Frequently Asked Questions

Phone service remains closed; however, If unable to find answers on product page or in this frequently asked question area (See below), we can be reached via Live chat! send email to discuss how we can be of help at this time. We are still a little backed up resulting in assembly and shipping delays. USPS (United States Postal Service) is also experiencing service disruption and delays including Priority mail and all international destinations (including Canada).
Rest assured we are doing our best possible while caring for the health and safety of our family members. Thanks for the understanding during this time!

Welcome to Discount Car Stereo help page. This page is intended to provide quick answers to most frequently asked questions about our family business and hopefully contains the answer you seek, otherwise you may contact us by email, or click the Live chat! button.
Who is Discount Car Stereo.com
Discount Car Stereo.com is a small family owned/operated internet retailer serving the internet community since 1995. With 27⁺ years dedicated to providing personalized service, brand names and custom hand made (house) products with proven reliability. Most products offered are custom built (not available elsewhere) and because of that, these require additional time for final assembly prior to shipment. Products requiring assembly include this assembly required icon on product page and warning message and the end of product description. Many thanks to the thousands of satisfied customers for continued patronage. If you are new, welcome!!! We look forward to earning your business.

How do I place an order with your company?
The best and secure way to order (day or night) is through our cart checkout process. From entry to exit the 128-bit SSL session is activated, you can rest assured that communications between your browser and our web servers are private and secure.

What is the best way to find a part for my vehicle without looking through the entire catalog?
We recommend using our dynamic search. Enter vehicle make or model which will result in seeing item that include your entry. Please note many vehicles of the same model/year will have different audio systems etc. and the product may not apply. For confirmation, please ensure your vehicle meet the requirements listed on the product page prior to ordering. This will greatly reduce costly and unnecessary returns.

Can i place my order over the phone? We apologize, but customer service by phone is temporarily unavailable.
Yes or course, but in addition to credit card number and expiration dates, you are also required to provide CVV2/CVC2 numbers. Placing orders online ensures credit card and CVV2 numbers remain encrypted and not visible to our staff and should be the proffered method to keep this information private. Customers also have the option to save card token in vault, except CVV numbers which are not stored and required with each order. Due to customer login and password requirements, it is not possible to place PayPal orders by phone. Your cooperation and understanding of this policy is appreciated.

How do I know my online order was completed?
The following steps are taken upon order completion:
1. At the end of the process a confirmation page with "Thank you" note and 6 digit order ID number (e.g. 320xxx ) is displayed.
2. Order confirmation email (provided the email address entered is valid), is sent to your inbox (please check spam or deleted folder)
3. If an account was created, sign in to check status or if anonymous, click here to check order status.

Where can I get order status?
All users (including anonymous) can check order status online at anytime. click here to get started.
Registered uses can also sign in, click My account, Orders etc. Order status displayed online is the same as if you were to call or email to check status. Once tracking information has been posted, the carrier (USPS) will update shipment as it travels to its final destination. Unfortunately we are not privileged to delivery or tracking information other than those posted to carriers website, therefore we see the same information you see as shipment travels from one facility to another.
If registered and forgot password: click login link, enter email address and forgot password or reset password. The system will email link to reset password.
if anonymous and wish to register, or have orders under different emails you wish to merge; simply send an email request, or Live chat! button , after which the system will provide link to reset password.

How long does it take before my order ships?
At Discount Car Stereo.com we put our best efforts forward to process and ship order as soon as possible.
1. off-the-shelf items (those not requiring assembly or customization), ship within 24 hours (excludes Weekends and Holidays)
2. Item requiring assembly (90% of our offerings); do not ship same day and typically take between 2-5 working days to process, assemble and ship dependent on options chosen during checkout.
Products requiring assembly are identified by a "requires assembly" icon, and warning message at the bottom of the product page. Paying for "faster" shipping (e.g. Priority or Express) does not speed up assembly time; however it does speed up delivery once assembled and shipped. Thanks for understanding!!
3. "Backorder" shipping time varies and displayed on product page.
4. International orders require additional processing time.

