FAQs – Docent Coffee

While we do want to know if customers are noticing issues with our coffees purchased at other locations, we are unable to address replacement and/or refunds in such circumstances due to our wholesale agreements with retailers. Once we deliver our coffees to retailers the storage, handling, and timely rotation of our coffees is out of our hands, and is the sole responsibility of our retailers.

If there are issues with quality and/or freshness with a Docent coffee that was purchased at a retailer other than Docent itself, i.e. Whole Foods, local market, coffee shop, etc. please return your coffee(s) and express your concerns directly to the retailer.

Remember to check roast dates on coffees prior to purchase, noting that any lighter roasted coffees past 5-7 weeks may have have the possibility of tasting slightly more stale.

We encourage all customers with whom freshness, roast date, and/or local small business support is a concern to order directly from us, as our turnaround time is typically less than 48 hours, we offer over a dozen different coffees, and customers can be sure that their purchase is fully going towards supporting a very small business!

Nope.

Like yourself, we are also human beings with feelings, and (like yourself) we tend to not respond favorably to people who are rude, threatening, entitled, unreasonable, and/or show a general lack of civility when making an inquiry or request with us...regardless of whether or not they make a purchase with us and/or have the level of self-awareness to realize their behavior..

Making a purchase with us (or any business big or small) does not entitle you to any of the above, and If you tend to believe otherwise, we prefer you shop somewhere else.

Chargebacks not only cause merchants to lose the value of the sale, but they are also incurred a fee on top of the total loss of the sale. Our customer service and commitment to ensuring you have the best coffee/experience from us is such that there honestly would never be a reason for a customer to initiate a chargeback. This is of course predicated on the fact that the issue is actually communicated to us in a TIMELY manner, and we are given a REASONABLE amount of time to respond and try to make it right; particularly for issues out of our control, i.e. incorrectly provided/undeliverable shipping addresses, USPS delivery issues/errors, etc.

Any customer who decides to pursue a chargeback in spite of the above will be banned from further purchases on our site.

Because you're getting our 'extra special web customer' silver metallic ink bags! These are Docent's 'in-store' bags, and denote that those beans are directly from our roasters to you. We know they can be sometimes harder to read in certain lighting; however, this was somewhat the intent of the design and printing, as we want the coffee to be the focus and the design/embellishment secondary.

This is why our labels detailing the particular coffee are the first thing you notice when you look at our bags...because that's what's important.

We realize shipping is an extra burden on the environment, so we try and minimize the footprint our online sales as much as possible. This means we recycle and reuse what we can when we can. We don't see the need, or justification, to use newly manufactured/specifically branded boxes if we don't have to do so. This means you may receive your order in a box that may have Amazon (or some other company) branding. But don't worry...your delicious coffee from us is still inside :)

We currently are roasting and fulfilling all web orders within 24 hours of receipt, and you will be notified via email as soon as it ships. Depending on when your order comes in (and where you are located), it typically will take from 2-5 business days to receive your order, but with current circumstances surrounding COVID (and around the holidays), orders can be significantly delayed and/or display inaccurate tracking info. Please be reasonable, rationale, and respectful should you encounter difficulties with your shipment, and we will do our best to ensure you receive your order.

We unfortunately do not manage, control, or have any affect over the USPS once your order leaves our roastery. Therefore, any delays you may experience are beyond our sphere or control, and we kindly ask that your frustration and ire resulting from any delays be reserved for, and directed towards, the USPS.

We are happy to assist customers in tracking down packages, and/or trying to provide more information on their delivery status, so long as customers remain civil, reasonable, and rationale. We are people too after all :)

For the time being, we are utilizing the United States Postal Service (USPS) for our shipping, and we have implemented a flat-rate shipping structure (for orders under $35) in order to get you the least expensive shipping option possible, and the fastest delivery. We absorb a significant portion of the shipping cost in order to keep our products within your budget, and in your cups.

Occasionally, USPS tracking info will state your package has been delivered, yet you still do not have it. We really don’t know why this occurs; however, 95% of the time it will actually arrive the next days. The other 5% it has likely been delivered to the wrong address or stolen, but because tracking states that it is delivered, we are unable to provide a replacement, as we do not know the true status of the order. We ask that you allow at least 10 days to pass from the mailing date before contacting us, as to allow for the package to actually be delivered...as it likely will be.

Again, for all of these issues, please be patient. We have no ability to control or affect what the USPS does or does not do with your package once it is picked up from our facility. All we can do is work with you to help you track it down. The fastest, and most effective, means of locating your package is to contact your delivering post office and let them know what is going on. They are able to pull GPS data from their delivery vehicles to determine where and when your package was actually delivered.

USPS tracking is notoriously inaccurate and not updated properly. Often times (especially recently due to COVID and around holiday seasons), packages are picked up from the roastery, but are not scanned immediately; sometimes days. This can cause transit delays and/or tracking info unreflective of the packages actual location.

All packages are shipped the day labels are created for them. So if you see "Label Created" in the tracking, your order has been received and the USPS possession of it...despite them not scanning it immediately.

The short answer is yes. However, we can only cancel orders prior to their fulfillment and/or shipment, as we roast to order all of our coffee, and generally turnaround all orders well within 24hours of them being placed.. This means if we have already begun roasting your order, we cannot cancel it. You can email us at support with a cancelation request should you need to cancel your order, and we will contact you ASAP with the status of your order. Please include your order number in the email

Due to the expiry nature of coffee, our inability to ensure it is handled and/or prepared in the appropriate manner, and food safety regulations we do not offer refunds or returns on roasted or green coffee beans with confirmed deliveries. There are simply too many variables out of our control that can contribute to you being dissatisfied with our product. Follow our brew guidelines though, and you should be quite pleased ;)

If you are dissatisfied with any non-coffee product you purchased through our online store, you may return the product within thirty (30) days of the date you received the product by contacting us, and following the shipping instructions we supply. Please note that customers are responsible for return shipping costs and proper packaging. After we receive your returned product, and determine that all of the required original packaging and unused portions are included, we will issue you a refund for the price you paid for the product. If you do not comply with the terms of this section, you will be ineligible to receive a refund.

The quick and firm answer is no, but here are the reasons why:

- The arrival date provided to us by Aillio for our latest shipment of Bullets is only an estimate, and given the current import cargo realities due to supply chain constraints and port backups (average of 2-3 weeks), arrival of shipments is often delayed. Therefore, we don't really know a firm date we will have the Bullets until they clear customs and leave their port of entry.

- Given the above, we simply cannot give accurate 'to the day' information for your shipment. With dozens of individuals emailing us daily with same inquiry, you can see how this alone can become a full time job responding...with essentially no further detailed information. This is why we request, and require, all pre-order customers to be patient and wait for their fulfillment email and tracking info.

- Bullets will be shipped within 24-hours of receiving our latest shipment of units.

We are a very small outfit of a few employees, and we do not typically reply to inquiries over the weekend (as we are not at the roaster). You can expect a response to inquiries typically within a few hours M-F 8am-5pm EST.

Please do not make multiple inquires for the same issue, as it will not expedite a response, and only will add further confusion with regards to an accurate, concise, and effective timely reponse.

No. ALL SALES ARE FINAL, as is defined in the listing for the BUllet itself, and in our return policy. The Bullet is an expensive piece of hardware that, once used, is no longer exchangeable or returnable. The terms and operational requirements are also outlined in the terms sheet required before purchasing. It is up to the customer to do their due diligence on this product prior to purchase.

Manufacturer defects will be addressed on a per case basis.

GENERAL

SHIPPING

RETURNS / CANCELATIONS

ROASTERY

BULLET