Q: I didn't receive the designs I ordered. What happens now?

Please note: I don't have instant download, so please don't panic if the designs haven't arrived immediately after placing the order. Please be patient. I will send the designs within 24 hours or you will receive a cheerful refund, no questions asked.

If you don't hear from me within 24 hours, please begin by checking the settings on your mail program and security software. In some cases you need to actually enter my e-mail address  to allow my messages to get through. I will do my utmost to get them to you, but I can't do it if my messages are being blocked.

I normally send the designs via e-mail attachment, to the address given on the payment receipt. Please check that your settings will allow attachments through to that e-mail address, or that you provide an alternate address where you are able receive attachments.

If your settings are correct and you have sent me your list, but haven't received your designs, please e-mail me. I check my e-mail multiple times a day, every day of the year, and I process orders as they come in. This means you should *always* receive a response within a few hours of placing an order. If you have sent me your list, you will receive the designs themselves in under 24 hours. If I haven't received your list, I will send an e-mail query asking for the names of the designs you wanted, and will send out the designs as soon as I get this information.

If you haven't heard from me at all and several hours have elapsed, something has gone wrong; most likely one of the following has happened:

First, it is possible that I do not have enough information to complete your order. If I don't know specifically which design(s) you wanted, I won't be able to send them. I will normally send you an e-mail asking for this information, but you don't need to wait for my request. Solution: Please go ahead and e-mail me the designs name(s) and required format and I'll send the designs right away.

Second, if you have sent me your information and you still don't have the designs after 24 hours, it could be that the receiving server or your own settings are blocking attachments or routing them to the spam filter. This can happen sometimes if your browser or your security software has undergone a recent update; sometimes the updates return the browser to default settings that need to be re-set to your preferences.

Solution: Please check the spam filter in your mail program to see if my message is there. If not, you can  e-mail me to let me know you don't have the designs and I'll send them right away via another pathway.

Third, depending on your mail program or your security software, you may have to specifically allow attachments from my e-mail address. If you are receiving my messages with the attachments stripped out, this may be why.

Solution: You can change settings in your mail program to solve this problem. Or just  e-mail me to let me know you don't have the designs and I'll send them right away via another pathway.

Fourth, if your mailbox is full, you may not be able to receive attachments at all.

Solution: If this is the case, you can delete some messages from your queue to make room for incoming messages. Or just  e-mail me to let me know you don't have the designs and I'll send them right away via another pathway.

And finally, if you have not heard from me at all, it may be that there's a problem with the mail getting through from my server to yours. In some instances, my messages can bounce back or not go through at all. I don't know why this is, but it has happened a handful of times in the past five years, and it is particularly likely if your e-mail is a ".net" one. Yahoo doesn't like them, or they don't like yahoo, so they can sometimes give trouble.

Solution: Again, you can check the settings in your mail program and security software and enter my e-mail address so that you will be able to receive messages and attachments from me. Or just  e-mail me to let me know you don't have the designs and I'll send them right away via another pathway.

If I receive a bounce-back, or if I get a message from you saying the designs have not made it, I will re-send them from an alternate e-mail address or via hightail. One of those usually works, but if not, I will set up a password-protected download page where you can retrieve the designs, and I will e-mail you the ID/password along with a link to the page. BUT I can do this only if you have sent me your list!

If all else fails, I will issue a refund: Most of the time these solutions work, but on a few occasions, clients have been unable to receive any of my messages, even those without attachments (this has occurred only twice). If this should happen and I am unable to communicate with you via e-mail, I will make six attempts to contact you from multiple e-mail addresses; after that, I will automatically issue a refund, as I do not want to keep your payment if I can't get the designs to you.

If you haven't been able to enter your desired designs via paypal, please let me know via e-mail which design(s) you want, and the format you need. I will request this information from you if I don't see the list in the paypal notice, or if I haven't received your e-mail. If after a week I still haven't received this information, I will automatically issue a refund for the same reason given above: I don't want to keep your payment if I can't get the designs to you.

I will do my very best to resolve any issues with delivery of the designs, but I can't always control the vicissitudes of the Internet. I would prefer to send you the designs you ordered and get you happily stitching, but if I am unable to send you an e-mail or otherwise arrange to get the designs to you, I will always issue a refund, no questions asked.