How do I place an order?
Once you’ve found the book you’re looking for, click on the ‘Buy Now’ button which will add the item to your basket. When you’ve finished browsing go to the basket and then click ‘basket & checkout’. If you are a returning customer you’ll be asked to log in. If you are a new customer, you will be asked to register your details before placing your order. Simply follow the rest of the on-screen instructions to complete your order.
What methods of payment do you accept?
You can pay by the following credit or debit cards: MasterCard, Visa, Electron or Maestro.
Is your online payment facility secure?
Yes. Our online payment process will take you through to an encrypted secure server where we can safely take your card details. You will see a padlock symbol appear at the bottom of your browser, which shows that you are in a secure part of the Internet.
How much is delivery?
Our delivery charges are £3.49 per order, regardless of how many items you order at any one time. Delivery is free for orders valued at £5 or more.
Can you deliver my order to a different address?
We can deliver your order to a different address. To add an address to your account, please login and go to 'My address book'. You can add an additional delivery address to your account by clicking on 'Add new address', completing the details requested and finally clicking on 'Save address'.
When placing an order, you can select your delivery address when completing the checkout process.
How long will it take for my order to be delivered?
We aim to get your orders to you as soon as possible, subject to availability. Please allow up to 10 days for your parcel to arrive. Order confirmation will be sent to you via email. You can check the status of your order by clicking on ‘My order history’ when logged in to your account. If your order is marked despatched, this means that our courier should deliver it within 7 days.
What will happen if I am not available when my parcel is delivered?
If you are not available to take the parcel, the courier will deliver it to a secure place and leave you the details on a card telling you where it is. If the courier cannot make a secure delivery, they will try up to 3 times to re-deliver leaving a card on each occasion asking you to contact them to arrange a new delivery date. If the parcel is undelivered after 3 attempts, the parcel will be returned to us.
What do I do if I have forgotten my password?
If you have forgotten your password, go to the sign-in page under ‘My Account’ Click on ‘Forgotten your password?’ where you’ll be prompted to enter your email address; click on Next. Your password will be emailed to you.
If you are still experiencing problems, please contact us.
How do I update my personal details online?
To update your name, home address, telephone number or email address, you’ll need to log in to your account. Under ‘My account’ click on ‘my personal details’, make the relevant changes and then click on the ‘update’ button at the bottom of the page before logging out.
How do I report a problem with my recent delivery?
We are sorry to learn that you experienced a problem with your recent delivery. In order that we can investigate this, please use the contact us form to provide full details of the problem.
How do I arrange to return an item online?
Should you wish to return an item that you have ordered, whether it was damaged or you are not satisfied with the item for whatever reason, you may do so at any time within 30 days from the date of despatch and receive a full credit or refund for the item you have ordered including initial postage and packing, unless the returned item was part of a larger order in which case we will only credit or refund the value of the returned item.
You can return your item by post to BCA, Hargreaves Road, Groundwell, Swindon SN99 9YY. You will be required to arrange and pay for the return of an item to us, unless it was damaged, incorrect or an unwanted substitute. When returning products to us you are strongly recommended to obtain proof of posting. We cannot accept responsibility for parcels lost in transit. Please ensure that you enclose your delivery note or customer number, name and address inside the parcel. If insufficient postage is paid on your returned parcel, a charge may be applied.
When returning a book set or collection all items item within the set/collection must be returned in order to receive a full refund.
To arrange a return online, go to 'My Account Home page' and click on 'My returns'. You will then be presented with a pop up from which you can print the returns label. If you want us to send you a returns label, please contact us.
Once the parcel has been received, we will arrange to refund your payment. Please allow 14 days to process your return and to credit or refund your account.
Can I return an unwanted DVD, video, software or merchandise?
We are not able to accept any items that have been unwrapped, unless they have been received in a faulty or damaged condition, so please do not open the package unless you are fully satisfied with your purchase. The unwanted, faulty or damaged items should be returned to BCA, Hargreaves Road, Groundwell, Swindon, SN99 9YY.
To arrange a return online, go to 'My Account Home page' and click on 'My returns'. You will then be presented with a pop up from which you can print the returns label. If you want us to send you a returns label, please contact us.
What do I do if my order is damaged?
In the unlikely event that your order arrives damaged, we will be pleased to replace it, subject to availability. Please advise us of the items involved and whether you require a replacement order by clicking here.
NB: If the damaged item is part of a set/collection please advise us of the damaged item and arrange for it to be returned to BCA, Hargreaves Road, Groundwell, Swindon, SN99 9YY. Once received a replacement will be sent out free of charge.
What happens if my item is out of stock?
If your item is out of stock, we will hold your order until we receive a new delivery. Once stock arrives, we will send your order. Your card will not be debited until the order has been despatched.
