Frequently Asked Questions
About Us
Are you a U.S. based company? Can I visit you?
Yes, papatek.com is an American company headquartered in California. Our address is as follows:
Address: 700 Aldo Ave, Santa Clara, CA 95054
If you want to visit us, we welcome you anytime. Please call ahead. Also keep in mind that we are a WORKING WAREHOUSE. We have no visitor facilities, no cute tour guides or anything of that sort. You are welcome to be escorted by a member of the sales staff to see our packing and warehouse areas, because we know that some people need to see that a company is real before making any big purchasing agreements, and we understand that. We will do our best to accommodate any guests, however we are a web based ecommerce company, and that is our primary focus, so we don't spend money on fancy showrooms or meeting facilities.
General Website and Operations
I can place an order without needing register for an account?
Yes, we allow orders without any website registration. Please keep in mind that this means you must enter your information very carefully when placing your order. We have had problems in the past with people misspelling their own email addresses and/or giving us the wrong phone numbers. Then, when we need to contact the customer about some problem with a delivery or customs issue, we have no way to communicate with the customer. Please don't let that happen to you - provide accurate information that allows us to process and fulfill your order.
Do you ship to international locations?
We only ship to the United States and Canada currently. If your shipping address is beyond these two countries, please send the details of the products you need and the shipping address to our Customer Service Team by email at service@papatek.com. They will provide you the needed shipping fee and shipping options.
How do I find the Laptop Part I need?
Left side of the screen is a toolbar with a list of laptop accessories, sorted by type, and then by size or brand names. Click through the menus to get to the category of products you seek, then browse to find the product you need. You may also just type in the computer model number or better yet, the part number you are looking for, then you will be taken to a page with only those results.
Ordering from Us
I cannot seem to complete an order on your site, what can I do?
If you are using an older browser such as IE6 or some non-english language packs, you may have some trouble navigating and completing an order on Papatek. In this case, call us and we can manually make an order for you and then we will send you an invoice through paypal which you can pay. After receiving your paypal payment, then we will fulfill and ship out your order promptly!
I have found the part I need, so how do I place an order?
Once you get to the Product Details page, you can add the item(s) to your shopping cart, and then checkout. If you registered in our website before, simply login to your account by using your email and password. If not, you can also register first or check-out directly without any website registration. You can safely pay us by paypal or credit card during the secure checkout process.
How can I see the status of my order or payment?
Sometimes you have already paid, but the status of the payment displayed on the checkout indicates that the payment not received. This is usually caused by a delay in communication between the payment website and our website. Simply email us at service@papatek.com and ask us to check it for you. Or, you can navigate back to the orders page (if you have an account at Papatek) to see if the system has updated the status. On the rare occasions where an order seems to get "stuck" due to some communications issue with the payment gateway, our CS staff will manually submit your order the following morning.
When will my order ship out?
All orders are typically shipped out within 24-48 hours (excluding weekends and local holidays). You will typically receive the part you ordered within 3-10 days depending on your geographic location and stock availability. To inquire about the status of your order, please login to your account OR email us at service@papatek.com.
Your system does not list APO/FPO/PO Boxes, how do I order?
We do offer US Mail Service to military personnel within USA. To order on our website, put your complete APO in the address field and again put your home state in the state field and zip in the zip fields. For example, APO AE 09330, New York, NY 11722. This will allow our system to find the proper shipping rate and process the order. Note that we may email you a waiver form to sign before shipping out your order. Why? Because we have had a 5x the normal rate of damaged LCD Screen claims when shipping to P.O. Box addresses recently, so this waiver form will show Paypal that the customer (you) has waived the right to compensation should the postal service damage the LCD Screen during shipment.
Can I add an item to or remove an item from my order? Can I change the shipping method for my order? How can I cancel my order?
You may change or cancel your order if it has not been processed and shipped yet. To make changes to your order you should login to your account and make the change or talk to us on our live chat.
Payment Issues
Your website will not accept my credit card, why?
Papatek does not approve or decline credit card transactions, but the payment processor gateway (paypal business services) does. We use a secure payment gateway to process and charge your credit card yet we don’t make credit decisions. If their system says “decline”, please recheck your account number, address and other data you submit and make sure their accuracy.
I did not get a decline error, I got an "AVS Mismatch" error, what is that?
When you pay through credit card sometimes you may meet this issue that the transaction is declined because the shipping address does not match the billing address.
When I tried to make a credit card payment I was taken to a “verified by visa” page and asked for a password. What is it? Did some hacker set up a fake page to get my account information?
This is the new extra-layer of security that Visa is doing with some larger banks to help prevent online credit card fraud. If you see this page for the first time, you may not be able to complete your order. In most cases you will first need to go to your banks website, login to your credit card account, access the online payment settings section, and then set-up the password for the “verified by visa” feature. After setting it up, then you should be able to complete the payment using the password you input on your banks website (note that this can sometimes take 24-hours to become activated).
Shipping Issues
Will I be sent a tracking number?
