Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

You can send an E-mail message to us at info@mosaicboutique.com. We will reply before the end of the next business day; probably sooner. Our operations are based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The best way to contact us is via E-mail, but you can also leave us a message or send us a fax toll free from Canada and the USA 24/7/365 at: 1-866-840-9797.
Please include (1) your name, (2) the reason for your call, (3) your E-mail address, and (4) your telephone number (with area code).

Sorry, but we do not have a physical store that you can visit.

If you don't hear from us within two business days after E-mailing us, please E-mail again. The Internet is not always 100% reliable, and it's possible that our spam filters may have accidentally removed your message. We never intentionally ignore any messages.

Broken links? Problems with shopping cart? Please E-mail the webmaster.

About Us

The MosaicBoutique.com Internet store is a two-person operation. My partner is a mosaic artist, and as the mosaics expert, she selects our product lines (and tests all materials thoroughly!) My name is Glen and I handle order fulfillment and manage the web site.

Mosaic art is in full bloom these days, and since it's not always easy to get affordable material here in Quebec, we decided to launch this web site last year in order to fill the void. Our goal is to offer quality products at the most affordable prices that we can, to benefit mosaic artists both here and elsewhere in cyberspace.

Notes About Our Products

You are probably aware that the colors displayed on your computer monitor may not necessary reflect the exact colors of the tiles...

We have taken pains to ensure that our photos represent our products accurately, but you should be prepared for the possibility of slight differences between the photos and the products. Pictures of glass surfaces especially do not do them justice.

We reserve the right to modify our product list or the prices posted on our web site at any time, without notice, but of course if you've already ordered, your price will not change.

We assume no responsibility for any damage or injury caused through use of the supplies that we sell, or from any instructions or demonstrations that we may issue.

How to Buy

The easiest way for you to order our products is to use our shopping cart (see below) to build your shopping list.

1. For each item you want, enter a quantity then click the "Add to Cart" button found under every item. Review your cart, click "Checkout" then provide your contact details. Use the Comment box for any comments, questions, or shipping upgrades. Finally, go on to the check out screen. You'll receive automatic E-mail confirmation shortly after you check out.

2. Once we receive your shopping cart list, along with your E-mail address and postal/ZIP code, we'll calculate your shipping charges, then send you an E-mail message that contains your payment instructions (see the comments in the right-hand column).

3. Pay the charges for the products, the taxes (Canadian residents only), and the shipping. We'll ship your products before the end of the next working day. (If you pay by e-check, we may elect to wait for your payment to clear before we mail your package.)

See also the Shipping procedures section below.

3a - PayPal. PayPal is the payment method used most often. Note that you can pay with a credit card via PayPal. Good news: you do not have to join PayPal in order to pay with your credit card!

When you pay via PayPal, you must give your shipping address to PayPal; they will forward it to us. The rest of your personal and financial details are securely handled only by them.

3b - The alternatives. If you are in Canada and do not wish to use PayPal, please indicate one of the following alternative options when you place your order:
Money order. Canada Post charges a fee of $3.95 plus tax.
Collect on Delivery. (COD)
Canada Post charges a supplementary fee of $6.00 plus tax for this service.
If you are in the Montreal area, you can arrange to stop by in person to make a cash payment.

About Our Shopping Cart

In order to keep our costs down, we are using a bargain basement shopping cart. You can use our cart to create a list of items to buy, and to send it to us, but you cannot use it to complete the financial transaction.

Technical notes

Our shopping cart is limited to a maximum of 19 different products (but there's no limit on the quantity of each product!). This means that if you want to buy more than 19 of our products at once, you'll have to fill and check out your cart more than once. We apologize for this inconvenience. Please close and restart your browser before starting a new order.

Our shopping cart will not track your purchases if javascript is unavailable in your browser. Nor will it work if cookies are disabled in your browser.

Please note that our shopping cart is cleared when you close your browser. For other details, see the About the web site section below.

If you change your mind, you can remove individual items from your cart at any time prior to checkout.

