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FAQ's
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Kyle Design's ORDERING AND SHIPPING FAQs
If I place an order today, how soon will I receive it?
How do I order?
How do I add a second engraving location to my item?
Can I have special characters or international letters engraved on my item?
I can't find the add to cart button - why?
Items placed in my cart disappear - why?
The amount of California sales tax does not seem to be calculating correctly - why does it seem high?
I think I placed an order, but why didn't I receive a confirmation email?
I need to place a second order shortly after placing my first one. Can I avoid being charged two shipping fees?
Has my order shipped?
Are all items in stock?
Kyle Design PRODUCT FAQs
Do you carry plastic switch plates?
Can I see a photo of the design/color/metal finish combination that I'm interested in?
I installed an electrical device, but it is not working. What do I do?
Why is a border design used on decorative combination plates?
How is the decorative metal cut?
What is the iridescent color film?
What is dichroic glass?
What is anodized aluminum?
If I place an order today, how soon will I receive it?
- Most orders ship within 1 -2 business days during non-holiday periods (January 15th - November 1st). During the holidays, 99% of orders are shipped within 2 to 3 business days. Please see the Shopping Cart Page for a daily update during holiday periods.
- UPS Ground Time-In-Transit Map provides expected ground delivery times to your area.
- Please see Shipping for information on shipping costs, methods and transit times.
- We will contact you if there is a problem shipping your order.
- Holiday Shipping Schedule lists order cut-off dates for holiday delivery.
- International Addresses - Please see our International Shipping page.
How do I order?
First, if you are on a broad category page (Ex. Night Lights) and see many different items with prices, click on the item you are interested in - this will take you to the Product Page where you can order it.
Once on the Product Page, you can find out more about the item and also customize it. Kyle Design makes all decorative items to order, so you must choose your options from the drop down menus between the orange "Add To Cart" buttons before adding an item to your shopping cart.
- Choose a Design: Enlarge the black and white design charts at left on the Product Page to view patterns available, making note of which category (Animals and Pet, Food and Nature, etc.) your preferred design is in.
- Select the Design in Menu: The first drop down menu is a two-step menu where you must select the category at left, then the design at right. (Ex.: Click on Food and Nature at left, then the list of foods, beverages and nature themed designs will populate in the list at right.)
- Choose Metal Finish: You have a choice of silver or gold finishes or most items.
- Other Options: There may be other options - size, package quantity, item depth, mirrors, beads, etc. that may need to be selected as well.
- Add To Cart: Once you have made the above selections, click on the orange "Add To Cart" button below them.
- Check Out: Once items are in your cart, you can either keep shopping or click the orange "Checkout" box to complete your order.
How do I add engraving to my item?
- Engravable: Most items on our site may be engraved. We offer traditional drag engraving (where lines are cut into the surface of the item) rather than laser engraving (which bakes a rough, black coating onto your item.)
- Single Location: Engraving options are usually built into a product if there is only one location that can be engraved, for ex., on the back of the Christmas ornaments.
- Multiple Lines or Locations: On items that can be engraved above a design, below a design, on the front and on the back, engraving needs to be ordered separately. There will be a link to Engraving Services in the text of the Product Page. There is an additional link on the Shopping Cart page as well. You will be given the options of location plus the number of lines desired. Please note: Longer lines will make all text smaller, so it is best to have shorter lines that fit the proportions of the area that can be engraved.
Can I have special characters or international letters engraved on my item?
- Yes, we can engrave some special characters and international letters such as a grave accent, acute accent, tilda, umlaut, etc.
- The following engraving fonts allow characters: Contemporary, Cursive, Optima and Script.
- Requesting Special Characters: Enter plain letters into the text box, then describe the special character needed in the Order Notes section during checkout. For example, "the second "e" should have a grave accent (mark going from the top left to the bottom right)."
- IMPORTANT: Do not enter ANY special characters in the text boxes because they do not translate correctly and instead are replaced by random letters. We have no way of telling if your text is just an odd or international spelling or is actually intended to be a special character.
- We are not responsible for customers' spelling mistakes or problems with special characters entered into a text box. If a customer chooses to enter special characters into a text box, they assume all responsibility for the engraving. It is not possible to fix engraving, so if there is a mistake, it will require ordering a whole new item.
I can't find the add to cart button - why?
- You need to scroll farther down the page. Scroll down below all text to find it. Make sure button in right scroll bar is touching bottom arrow.
- You are on an Information Only page. Look for links to product pages.
- Your page did not fully load. Click the Refresh Button at the top of your browser.
Items placed in my cart disappear - why?
