Policies and Procedures

Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labor and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal and/or commercial gain.

The owners and employees of Think & Tinker, Ltd. are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and take a zero tolerance approach to slavery and human trafficking. We aim to comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA, UK) and expect our suppliers, and their supply chains, to take all reasonable and practical steps to comply with the MSA. We also expect our suppliers, and their supply chains, to engage in good employment practices and to comply with all relevant legislation and regulations in the countries in which they operate.

Generally speaking, Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com does not backorder items that are out of stock when an order comes in. The reason for this is that our facility is located in rural Colorado where the only door-to-door shipping options are UPS and FedEx. Shipping small residual orders is simply too cost-prohibitive. We make every attempt to keep the items listed on the website up to date. If you cannont find a tool that you are looking for, chances are, it is out-of-stock.

In the case of all backorders we offer 3 courses of action. Which one we use depends on the information that you supply at the time you place the order. If any of the items in your order are critical and need to be shipped without delay, please let us know. You can use the "Special Instructions" box on the checkout page for this purpose. If no special instructions are received with your order, we will e-mail you regarding the status and request instruction as to how you would like us to proceed. Please be aware, depending on how quickly you respond to any such "inventory out-of-stock" notice, your order might be delayed by a day or more. However your instructions are received, we will follow them subject the options below.

• Ship in-stock items and cancel the rest -

  When the value of the out-of-stock items is less than US$50, we will ship what we have in stock and delete the remaining items from the order.

• Hold and ship complete when everything is in stock -

  All of the in-stock items are pulled and put in secure storage until the out-of-stock items are back in inventory. When the order can be filled, all items are consolidated and shipped to the customer using the shipping method selected when the order was placed

• Ship in-stock items immediately and ship the rest when they are back in inventory -

  When the total value of the backordered items exceeds US$50 on a domestic order and the customer wants the in-stock items to ship without delay (partial shipment), at their direction, we will ship what is has in stock and ship the remaining tools when inventory is replenished. On such shipments, Think & Tinker, Ltd. will cover the cost of UPS Ground shipping only. If another shipping option is chosen, any additional cost will be added to the order and charged to the customer. This option is NOT available on international orders.

Unfortunately, it is a fact of life that, if you are going to use micro-tools, sooner or later you are going to break some bits. Even though we only use the absolutely best carbides that money can buy, inspect most of our production batches 100% with ultra-high-resolution laser measurement systems and thoroughly test every new design before we release it to market, sooner or later, some tools are going to bite the dust.

Since all of our tools are made in batches of 200 to 1,000 pieces, if there is a problem with a particular production run or batch of carbide blanks, it usually shows up pretty quickly. Whenever you have a tool breakage problem that you suspect might be related to manufacturing quality issues, please provide:

1. the handwritten trace number from the label on the case the bit shipped in
   We use this information to see if we have received any other complaints or feedback about bits from this manufacturing lot
2. operating RPM (speed)
3. operating feed-rate (feed)
4. date of the last time you used ColletCare to clean your spindle to insure proper collet seating
5. runout (TIR) of spindle / tool-holder / collet
   Please include the date when the TIR was last measured.
6. results of the Sweetspot test you performed to determine the optimum feed and speed for the combination of tool and material being cut
7. material being cut when tool(s) broke
8. depth of cut when the tool(s) broke
9. how long the tool(s) survivedbefore breaking (number of inches, or meters, cut)

We have a stated committment to give as much support to our customers as possible. However, since we have no control over your shop processes, the sources of your raw materials, the maintenance of your equipment or the training of your employees, there really is no way that we can guarantee that you are never going to break one of our tools. I am sorry if this sounds like a hard position to take, but, after decades of designing, grinding and selling carbide tools, we have found that the best approach is to make the best tools we can, constantly work to improve their performance and durability, be willing to admit when we make a batch of crap, and be quick to address any mistake that finds it's way into a customer's shop.

