Frequently Asked Questions

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My order is on “Hold” - what does that mean? Discontinued products - how do I get a recording that has been discontinued? My order is on “Check Hold” - what does that mean? I have not received my order. When should I receive it? Why do you charge so much for shipping and handling? Is there music on your CDs? Why can't I hear audio on your website? What do I do if I can't find a recording that I want? Can I make copies? Do your CDs have tracks on them? Can I share my MP3 files? If paying by check, what address should I send the check to? My order is on “Hold” - what does that mean? Situation: I tried to place an order but I notice it was put on "Hold".  Is the order going to be processed or is there something else I need to do? Solution: Your order will be put on “Hold” if your credit card can not be processed.  Normally when someone can't get their credit card processed they need to contact their credit card company or the support staff here at BestChristianConferences to determine what is wrong.  Since this takes time, we put the order on "Hold" - meaning the order is locked it can't be modified and you can exit the webstie and come back at a later time without re-entering it.   To come back to the website later simply click on "My Account" at the top of the screen and enter your e-mail address and your password.  You will see your order there and can click on it to resubmit payment.  You can try your credit card again or you can pay by check instead.    Discontinued products - how do I get a recording that has been discontinued? Situation: Why can't I buy the product that I want?  It is listed as discontinued. Will I be able to buy it later? Why do you have it on your site? Solution: BestChristianConferences.com can only post a recording on the website if we received a copy from the conference and we have permission to distribute it.  There are typically three reasons why a talk given at a conference might not be available on this website: 1) The talk wasn't recorded...either as stipulated by the conference or because the recording company ran into difficulties. 2) The recording was only for sale at the conference itself 3) The audio quality of the recording, as received by BestChristianConferences.com, does not meet our standards. In each of these situations we prefer not to list the product at all but sometimes a conference will ask us to list the product anyway so people can see the full content of the conference..  When this occurs you will see the talk listed. per the conference's request, but there will not be any check-boxes next to it so it can't be ordered.    My order is on “Check Hold” - what does that mean? Situation: I was looking at the status of my order and I noticed it is on "Check Hold".  What does that mean...and is there something else I need to do so I can receive my order? Solution: “Check Hold” means you specified you are paying for the order with a check instead of a credit card.  The order remains on "Check Hold" until we receive payment.  When your check is received your order transitions to a “Paid” status and then, usually in less than 24 hours, to “Production”.  As soon as your order ships, the status will be updated to "Shipped". If you sent us a check, you believe we should have received it by now, and yet your order hasn't progressed from "Check Hold", please contact us immediately so we can confirm you sent the check to the correct address.      I have not received my order. When should I receive it? Situation: I think I should have received my order by now.  What do I do? Solution: We typically achieve 24-hour turnaround on orders, meaning your order will be produced, fulfilled and shipped either on the day we receive it (if it is placed in the morning) or else the following day.  There will be rare instances however where we might require 3-4 days…but this is rare.   Shipping times will vary based on package size.  Our standard shipping is first class mail, and this takes 3-5 business days.  Packages over 6 ounces must go media mail and that can take 5-10 business days.  So please take this into account.   Also, if you pay by check we do not process your order until we receive the check.  So you need to take into account the 3-5 business days it takes for your check to reach us.   Now, if you haven’t received your order and you think you should have by now, here’s what to do….   Log onto your account (click “My Account” at the top of the screen and enter your e-mail address and password). All your orders will be listed.  Click on the order of interest and you will be able to see your order’s status and status history.  That includes:  when it was placed, when the credit card was authorized (or you check was received), when the order transitioned to production and when it was shipped.  These are all time-stamped for you.  If this information doesn’t answer your question – or it indicates something is wrong - we suggest you contact us via “Contact Us” at the bottom of the screen.   By the way, we receive very few contacts of this nature because we have very good turn-around times on order fulfillment.  However, typically when we are contacted in situations like this it turns out the customer forget to send the check (if a check payment) or that the customer entered the wrong address.      Why do you charge so much for shipping and handling? Situation: Some websites offer free shipping and handling.  