PAYMENT

1. What forms of payment to you accept?

We accept Visa, Master Card, Paypal A/C Payments, American Express and Pre-payments and advance checks and Telegraphic Transfers.

2. What are your policies regarding credit cards?

• The billing address information must be verifiable through the credit card processing center or the bank that issued the card. Orders will not be processed if the billing address does not match the account information. In the event of a mismatch between the billing address and account, the order will be placed on hold and you will be contacted to try to resolve the issue.
   
• The credit card must be issued by a bank where the customer is residing and both the billing and shipping addresses must be within the same country and within this area.  We are not accepting international orders outside of these areas and cannot process credit cards from outside of these areas.
   
• For orders over $300 we may require additional verification if an order is to be shipped to an address other than the credit card's verified billing address.  This will be to have the shipping address listed with the bank as an alternate address for the card.

3. Do you accept government credit cards, IMPAC cards, and purchase cards?

Yes. We accept all forms of government payment.

4. When will my credit card be charged?

We will charge your card after we run your order through our anti-fraud confirmation process

5. Do you accept Purchase Orders?We will only accept purchase orders from government & educational institutions. There is a $300 minimum order for payment by purchase order. A hard copy of the official purchase order must be faxed to our accounting department before the order will be processed. We will email you the necessary information once an order for payment by purchase order is received. All purchase orders are subject to verification. The maximum payment terms accepted will be 30 days.

6. How Can I Pre-Pay My Order?

Place your order online and print out the confirmation page showing all of your order information.  Send this print out along with your check or money order to our office located at 180B Bencoolen Street, #05-01 The Bencoolen, Singapore (189648). Once we receive your payment it will be deposited and must be cleared by the bank before the order will be processed. Depending upon the type of check, the issuing bank, and our bank's policies, it may take up to 10 business days for the check to clear. It is recommended to send a cashier's (bank) check or money order as these will clear faster than personal or business checks. Once the payment has cleared the bank, the order will be processed and shipped.

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TAX

1. Will I be Charged Tax?

We are required to charge Goods and Services Tax (GST) on orders that are shipped to locations inside Singapore. If an order is shipped outside of Singapore, no tax will be charged. Your state may require you to report out of state purchases and pay local taxes; however we will not charge any tax if an order is shipped outside of Singapore.

For international orders, please see our section concerning Taxes & Duties for International Orders

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INTERNATIONAL

1. Will you accept international orders?

We are only accepting international orders from major countries. Please refer to our list of countries for the approved country. We are not accepting orders from any other countries due to shortcomings in the credit card processing system and prohibitively high delivery costs. Note that all prices listed on this website are listed in US dollars by default and you can view in the optional currencies stated in the home page at the top right corner.

2. Why are you not accepting international orders for other countries?

The average overseas delivery cost including shipping, taxes, duties, and fees exceeds our average order amount.  So an overseas customer from these countries would have to pay more in delivery than the cost of the order.
 
Due to excessive delivery costs, time differences, and language barriers we are not able to provide any overseas customer service or warranty for that country.  We do not wish to sell items that we cannot stand behind

3. How much will I pay in customs taxes, duties and fees?

UPS/Singpost contract with customs brokers to process shipments through customs. These companies are experts in all of the confusing rules and calculations for determining customs charges and properly filing the required paperwork. Once your shipment has arrived in customs, the broker will calculate the necessary fees and contact you to arrange payment. Arrangements for payment need to be made between you and the customs broker. The package will not be released until the arrangements have been made.

4. How are customs fees collected?

UPS contract with customs brokers to process shipments through customs. These companies are experts in all of the confusing rules and calculations for determining customs charges and properly filing the required paperwork. Once your shipment has arrived in customs, the broker will calculate the necessary fees and contact you to arrange payment. Arrangements for payment need to be made between you and the customs broker. The package will not be released until the arrangements have been made.

