Payment and delivery
Payment
Can I order an out of stock toy?
What is the ‘Card Validation Code'?
Delivery
What if I'm not at home when the toys arrive?
Can I get the toys delivered anywhere?
Payment
Is it safe to order from Early Learning Centre online?
Yes. We know that security is everyone's biggest concern when shopping online. So we've made sure that shopping on our web site is as safe as shopping in any ELC store.
All your personal information and credit card details stay totally confidential – we use the latest technology to be 100 %sure of that.
Click here to find out more about our Security Policy.
How can I pay?
You can use most UK-based credit or debit cards. We accept Delta, Visa, Mastercard, Switch/Maestro, Solo and American Express. However you decide to pay, the price of your order stays the same. So simply choose whichever is most convenient for you. We also accept most major international credit cards.
What if I want a toy that's out of stock?
No problem – you can reserve the toy and we will send it to you as a priority as soon as new stock comes in. Whenever you see the “Reserve this toy” button simply add the toy to your basket and go through the checkout as normal.
We will place a reserve order of the toy for you. Reserve orders are given priority when the toy comes back in stock. We will email you to let you know when your order has been sent out and your reserved toy will be delivered to you within 3 working days of the email.
Only when the toy is despatched will we process your order and your debit/credit card will be charged. You will only be charged for one delivery, even if your order needs several deliveries to complete. You will not incur any additional delivery charges, even if you buy other in-stock toys at the same time as reserving one, which means we will send your reserved toy to you separately at a later date.
Your card will be charged with the price of the toy as stated on our website at the time you reserved it. If you change your mind, you can cancel your reserve order at any time provided we haven’t already sent it out to you by telephoning our Customer Helpline on 0871 231 3511.
What is the ‘Card Validation Code' I've been asked for?
The Card Validation Code is the last three small numbers printed on the back of your credit or debit card. Turn your card over, and look at the signature strip. You will some printed numbers. The last three digits are separated from the others by a space. These last three digits are your Card Validation Code.
The Card Validation Code is a new scheme that gives you more security against card fraud. Entering the code helps to prove that you actually have the card in your hand.
Delivery
When will the toys arrive?
You will receive your toys within 4 working days of placing your order. Some toys will take longer to deliver; please check delivery details on the specific product page. We aim to get the toys to you as fast as possible. You can choose Standard or Express delivery for your order. Express Delivery is unavailable for delivery to Northern Ireland, the Scottish Highlands or the Isle of Man. Standard delivery to these locations takes 7-10 working days.
Standard delivery takes 4 working days to deliver.
Express delivery takes 2 working days to deliver.
How much does delivery cost?
Standard delivery costs £4.95 regardless of the delivery address.
Express delivery costs £7.95 regardless of the value of your order.
We try to offer express delivery as much as we can. But if the toys are particularly large or heavy (such as an Art Centre), or if they need to be delivered to the Scottish highlands or Northern Ireland, we regret we cannot offer express delivery. We hope to improve this in the future – please accept our apologies for now.
The cost remains the same regardless of how many items your order contains – or how big they are.
What if I'm not at home when the toys arrive?
The courier will usually try to deliver the goods twice, often on two days in a row. Then a card will be left advising you to contact your local depot or Post Office to arrange collection. If you only order Gift Vouchers these will be sent to you by Royal Mail.
Can I get the toys delivered anywhere?
Yes, within the UK mainland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. We do not deliver to the Channel Islands, however, we do have stores on Jersey and Guernsey. You can arrange for your toys to be delivered to any address in the UK mainland. So you can send items as gifts (and include a gift message), or to your work address for example. We are currently not able to ‘split’ your order across multiple addresses though. If you want to send different toys to lots of different addresses we recommend you place separate orders for each address you want to send them to.
Delivery to Northern Ireland, the Scottish Highlands and Isle of Man takes 7-10 working days.
We’re afraid we do not deliver toys outside the UK mainland unless it is via BFPO. If you wish to deliver your order to a BFPO address, please call 0871 231 3511.
