Shipping Costs and Fees

Beginning in 2022, Conestoga will no longer subsidize the cost of shipping as it had in the past. At the same time, freight costs are rising throughout the U.S. and the world. As before, The Cabinet Authority will absorb as much of the shipping costs as possible into the product pricing so that our customers do not feel the full brunt of shipping expenses. However, this is more difficult than it used to be.

Among the changes you will see, our quotes will now list certain fees (such as residential and lift-gate charges on freight deliveries) as separate line items. If you believe that any of these charges do not apply to your order, you may work with your Account Manager before the order is placed to see if any can be eliminated. For example, if you do not need or want a lift-gate delivery you can opt out of it and save the fee. However, if you later ask the freight company to add the lift-gate you will pay the full, undiscounted fee.

Conestoga uses a variety of freight carriers including FedEx, UPS, Ward, AAA Cooper and others. The Cabinet Authority has little or no say in which company is selected for any particular delivery.

Fees and Surcharges

FedEx and the other freight companies have a number of fees and surcharges for deliveries that don't go as scheduled. Beginning in 2022, the customer will be directly billed for any fee or surcharge levied on the delivery. FedEx fees and surcharges are described in this document: FedEx Fees and Surcharges effective 1/3/2022 The "Additional Handling Surcharge" (described in the document) will be built into the initial pricing, but all others will be extra. Fee and Surcharge definitions and pricing may change depending on the carrier that is used.

Note that any address change made after the order is placed -- whether before or after the shipment is in progress -- will likely result in an additional charge to the customer. The Cabinet Authority reserves the right to charge a $35 Address Change Fee, in addition to any charged by the freight company, because of the new complications in making such a change. Though unlikely, a change of zip code may also lead to a change (plus or minus) in the initial order cost if such a change results in a shipping zone change.

Important Things to Remember

For the best results and fewest surprises, we encourage the following:

• Give us the correct address (with correct spellings, numbers and zip code) when requesting a quote.
• When placing an order, double-check the address. Do not submit payment for the order if you are unsure of the address.
• When receiving an acknowledgment, triple-check the address -- along with a careful review of all other information on the quote.
• Read all information on each email notification we send you, even if you've seen it before.
• When talking with the freight company, do not agree to or ask for any extra service without getting a complete understanding of the costs. (If you're not sure if the service is "extra", ask!)

Most of these rules and fees have existed for many years, but -- with Conestoga's help -- we have often had the ability to make exceptions on behalf of our customers. Given the higher costs, we will no longer be able to do so.