To order from us without using the shopping cart, please note carefully the descriptions of the items you wish to buy. E-mail us your list, along with your complete name, city, postal code, and E-mail address. We'll take it from there as if you had used the cart.

Testimonials

Below are some of the words of encouragement we've received in E-mails from our customers:

"I received the cd and am thrilled. What a delight! I'll be back soon! You showed such efficiency. Thanks!"
A. L., Quebec (translated from French)

"My order arrived today. I appreciate you sending the extra tiles, thank you.
The tiles are lovely."
S. C., Oakville, ON

"thanks so much--love your products!"
M. L., Quebec

"I am satisfied and content with your products. What's more, I am pleased by your efficiency, how quickly I got the products! I will do business with you again as soon as I need more."
F. N., Montreal (translated from French)

"I recieved the CD and I'm thrilled. What a delight! What efficiency you showed. Thank you!"
A. L., Quebec (translated from French)

"The tiles have arrived! Thanks for sending them so promptly, they look great."
R. R., British Columbia, Canada

"I actually received the order Friday evening! Thanks for the quick service, the tiles are gorgeous!"
K.M., Eastern Townships, Quebec

"Thanks... The tiles are so neat, that now I wish I'd bought 10 sheets instead of 5!"
C.W., Minnesota, USA

"Thanks for your speedy attention! I received my order yesterday. The tiles are lovely, and I'll definitely order from you again."
A.H., Ontario, Canada

"I am very satisfied with my last order. Thank you."
L.D., Montreal

"My order arrived today. I appreciate you sending the extra tiles, thank you.
The tiles are lovely. In advance, Happy Holidays!"
S.C., Ontario, Canada

"That's what you call speedy service !!!"
Y.L., Magog, Quebec (translated from French)

"I love the tiles...they're beautiful! Very pleased with the product and the fast, friendly service."
R.D., Ontario, Canada

"wow thanks I appreciate your speedy service"
C.F., Granby, Quebec

"thanks so much--love your products!"
M.L., Ottawa, Canada

"I have recieved my order - and fast too! The tiles look GREAT!"
A.V., Ontario, Canada

"Just wanted to say I had to order from another place this time only because (the other site) had exactly the assortment/quantities of tile I needed for this project. With that said, I will return to you hereafter!"
"Thanks to mosaicboutique.com for providing me the supplies and guiding me in spirit!... I love you guys."
J.F., Montreal

"Thank you very much for the prompt delivery."
C.P., Newfoundland and Labrador

"Got the tiles. They are gorgeous!!!! Thank you"
L.O., California, USA

"I received my lepps and tiles today. Tiles are awesome ! Thanks again and I shall be back..."
L.R., Ontario, Canada

"I continue to support your store because I like making mosaics using your supplies."
M.G., Quebec, Canada (translated from French)

"Thanks to your excellent service, the tiles arrived on Friday... I will be ordering again, as I am now hooked."
M.D., Ontario, Canada

"Thanks again for the quick service!"
K.T., Georgia, USA

"Your package arrived the morning after you mailed it - thanks for the very speedy service!"
T.M., Montreal

"Hi! This is a repeat order - I liked it so much that I'm expanding my decorating scheme."
J.M., Michigan, USA

"Thank you for the attention you paid to my comments, I truly appreciate it! ... I'd like to take this opportunity to emphasize my appreciation of your bilingual site. I also find it generous that you explain the technicques of mosaics; I've referred to your tutorial several times."
J.G., Québec (translated from French)

"Such lovely tiles...thanks ! ... Now I can play !"
S.C., New Brunswick, Canada

" I received the package yesterday, everything is perfect, thank you very much!"
M.C., Québec (translated from French)

"You do an awesome job responding to email! "
"I received my shipment today. Thank you for the service and the note."
E.V., Quebec, Canada

"Picked up the package today-the tile looks beautiful! thanks!"
T.I., British Columbia, Canada

"I have my tiles. Thanks for all you help and patience."
K.D., Quebec, Canada

"Thanks for all your help ... You have been a great help and I apprciate your personal attention"
S.P., Georgia, USA

"a big thank you for answering my questions; you've been very kind."
R.F., Quebec, Canada (translated from French)