Why do you charge at all...let alone more than the postage costs? Solution: Our goal is to be as efficient as possible, passing savings on to you so we facilitate the distribution of valuable Christian talks to as many people as possible.    There is much more to shipping and handling than most people realize.  For example, there are the labor costs for process and packing the order, there are the packing materials and, of course, the postage itself which is a small part of the equation.  Then there are the indirect costs.  These include paying for the person that makes sure all the shipping material is stocked and available, facility costs (utilities, rent, insurance, etc.), and there are service costs such as costs associated with reshipping materials that get lost in the mail (yes, people incorrectly enter their addresses).     These costs all add up and, though we do not want to make a profit on S&H, we certainly want to cover all our direct, indirect and overhead costs.  In striving to be as efficient as possible we do monitor S&H charges on other websites and we are well within the norm for internet distribution companies.   Occasionally we are asked why we don’t provide free S&H like the really large distribution companies (e.g. Amazon).  Certainly these organizations have greater efficiencies due to the economies of scale associated with such a large product offering and multiple market segments served, but these companies still charge for S&H, it’s just buried in the product price.   As for international orders:  In most cases such orders require someone to personally complete customs forms at the Post Office.  The extra fee we charge for international orders does not entirely cover our expenses associated with this.    Is there music on your CDs? Situation: I attended a conference and really liked the music that preceeded the speaker.  Does the recording you have include that music? Solution: Normally our recordings do NOT include any music the preceeded or followed the speaker.  There are too many parties with copyright claims to make acquiring the rights a cost-effective effort.  Besides, the musicians frequently distribute their own recordings through other channels. In the rare instance where a recording offered on this website does include music it will be so noted in the details of the recording.  To see the detail description simply click on the talk title.    Why can't I hear audio on your website? Situation: I clicked on "Listen Now" but I can't hear any audio.  And I also don't hear audio if I click on "Play" in the product detail page to hear a sample of a talk.  What do I do? Solution: Our website currently requires QuickTime on the client (e.g. your) computer.  This can be downloaded for free and we provide the link for you.  Click on “Listen Now” on the left of your screen and you will see the link for the download.   We will add other streaming formats in the future but, for now, use QuickTime as we believe it provides the very best performance available. If you have downloaded QuickTime and you still can’t hear the audio you should first confirm your speakers are turned on and aren’t muted (we know that’s stating the obvious…but we’ve all made that mistake at some point)!  If that doesn’t work then make sure you can get audio from other applications.  The last possibility is that your computer is operating behind a firewall that won’t allow QuickTime through.  If you think that is the case then we suggest you check your firewall documentation and/or your IT administrator.       What do I do if I can't find a recording that I want? Situation: I have looked for a recording that I want but I can't find it.  Can you still somehow get it for me? Solution: The first thing to do is to make sure you have used all the search capabilities of the website.  If you haven't noticed, you can search by conference, search by speaker or search by talk title.  Make sure you give each of these a shot. If you think you have found the right talk but you aren't sure, click on the talk's title and a screen will appear listing more details (e.g. the talk description).  In most cases you will see in the upper right corner of that screen that you can click on a button to hear a 30 second audio sample.  You might want to use this feature of the website to confirm you found the right talk. Occasionally people will ask us to track down a recording for them.  Though we like to do whatever we can to help our customers and clients, there is no way we can cost-effectively do this.  So, please, if you can not find the recording on BestChristianConferences website, we suggest you go directly to the speaker or the conference where your talk of interest was originally made.     Can I make copies? Situation: I purchased a recording.  Can I make copies to give to people? Solution: The recordings distributed on BestChristianConferences are copyrighted material.  The copyright is owned by the speaker(s) or by an organization (e.g. the conference). Let's briefly discuss what this means regarding your rights to copy the material, and then a brief explanaition concerning the policy. CDs, tapes and DVDs can NOT be duplicated.  There are three exceptions for MP3 files:  1) You can make a backup copy of your MP3 file, 2) You can download the MP3 file onto your MP3 player, and 3) you can burn a single audio CD from your MP3 file. We are occassionaly asked why these copyright restrictions apply.  