For time sensitive deliveries, you must Email prior to completing order otherwise you can expect order to ship within 3-4 working days and delivered within 7 days.

It has been a few days since completing order and I've not received any confirmation or updates. How long does it take?
Email confirmations are sent immediately after order completion. Check spam or deleted folders for order confirmation and updates or Click order status link. Keep in mind any item requiring assembly, will delay shipment as explained in prior question. An error in email address is also cause for not receiving the notification.

Do you ship on holidays? if not, which holidays does Discount Car Stereo obverse?
DiscountCarStereo is closed and United States Postal Service (USPS) does not pickup or deliver on the following holidays:
New Year's Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Washington's Birthday/Presidents Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas

Where is my shipment and when will it arrive?
In stock items not requiring assembly or customization ship within 24 hours (except weekend an holidays)
In stock items requiring assembly or customization ship between 2-4 days after order receipt (excludes weekend and holidays) using shipping method selected at checkout.
For example: "in stock" (3 items available) for any item requiring assembly; means we have enough components available to build/assemble 3 items. It does not mean they are 3 items already assembled/ready to ship.
Delivery time= Assembly time (most items) + shipping method
US deliveries for "in stock" items are usually completed within 7 working after purchase (Except Express Mail).
Unfortunately we are unable to provide shipment location or delivery date for international shipments. International shipments are not guaranteed deliveries by date certain and usually take weeks to deliver. To check international delivery progress, click here and enter given tracking number.

What are your hours?
Our web store is open 24 hours. We can be reached by email anytime (day or night), or Live chat!

Do i have to open an account or register to place an order?
NO. Registration is optional, however registered customers benefit from:
Faster & simpler checkout
Track order status
Review order history and place re-orders
Create and maintain address book
Receive free gift reminders via email
Fill out Return (RMA) form
Unregistered (anonymous) customers will receive email confirmation of order and shipment, but do not have access to the benefits listed above.
We encourage all customer to register and be able to benefit from all our services. Your email address is not used for unsolicited emails (no spam).

How do I register with your store
Registration is easy and also possible during checkout.
To register during checkout simply Add items to cart
Click the "Go to checkout" button
Enter email address, click continue
Tick box next to "create an account for future use"
Enter password of choice

What payment methods do you accept?
Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Discover (Issued in the USA & Canada only). international customers must select PayPal payment method in order to use their credit cards
PayPal: Available to all customers in the USA, Canada and select international countries. Shipping address MUST BE a PayPal-confirmed address. Click to Open a PayPal account.
Debit Cards: With Visa or MasterCard logo on the front.
Credit card orders are authorized but not charged until order is shipped, however PayPal orders are charged immediately (upon order completion).
Gift Cards: Unfortunately at present, our AVS system may not process gift cards.

Do you accept international credit cards?
International customers (including Canada) are welcome to checkout with PayPal or credit card registered through PayPal and must ship to address in country where account is registered or to a confirmed address within the USA.
Direct international credit card entry to our site are voided/deleted. International customers must use PayPal checkout to pay with their cards, check etc.

Where do you ship outside Canada and USA? We ship to numerous international countries. Updated list found in the country drop-down menu at checkout including:
Australia*, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand*, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom (Northern Ireland). Only those listed are available for shipments at this time.
International orders are charged shipping fees only. VAT (import or duty fees), taxes, duties and customs fees are NOT included and must be paid at the time of delivery. If for any reason (other than our error addressing shipping label) shipment are returned, we will contact you to either re-ship or issue a refund after deducting shipping charges. Re-shipping will require address correction and re-payment.
International orders requiring assembly ship 7-10 days after order completion and delivered using shipping method selected at checkout.