"Thank you for the impeccable service! I received my order yesterday at noon. I was even able to open it in front of my 11-year old daughter who was awestruck. Wow! Thank you for the samples! ... the Oakwood marble is splendid!:
I.M., Quebec, Canada (translated from French)

"Received my tiles today. Thanks for the speedy service. And thanks for the samples (what a sneaky trick, sending such beautiful samples!)... I'm sure you'll hear from me again."
A.H., Ontario, Canada

"Thank you for your speedy responses and for your understanding."
"careful packaging, super protected. A HUGE THANK YOU, and of course thanks for your conscientiousness and honesty..."
M.G., Gabon (translated from French)

"I was looking for a Canadian site that sells tiles for mosaics..and I found you!! "
"Thanks so much..I received it today! Couldn't believe it! Everything is perfect and I am forsure going to order from you guys again.
Thanks again, "
A.P., Quebec, Canada

Shipping Policies and Procedures

We favor sending packages via Canada Post, since this is the most economical option for both Canadian and US destinations. If you prefer a different carrier, just let us know and we can try to include them in our shipping quote. Packages we send by Canada Post are insured (against loss only). If you want extra features such as faster-than-normal delivery, signature, tracking, etc where applicable, please indicate this and we will try to calculate these extra charges.

We try to maintain all products in stock. If we are short on any products, we'll let you know what your options are.

Delivery delay

We make every effort to ship your order as soon as you pay for it (the same day if possible). We provide an estimated delivery delay, based on the published standards of Canada Post combined with of our experience of past deliveries to your area. MosaicBoutique cannot be held responsible for delays in delivery that are outside of our control. Our deliveries are insured for loss (only), but please note that Canada Post will only launch an investigation 30 working days after the original mailing date.

Our Return Policy

If you are unsatisfied with the products you receive from MosaicBoutique.com, please E-mail us within 15 days of receipt and explain the problem. If we can't solve it to your satisfaction, we'll provide you with a return shipping address. You must pay the return postage (with adequate insurance). When we receive the returned merchandise from you, we will credit you via your original payment method.

US customers please note that we are not responsible for any external brokerage or handling fees that are out of our control, nor for any local, state, or federal taxes or duties that may be levied. We use the post office rather than the other commercial services, since many of them are known to charge high customs brokerage fees. The post office charges a small, reasonable fee for customs clearance.

Our Privacy Promise

We do not share, sell, or trade our customer details with outsiders in any way. Ever. Ever.

Note that we do not collect financial information ourselves. This information is managed solely by PayPal, who has the proper safeguards in place to assure a secure transaction.

If you would like to be on our mailing list, please indicate this preference when you check out.

Taxes (Canadians only)

We are located in the province of Quebec in Canada.

We charge no taxes when we ship to a US address.

When we ship to residents of Quebec, we must charge both GST (the national Goods and Services tax) and QST (Quebec Sales tax).

When we ship to residents of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland and Labrador, we must charge HST (Harmonized Sales Tax).

When we ship to residents of other Canadian provinces, we only charge the GST.

We indicate our GST and QST registration numbers to Canadian customers in the request for payment message that we send.

Currency converter

Click the following link to access our customized XE Universal currency converter. Our version only converts Canadian and US funds.

This is offered as a complementary service to provide an approximate exchange rate.

Please bear in mind that exchange rates can vary rapidly, and that XE does not guarantee their exchange rate accuracy.

You will be charged the exchange rate in effect for PayPal when they process your payment.

About the web site

This web site is optimized for the Firefox and Google Chrome browsers, and has been tested with Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. We do not recommend the Opera or AOL browsers for this site.

Javascript must be enabled for you to use our shopping cart, or to view or print the secondary windows that open. Cookies must also be enabled. These are simply requirements of the javascript code that we use to enhance your viewing/shopping experience.

All prices, specifications, and availability are subject to change without notice. MosaicBoutique can not be held responsible for omissions and/or errors in typography or photography.

We assume no responsibility for any damage or injury caused through use of the supplies that we sell, or from any advice, instructions or demonstrations that we may issue.