Shipping Guidelines
We ship within 1-3 business days of when you place your order. A small percentage of items require a longer ship-out time. We ship via all major mail carriers, including UPS, FedEx, and the United States Postal Service. Unfortunately, customers are unable to specify the carrier of their choice. On rare occasions we may face an unforeseen delay in shipping your order. We will notify you by email if we determine your order will not ship by the timeframe stated.
Standard Shipping: Our standard shipping method is ground shipping. You should receive your products within 5-10 business days from the day you order them.
Expedited Shipping: We offer Next Day, 2 Day, and 3 Day shipping for most items. Expedited shipping is not available for items being shipped to PO Boxes or APO/FPO destinations.
PO Box Shipping: We can ship most items to a PO Box. If we determine that an item cannot be shipped to a PO Box, we will ask you to provide a physical shipping address.
APO/FPO Shipping: We can ship most items to APO/FPO destinations. We usually deliver such items to the US military post office within 5-10 business days of the day you order.
International Shipping: We currently ship to 34 countries, with support for many more in the coming months. Some products may not be eligible for international shipping.
Return Guidelines
All returns must have prior approval from our customer service department. To obtain an RMA number you may call our customer service department directly at 972-492-4428 or via orders@criteriafirst.com Please have the following information available:
Invoice / Order Number
Manufacturer Part Number
Serial Number
Reason for Return (include any helpful information such as: error code message, symptoms, etc.)
Once approved, we will assign you an RMA number. This number is valid for 30 days, so please return the merchandise promptly. Please review the shipping guidelines before you return the merchandise.
Merchandise returns are sometimes an emotional situation. Criteria First will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your return requests and attempt to “ease the pain”, however, as in any business certain guidelines must apply. End-of-life or non-standard merchandise are not eligible for product returns. Defective products returned incomplete or not returned in the original packaging will be assessed a charge for missing items. Be sure to include all accessories, cables, software and manuals. Items quoted as non-cancelable or non-returnable are only eligible for return if the product is defective.
Returns within 30 days:
Merchandise, which has been returned, unopened and “as new” in its original packaging within 30 days from the initial invoice date will receive 100% account credit minus shipping charges unless return or restocking fees are imposed upon us by other vendors for which such cost must be passed to you. Once product is returned to Criteria First and it has been determined the outer seal has been broken; you will be subject to our opened merchandise policy.
Returns 31 days and beyond:
Equipment returned beyond 30 days and within 60 days from the initial invoice date, which has been unopened and “as new” in its original packaging will be subject to a 10% restocking fee. Return requests of new and unused merchandise beyond 60 days from the invoice date will be reviewed on an individual basis with effort being made to accommodate your request. Criteria First shall retain sole discretion in approving a return authorization. If approved, an appropriate restocking fee will be determined, based upon, but not limited to, the manufacturer policies, warranty guidelines, and prevailing manufacturer's pricing policies.
Opened Merchandise:
Once merchandise has been opened it is considered "used equipment" and therefore cannot be resold by Criteria First as new. Each circumstance may be considered unique and therefore may be reviewed on an individual basis. If Criteria First approves the return request, a re-stocking fee will be based upon the financial burden Criteria First incurs in repositioning the inventory. Costs incurred are warranty restrictions, manufacturer's repackaging, testing, certification fees, and all other financial costs related to inventory write-down ("new to used", "new to refurbished", or "new to opened").
DOA / Defective Returns:
Defective returns are Products purchased from Criteria First that are inoperable or do not function in accordance with the specifications published by the manufacturer and are covered by the manufacturers published warranty. Products that are inoperable upon initial use are usually eligible for return within 30 days from receipt date. We will make every reasonable effort to exchange, repair or credit defective products. When contacting us to return a DOA product, please provide us with contact information of the person you spoke with at the manufacture who determined the product is DOA. There may be isolated situations where certain manufactures limit the return time frame after purchase or would prefer to handle the DOA directly with you. Defective products returned incomplete or not returned in the original packaging will be assessed a charge for missing items. Be sure to include all accessories, cables, software and manuals.
Shipping Guidelines
Use the original manufacturers’ boxes and packaging.
Put your assigned RMA number on the shipping label. RMA numbers are only valid for 30 days.
Be sure to include all accessories, cables, software, and manuals.
Returning merchandise is the responsibility of the customer - please consider insuring your shipment.