After all, if you are trying to minister to someone why shouldn't you be able to make all the copies you want? Well, these recordings are only possible because the speakers, the conferences, the recording companies and BestChristianConferences are able to maintain on-going, financially viable operations.   When people ask this question they think of the cost of the tape, the CD or the MP3 download.  But there are significant costs they don't consider, like moving thousands of dollars of equipment and multiple people to the talk venue to capture the recording and then the technician skill/time to remaster the recordings, etc..  These costs, as well as royalties paid to the conferences and/or speaker also must be covered. Setting aside for a second that fact that abiding by the law, both man's and God's, is the right thing to do....on behalf of the speakers, the conferences, other customers, and people to whom we are all ministering, we ask that you abide by the copyright laws so we can all continue to minister in the respective roles in which God has placed us.    Do your CDs have tracks on them? Situation: Do you have tracks on your CDs so I can move quickly back and forth through the message? Solution: All our CDs have tracks laid down every three minutes.  That means you can move forward or backwards through the recording in three minute increments at just the push of a button or turn of a knob depending on your CD player. There are a few reasons why is this important.  First, people frequently listen to part of a talk and then move the CD to another player to listen to the rest of it (e.g. when they drive home from work).  Having tracks on the CD makes it easier to queue up the CD in the other player.  Second, people will occassionally get distracted or will miss part of the message they are listening to and will want to "rewind" it to re-listen to what they jsut missed.  All then need to do is go back to a track or two.  Third, sometimes there will be section of a talk you want someone to hear.  Tracks make it easier easier to identify the spot and to then queue it up more quickly at a later time.  And last of all, the CD players in some cars will go back to the beginning of the track they were playing if you turn off your ignition.  If there are no tracks on the CD you either must listen to the entire talk again to get back to where you were, or you need to hold the fast forward button down for an extended period of time.  Both options are inconvenient and the second one is a distraction to the driver. For these reasons BestChristianConferences makes sure all its CDs have tracks laid down on them.  Starting in 2005 there are all three minutes apart.  Prior to that time some of the tracks are longer.    Can I share my MP3 files? Situation: I purchased an MP3 file.  Can I share it with my friends and acquaintances? Solution: The recordings distributed on BestChristianConferences are copyrighted material.  The copyright is owned by the speaker(s) or by an organization (e.g. the conference). Let's briefly discuss what this means regarding your rights to copy/share an MP3 file, and then a brief explanaition concerning the policy. You can make a backup copy of your MP3 file, you can download the MP3 file onto your MP3 player(s), and you can burn an audio CD from your MP3 file...and replacement CDs if it is lost.   You can not pass your MP3 file along to others without first destroying your backup copies and then the original following the transfer. We are occassionaly asked why these copyright restrictions apply.  After all, if you are trying to minister to someone why shouldn't you be able to make all the copies you want?  And besides...the MP3 file doesn't really cost anything, does it? Actually, there are significant costs to be considered.  There are the costs associated with making the recordings and then editing/re-mastering them...and then there are the infrastructure costs for maintaining servers, there is internet access and bandwidth , there is a customer service/support infrastructure and, finally, there are royalties to the speakers and conferences.  All these costs must be covered and the speakers, the conferences, the recording companies and BestChristianConferences will only be able to continue their respective ministries if they can maintain on-going, financially viable operations.   Currently you can purchase music MP3 from popular sites for $0.99.  But when you see this price, understand that the cost of making that recording is being amortized across hundreds of thousand if not millions of downloads.  Furthermore, these distribution companies are not yet profitable!  All the costs associate with making and distributing a conference talk must be amortized over hundreds to perhaps a few thousand downloads.  It's a very different cost model.  With all that said, obviously, Christians should abide by both man's and God's law.  But setting this aside for the moment....on behalf of the speakers, the conferences, other customers, and people to whom we are all ministering, we ask that you abide by the copyright laws so we can all continue to minister in the respective roles in which God has placed us.    If paying by check, what address should I send the check to? Situation: I forgot to write down the address to send my check to when I completed my order.  Where do I send it? Solution: You should send your check to: BestChristianConferences.com 3709 Devonshire Lane Bloomington, IN  47408 When mailing a check, please write your order # on the comment line of the check.

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