Customer Service
Frequently Asked Questions
S1 What does the Life Time Guarantee cover?
From the date of purchase, all White Mountain™ products come with a Lifetime
Guarantee against material and manufacturing faults occurring during the
useful life of the backpack. It is very difficult to measure the life of
a product, at White Mountain™ we carefully select fabrics and components
that will provide weather resistance and functionality after prolonged use.
However, the life of a product will depend how much and in what conditions
the product is used. Damages caused by fair wear and tear, abuse or misuse
are not covered by this guarantee, and this particularly applies to zippers.
More information on zipper maintenance is available at
Do It Yourself Repairs /Zippers This does not limit the assistance or
advice available in correcting any problem related to your White Mountain™
product.
Mildew damage and hydrolysis (delaminating) of materials are not
covered by White Mountain's Lifetime Warranty.
Read More
S2 Where can a White Mountain™ product be repaired?
White Mountain™ recommend taking your backpack to a reputable
outdoor
equipment repair specialist, or to return your product to the store
where the backpack was purchased for assistance in obtaining a qualified
repair. Simple repairs can be carried out by a local canvas manufacturer,
boot repair store, or furniture upholsterer that have the necessary machinery
to carry out such repairs. If you have problems in locating a suitable repair
service, please contact White Mountain™ direct.
S3 What about White Mountain™ warranty repairs?
If the repair is a warranty claim, please detail the repair in a letter
or email to White Mountain™. Once the repair has been validated and a receipt
received, a reimbursement for the repair costs will be sent to you. White
Mountain™ do not ask that the product be sent to us, simply to avoid freight
costs and delays for yourself. White Mountain™ products rarely fail, but
anything is possible.
A receipt of purchase is not required when returning the product to a
White Mountain™ direct. Please note that the cost of freight to White Mountain™
for repairs will be borne by the customer.
S4 How do I clean my backpack?
Be very careful of harsh cleansers or even household detergents. While
these cleansers may not damage the outside of the fabric, the inside of
the backpack fabric is coated with a layer of polyurethane. The polyurethane
keeps the backpack water resistant and can be easily harmed by harsh chemicals
causing it to delaminate (peel off) if mistreated. We recommend using only
warm water and a soft cloth to clean the backpack. If you must use a cleanser,
use a mild soap and do not use it on the inside of the backpack. Avoid immersing
the backpack in water for long periods of time, particularly in salt water,
as this may also cause the delaminating of the cold bonded PU Coating on
the inside of the backpack. If your backpack is exposed or immersed in salt
water at any time, rinse thoroughly in fresh water immediately after exposure
and allow to air dry in the shade. And NEVER, and we mean NEVER, PUT A BACKPACK
INTO A WASHING MACHINE, or SPIN DRYER.
It is recommended you NEVER turn the backpack or bag inside out and dry
in direct sunlight as this may also damage the Polyurethane coating and
cause it in time to disintegrate and delaminate.
S5 How is it that prices at White Mountain™ are so
much lower than an average retail store?
White Mountain™ is a leading manufacturer, wholesaler and online backpack
store. We offer our customers high quality backpacks and backpack accessories
at discounted prices of up to 50% below other manufacturers suggested retail
prices. Because of the large combined volume of products that are manufactured
at our factory and by supplying products direct, we are able to provide
the White Mountain™ products at lower prices. Additionally, since White
Mountain™ operates a virtual store, we do not have the overhead expenses
associated with operating a traditional store. As such, these additional
savings are then passed on to you, our valued customer.
S6 How is it that White Mountain™ products cannot be
obtained anywhere else?
White Mountain™ is based in Australia and has a much more efficient inventory
model, one warehouse serving the world. It is then cost effective for us
to carry a much wider variety of products targeting all kinds of niche customer
demands. Traditional retail stores outside of Australia do not have access
to the White Mountain™ products.
S7 Can the customer be assured that they will be able
to continue to purchase from White Mountain?
White Mountain™ is committed to ensuring complete customer satisfaction.
You can be assured that White Mountain™ will always carry a wide selection
of backpack products and continue to expand the products available, while
living-up to our 'World's Best Backpacks at World's Best Prices' slogan.
S8 Does White Mountain sell other brands, superseded
and or sample products?
White Mountain™ do not carry or sell any competitor brands, even those
we manufacture. We do from time to time have superseded, or sample White
Mountain™ items available and these can be viewed and purchased through
our online store in our
specials
selections. All of our products are of the same high quality and come
with the White Mountain Lifetime Guarantee.
S9 Does White Mountain have any catalogues, or inventory
price lists that can be mailed to their customers, or are the items presented
on the Internet the only products that they carry?
Unfortunately these are limited, White Mountain™ supplies
PDF Catalogues and PDF Price Lists that can be downloaded from this
website for customer use, or sent by e-mail upon request. Products are continually
upgraded, and prices change without notice. The White Mountain™ web site
is continually updated and is a much more effective channel to purchase
backpacks than a catalogue. All available products, shipping and pricing
information can be obtained at our web site.
S10 Does White Mountain™ expand the assortment of
products offered at it's web site?
Our product selection is frequently updated, expanded and growing rapidly.
S11 Can White Mountain™ to a Retail Store for pickup?
There are now no White Mountain™ Retail Agencies available, please read
the information on the
dealers menu page.
S12 Can customers return items purchased over the
Internet to the nearest Retail Store for an exchange or credit?
Unfortunately no, all merchandise purchased over the internet must be
returned directly to White Mountain™. We require that you ship all your
returns to us so that we can continue providing our customers with a cost
efficient customer service and greatly reduced discounted prices
S13 Is White Mountain™ able to tell customers which
Australian Retail Stores carry White Mountain™ backpacks?
