Plain-language answers to the things customers ask us most.
Tell us within 48 hours of delivery. That is not us being difficult. Carriers refuse damage claims reported later than that, and once the claim is refused there is nothing left to recover.
Keep the box and all the packaging until it is settled. The carrier almost always wants photographs of the outer carton as well as the product, and a claim without them usually fails.
Start a return request and say what arrived damaged. We handle the carrier from there.
When you place an order, we ask your card issuer to pre-authorize the amount. That is a temporary hold, not a charge. No money has left your account; your bank has simply set the amount aside to confirm the card is valid and the funds are available. On your statement or banking app it shows as pending. Your card is only actually charged when we complete your order.
If your order is cancelled, there is no refund to wait for, because no money ever moved. We void the authorization on our end, and the pending item simply disappears from your statement when your bank releases the hold. Nothing labelled refund will ever appear. Most banks release holds within 3 to 5 business days; some take up to 7 to 10.
Want it released faster? Call the number on the back of your card and ask your bank to release the voided authorization. The hold lives with your bank, so they can clear it immediately and we cannot.
One thing worth checking: a pre-authorization always shows as pending. If an amount from a cancelled order has actually posted as a completed charge, email us and we will chase it with our payment processor right away.
Carriers charge by whichever is greater: the actual weight of the package, or its dimensional weight. Dimensional weight is a number based on the size of the box, because a big light box takes up just as much room in a truck as a small heavy one.
The standard formula is length x width x height in centimetres, divided by 5000, which gives a weight in kilograms. Your shipping quote is based on the larger of the two numbers.
We keep working stock in Ottawa, but with over 40,000 products the honest answer is usually this: your item arrives from our distributors within a day or two of your order, and then ships to you or is ready for pickup.
If your order is time-sensitive, email sales@shoprbc.com before ordering and a real person will confirm availability, usually within the hour on business days.
Computer component prices move with the market and with our supplier costs, sometimes daily, in both directions. We update our prices to match rather than padding them to cover the swings.
The price at the time you place your order is the price you pay. It is also why we refund whichever is lower: what you paid, or the price on the day you return it. A part that has dropped in price since you bought it comes back at the lower figure.
Often, yes. Never automatically. Send us the details and we will do our best, but a price match is never guaranteed on any product. Some days a competitor is selling below what the part costs us, and we cannot meet that.
Use the Price Match form on the product page at shoprbc.com. To get a reply, the request has to meet all five of these:
A request that misses any of these will not get a reply, so it is worth a quick check before you send it.
Flat rate, based on where it is going, for orders up to 20 pounds billable weight:
We ship within Canada. Rates are in Canadian dollars and do not include taxes or provincial recycling fees.
Choose the option that matches your address. If the shipping option does not match where the order is going, the order is cancelled automatically. If you are not sure which one applies to you, ask us before you order and we will tell you.
Once it leaves us, allow 1 to 2 business days in the greater Ottawa area, 1 to 3 to Toronto or Montreal, and 3 to 7 for the rest of Canada. We ship by Canada Post, GLS or Purolator depending on the destination and the size of the box.
Those are the carrier’s transit times, and they start when the parcel is picked up rather than when you place the order. We typically hand orders over within 24 hours. Anything not on the shelf is the exception, and we will tell you rather than let you wonder.
The flat rates cover billable weight up to 20 pounds. Over that, or for anything needing special handling, freight costs more than the flat rate covers.
The same applies to the far north. Orders going to Yukon, Northwest Territories or Nunavut are quoted separately.
In both cases you can place the order normally. We will work out the real freight cost and email you a quote before we proceed. Nothing ships and nothing extra is charged until you have agreed to the number.
Insurance is $0.99 per $100 of order value and it is added by default. You can decline it at checkout.
It is worth understanding what you are declining. Without it, once the parcel is handed to the carrier, loss, theft and damage are yours. Carriers cap their own liability at whatever their terms of carriage say, which is usually far below what a computer is worth.
On an inexpensive accessory that is a fair bet. On a system or a graphics card it is a dollar or two to protect several hundred, and we would keep it.
Separately, and regardless of insurance: if a parcel arrives damaged, tell us within 48 hours of delivery. Carriers refuse damage claims after that.
Yes. Local pickup is available at 106-235 Menten Place, Ottawa, Monday to Friday 10 to 6. We will let you know when your order is ready.
Bring photo ID that matches the name on the order. It protects you and us, and it applies to every pickup without exception.
Start a return request on our return request page and we will review it and reply within one business day. If it is approved you get an RMA number to send the item back with.
Returning in person needs no RMA, just photo ID matching the order. The full policy, including what is refundable and what the restocking fee is, lives on our Support page.