How do i get a shipping quote?
SHIPPING RATES:
Shipping rates are calculated based on cart contents and destination and not given by phone or email. To estimate shipping simply add item(s) to cart, checkout, then enter address or if registered and signed in, shipping options automatically appear based on default address. Select rate and service of choice. Unless otherwise indicated shipping charges are applied to all orders. If order must be shipped in multiple boxes, or in separate shipments (e.g. backorder), shipping charges for the entire order is assessed when first item ships. We charge only ONCE for shipping the entire order. International delivery times are estimates as of date shipped. Additional processing time, custom inspection etc. required for all international orders, therefore delivery estimates begin after shipment not on order date.
Free shipping (US only) do not include tracking number as they are shipped first class mail (no tracking )

What shipping method does Discount Car Stereo use? 
We ship exclusively with USPS (United States Postal Service) including: USPS Ground Advantage™, Parcel Mail, Priority Mail and Priority Express Mail Services. International shipments initially ship USPS then handed to GlobalPost for final delivery.
USPS Ground Advantage™: Usually arrives in 4-7 days (Not guaranteed)
Priority Mail® : Usually arrives in 2-3 days (Not guaranteed). The expected delivery date does not come with a money-back guarantee due to late delivery. Click here to learn more.
Priority Mail Express®: Arrives in 1-2 days (guaranteed service that retains Express Mail money-back guarantee). Select this option for time sensitive deliveries. ( If item requires assembly, shipment will be delayed 1-3 working days)
Orders/Shipments are not processed on weekends or on USPS holidays.

Where is my shipment?
If you received an email notification of shipment, it will include tracking number which the carrier will update as shipment travels through the system. Once shipped, the shipper (USPS) is responsible for shipment until delivered. Unfortunately we are not privileged to additional package location while in transit. We only see what carrier has posted to their site. If you wish to contact local post office, click here

Your website has an "availability" listing, is it reliable and/or up to date?
Every item on our site includes stock status (availability) . Status is updated during office hours (M-F 9:00AM-5:00PM E.T). It is possible that an item has gone "Out of stock" during non-office hours, and if so you will be notified by email upon discovery and given an approximate ship date, the option to cancel or offered an alternate.
For time sensitive deliveries or large quantities, please send email with part numbers and quantities.
Out of stock: Unless otherwise noted, this item or option is temporarily unavailable and expected to replenish at a future date.
Notify: Click "NOTIFY ME" button and register to receive an email update as soon as item returns to inventory.
Discontinued: These products are no longer available for sale and may remain for information purposes only.

Where does Discount Car Stereo.com ship from?
Discount Car Stereo ships from our main center in Virginia. In addition to suppliers in NY, NJ, CO.

What is your return policy
Click here for our return policy statement.

What are "Order and Payment Status"?
Paid Buyer has been fully charged for their purchase.
Partially paid The order has been partially paid (or there has been a partial refund)
Authorized or Authorized hold : indicates an authorization has been placed on the buyer’s credit card but funds have not yet been transferred to the merchant (not yet charged)
Declined Indicates that an attempt to authorize or charge the buyer’s card has failed and the order has been cancelled.
Cancelled The order has been cancelled by merchant.
Refunded The money for the purchase has been refunded. Typically, an order has to be in the Paid state before it can be refunded.
Fulfillment statuses
New The initial status assigned by default to all orders.
Backordered The items are currently out of stock but we are expecting re-stock and ensures you will be first in line for the new inventory and will be notified via a shipment confirmation email (tracking number) once backordered item has shipped.
Processing We are working on the order
Assembly The item or items on your order are being assembled-- typically takes 1-3 days to complete the assembly.
Shipped We have labelled and shipped order.
Delivered Buyer has received the package.
Returned The buyer is returning ordered items; the items have been sent back to the merchant.
Click here to check order status.

Is my order subject to sales tax?
5.25% Sales tax is charged to all shipment to Virginia (VA).

Safari chat Sound Notifications not working, how do i fix
On the most recent release of the Safari web browser, Apple has disabled the auto-play of sounds and video, including the audible notifications for our chat. You can fix this by following the steps below.
In Safari, navigate to chat.olark.com
Open the Safari Preferences and then click on the websites tab
Click on “Auto-Play” in the General section
Change it from “Stop Media with Sound,” to “Allow all auto play.

How do i use discount coupons on your site
1) Go to our site
2) Add items to cart
3) Follow to 'CHECKOUT' link
4) Enter your personal details
5) Click the "Have discount coupon" at the bottom right of cart page
6) Enter given coupon number and click the 'Redeem' button.