Frequently Asked Questions

In the current economic climate we thought it would be a good idea to explain a little of how we operate to give you assurances of our commitment to you. We are a small company (now in our 6th year) and sell from stock that we have in the UK. We do not process payment until your order is ready to be packed and sent to you or in the case of an assembled item, when we start it. If something is out of stock we will show this on our website. If a product suddenly goes out of stock before we have chance to update our website, we will contact you to explain the situation and give you a realistic timescale for us to fulfil your order.
We hear scarey stories where items are ordered online, payment is taken but the items never arrive. We will never do this to our customers, if we can't send your order to you then we don't process payment.

How long does delivery take?
Kits are usually despatched within three working days and assembled items within 28 days. Both kits and assembled items are normally delivered by Parelforce. We use a 48hr delivery service Monday to Friday. We will advise you when your order is despatched as items will need to be signed for. If you are not available the Courier will normally leave it with a neighbour or post a card to rearrange delivery (please note that your parcel will only be held by the Courier for a certain number of days before the parcel is returned to us, if this happens unfortunately we will have to charge you for the delivery). Saturday delivery is available for an additional charge of £13 per parcel.

What's the cost of delivery?
We offer free delivery on orders over £50 to mainland UK (not including Scottish Highlands & Islands covering postcodes IV, HS, KA27-28, KW, PA20-49, PA60-78, PH17-26, PH30-44, PH49-50 & ZE), for orders under £50 there is a £3.95 delivery charge. Our assembled items can only be delivered to mainland UK (Scottish Highlands will incur an additional charge), but our kits can be delivered anywhere in the world.

We have a flat rate delivery charge to each country for sending up to two chair kits and two footstool kits, please contact us if your order is bigger than this. Our delivery charges for outside the free delivery area are:

£10 to Scottish Highlands/Islands, Northern Ireland
£20 to Channel Islands, Ireland, France, Holland, Denmark
£35 to Italy, Spain
£40 to Portugal, Sweden

Please contact us for delivery charges to countries not listed here.

How easy is it to assemble?
If you can use a screwdriver then you should have no problem assembling it and if you have a powered screwdriver it'll be much quicker. One of our customers, a lady in her 80's, bought a kit at a show and made it herself by the following morning. A record set by one of customers was 29 minutes although we would say it normally takes 1-2 hours. Should you get into difficulties, we're just a phone call away.

Should I choose Pine or Cedar?
Firstly, it depends on your budget. Pine is cheaper than Cedar and if looked after will give you many years of enjoyment. Cedar, whether White Cedar or Western Red Cedar, is a superior wood which should last three to four times longer than pine without looking after it (Red Cedar offers the best longevity). Secondly, it depends what you want to do with it. If you want to paint it then pine could be a better choice as you have to be careful what type of paint you use on cedar (you can get tanning showing through). Thirdly, the size of the chairs. Our Western Red Cedar chair is the largest in our range.

I've seen other chairs like this which are more expensive, why are yours cheaper?
Mainly because we offer them as kits, so you make a saving by assembling it yourself. We work directly with a family operated mill in Canada who employ local people so you can be assured that the low price isn't due to child/slave labour (if you see cheaper chairs, ask where they are made). We are a small company so you're not paying for loads of staff. Our low prices are also NOT due to inferior wood. Our wood is grown in Canada which means that the wood is grown longer due to the climate and is therefore stronger.

How comfortable are your chairs in comparison to others?
Although other chairs may look similar they are not the same (unless our chairs have been copied!). All chairs in this style will have slight design differences such as width of the paddles, curved back, different size slats. When we found these chairs we thought they were the most comfortable out of all the ones we tried and judging by our customers' comments they are all in agreement:

"Just wanted to let you know that I have been enjoying sitting watching the sun go down in my new Red Cedar Muskoka chair, received as a birthday present. The wood finish is good and assembly was straightforward with clear instructions. I have been keen on this style of chair since coming across them in Maine years ago but, as you say in your literature, yours is the most comfortable. It fits me like a glove and feels more comfortable than an upholstered chair."
"Thank you so much for my chair, it is fantastic."
"Thank you, the chairs have arrived and they are great."
"My wife was so pleased she burst into tears."
"Just wanted to say how much we love the chairs, they are so comfortable and such a great idea."
"The Chairs arrived this morning and we are thrilled with them. I have had a great afternoon with my electric screwdriver, putting them together, by the second time I flew through the construction. I am just about to enjoy my first Gin & tonic in one now. Thank you."
"Great product and fantastic service."
"Even more comfortable than the ones we sat on in Nova Scotia."

If you have any other questions please e-mail us at info@francisbay.co.uk