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MODIFICATIONS & CANCELLATIONS

1. How can I modify my order?

For security reasons, once an order is placed it cannot be accessed or edited from the public internet.  If you realize that you have made a mistake or would like to add or delete items from your order, please email our customer service department at support@vectrasolution.com. Or fax at 65-68357518. Please be sure to include your order number (located in the subject of your confirmation email) in any request so that we may quickly and accurately locate your order. Orders can be modified up until they have been shipped

2. How can I cancel my order?

Orders can be canceled up until they are shipped by contacting our customer service department at support@vectrasolution.com or fax at 65-68357518.  Please be sure to include your order number (located in the subject of your confirmation email) in any requests so that we may quickly and accurately locate your order.

Once an order has been shipped, it cannot be canceled. It must be returned in accordance with our return policies.  If a package is refused, the shipping company will charge double freight to ship and return the package.  We will issue a refund on the item, less $15 or 15% restocking Fee whichever is greater. Note that we cannot refund the charges we pay to UPS/Singpost if a package is refused since UPS/Singpost will not refund that money to us. So please be careful before you confirm the order!

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1. What do I do if the item received is not correct?

If your part is a Battery, AC adapter, or Car Adapter, please read our FAQ concerning these items. In many cases the replacement part may be slightly different from the original.

Before contacting us, we suggest:

- Charging the battery (if you bought a laptop or a battery) for 24 hours, even when the indicator shows that is fully charged.

- Do not be alarmed if the part number you receive is different from what you ordered. Manufacturers frequently use multiple interchangeable part numbers.

- If you bought a modem or a network card, please contact your Internet service provider, or network specialist for configuration.

- If you bought a PCMCIA-CD-ROM, make sure you powered on the unit. Some of these units need a separate AC adapter connection or batteries. The owner’s manual will have more information.

- Most docking stations and port replicators require separate AC power to work!

- If you bought a floppy or a CD-ROM drive, you will need a floppy disk or a CD ROM disk to make it work.

- If you bought a hard disk drive, remember that is shipped completely empty. You will therefore need an operating system to boot up. See the instruction sheet that came with the drive.  

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If the product is a battery, please read our FAQ concerning batteries [Batteries Do’s & Don’ts]. Most battery issues can be resolved by properly conditioning and maintaining your battery.
We provide a 6 month warranty on all batteries and adapters (unless otherwise stated in the item description) and a one year warranty on Hard Disk Casings/ Bluetooth Products/GPS products. For details, please refer to the warranty FAQ.

If you have a problem with your item please contact our customer service department immediately or within 48 hrs at support@vectrasolution.com or fax at 65-68357518. We will make all attempts to help you solve your problem.  If it turns out that a product must be returned, you will be issued a return merchandise authorization (RMA) number which you can apply online. This number is basically a reference number that we use so that when an item is received we know who the item belongs to and what needs to be done with the item. You must then send your defective item to our office at 180B Bencoolen Street, # 05-01 The Bencoolen, Singapore (189648) and mark the package attention to the RMA number. Note that the item may have originally been shipped from another location. For all warranty service you must pay for the freight to send the item to us and we will pay the freight to return the item to you. Once the item has been received, we will repair or replace the item and return it to you. This process typically takes 7-10 business days

3. How do I return a product for a refund?

Our return policy is 10 days from the date the item was delivered. After 10 days, products cannot be returned for a refund.  If there is a problem with the product we will repair or replace it in accordance with our normal warranty. All returns are subject to a 15% restocking fee or $15 whichever is greater.
Please refer to RETURNS & WARRANTY FAQ’S for more details on how to return a product.

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1. How long is your warranty?

Our standard warranty on all Batteries and Adapters is 3 months and 1 year for all other products (unless otherwise stated in item description). The warranty period begins on the date when a product is delivered by the shipping company. 

Some special products (refurbished, close outs, etc.) may have different warranty terms and conditions.  If a product is subject to a special warranty, it will be noted in the item description.  Name brand products that carry a manufacturer's warranty will be covered by the manufacturer's warranty only and will be excluded from our warranty. If you have any question as to whether a product has a manufacturer's warranty or not, please contact our customer service department at support@vectrasolution.com or 65-68357518. Please refer to Warranty FAQ’s for more detail.

2. What does your warranty cover?

Our warranty covers the cost of parts and labor for our service department to repair or replace any defective item which is sent to our service department in Singapore during the warranty period.  We will pay the cost of freight to return the item to the customer located anywhere in the world.