All prices, pictures and descriptions on this site and all otherThink & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com publications are subject to change without prior notice.Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com maintains no responsibility for inadvertent errors. In the event of typographical errors on our site or in our publications,Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com reserves the right to cancel or refuse orders at its sole discretion. Please contact us within 30 days regarding price or promotion discrepancies.Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com sells to many hobby shops across the world, and is not responsible for their individual pricing practices.

Conflict Minerals are essentially tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold that are mined either in the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”) or one of nine African nations that share a border with the DRC (the “DRC Region”). Many of these minerals are used in the production of carbide that we use to manufacture cutting tools.

The goal of the rule is to help end civil conflict and human rights abuses in the DRC Region committed by armed militant groups by denying revenue to those groups that derive their funding from control of mines in the DRC Region that produce these Conflict Minerals.

Think & Tinker, Ltd. fully supports and complies with the requirements of the Conflict Minerals rule and expects our suppliers to do the same. However, we do not directly purchase raw metal ores that may be used in the manufacture of our products from smelters or mines. Rather, we are several supply chain layers removed from the mining and processing of these metals, and as a result, we do not have first-hand knowledge of their source.

Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com accepts Visa and MasterCardfor payment of all purchases. All orders are processed through our merchant services provider, and will show as PreciseBits on your credit card statement. If the billing address that you enter with your order does not match what is on file with your credit card provider or if authorization is not given for any reason, we reserve the right to cancel the order without notification, but we will make every attempt to correct the issue before canceling an order. In any case, you will be notified of any such cancellation via e-mail.

It is quite clear that vocational and technical education in this country, and pretty much everywhere else, have suffered from years of neglect and indifference. As a result, we now find ourselves scrambling to find the technicians, engineers and scientists needed to keep our increasingly complex systems operating. Infrastructure is deteriorating at an accelerating pace and companies go begging for qualified people to fill a growing number of critical positions. To support the revival of technical education in the USA, and internationally, Think & Tinker, Ltd. is proud to offer a 10% discount to all registered educational institutions, community continuing-education programs and local makerspaces. Discounts to qualified registered customers will be applied during order processing and fulfillment. To qualify for the discount, the school, or user group must:

• be a registered Think & Tinker, Ltd. customer
• place their orders (prepaid and NET30) through the T&T secure online web cart

If you receive an e-mail communication from our company regarding a financial/accounting matter, you can respond in 1 of 2 ways:

• Reply directly to the sender of the e-mail. That way, the person waiting for your reply will be able to directly assist you in the most timely manner.
• NEVER send your credit card number, expiration date or security code via e-mail! Open e-mail is NOT secure!
• If it is a matter that has to do with a payment, call and specifically ask for Barbara (CFO) in Accounting. If Barbara is not in, just leave your name and number and she will call you back. No one else in the company is authorized to discuss financial matters so detailed messages are discouraged.

We do not have a sophisticated voicemail system. Our policy is that an actual, flesh and blood human being answer our phones during normal work hours (08:30 to 16:30 Mountain Time, Mon. thru Fri.). Everyone in the company is tasked with answering the phone. If the person you need to speak to is not able to come to the phone or is not in the building when you call, leave your name and number and they will call you back as soon as possible.

Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com ships to customers all over the world (excluding countries on the US State Department embargo list). Pre-payments may be made via international money order (US funds), credit card or international wire transfer (bank fees may apply).

Under no circumstances will we falsify invoices or shipping labels or report lower than actual values on any item(s) listed on any export document accompanying, or related to any order.

We accept no responsibility for damage and/or loss of materials or tools incurred during operation of a CNC machine. In most cases it is very difficult or impossible to determine whether damage was actually due to some type of equipment failure or to operator error. Also, we cannot be held responsible for any purchased components that are incorporated into CNC systems or problems caused by incompatibility between CNC components and our tools.