- This issue often comes up with engraving. What usually happens is this: You are ordering a business card case. You select the metal finish, the design and the color, then you click on the link for engraving. The problem is, that takes you away from the business card case Product Page BEFORE it has been added to your cart. You must add the item you want engraved into the shopping cart FIRST by clicking the orange Add To Cart button. Be sure you see it in your cart, then click a link for engraving to add engraving to the shopping cart.
- Browsers use cookies to maintain your shopping cart, but only one set can be used at a time (this is a limitation of browsers, and not an issue with our site).
- If you enter our site from outside links, then click on other items live on our site, you may be switching between cookie carts, so that items in the first cart will not show in the second.
- We recommend starting fresh by clicking the top left logo on our site to begin your shopping, rather than the link which brought you to it and using the search box to locate the item in which you were interested.
The amount of California Sales Tax does not seem to be calculating correctly - why does it seem high?
- Sales taxes are charged on all orders delivered within California. Additionally, sales taxes based on delivery location must be charged on the shipping/handling costs for these orders as required by the State Board of Equalization. No sales taxes are collected on orders shipped to any other states.
I think I placed an order, but why didn't I receive a confirmation email?
- If you did not reach the Order Confirmation Screen with your Order Number at top, there may have been a problem with your browser. Please try clicking the Place Order button again.
- You entered an incorrect email address or your email box was full. Check your email and mail box account then email us immediately with your correct information.
- Your automatic Order Confirmation Email went to your bulk or spam folder. Please check these locations first before contacting us.
I need to place a second order shortly after placing my first one. Can I avoid being charged two shipping fees?
- If you need to place a second order, mention the first order number in the Order Notes section while checking out. If the first order has not been completed, we can then combine the two orders for a single shipping charge.
Has my order shipped?
- Order Status information can be found on the Customer Service page or in your shipping notification email.
- Your automatic Shipment Confirmation Email may have gone to your bulk or spam folder. Please check these locations first before contacting us.
Are all items in stock?
- Gift Items
Out of stock gift items are immediately removed from the site, so if you can put it in your cart, you can assume it is in stock. We will contact you immediately if there is a problem. - Switchplates
We stock more than 500 different switchplate sizes and finishes and we can run out of particular sizes. ("I'll take everything in that size you have on the shelf....") If your order must be shipped complete, please indicate that in the Order Notes section during checkout, otherwise we will backorder the plates. There is no shipping charge on back orders unless they are special order plates. - Electrical Devices
We can usually get out of stock electrical devices back in stock within a week.
Do you carry plastic switch plates?
- No. We only carry metal switchplates. Kyle Design specializes in metal light switch wall plates. Why should you choose metal over plastic switch plates? Here are some good reasons to consider:
Advantages of Metal Wall Plate Covers:
- More Sizes: Metal cover plates come in the widest range of sizes, configurations, depths and widths. Plastic, ceramic, wood or mirrored glass wall plates generally come in a very limited number of sizes with no options for getting other sizes. Kyle Design stocks over 200 sizes that are ready to ship, including oversized, narrow, old-fashioned or deep variations. We custom make many unusual sizes that you'll find exclusively here at www.kyledesigns.com.
- More Finishes: Our light switchplates and outlet covers are available in twenty different metals for all your finishing needs.
- Excellent Resource: Our wide selection of sizes and metal finishes makes kyledesigns.com an excellent resource for builders, contractors, electricians, home remodelers and owners of older homes in need of repair. Because we keep so many plates in stock for fast shipping, you can get the plate you need in time to meet a deadline, finish a job or pass inspection.
- Custom Options: If we don't carry the odd, rare or hard-to-find size you need, we can get you a quote to make one, even a customized plate for specialized equipment. So when you need to make changes to your home wiring or have a challenging construction job, you can rest assured that you will be able to get the switch plate size you need.
- UL Approved: All Kyle Design switch plates have UL approval. UL approvals help avoid potential building code issues by meeting requirements typically needed to pass inspection. The UL Mark is a widely trusted symbol of product safety and assurance. Underwriters Laboratory is a trusted resource across the globe for product safety certification and compliance solutions. Look for the UL Mark when choosing your wall plate coverings.
- Durability: Metal switchplates won't crack, peel or discolor over time. Furthermore, solid metal face plates will not bow or distort when installed.
- Go Green: Kyle Design's switch plates are made of steel, brass, bronze or copper and can be recycled when no longer needed. Simply take to your nearest metal recycling center or scrap metal buyers.
- Made in USA: Our metal switch plates are made right here in the U.S.A. (except for copper plates. ) So when you buy our metal plates online, you are helping to support American businesses and keeping jobs here in America.
- Attractiveness: Metal switch plates have a beauty, weight and surface quality that you won't find in plastics.
- Paintable: Metal switch plates can easily be primed and painted to match your walls.