The warranty will not cover Normal Wear and Tear like scratches and worn out paint; Physical damages like dropping, exposing to liquids, cracks, dents, chips; Damages caused environmental conditions like temperature or humidity (laptop accessories are subject to the same environmental conditions as your laptop); Damages caused by acts of god or war like fires, floods, etc.; Damages caused by unauthorized modification or repair.  Our liability is limited to the cost of the item purchased. We cannot be responsible for incidental or consequential damages like loss of time, loss of business, loss of computer data.

Please refer to Warranty FAQ’s for more details.

3. What do I do if the product does not work or becomes defective?

If the product is a battery, please read our FAQ concerning batteries. Most battery issues can be resolved by properly conditioning and maintaining your battery.

We provide a 6 month warranty on all batteries and a one year warranty on all other products (unless otherwise stated in the item description).  Please see the warranty FAQ for warranty details.

If you have a problem with your item please contact our customer service department immediately or within 3 business days at support@vectrasolution.com or fax at 65-68357518. We will make all attempts to help you solve your problem.  If it turns out that a product must be returned, you will be issued a return merchandise authorization (RMA) number. You may also request for a RMA number online within 10 days of receipt of package. This number is basically a reference number that we use so that when an item is received we know who the item belongs to and what needs to be done with the item. You must then send your defective item to our office at 180B Bencoolen Street, #05-01 The Bencoolen, Singapore 189648 and mark the package attention to the RMA number. Note that the item may have originally be shipped from another location. For all warranty service you must pay for the freight to send the item to us and we will pay the freight to return the item to you. Once the item has been received, we will repair or replace the item and return it to you. This process typically takes 2-10 business days.

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1. Is your store secure?

All order transactions are performed on a secure web server. Verisign’s Secure web server technology ensures that the server is the proper server and not the server of a malicious web site. It also encrypts all data to prevent a malicious individual from intercepting Credit Card or other sensitive data. In a effort to protect consumers, we screen all orders for credit card fraud. If an order is suspect of fraud we may require additional information or the order may not be accepted. We reserve the right to deny any order which we believe to not be legitimate.

2. Will my personal and contact information be sold or used for marketing?

No. We will not sell or give your information to any other parties. Information submitted will be used solely for the purposes of verifying and processing orders. If you have choose to opt-in to our mailing list during the order process (the default is NO), you may receive marketing email messages directly from us. If any such mailings are sent they will include clear instructions on how to opt out of any future mailings.

3. How secure are my online payments?

When you shop at Vectra Solutions, you can be sure that it’s going to be a hassle-free, rewarding online shopping experience!

Using sophisticated new encryption techniques and fraud-prevention technologies, we offer increasingly high levels of security enabling you to spend more time focusing on your core business rather than managing risk. Our standard payment processing service supports internationally recognised security initiatives including:
• Card Security Code (CSC/CVV2)
• Address Verification Service (AVS)

We also support the industry leading cardholder authentication systems provided by Visa and MasterCard:
• Verified by Visa
• MasterCard SecureCode

Both cardholder authentication systems provide password protection for online payments similar to chip and pin used in a store.

To process and ship your order, we need your name, phone number, billing address, shipping address, and e-mail address. This information is stored on a secure server to allow us to process subsequent orders more quickly. On occasion we may notify our customers about any special offers and may also share your mailing address with other companies whose products and services may be of interest to you. To remove your name from our mailing list, please e-mail us at support@vectrasolution.com or call us at 65-68357518.

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PRODUCTS

1. Are your products new?

Yes; unless otherwise stated in the item description

2. Who makes your products?

The majority of our products are manufactured by dedicated aftermarket OEM manufacturers.  These are large battery, power supply, and memory manufacturers that manufacturer products for other companies to sell under their own brand names. Many of these companies manufacturer the parts used by the original manufacturers. All parts meet or exceed the specifications of the original manufacturer's part and are designed to replace the manufacturer's original part.

