Ordering and Shipping Information

If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase Please Call First!
Please do not cancel your order with your credit card company,
this will only delay any refund or credit due!
Instead Contact a Sales Representative @ 1-800-458-3687  or e-mail: salesdept@southern-tool.com

PLEASE READ BEFORE ENTERING ORDER

1. Your Credit Card will be charged in full at the time the order is processed. 

2. Allow 5-7 days delivery on standard shipments

3. Orders canceled prior to shipping will be credited back in full, no questions asked. This does not apply to orders for custom or non-stock products.

4. Any order canceled after the merchandise has shipped will be subject to a 25% restock charge and the customer is responsible for returning all merchandise to the appropriate warehouse. All packaging must be in original and sellable condition any alterations to original packaging may result in additional charges above the 25% restocking charge. (Example: Items returned in a box other than the original packaging making it impossible to sell as new merchandise.)

5. Any Order that has VISIBLE DAMAGE must be refused.  Please notify the sales department at 1-800-458-3687 and we will promptly reship your order. If an item has hidden damage only discovered after opening the package, please call our sales department at 1-800-458-3687 and we will be able to help you. 

6. Many items have "FREE FREIGHT" status however this DOES NOT INCLUDE Residential, Tailgate, Re-Delivery or any other additional service that a commercial freight carrier may offer. Any additional services offered by a commercial freight carrier as listed above are the sole responsibility of the customer receiving the shipment. These services can be arraigned in advance, however the cost associated with them are collected C.O.D. by the delivering freight line. "FREE FREIGHT" as indicated on the Southern Tool site is  considered "Curb Side Delivery Only" to one location. It is therefore understood that the customer receiving his/her shipment must have the means of removing the merchandise off the back of a commercial freight truck. PLEASE call us with any questions at 800-458-3687 Ext #1.

7. The only exception to policy number 6 is with all WMH items. Any item that begins with the WMH prefix has Residential and/or Tail Gate built into to the freight policy at no extra charge. HOWEVER the FREE tail gate service  must be requested at the time of order entry.

8. In addition ALL residential deliveries DO NOT not include placing any shipment in the shop, garage, home or carport this can be requested for an additional cost and is not included in any deliveries mentioned above. Resdiential deliveries are what is termed as "curb side" deliveries ONLY where the truck will unloads at the end of the driveway and street.

9. There is always an option that the customer may retrieve his/her shipment from a local freight terminal at no additional charge. The location of this terminal may vary. If you have any questions please call 800-458-3687 and ask one of our helpful salesperson.

10. "FREE FREIGHT" Does not include ANY Next Day or Second Day AIR Shipments. These shipments are available for items weighting less than 60 lbs at an additional cost. SEE the UPS chart at order enter for an outline of such charges.

11. All "FREE FREIGHT" is limited to the Continental US only. Any shipments to Alaska, Hawaii or any foreign locations does not receive "FREE FREIGHT". We will however, deliver to any freight forwarder or shipping point within the continental US at no additional cost if the items has "FREE FREIGHT" Status.

It is understood that proceeding with this order you have read and agreed with the statement above. These Terms and Conditions are stated here so you will have a good understanding of what to expect. These are conditions that have arose over the years and we wish only to give you an idea what to expect. Southern Tool has been Serving Customers Since 1926 and our parent company Smith Hamilton Since 1926. We know how to give good service, fine products, fair pricing and a helpful hand when needed. So please feel free to contact us anytime. Our business hours are typically Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. So give us a call @ 800-458-3687.

Smith Hamilton reserves the right to cancel an order at any time for any reason(s) deemed necessary. If a customer's credit card, check, wire transfer, purchase order or counter payment has been processed prior to the cancelation Smith Hamilton will refunded that payment if full 100% without penalties. 

Southern Tool / Smith Hamilton Delivery Freight Policy

Your Shipment is subject only to the fixed shipping rate provisions on this order, Southern Tool will not be responsible for any special handling fees including, without limitation, residential fees, lift-gate delivery, and staging fees imposed beyond the normal transportation charges. Delivery location must be unobstructed in every way and the road hard topped. If these services are arranged through Southern Tool, any such shipping charges not include in a fixed shipping rate will be listed as a separate line item on the invoice. Otherwise, you the consignee will be responsible for separately arranging and paying for any special handling.  Running a business on your residential property DOES NOT consuetude a COMMERCIAL address.