There are now no White Mountain™ Retail Agencies available, please read
the information on the
dealers menu page.
S14 In Australia is it cheaper to purchase the items
over the Internet, or at the White Mountain Showroom?
Prices are the same at our showroom in Preston as the prices on the website
S15 Can White Mountain manufacture specially requested
items for their customers?
No, unfortunately the price would be prohibitive to manufacture a one
off backpack product. White Mountain™ will be providing further details
on manufacturing quantities and minimum purchases in a new section of this
website at a later date. Meanwhile this information can be obtained from
a customer service representative.
S16 Does White Mountain provide the contact information
for the designers and manufacturers of the various backpack products?
All White Mountain products are designed and manufactured by the White
Mountain team.
S17 How are the products delivered?
All orders are shipped via Australia Post.
S18 What are the shipping charges?
Please see our
Freight Directory
page.
S19 Can my order be delivered on the weekend?
No, Australia Post does not pick up, nor deliver packages on weekends.
S20 Can I have my order delivered to a post office
box?
Yes, Australia Post does deliver packages to post office (PO) boxes.
S21 Does White Mountain deliver to international destinations?
Yes, Australia Post does deliver packages to international destinations.
S22 Have there been many complaints about damaged
products due to mishandling during delivery?
No, backpacks are not easily damaged in transit and to date there have
been no complaints about products being damaged as a result of shipping.
S23 Is the web site secure?
Ensuring secure online purchasing is a vital part of our commitment to
honour your privacy. The White Mountain site uses SSL (secure socket layers)
to protect your personal information, including credit card numbers. SSL
is used in order to encrypt all personal information, including your name
and credit card information, so that it can't be read while being transferred
from your web browser to our Internet site. All pages on the site that require
our customers to enter sensitive information are protected with SSL. Other
pages that do not require you entering personal information do not need
to be protected. That is why you will only see the padlock on your browser
when indicating the use of a secured page or when you are modifying your
account or entering sensitive information during the checkout process. The
bottom line is, our site is secured to protect you and your privacy. Please
visit our page on privacy and security
to find out more about the security on our site and our Secure Shopping
Guarantee.
S24 Is it safer to place orders over the phone than
on the Internet?
Both means of ordering are secure. However, if you feel more comfortable
placing your order with one of our customer service representatives, please
do not hesitate to phone White Mountain™ direct.
S25 Does White Mountain sell customer information
or customer lists to other companies?
All information submitted to White Mountain remains confidential. Customers
can be assured that we do not sell any of the provided information to other
enterprises, nor do we transfer information to other enterprises for marketing
purposes. For more information on how we protect your privacy, visit our
page on privacy and security.
S26 What navigational information is collected and
how is it used?
An individual is not linked to their IP address. IP addresses are only
analysed in aggregate form for general tracking use.
S27 How do users modify personal information?
The customer can modify personal information by going to the shopping
cart and logging in with their email address and password that the customer
chose at the time of their first purchase.
S28 Why is it that the customer is required to give
their billing address when they do not want their package sent there?
One of our policies is to verify the cardholder's name and billing information,
thus minimizing the number of fraudulent purchases and thereby protecting
both our customers and ourselves. Reducing fraud makes it possible for us
to lower our prices.
S29 Will the customer's order be sent to their billing
address?
All orders will be sent to the address that the customer has listed as
their shipping address.
S30 How long will it take before orders are processed
and shipped?
Generally, orders that are received before 10 AM Eastern Standard Time
are processed and shipped that same day or the very next day at the latest.
However, processing time is dependent on whether the billing and shipping
information is accurate.
S31 What is White Mountain’s policy on customer returns?
Within 30 days of receiving your package, you may return any unopened
merchandise in its original sellable condition. NOTE: Return authorization
is required and all free gifts must be returned with the products. Email
us at info@whitemountain.com.au
prior to shipping your package back to us. White Mountain™ can only refund
shipping costs if the return is a result of our error, but we do offer some
compensation for delivery costs incurred in returning products. Further
information can be viewed on our policies page,
refund policy.
Any discrepancy in your order should be reported to White Mountain™ immediately.
S32 Are customers required to pay the shipping charges
for items that are being returned?
As mentioned above, we can only refund shipping costs if the return is
a result of White Mountain's error. If we have made a mistake, we will pay
for the shipping costs.
S33 What is White Mountain's policy on issuing customer
credits for returned merchandise?
Once it is determined that the returned merchandise is in a resalable
condition, we will then issue the customer credit for the merchandise.
S34 Once packages have left White Mountain's premise,
who has the responsibility for product delivery?
Once merchandise has left our premises, the responsibility for safe delivery
is with our carrier Australia Post. On behalf of its customers, White Mountain
will seek recourse from the carrier in the event of loss or damage and subsequently
seek compensation for damaged products.
S35 Can I pay for my order by CHEQUE?
Yes, all you need do is choose 'Post Cheque' in the shopping Cart payment
options. Placing an order using a cheque will take longer allowing additional
time for the clearing process. Please allow approximately 3 days from receipt
of your cheque. Simply post a copy of your order invoice with your cheque,
and once the Cheque is received and cleared, we will process your order.
S36 Can I pay using a MONEY ORDER?
Yes, as mentioned above all you need do is choose 'Post Cheque' in the
shopping Cart payment options, and then mail in the money order to us with
a copy of your order invoice. Once the Money Order is received, we will
process your order.
S37 How are users notified if an item is on backorder
or out of stock?
Orders are usually shipped within 24-48 hours. If there is any problem
with the order the customer is notified by email.
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