3. Why is the part number on the item that I received different?

Part numbers and item numbers are assigned by the original manufactures, the parts manufacturers, the website software, and our internal back end inventory systems. To complicate things further, original manufacturers typically issue many different part numbers for the same item. 
Our system is specifically designed to provide the correct part for your computer. We verify every order to ensure that the part is correct for the model listed on the order. So even though the part number may be different, the part should be correct

Products are generally available for shipment in 1-3 business days.  Availability information posted on the site is not "real time" and occasionally a product may be out of stock or encounter supply problems. When these cases arise, the customer will be notified of any delays and given a best estimate on when the item will be available for shipment. If an item has been sold out or discontinued, the customer will be notified that the order cannot be fulfilled. If your order is time sensitive, please email our customer support at support@vectrasolution.com or fax at 65-68357518 for real time information on when a product can be shipped.

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AC & CAR ADAPTERS

1. Do Your AC Adapters Come With Power Cords?

All of our AC adapters are shipped with a 6 foot, US power cord. Most are 2 prongs; however some adapters require a 3 prong cord.
We also sell the power cords separate from the AC Adapters. Please look at the Power Cords section under the AC Adapter section for available items and prices

2. What do the AC & Car Adapter Specifications mean?

Power adapter output is rated by Voltage, Current (amps), and Power (voltage * current). When matching a replacement AC adapter, the following factors will apply:

Voltage: The output tolerance for voltage is + or - 1 volt. This means that the replacement adapter's voltage should be within 1 volt of your original. For example, an adapter rated at 19V can be used on computers with input voltage requirements of 18-20V.

Current (Amps): This specification is listed as the maximum current that the adapter is capable of producing. This current is not sent to the computer; instead the computer will only take as much as it needs. (Ohm’s law) The current rating of an adapter must be greater than or equal to the rating of the original adapter. In most cases the replacement adapters have a higher rating.  This will not cause a problem; it just means that the adapter's maximum capacity is greater.

Power (watts): Some computers will describe their adapters in terms of power (watts). This specification describes the maximum power that the adapter is capable of producing. The power rating in watts is found by multiplying Volts * Amps. For Example, if your computer had a rating of 19V 2A it would require a maximum of 19V*2A = 38 Watts. The adapter required would need to have a rating of 38W or greater to satisfy your computer's power needs. A watt rating is becoming more common with the newer Pentium 4 laptops because these laptops generally require more power than all older computers.

3. Can the AC adapters be used in countries with 220V power?

All of our AC adapters will accept input voltages of 100V-240V and input frequencies of 50Hz-60Hz.  The adapter will automatically detect the input voltage and adjust itself accordingly. If you take your adapter overseas all that you will need will be the plug end adapter to allow the US plug to fit into the local sockets

Only models specifically described as Auto/Air Adapters may be used in aircraft. Although most of our adapters may work by using an adapter plug, only those items listed as "auto/air" adapters are designed for use in aircraft.  We would not recommend using an adapter not designed for aircraft in flight.
Note that many of the newer Pentium 4 laptops require more power than can be supplied by the standard aircraft in seat power system. Maximum seat power is 70-75W and many of these computers require 90-120W, so these models may not have airline adapters available.

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BATTERIES TIPS

1. What's the difference between NiCad, NiMh, and Lithium Ion Batteries?

NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) - This was the first widely used battery in portable electronics. This technology was used until the middle of the 1990's. The limitations of this technology are its power density (the amount of energy that can be stored in a certain size & weight) is lower than new technologies, it is made from environmentally unfriendly materials, and it suffers from "memory effect".  Memory effect is a phenomenon where if a battery is not discharged completely on a regular basis, its useful capacity will be decreased.

NiMh (Nickel Metal Hydride) - This technology replaced NiCad batteries in around 1995 because it offered more power from the same size battery (power density), used less harmful materials, and was less prone to the memory effect phenomenon.

Li-Ion (Lithium Ion) - This technology emerged around 1997-1998 and replaced NiMh batteries.  The advantages over NiMh batteries are that it is about 35-50% lighter and it is immune to memory effect.

Li-Pol (Lithium Polymer) - This is basically the same technology as Li-Ion; however the batter cells are constructed out of flat polymer sheets to make flat batteries.  This allows batteries to be placed in small places like behind laptop screens.  This technology is only used in limited laptop applications; however it is used more widely in PDAs, tablet computers, and cell phones.

