We're still here!

During these most difficult of times, so many businesses are forced to close & many many people are stuck at home. We are still here to help out with whatever you need to help while away the days in lockdown.
The much quoted phrase at the moment is "we are monitoring the situation daily" which is the politically correct way of saying "we don't know what to do, so we will carry on as-is until someone tells us something different." Well we are pretty much the same.
We supply parts to not just the hobby market, but also to manufacturers not only in the UK, but across Europe & beyond. Our products are being used in all sorts of equipment. Whilst I wouldn't go as far as to say that we are an "essential business" I do feel that we are playing a useful part in things. So, after consulting with those in a position to advise on such matters, we have decided to carry on supplying our range of quality products as long as we are able to / allowed to.
We are in a fortunate position as a family based business, that our 5,500 square foot warehouse is located literally at the bottom of the garden! So we are able to carry on, although many of our staff are having to self-isolate so we are very much short-handed.

In terms of any differences to our usual service levels, currently there are the following:

• Any orders placed after midday are unlikely to be shipped the same day.
• Any orders involving custom parts (regardless of when placed) may not be sent until the following day
• e-mails & telephone messages may take up to one business day to be answered
• We have had to reduce the telephone hours. The phone lines are now only open from 10:00am to 1:00pm
• Our "next day" carrier, APC, have suspended their next day guarantee, so although in the vast majority of cases the delivery will still happen the next working day, this is no longer guaranteed.
• Royal Mail have also suspended their service level guarantees. So special delivery is no longer guaranteed for next day, although in the majority of cases it will be, however may be after their normal 1:00pm deadline. 1st class mail is now taking anything from 1 day to 5 days to arrive.

We will endeavour to process & ship orders as quickly as possible, so we may be able to improve on the above, but hopefully in the circumstances you understand. If you need something urgently please telephone us on 01248 719353 during our office hours (10:00am - 1:00pm Mon - Fri) & we will do our very best to help. If you have difficulty getting through (remember we are short of staff, so if there is a limit to how many calls we can take at once) either leave us a message & we will call you back, or better still, if you can send us an e-mail to info@component-shop.co.uk with as much detail as possible about your request (but do not send any credit card details) we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Should the situation change & we end up in a position where we are no longer able to ship orders, we intend to continue offering telephone & e-mail support & will accept orders for later shipment, but this is an unlikely "last resort" at the moment we are continuing as close to normal as we can.

Stay safe & thanks for your support.