part of your order, you will be advised accordingly.
- After placing an order you can check on its progress using the Order Tracker facility link in the “home” tab. If you want to cancel an order please email us. If the item has already been dispatched or if you are unhappy with any products you receive from us, you can return them to us for a refund providing that the relevant returns criteria are met. Full details of our Returns Policy can be read in our Terms and Conditions of Sale.
- Offline Orders
- If you do not wish to place your order online you can telephone us on 0845 094 2578 (if you are outside the UK dial +44 845 094 2578) and we’ll take your order over the phone.
- We also accept payment by cheque providing that it is payable in £ Sterling. Cheques should be made payable to Word of Sport Limited. Cheques should be sent to the following address:
Word of Sport (1121),
Access,
Unit 1, Thornton Road,
Edmonton,
London N18 3BA
UK. - If you would like us to reserve the item you’re ordering in advance of the arrival of the cheque, please contact us and we’ll arrange accordingly.
Shipping and Product Availability
- Shipping Information
- We deliver worldwide!
- As an introductory offer, any order over £20 being shipped to the UK is eligible for free postage. If you wish to take advantage of this offer and your order qualifies, you will be given the option of this facility in the basket summary (when you have items in it) and order preference page. Simply select the “2nd class” option and the order total will be recalculated and remove the shipping charges. Please note that orders sent by this service will be despatched by standard delivery and will typically take 3-4 days longer than the regular first class post.
- We use Royal Mail for all our deliveries. They charge based on weight and size. Our charges are based on the Royal Mail scale using an estimation for the weight of items in order to give you the very best deal we can on shipping. There is a flat rate “delivery charge” for each type of product, along with a small “per item charge” to reflect the increase in package weight and size. The exact charge you will incur depends on what you order and where it’s being delivered to. The table below summarises our current charges.
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UK 1st class and international standard airmail shipping charges: UK Western Europe North America Rest of the World Product Delivery charge Item charge Delivery charge Item charge Delivery charge Item charge Delivery charge Item charge Books £2.45 £0.50 £3.50 £1.50 £4.50 £2.00 £5.00 £2.50 DVDs/Videos £1.30 £0.35 £2.00 £0.60 £2.50 £1.00 £2.50 £1.50 Postcards / Prints £1.00 £0.20 £1.50 £0.50 £1.75 £0.75 £2.00 £1.25 Canvas Prints £4.99 £0.51 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Shipping regions and their constituent countries UK Western Europe North America Rest of the World - United Kingdom
- BFPO
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belgium
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- France (inc Andorra, Corsica and Monaco)
- Germany
- Greece
- Greenland
- Iceland
- Ireland (Republic of)
- Italy
- San Marino
- Vatican City
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- The Netherlands
- Norway (inc Spitzbergen)
- Portugal (inc The Azores and Madeira)
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Canada
- USA
- Everywhere else!
- For mixed shopping baskets (where different types of products have been ordered), the highest rate “delivery charge” will be applied. For example, if you ordered a book and a dvd and it was being delivered to Europe, then the charge would be £5.60 (£3.50 book delivery charge, £1.50 book item charge and £0.60 DVD item charge).
- Our usual service is to despatch items by first class post in the UK and by standard airmail for overseas customers.
- Next day delivery is available within the UK only at £5.50 flat rate.
- The delivery of canvas prints is currently restricted to UK addresses only. If you're outside the UK and are interested in purchasing a canvas print, please contact us.
- If you have specific requirements, such as a guaranteed delivery request, please contact us so that we can discuss your requirements in detail. We are happy to provide no obligation personalised quotations.
- Product Availability
- Please note that the messages we display about an item’s availability is not a guarantee. It is an indication of likely despatch time, based on our experience of the various suppliers we use. We try to maintain close arrangements with all our suppliers but there may, on occasion, be delays. Whenever there is a delay we will notify you. The total delivery time before you receive an item will be the item availability plus the shipping time.
Used Books
In additon to the new books that we sell, we also offer a range of used books for sale. We describe books as being in one of the following conditions:
- New
- A book that is unread and does not have any defects.
- As New
- No defects or signs of aging, but not quite in pristine condition. A book described “as new” would be suitable for presentation as a gift.
- Very Good
- Will be without tears or damage to the page or binding but will show some small signs of wear.
- Good
- Will show more obvious signs of wear. All pages will be present but they may show signs of discolouration. The pages may also contain markings or other forms of highlighting.
- Acceptable
- Displays significant signs of wear. Pages will be intact and may contain markings or other forms of highlighting. The binding, spine or cover may also show defects.
- Poor
- Severley damaged. Book may be soiled, stained or scuffed and pages heavily discoloured. Significant damage to the binding or cover.
Specific defects will be noted in the “condition description” on an item page. We may on occasion refer to a book using industry standard abbrevations such as VG/VG, Good/Acceptable or G/--. The initial part of the description always relates to the condition of the book. The second part refers to the condition of the dust jacket. If a book is issued without a dust jacket, the description will be displayed as “/--”. We will make every reasonable effort to ensure that the description accurately matches the condition of the book.
Contacting Us
Please see our contact us page for email and other information.
We’re available between 08.30 and 18.00 (BST) Monday-Friday, but operate reduced staffing levels during the weekends (and holiday periods) so we can’t guarantee they’ll always be someone available to talk to you. However, if you can’t speak to someone immediately, we’ll ensure that we get back to you at the earliest available opportunity.