Yes. We will send an email with the tracking number and delivery information after the package carrier picks up the package from our warehouse. Please make sure your account has the correct email address. Our number one CS complaint is "I never received any confirmation message from you!" and the number one reason why is that the customer gave us a wrongly typed email address.
When will you ship my package?
- “Shipping” a package from our warehouse involves four steps, (1) order processing, (2) QC, (3) packing and (4) giving the parcel to the delivery company
- The whole four step process can take 24 to 48 hours
- Our working time is 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday (excluding USA holidays)
According to the carrier, my package was delivered to my front door and now it's gone! What do I do?
In this case, please contact our Customer Service Department. We will schedule a UPS driver follow-up for the missing item(s) and a replacement will be shipped in a timely manner.
The package I received looks like it was damaged during the shipment. What do I do?
Please contact our Customer Service Department and we will schedule a carrier driver follow-up. Please keep the original box and packaging material, as this will be needed to file a damage claim with the carrier. If you can take a picture of the damage and send it to us that is even more helpful still. A replacement will be shipped once the damage claim is filed and we have a response from the carrier.
I was unable to take delivery of my package and the carrier returned it to you.
How do I get the package shipped back to me? How do I get a refund?
When a package is returned to Papatek.com because a carrier is unable to make delivery due to action, inaction, or absence of the recipient, we will refund your credit card less shipping charges and the product(s) will be returned immediately to inventory. Should you still wish to purchase these products, you may place your order again on our website.
If you believe that a shipment was returned to us due to an error on our part or on the part of the carrier, please email our Customer Service Group to arrange a re-shipment.
Pre-Sales Questions
Do you offer a Customer Pick-Up option?
Yes. To place a customer pickup order, visit the Papatek.com website, place the desired items in to your shopping cart, and then check out as normal. You will be presented with two shipping methods as well as the Customer Pickup option. Select the Customer Pickup shipping method. It is better to prepaid for pick-up orders since unpaid orders will not be submitted to our warehouse system. We then have no access to know what you need and when to prepare for your picking up.
If you select the Customer Pickup shipping method, once your order has been successfully submitted, please contact our sales department, service@papatek.com, to arrange with you the best date/time to pick it up. Do not come to pick anything up until you have verified availability first!. From time to time our system will list an inventory of 1 or 2 pieces of an item, so it shows as in stock on our website, however, when our warehouse staff goes to pull from the shelf, the item is not there. While "phantom" inventory is rare, it can happen, so please call to verify availability before coming to pick up your order.
Post-Sales Questions
Who do I contact if I received the wrong item in an order?
If you believe you received the wrong item in an order, you should email service@papatek.com to obtain an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) number.
Should you in fact have received an incorrect item, we will ship the correct item and email you after we have ship it to you. We will also give you a RMA to ship the wrong item back, and pay you the shipping fee.
Who do I contact if I am missing an item from an order?
If you are missing an item from an order, you should email us at service@papatek.com.
Returns and Exchanges
What is the status of my RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization)?
When will a replacement be sent?
Once we have received your returned item in our warehouse it normally takes between 3-5 business days to process the RMA. If the return tests as defective we will send a replacement from our warehouse immediately. If we do not have a replacement or a suitable alternative to fulfill the RMA, we will refund your money. For RMA status inquiries please email us at service@papatek.com.
Where can I get an RMA Number?
Please contact our Customer Service Department via e-mail at service@papatek.com or use our online form for RMA's.
Why do I need an RMA Number?
Return Packages without RMA Numbers are not guaranteed immediate processing. We need to know why we are getting return items from customers, and your RMA Number will allow us to determine the reason behind the return.
What do I do with an RMA Number?
Your RMA Number must be written as an Attention or simply in big bold letters outside of your package. This will help us ensure optimum processing of your return packages.
What will happen if I return the item without an RMA Number?
We prioritize return packages with RMA Numbers. Return packages without an RMA number will be automatically refused.
How can I return a defective item I received?
Please contact our Customer Service Department anytime via e-mail at service@papatek.com. Request for an RMA Number. We will ask you to return the defective item to us and either Replace or Refund the defective item you received.
The item I received is incompatible with my laptop. How do I return this for a replacement?
Simply contact our Customer Service Department and Request for an RMA Number. We will ask you to return the incompatible item, and replace the item with the correct part provided that the item is the same price as the one you ordered. If there is a price difference, we will either charge you for the remaining balance, or refund you for it. We reserve the right to charge re-shipping fees for orders that you bought erroneously.
The item I received is different from what I ordered. How do I get the item I need?
Simply contact our Customer Service Department and Request for an RMA Number. We will send the correct item immediately, and ask you to return the incompatible item.
I am unsatisfied with my order. How do I get a refund?
Please contact our Customer Service Department and Request for an RMA Number. We will ask you to return the item, and give you a refund upon the receipt of the returned item. If the item non-defective, we reserve the right to charge you a re-stocking fee: 20%(item price-return shipping fee).
Who pays for the return shipping charges?
All returns must be shipped at the customer’s expense. For more details, please see our return policy.
