Using Website Features

Since the best purchase decision is an informed one, we stand firm on our commitment to explain and demonstrate our vacuum cleaners to anyone who is considering purchasing one. This site is designed to assist everyone in purchasing the best vacuum cleaner for their specific needs and preferences. Much of the information can be applied to any type or brand of vacuum cleaner although we have included more specific information on many models which we recommend and sell in our stores and via the web. Various additional models are available in our store which are not permitted on dealer websites by their manufacturers.

Navigating Through Our Web Site

You should find this site quite easy to navigate since it is primarily menu and list driven. These are easily accessed via the menus in the left margin and tabs along the top. You will also find links to related items and our extensive glossary as you read the text. This site consists of three distinct groups of pages which are tightly woven together by indexes, lists and links. The first group contains the pages with product specific information including detailed Feature Reviews, Specification Tables and Related Products. The second group contains general educational information that relates to most vacuum cleaners including performance aspects, design and construction aspects, different types of vacuum cleaners, personal preferences, etc. The final group consists of articles about Ristenbatt Vacuum including our policies, store hours, contact information, etc. The latter two groups have an indexes which can be easily viewed by selecting the "View an Index of Related Articles" bar at their top. This also provides a convenient way to jump to any listed menu or article.

Left Margin and Flyout Menus

The menus in the left margin enable you to easily select the product category and brand or type for accessing specific product information. When you move your browser's pointer over a menu's category a flyout menu will appear displaying the available brands for that specific category. Selecting the desired brand will produce a page containing a list of available products that match the category and brand that you selected. Likewise, selecting a product Type or Brand in those sections will give you a list of matching products. When viewing product information, you can use tabs to easily move between the detailed Feature Article, Specifications, Related Products and a Larger Image. The Related Products list ensures that when you order optional supplies and accessories they will be the ones designed for use with that specific product.

Easily Compare Vacuum Cleaner Features

When showing a list of vacuum cleaners, those that can be compared have a box along their left side that you can check for comparison. If all vacuums that you want to compare are on the same page, simply select the "Compare selected" bar near the top or bottom of the page. If not, select "Add to comparison list" and the selected products will be added to that list in the right margin. That way you can move around the site, selecting models even between brands. When all desired are added to the list, select "Compare" and a comparison table will be dynamically created for you. Items in the comparison table that are different are shaded to enable you to pick them out easily. Icons near the top enable you to rotate the table, list only different items, or display in its own pop-up window.

Another way to compare two products is on the product details page just below the "Add to Cart" button. There you can select a product from the list to be compared to the vacuum being desribed. Select the right arrow to create the comparison table. You can even add more products to compare in the area at the bottom of the comparison table.

Printer Friendly Pages

You can print from any page on our website using normal page printing methods. However, most pages have Printable Versions which are more printer friendly. You will find links to these at the top of the right margin. Product pages have additional links which enable you to print only the Main Product, Related Products, Features Review, Specifications or Larger Image. Either way you print, the left and right margins of the pages are not printed, saving printer paper and ink.

Adding Items to Your Shopping Cart

Upon visiting our site, you are given a virtual "shopping cart" into which you can place items you want to purchase. Adding items to your cart is done by selecting on the "Add to Cart" button. If more than one item is desired, you can change the quantity in the field next to that button. Related products and products in pop-up pages can also be added to the cart. As you add products their total will appear in the "Cart Contents" section in the right margin. Selecting the shopping cart icon in that section will display the cart contents as well as providing the option to delete products or change quantites.

You can add products to your Wish List then come back later to add them to your cart and checkout. This requires that you create an account with user name, password, etc. so you can access the Wish List later.

Check Out to Complete Your Online Purchase

When you are done adding products to your shopping cart and are ready to complete your purchase, select "Secure Cart Checkout" in the Cart Contents section of the right margin. You will be presented with a secure page for entry of your name, address, etc. as well as the "Bill To" and "Ship To" information. You will notice that your browser indicates that a page is secure by closing the padlock or making the broken key whole. To reduce charge card fraud, we perform automatic address verification on all charge card orders. Orders can be charged to any major charge card account in the USA.

The next checkout page enables you to select the desired shipping and payment methods. If your order qualifies for free shipping via UPS Ground, an allowance is applied to the shipping method amounts before they are displayed. Therefore, for free shipping, select one that says "Free." If paying by credit card select the "X-Payments: Authorize.Net AIM."   X-Payments is a PA-DSS Certified Payment Application that meets the stringent PCI Data Security Standard.

Our secure forms for personal data entry provide the industry standard security measures available through a secure server and your Web browser called SSL Authentication and Encryption. Our own Secure Server Digital ID and its related Authentication Certificate issued by VeriSign, Inc. will ensure that you are dealing with Ristenbatt Vacuum Cleaner Service and that your personal information is being protected by SSL Encryption. To learn more about this, see our article on Online Security of Personal Information.

Customers who do not want to enter their credit card information can select Phone Ordering or FAX Ordering. In this case you will need to phone or FAX their credit card information to us after the order is complete. We also except phone orders without you doing the checkout process although we recommend adding the desired products to your shopping cart so you can easily view them while talking to us.

Toll Free Telephone Orders

Our toll free telephone line is available for you to inquire about products, place orders or receive free unlimited customer support during our regular business hours. As with online orders, we accept all major charge cards issued in the United States.

Please feel free to call toll free at 800-413-2778 or 717-665-5126 for details and prices of various vacuum cleaner products. All of our salespeople are also skilled technicians who are very knowledgeable about vacuum cleaners, both inside and out. They will be happy to talk with you regarding your various vacuum cleaner needs, preferences and desires.

Online Order Status and UPS Tracking

You can track the status of your online order as it is being prepared for shipping. You can also easily obtain UPS Tracking information for online orders being shipped by them right on this web site. Start this process by selecting "Your Order History" in the Cart Contents section of the right margin. You will be presented with a search form for selecting the desired order. Select the order from the search results page to see its details. If tracking information is available you can select "Track It" to obtain tracking information.

Timely Shipping of Ordered Products

All products that we sell on our website are new and in their original boxes or packaging from the manufacturer. We typically stock most items shown on our website so orders can be shipped within a few days. Orders shipped via UPS typically leave within three business day. Orders shipped via US Mail typically leave within three days the US Postal Service operates.

On occasion some products are out of stock due to circumstances beyond our control. In these cases part of the order may be shipped quickly while the out-of-stock items are noted as backordered on the receipt and shipped later. If desired, backordered items can be canceled before they are shipped to you. Shipment of backordered items does not affect your total shipping costs. We strive to inform you via e-mail when a complete order is delayed more than a few days.

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