Any consequences arising out of the purchase of merchandise purchased from Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com from any third party, with the exception of Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com authorized distributors, is the responsibility of the seller, not Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com. Also, please note that most items we offer are intended for use in the USA. International radio frequency and electric current requirements are the responsibility of the buyer. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES will Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com be held responsible or liable for damages incurred directly or indirectly from the operation or construction of any product sold of produced by Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com. It is the operator's responsibility to safely operate any equipment or tools. If you feel you cannot do this, return your items unopened.

For more information, please read our Limited Warranty

While we attempt to bank-approve personal checks for immediate shipment, this may not always be possible and we may hold your order for 10-12 business days waiting for a check to clear. To ensure that your order is shipped as quickly as possible, please send a money order, certified check, or use your credit card. Business checks are treated as regular personal checks. Customers whose checks are returned to us because of non-sufficient funds will be charged $25.00 for handling in addition to the amount of the check. If it becomes necessary for us to use an attorney or collection agency, you will be responsible for all reasonable collection fees.

Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com will not trade, rent or sell your personal information, your survey responses or any other specific details about you or your household that are collected by through our website, e-mail or newsletter without your express written authorization. We may provide aggregate statistics to reputable parties about the visitors to our Site, but these statistics will not include any personal or private information that identifies you, your organization or your purchases.

Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com accepts most institutional purchase orders (military, government, schools and universities) provided that the institution in question has previously established an account stating the terms and conditions governing purchases, payments and discounts. Purchase orders can be faxed (866-453-8473) or e-mailed (sales@precisebits.com).

To establish a NET30 terms (full payment due within 30 days of the invoice date), a credit application listing:

• Company name
• Company billing address
• Company shipping address
• Accounts payable contact name and phone number
• Three (3) current vendor references with telephone number, fax number and contact name
• DUNNs number

should be faxed to 866-453-8473. Please allow as much as 2 weeks for application processing.

Shopping with Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com is safe. When you place orders through one of our websites, all of your order information, including your card number and delivery address, is passed through our server which is secured with the latest Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. SSL encrypts your order and payment information BEFORE it is transmitted over the internet. The industry-leading standard, SSL is designed to prevent someone other than Think & Tinker, Ltd / PreciseBits.com from viewing and downloading your information. At the bottom of every product page on our websites, you will find clickable links that provide verification of our vendor status and the status of our secure digital certificates. This is true of every LEGITIMATE online retailer. If the "trusted vendor" medallions shown on a website do not link to an up-to-date SSL certificate, do not enter ANY information that you want to keep secret.

We get a LOT of requests from customers who would like for us to ship their packages via the Post Office. When the Post Office first started offering online label creation, they would scan the label on each package that we brought in. It was great. We had tracability from the time we dropped it off until the package was delivered. This lasted for abour 4 months. The lost pacakge rate was not much worse than UPS or FedEx and the entire process was relatively painless. Then the USPS decided that, since online shipping was such a great deal, they would stop offering drop-off scanning and only offer tracking AFTER the package was delivered (basically a "proof of delivery"). A result of this policy was that, since there was no proof that a package was actually dropped off, it was almost impossible to make an insurance claim to recover the cost of the lost items. The only way that we could have every package scanned when it was dropped off was to fill out all the labels manually and present them at the front desk. To add insult to injury, over a 3 month period the USPS system lost a number of relatively valuable packages. For one of them, the most valuable, it took almost a year of constant wrangling to recover our cost.

So, the reasons why we do NOT use the US Post Office are:

• Their website does not offer full, logistical package tracking with a reliable delivery estimate
• It is like pulling teeth trying to recover the costs of lost or damaged packages
• The USPS willl not pick up packages at our facility (we are in an RFD area). We have to send someone down to the Post Office to stand in line to get the packages scanned
• As far as I know, they still do not offer drop-off label scanning for labels created online, so all labels have to be filled out manually
• In many cases, FedEx 3-day or UPS Ground is actually cheaper with more reliable service

For customers who want to have packages shipped via the USPS, we suggest using one of our domestic distributors like Jeff Birt at Soigeneris.