 ** Residential Deliveries - Does not include moving the merchandise into your shop, garage, home etc. The term "Curbside" which is your standard residential delivery implies delivery on the street at the end of your driveway. If a lift-gate is included on your invoice that implies lowering the delivery from the truck deck level to the ground ONLY.

To improve your customer experience and reduce issues with resolving freight exceptions we want to remind everyone about our freight policy and how to properly sign for incoming shipments.

It is important to note that just because you receive a Prepaid shipment it doesn’t negate your responsibility to properly notate and inspect the shipment within a timely manner.

It is critical that proper notations are made when signing for your shipment especially when received from LTL, Truckload or Flat Bed carriers.

Most issues occur when Delivery Receipts are not properly signed and delivery exceptions are not notated at the time of receipt. Southern Tool is providing this Receiving Instruction disclaimer along with our Freight Policy to provide guidance. Carrier policies strictly limit the amount of time that an exception can be documented after a Delivery Receipt has been signed free and clear (without damages noted). Failure to properly sign the Delivery Receipt or provide timely notification of concealed exceptions will result in Southern Tool’s inability to file a freight claim and will result in denial of credit.

Please review the policy in its entirety and direct questions to your Southern Tool Sales or Customer Service Representative, 800-458-3687.

Highlighted below are the instructions for Prepaid Shipment

EXCEPTIONS

Southern Tool strives to provide error free and undamaged shipments to your door but sometimes exceptions do occur.
We divide exceptions into two (2) distinct categories:

1. Freight Exceptions: Damaged or missing product while in the possession of a freight or parcel carrier
2. SOUTHERN TOOL Error Exceptions: Incorrect product shipped or missing contents

FREIGHT EXCEPTIONS

• Standard Southern Tool freight terms are FOB warehouse, specifically title and risk of loss for the product is assumed by the customer after the shipment has departed the shipping location

• A strict receiving protocol must be adhered to prior to acknowledgement of receipt via signature of a SOUTHERN TOOL shipment and if a freight exception is noted at the time of delivery, SOUTHERN TOOL has the option to file the claim on behalf of our customer

• If a shipment is signed for “free and clear” without any issues or exceptions noted at the time of delivery, or if the product has been moved from its original location, Southern Tool can NOT file a claim with the carrier and assumes no responsibility for the loss of product, without exception.

• A strict receiving protocol for SOUTHERN TOOL shipments has been outlined below to provide clear guidelines on how to properly document any exceptions that occurred during transit.

• If the proper receiving instructions have not been followed, Southern Tool is NOT responsible for resolving freight claims and the distributor could be financially liable for the products.

• Southern Tool policy follows the authority of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations 49 U.S.C. 13301 and 14706; and 49 CFR 1.87.

Receiving Instructions for SOUTHERN TOOL Prepaid Shipments

1. In advance of signing the carrier’s delivery receipt, inspect each handling unit (crate, pallet, or carton) for visible damage and verify the number of units received

2. If no visible damage or shortage exceptions exist, sign the delivery receipt and the transaction is complete

3. Open and fully inspect all contents within three (3) days of shipment receipt for missing items or damages

4. If items are missing, or damages exist, quarantine the product and save the original packaging

5. All missing or damage claims must be communicated to SOUTHERN TOOL Industries Customer Service within three (3) days of signing the Delivery Receipt. Any claims made post the aforementioned three (3) day window will not be accepted

Receiving Instructions for Visible Signs of Damage, Overages or Shortages

1. Open the shipment under witness of the carrier; being reasonable with your request to inspect the shipment, the driver will stay for a short period of time to allow proper documentation, if an exception exists

2. Note any damage or discrepancy on all copies of the carrier’s Delivery Receipt or Electronic Device

3. Be specific with your notes, detailing any physical damage or quantity exceptions a. Examples… “broken stretch wrap,”; “broken crate boards,”; “forklift holes through product ABC123,”; “Item ABC123 has holes in carton,”; “only received 1 unit of Item ABC123,”; “received 1 extra ABC123”

4. Verify that the driver signs all copies of the Delivery Receipt or Electronic Device in advance of departure

5. If possible, take pictures of the damages

6. If the shipment is refused, the Delivery Receipt must be signed as “Damaged/Refused”

7. Immediately notify SOUTHERN TOOL Industries Customer Service after any aforementioned circumstance

1. The customer is liable for all shipping costs when returning or exchanging an item sold by Southern-Tool unless the product has been damaged during shipping or with prior written approval. This policy might also applies to warranty returns depending on the individual manufactruers policies. All returns covered under warranty, repair or returns for credit are determined and governed by the individual manufacturers discretion. All Items determined to be damaged due to abuse, mis-used or in a manner other than the stated use of that item will not and cannot be returned for credit. 