- Sound: Metal switch plates have a solid sound to them as opposed to the thin, hollow, cheap resonance of plastic plates.
Can I see a photo of the design/color/metal finish combination that I'm interested in?
- Probably not. For example, on business card cases alone, it would require making and photographing 72,000 different cases! (40 colors X 450 designs X 4 case finishes = 72,000.) And we have hundreds of products!
- We ask that you use a little imagination and look around the site for the color combination on another product or view the examples of colors on different items in our Color Library. We appreciate your understanding.
I installed an electrical device, but it is not working. What do I do?
Why is a border design used on decorative combination plates?
- Design Overlays We have three types of decorative switchplate design overlays: Narrow, Outlet and Block. Narrow overlays are used on the Toggle plates and can be stacked across the surface for any size toggle plate. Outlet overlays can be used only on single outlet plates. Block overlays allow for the flexibility to use on any size block Decora plate as well as any combination plate.
- Design Variations Design variations must be made in order to accommodate all the shapes and combinations. There is no other way to work around the screw holes. A Decora opening overlay on a combination plate is the only solution. The screw holes from a toggle opening are in a different location than that of a Decora opening, so the design has to be higher than the toggle screws and lower than the Decora screws. An outlet opening is too wide to have more than 1/8" of design (in other words - none) as we would have to split the block overlay in the middle. The overlay again must be higher than the outlet opening.
- Tooling Costs In order to design an overlay for each possible decorative combination plate, and have it oriented correctly (Cats can't be upside down, for example) would require a $300 tool EACH, and that is for every design and every combination plate. In other words, $300 x 20 designs x 2 orientations x at least 20 combination configurations = $240,000, and this is just for the tooling. We would need to etch the metal and carry all that inventory as well. This would necessitate charging at least $1000 per plate, which prices it out of the market.
- Examples We show examples of the combination plates on each decorative switchplate page, for example here: Mission Style Switchplate. We feel this is the best solution for a decorative plate in so many hard-to-find sizes. We hope you can appreciate the effort that went into finding an affordable solution for your decorating needs.
How is the decorative metal cut?
- Acid Etching Etching is process whereby acid is used to cut through the metal and create the shapes. To begin, Kyle creates a highly detailed design, then converts it to a black on clear acetate photo tool. Professional acid etchers apply a photo resist to both sides of a sheet of metal. The photo tool is laid on top of each side and then exposed to light to set the design areas. The metal is then put through a machine which blows acid at both sides of the sheet. This etching process takes about 30 minutes, with the acid eating through from both sides to create openings and just on one side to create the detailing. Afterwards, the metal is formed, satin finished, antiqued, plated or lacquered as needed.
What is the iridescent color film?
- Iridescent Color Film
The shimmery iridescent color film used behind many of the central design elements is hand-made by Kyle in a proprietary process. The color tends to shift across the highly textured, bubbly surface of the film and also when viewed from different angles. The bubbles and variations in the surface are what create the depth of color by breaking up the angles at which it is viewed and should not be considered defects. The color does not fade and the surface generally wears well over time. The color effect is somewhat like fish scales or butterfly wings - very beautiful and eye-catching. It is difficult to capture this effect in photos and so you will find the pieces are much more spectacular in person. Like a rainbow, the iridescent colors are what they are and cannot be changed, so we also offer a number of anodized aluminum colors in shades that we cannot create in the iridescent film. If you prefer a less handcrafted look, we recommend choosing the aluminum for your color selection.
What is dichroic glass?
- Iridescent Color Film The dichroic glass we use is about 1/16" thick and has been vacuum-coated with thin layers of special materials. The resulting film reflects an array of brilliant colors that shift depending upon the viewing angle. These stunning colors are much more saturated than typical stained glass colors and must be seen to appreciate their special quality. They are not "one color" but shift across a range of colors when tilted at different angles. Click on Dichroic Glass Colors for more information and photos.
What is anodized aluminum?
- Anodized Aluminum
Many of our pieces incorporate anodized aluminum as well. Anodizing aluminum is an electrochemical process that creates a clear oxide layer on the surface of the aluminum. The oxide layer is very hard and porous which allows the metal to absorb color. When this porous formation is viewed under a microscope it looks like a honeycomb or sponge. Paint, ink and dye can be absorbed into this pore structure and then sealed to lock in the color. The colors are embedded in the aluminum itself, not just applied to the surface. It becomes part of the metal and so cannot chip off. The anodizing process actually improves the metal by making it resistant to corrosion, abrasion and temperature. We love using aluminum for the rich, brilliant colors possible with this process and have many colors custom dyed to our specifications. With thanks to EastWest Dye Com for the technical explanation.
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