Do You Have to Pay for Memorial Glass Jewellery Upfront?

Kenny Scott | May 20, 2016 | Ashes made into glass

Are you thinking about ordering memorial glass jewellery to remember a loved one or beloved pet?

Memorial glass is often a beautiful way to celebrate their memory, and can provide a great comfort for many of my clients. However, not all of them know what to expect when placing an order, such as whether or not they’ll have to pay upfront.

In this blog post, I’m going to try to give you a better idea of what to expect when ordering memorial jewellery in terms of payment, so that there’ll be no unwanted surprises when you make your decision.

How do most companies accept payment?

Unfortunately, quite a large percentage of memorial glass companies will ask for payment upfront, as they tend to work in the style of a standard online shop. You add your chosen jewellery (having picked your preferred colour and style) to your shopping basket and check out using a credit or debit card.

Once you’ve placed your order, in most cases you’ll then be sent an order pack with everything you need to proceed with your order. Once you’ve sent your loved one’s ashes using the tools they provide, they typically take around 6 – 8 weeks to process your order.

This means that you’re generally waiting quite a while after the money has left your bank account, which is hardly ideal – especially if you are spending a significant amount of money.

Do you always have to pay upfront?

The good news is that not all companies will ask you to do this, although it’s always best to check before placing your order just to be sure. You may even find you’ll have more luck with some of the smaller companies that can offer more of a personal touch – you may even get your order back quicker as a result.

As a small business, I personally always aim to complete an order and send my clients photographs before requesting payment. Once the client is happy and the order has been paid (I accept most payment methods), I then send it out via a tracked shipping service or courier.

I tend to feel my customers are putting their trust in me, so I have to do the same back. After all, trust is such an important thing when dealing with something so personal, so I want to make sure the product is right before I charge anyone a penny. I also aim to process all orders within two weeks.

Always feel confident before ordering

The advice I always give is to thoroughly do your homework when choosing a memorial glass company you can trust. Take the time to look closely at the products and website FAQ, before actually speaking to someone on the phone to ensure all your questions are answered and your mind set at ease.

There’s nothing worse than spending hundreds of pounds and sending a loved one’s ashes away to a company, only to spend weeks left in the dark as to what’s happening or when you’re going to get your order back. Here at Ash Glass Design, I try to keep things personal, and update my clients throughout the process.

I also know how important it is to get your order back as quickly as possible. When one of my clients was waiting on a stunning pendant made with their beloved pet’s ashes, and they had approved the photos I’d sent, they discovered their bank’s website was temporarily down so they couldn’t send me the money right away.

I didn’t want to keep them waiting another day, so instead I was able to send them a PayPal invoice, and they were able to pay that way instead; their pendant was delivered the following day.

Conclusion

I hope this blog post has helped you get a better idea of what to expect when ordering memorial glass jewellery online. It’s by no means unusual to find yourself paying upfront for a special piece of cremation jewellery or art, although it’s not always the case.

Don’t forget, always wait until you feel 100% confident with a company before sending ashes away in the post, as orders can sometimes take weeks to process and you’ll want to be sure the ashes of your loved one or pet are in safe hands.

Good luck! If you’re unsure of placing an order online, please feel free to get in touch and I’ll do my best to give you some more advice.