2. As stated in the Return Policy, when returning an item for credit, a 25% restocking fee will be charged to your account. This policy also applies to shipments that are refused and returned only after the item has been shipped. If the item has not been shipped or a shipping ticket printed than we will cancel the order and return 100% of your money.

3. All cancelations after shipment are subject to a 25% (of total invoiced order) cancelation fee. Return shipping of the product is not refundable.

4. Any shipment received in conditions other than brand new will be charged 50% restocking fee of the total amount.

5. All returns must be properly boxed before they are returned.

6. It's the customer's responsibility to report any damages/shortages within 48 hours of receiving the product. No claims will be accepted after 48 hours.

7. No returns will be accepted without authorization from Southern Tool. Once Authorization is approved, the customer will be issued a Return Merchandise Authorization number or RMA number.

8. The Return Merchandise Authorization or RMA is valid for 30 days ONLY. After the 30 day time limit, the RMA remains invalid.

9. There are absolutely no returns on used or damaged products other than freight related damages.

10. The purchase price at time of sale is final.

11. ALL returns are subject to approval by both the original manufacture and Southern Tool. If for any reason the original manufacture denies a return than Southern Tool will not be obligated or be held responsible to take back that particular item.

12. Customer has 14 days from the delivery date to request an RGA for all returns. 

Note: We do not make money on returns to the factory. Almost every factory charges anywhere from 20 - 30% restock charge and never is the freight returned. So please, if there is any questions please call before you place the order if your uncertain about what your buying. It's not good for us and it's not good for you. Thank You.

Please Read The Following Information Carefully

WHAT IS CREDIT CARD FRAUD? Credit card fraud can occur many different ways: If you use your credit card to order products and then claim that you did not authorize the transaction, you falsely claim that the product was never received, use of a stolen credit card, or use of a card you are not authorized to use. HOW DOES SOUTHERN-TOOL PROTECT ME FROM FRAUD? Southern-Tool receives an address verification on every order we process, if the billing address given to us does not match the billing address on the credit card used we will contact you via the phone numbers provided by you to the issuing bank of the credit card. We will ask you to provide us with the correct billing address for the credit card and verify the order with you. All suspicious orders and those without a billing address match are delayed until we believe that the order is legitimate. Our policies help ensure that credit card fraud does not take place, we apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause our legitimate customers. Anyone can purchase a product on-line and have it shipped anywhere in the world, we need to take necessary precautions. HOW CAN THE SOUTHERN-TOOL FIGHT CREDIT CARD FRAUD? We prosecute every case of credit card fraud. Every computer has an IP address. Our website logs IP addresses used to place orders and we can use that IP address to verify your identity and exact time you used the system. We will contact the ISP that owns that IP address and they tell us who you are and where you dialed in from. Every ISP including AOL and other dynamic IP address will provide the information needed to prosecute

American Express Fraud Protection

In an attempt to reduce the risk of fraud Southern Tool is partnering with American Express and customers like you to minimize everyone's exposure to this problem. To accomplish this end American Express has requested that the card holder call and have the shipping address (IF DIFFERENT THAN THE BILLING ADDRESS) added to your credit card account as an "Authorized Shipping Address" 

American Express is using this policy more and more with retailers in an effort reduce the risk of someone obtaining your credit card number and shipping merchandise to an address other than the billing address for your credit card. Due to the fact that many American Express Cards have large limits this can cause great harm to all parties involved.

We understand this is a present inconvenience.  However it is an effective way of avoiding fraud because only the card holder can make a change to his/her credit card by standard security measures setup within American Express. If you would call the "800" number on the back of your card and press "0" for the operator you will immediately be directed to someone who can quickly complete this process.

Again we do apologize for the needed additional security measure however fraud is a vast problem for our industry and we are committed to eliminating or at least reducing that exposure.  

The unfortunate bottom line is that your order cannot be processed until this has taken place. If you would e-mail or call us when this is completed we will continue to process your order immediately.