We hope this answers some of your questions about our very popular Chocolate of the Month Club. How much chocolate do you send? That depends on the item. It's usually about a pound but we insist on a minimum value of $34. Sometimes, like Shari's Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, the cost is $40, and the weight is well over a pound! Other times, like Fran's very famous, and very expensive chocolates, she made a special package for us at $35. It's an excellent value, but you get less chocolate. How much is the shipping and why isn't it included in the price? We'd love to standardize the shipping, but it just isn't possible. Shipping not only varies by the weight, but also by the distance from the shop to your home. In warm months chocolate must be insulated in styrofoam containers with ice packs. Each shop has different arrangements with FedEx and UPS. (i.e., Shari's Berries can ship FedEx Priority Overnight for $18, other shops are charged $22 for the same service.) Chocolate shops charge from $2.00 to $6.50 handling per box, in addition to the shipping. This is how we are able to bring the quality of Jerbeau, Michele's and Fran's to our Club: we have one large shipment sent directly to us, and everybody pitches in to package and mail. It's a labor of love, and we love it. What kind of chocolate do you send? This is what we we have sent in the past: In 2005: January - Harbor Sweets February - Ethel M Chocolates March - Roger's Chocolates April - Korkunov Russian Chocolates May - Knipschildt Chocolates June - NewTree Chocolate Bars July - Dan's Chocolates August - Pacific Cookie Company September - Chocolove Chocolate Bars October - Sterling Truffle Bars November - Stephany's Chocolates December - Nirvana Belgian Chocolates Previously: January - Ghiradelli Historical Tins February - Three lucite hearts from Pernigotti of Italy March - Pierre Vivier French Ganaches and Morsels. April - Truffelinos from The Candy Jar in San Francisco. May - Empress German chocolate assortment June - Reber Mozart Kuglen from Germany July - The Issimo Collection, 4 mini-Williecakes August - Pacific Cookie Company September - Shari's Berries One Dozen Gift Box October - Dan's Chocolate Assortment November - Bodega Fudge December - Michele's Mini Truffles If you're planning a trip to Italy, don't miss the annual chocolate festival in Perugia the last weekend in October. In January we visited with the international and North American fine chocolatiers at the San Francisco Fancy Food Show and found some new treats for the coming months. We have to taste all this chocolate to make sure it is up to your standards. Life is hard, but we do our best. Why do you bill me monthly? I want to pay for the whole year at once?" Well, we don't want you to realize how much this is going to cost! Really, a full year subscription is a serious gift. See above for shipping charges. We really don't know what it will cost each month. More importantly, it's illegal to charge a credit card for items that have not been shipped. Therefore, we charge your card each month after shipping. If you really want to pay in advance and get it out of the way, call Nick at (760) 788-9220 and we'll see what we can work out. What if I want to cancel my subscription? Just let us know. There is no contract and you are free to cancel at any time. No one has ever canceled because they don't like the club, but relationships and finances do change. We expect you to do the right thing and notify the recipient that they will no longer be receiving their highly-anticipated monthly treat. When is the chocolate shipped "Mid-month" we answer confidently. The truth is we are dealing with handmade chocolate from premier shops. Each of our orders is freshly made and sent out immediately. I thought it was $30.00 for the whole year. You mean I will be billed that much every month? This is a more frequent question than you would think! Twelve boxes of chocolate for $30.00? That would be $2.50 each - less than the cost of a quality candy bar. If you misunderstood this and ordered a subscription, please email or call us right away and we will cancel your order. I still have questions. Who can I contact? Please e-mail your questions to the head of our Customer Service Department - nick@givechocolate.com. Or call us at 760 788-9220 Mon-Fri 8-5 PST. |