Reasonable Expectations and Delivery

REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS and DELIVERY
and advice for
CUSTOMERS ORDERING OUTSIDE OF THE US

To All Customers

My ability to be flexible in providing optics of all kinds in rapid fashion has always been a goal I have aspired toward. This, however, is being diminished due to the recent difficulty in obtaining Pyrex. Corning, the only current supplier of Pyrex, has now discontinued the production of this material. The Pyrex production plant had been moved to the Republic of Ireland in recent years and, among other things, this had created problems in supply that did not exist when Pyrex was manufactured in the US. Since early last spring there has been a complete interruption of product and only in the fall of 2006 was this corrected and a fairly large, shall we say, farewell, supply produced. Now it is ended. Fortunately others are coming up to the plate and a supply of Pyrex-like materials will be available, though there will be a price increase. (Corning was going to increase the price in any case.) I will always try to buy ahead but I can not anticipate everything and can pre-buy only for smaller stock size mirrors, some of which require special molding. All of my larger mirrors are made to specific order. I do not stock larger mirrors or even make much ahead with respect to smaller mirrors because so many of my customers want specific things, however I will endeavor as best as I am able to keep 8", 10" and some 12" sizes available.

I will try and keep all of my customers apprised of the current situation regarding delivery, and in most cases mirrors are delivered in a few weeks, but customers must be aware that due to a variety of possible events: non-delivery due to shortages, delivery of defective materials that need replacement, accidental damage in manufacture; delays can result that may reach into many months.

To My Canadian Customers

Ordering for those in Canada is not substantially different than for those in the US. Due to NAFTA customs duties do not even apply below $1,500. The only thing to consider is that I require a check drawn on a US bank or I encounter a substantial fee at my end. An international money order works well if a US bank is not available. I have to charge a small additional shipping charge of from $10 to $30 depending upon the size of the optic. Both the US and Canadian governments appear to take a benign attitude with respect to cross-boarder trade and things move back and forth with relative ease and freedom.

To My Customers in Europe and Elsewhere

Overseas customers encounter additional problems, mostly in the area of monetary transfer fees and duty. Monetary transfer is the most common way of making a payment and can be somewhat costly. Making a transfer from the US to Europe costs about $40. As a result, I try and encourage my customers to order very standard items so I can omit the deposit and thus an additional transfer fee.

Overseas customers encounter potentially additional delays due to the fact that I have to inspect each optic prior to shipping. Ordinarily, for US and Canadian customers, I have a telescope mirror shipped directly from the coater to the customer. For overseas customers I have the mirror shipped to me for visual inspection. Scratches are extremely difficult to detect on an uncoated surface and can show up only after coating. When shipping costs are low I can ask the customer who finds a scratch to use the mirror until I create a replacement and make an exchange. With overseas customers, difficulties involving higher shipping costs and customs and duty charges can cause shipping things back and forth to become a debilitating and expensive problem. The overseas customer can not enjoy the scratched mirror (which works every bit as well as one without a scratch) until I can create a replacement. He must wait until I can fabricate a new mirror and inspect that one - and hope it is okay. This can delay things for five or six weeks per event and must be understood by the potential buyer.

R.F. Royce