2. If my computer came with a NiMh battery, can I change to a Li-ion?

The different battery chemistries have different electrical properties and need to be charged differently. The charging circuit in the computer must be designed and calibrated to match the chemistry of the battery. So if your computer's charging circuit was designed for NiMh, you cannot change to a different battery type.

The exception to this rule is many computers that were produced when the industry was changing from NiMh to Li-Ion technology.  Manufacturers designed many models sold during this transition period (around 1997-1998) to work with either type of battery. If we list both a NiMh and Li-Ion battery for your computer model then it can support either battery type. If we list only one type of battery for your computer, it most likely will only support one type; however you can check with your computer's manufacturer for a definite answer.

6. How Can I Maximize Battery Performance?

There are several steps you can take to insure that you get maximum performance from the battery:

Break In New Batteries

New batteries come in a discharged condition and must be fully charged before use. It is recommended that you fully charge and discharge the new battery two to four times to allow it to reach its maximum rated capacity.

Prevent the Memory Effect

Keep the battery healthy by fully charging and then fully discharging it at least once every two to three weeks. Exceptions to the rule are Li-Ion batteries which do not suffer from the memory effect.

Keep the Batteries Clean

It's a good idea to clean dirty battery contacts with a cotton swab and alcohol. This helps maintain a good connection between the battery and the portable device.

Exercise the Battery

Do not leave the battery dormant for long periods of time. We recommend using the battery at least once every two to three weeks. If a battery has not been used for a long period of time, perform the new battery break in procedure described above.

Battery Storage

If you don't plan on using the battery for a month or more, we recommend storing it in a clean, dry, cool place away from heat and metal objects. NiCad, NiMh and Li-Ion batteries will self-discharge during storage; remember to break them in before use. Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) batteries must be kept at full charge during storage. This is usually achieved by using special trickle chargers. If you do not have a trickle charger, do not attempt to store SLA batteries for more than three months.

For Notebook Users

To get maximum performance from the battery, fully optimize the notebooks power management features prior to use. Power management is a trade off: better power conservation in exchange for lesser computer performance. The power management system conserves battery power by setting the processor to run at a slower speed, dimming the screen, spinning down the hard drive when it's not in use and causing the machine to go into sleep mode when inactive. The notebook user’s guide will provide information relating to specific power management features. 

7. How Are Batteries Rated? What Are Volts and Amps?

There are two ratings on every battery: volts and amp-hours (Ah). The Ah rating may also be given as milliamp-hours (mAh), which are one-thousandth of an amp-hour (for example, a 1Ah battery is 1000mAh). Amp-hours are a rating of the amount of energy that a battery can store. Another way of looking at it is to say that the higher a battery's amp-hour rating is, the longer the battery's run-time will be. Some of our batteries will have higher amp-hour ratings than the original battery found in your device and will not cause any incompatibilities.

On the other hand, while the voltage of the Hi-Capacity battery may not be identical to the original battery, the voltages must be within a reasonable range in order to rate the voltage of the cell, a voltage value between 3.0 and 4.2 must be picked. The voltage that is picked is called the "nominal" voltage, which means that it is for naming purposes only, whereas the actual voltage of the cell depends on the state of charge. Historically some manufacturers picked 3.6V while others picked 3.7V to name the cell. The functionality and performance of either cell is identical and cannot be differentiated by the device.

The explanation above applies to a single Li-Ion cell in series.  When a battery has two or more Li-Ion cells in series, the voltage is multiplied by the number of cells in series, as in the table below:

8. How Long Do Batteries Last (What is the Life Span of the New Battery)?

The life of a rechargeable battery operating under normal conditions is generally between 500 to 800 charge-discharge cycles. This translates into one and a half to three years of battery life for the average user. As the rechargeable battery begins to die, the user will notice a decline in the running time of the battery. When a battery that originally operated the notebook for two hours is only supplying the user with an hour's worth of use, it's time for a new one.

9. Should I Recycle the Old Battery? How?

NiCad, NiMh and Li-Ion batteries should be recycled. Be environmentally conscious - do NOT throw these batteries in the trash.
If you don't know where your local recycling facility is, call the Portable Rechargeable Battery Association at 1-800-822-8837. They will provide you with the address of the recycling center nearest to you. If there is no local recycling facility, send the old batteries to us at the following address: