Terms and Conditions

Our underlying philosophy and practices both on-line and at our shops:
Treat our clients as we would like to be treated

– Offer accurate and honest advice
– Error on the side of our clients
– Be reachable: by phone or email, or in person.
– We are accountable for our mistakes and try our best to mitigate those of others…

You can always reach CharkBait’s owner directly should you have a problem with your order or your shopping experience. It is our intent to do things right, and if we fail I sincerely do welcome your feedback. How else can we improve? We want you happy with your purchase and your experience with us. Should you have a question, complaint or suggestion, we are easy to reach thru email, phone, or if local come on by! My contact information is on the bottom of each page of our site. I’m usually at our Huntington Beach headquarters should you need to reach me. – Mark Smith, owner/operator.

For our internet clients,

Security and Privacy

CharkBait values our clients, that’s why the vast majority of our clients are repeat customers.  Your hobby is also our hobby, we like to fish and spend time on the water, too. We don’t appreciate “spam” emails, so we don’t bother you with a multitude of emails from us. We do send out an email regarding specific promotions or new products, probably four to six times a year. Look for those if you are a client, they have value to you. We do not sell your private information, we do not share or sell your email addresses to anyone. CharkBait uses the best security including encryption of your private information which is sent via the internet in secured mode. We make use of Thawte 256 bit encryption, not a third party bargain service. This is one of the most expensive and trusted firms in the SSL field.

Further, you will note that we DO NOT take the CVC number for your credit card when you place an online order. We do this for your security. We do NO billing when you submit your order. All billing is done AFTER we contact you regarding stock availability, confirm rigging (if you are purchasing a reel).  We do not hold that information, once used your credit card info is shredded.  We are not amazon, we don’t hold your information. Your online order also is not saved in the “cloud” or other online form. Once we download your order, the information is permanently deleted.

In order for shopping carts to work, our website will make use of “cookies” – once you select an item from our website your shopping cart is saved on your system not ours. That’s a “cookie” and it helps your shopping experience, and can not be altered or viewed by others. Likewise, we do not save your credit card information. Once you place your order that information is downloaded, used for your order  and destroyed. We do not save your billing information, we do save your name and address in our system, and upon ordering your email address is saved so that we can contact you in the future. If you prefer not to be on our mailing list, that’s fine too, and can be easily cancelled.

Shipping & Returns

We typically ship via Federal Express and the U.S. Postal Service. We do not have our vendors/manufacturers “drop ship.” We make it a point to inspect and check products we ship twice or more prior to shipping. We also take responsibility for incorrect or damaged goods, return shipping under those cases is on our “dime” not yours for domestic orders. For international shipments we hold to the same standards. Reason for us taking responsibility for errors, simple enough, many years ago I bought a fishing rod from Bass Pro Shops. Darn thing came to me broken, but they would not pay for the return shipping. Heck, it was their private label rod in the first place… Well, I paid to ship back the defective/broken rod…on my dime. That was the last time I ordered with them, and I sure wouldn’t want to do the same thing to one of our clients, we appreciate the long term support of our customers. If you receive damaged or an incorrect product from us, please give us a call and we’ll make things right.

Orders over $150 are shipped at our expense, standard size cartons/weight, shipped within the continental USA. Hawaii and Alaska typically have significantly higher rates which we absorb making use of USPS Priority service. However, if we must ship FedEx to those locations there can be added cost. This is confirmed with client prior to shipping and billing. Expedited shipping, 1, 2, 3 day service is available at added cost which are reflected during the ordering/check out process as an option. For security, a signature will be required for the majority of our shipments. You can opt out of that requirement, making use of a Release Signature on file with USPS or FedEx. CharkBait is not responsible for that shipment once it’s been delivered.

Returns and exchanges: If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase please contact our customer service department within 7 days of your receipt of goods.  We maintain a seven day refund and 30 day exchange policy. We will not accept exchanges or returns without prior authorization, and all returns and exchanges must be in their original packaging in unused/sellable condition. In the event of a return for credit, shipping charges will apply, and if we offered free shipping there will be a deduction for that cost from your credit.  If you purchase a reel which included line, your credit will be reduced by the value of the line which was spooled onto your reel unless it can be used for it’s replacement.

International Orders will have additional shipping costs which will be confirmed prior to shipping and billing. You can call or email us for further information.

Pricing and Availability

Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice – meaning the website may not reflect short term availability issues, we’re in the same boat as our vendors – if they can’t supply, we can’t deliver. Many of our suppliers are small firms, if there’s a spike in demand they can be hard pressed to stay on top of production to meet demand. We try to buffer our supplier’s inventory by maintaining a significant inventory of popular items. But, as mentioned, a short term spike in demand can deplete our inventory and our suppliers, too. Specific lures can be a big issue. If there’s a great bite going on, or even just a magazine article or tournament pointing to a particular jig or color pattern, demand may spike and absorb a typical year’s inventory in a week. I’ve seen this happen, with national effect. We’ll do our best, our manufacturers will do their best, but please do understand that things like this can indeed occur – especially with some of the smaller companies or those depending upon foreign sources.

CharkBait reserves the right to revoke any stated offer and to correct any error, inaccuracy or omission, including after an order has been submitted.  Once you place an on-line order with us, we will send back an immediate email confirmation. This is only a confirmation of your order request, your final invoice will be what’s billed – and that doesn’t happen until your order is reviewed by staff.*  Your order will receive the attention of staff who will review items, rigging, spooling, confirming appropriateness when necessary to ensure you receive the right gear for your particular fishing application. Staff will pull your merchandise and if there is an issue with filling your order you will be notified, usually by phone within one day of your order. Our customer service representative will let you know if there will be a delay filling your order, alternate products which may cover the same application, expected ship dates, etc. For example, lets say you ordered a purple Avet reel. If we do not have the color in stock at the time of your order you will be notified within a day’s time (unless weekend) of the backorder and the expected fill date. Your order will be reviewed, if line spooling was requested, we’ll confirm suitability of selection.

Liability

Not having control over the use of the products represented, we assume no liability connected with their use. Under no circumstances are we liable for any loss, damage, or expenses of any kind arising out of the use or inability to use these products.