If there are several items in your order and one is out of stock, to avoid delay we may despatch the available items and send the other goods separately. You will not be charged additional postage and packing for this.
If we are unable to get additional supplies within 21 days of receiving your order, we will advise you and cancel your order. This will appear in 'My order history' in your account.
What will you do with my email address?
By providing BCA or a third party website with your email address you consent to receive emails from us about our latest products and special offers which we think may be of interest to you. Our emails refer to the products & services we offer - including books, CDs and other services. BCA will send you no more than two emails in a 5 day period.
Can I unsubscribe from emails?
All subscribers have the option to opt-out of receiving marketing emails from us at any time. If you do not wish to receive marketing emails from us we recommend you opt-out by using the link at the foot of an email, or by signing in to the ‘My Account’ area of the site and changing your preferences. All requests to unsubscribe will normally be processed within 7 days.
Will you discuss my account with a third party?
BCA is registered under the Data Protection Act (Reg no Z1987082) and this shows the purpose, source and disclosure terms of the data held.
Under the terms and conditions of the Data Protection Act, we are unable to discuss your account with a third party unless we have received the correct authorisation from you to do so. You can write to Books Direct at BCA, Hargreaves Road, Swindon SN99 9XX or email us with your instructions via the contact us link
How do you use cookies?
We only employ session cookies to store the necessary transaction information during one visit. Cookies are small files that are sent to your browser and stored on your computer's hard disc. Whenever you visit the website, and unless you have changed the settings in your browser so as not to accept cookies, then your computer will store an identifying code in the cookie which may mean you do not need to type your email address into the login box each time you return to the site.
Other than this, we store a 'Session ID' which helps us to determine if you have logged into the website. These IDs are highly encrypted and have no direct correlation with your personal data. We do not store your password or any other information in the cookie, or use it for any other purpose.
Our third-party advertisers may place or recognise a unique cookie on your browser. You can at any time set your browser to notify you before you receive a cookie, giving you the opportunity to decide whether to accept it. You can also set your browser to turn off cookies. This may impair your experience of the website, but will not prevent you from maintaining your account or placing orders.
From time to time we may employ a third party to send out e-mail campaigns that uses cookies and pixels to track the emails that we send you and we may use this information to notify you of products and services that may be of interest to you. The cookies we use for these emails collect information based on your email and purchasing from email behaviour only. If you wish to find out more about the use of cookies and the information-gathering practices and how to opt-out of such tracking please click here.
How do I contact Customer Services?
You can contact Customer Services by visiting the contact us page.
What do I do if I have a complaint?
We place customer service at the heart of everything we do and strive to get things right first time. If you have a complaint, please visit the contact us page and provide us with full details.
Alternatively you can ring our Customer Service team on 0844 499 0000. They are available from 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays.
How do I supply feedback about this website?
We very much welcome feedback on how useful you have found this website and what improvements we can make. Any additional feedback you can give us would be greatly appreciated; simply send your suggestion via the Contact Us service.
What are special editions?
To offer you even better value for money, we sometimes offer exclusive editions of books to our customers. These differ in format from the publisher’s editions but have the same content. We also print our own exclusive editions of books.
Special editions will be clearly marked in the title description of each book on the web site.
Do BCA trade under any other names?
BCA, also known as Books Direct operates a variety of brands. For a listing of our book clubs and other brands, please see http://www.bca.co.uk
BCA may also from time to time launch new brands. Upon launch this listing of our brands will be updated. If you have any queries regarding this privacy statement please contact us via e-mail: customerservice@booksdirect.co.uk.
Who owns Books Direct?
Books Direct is owned by Book Club Associates Limited, Registered in England number 6997902; Registered office: Hargreaves Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN25 5BG.
What is the BCA privacy statement?
BCA respects the privacy concerns of users of its web sites and is registered under the relevant Data Protection legislation. In order to provide you with the best service we can, BCA has made it its policy to monitor the use of its web sites and collect certain personal information. When you register to use a BCA web site, BCA will store your e-mail address along with any other information you may provide. When you use the services on the web site, we may need to collect further information about you. This information may include, but is not limited to, details such as your name, address and your credit card details.
We may use the information provided to process any transactions undertaken by you and for internal administration and analysis.
We disclose your information to third parties for the purpose of administration and providing services to you.
From time to time we may employ a third party to send out e-mail campaigns and to serve cookies and pixel tags. The information may also be used to notify you of products and services, including those of third parties where you have opted to receive information by email about third party offers, which may be of interest to you. If you do not wish to receive such offers, please contact us via e-mail: customerservice@booksdirect.co.uk.
By disclosing your personal information to BCA, you agree to collection, storage and processing of your personal information in the manner set out here.
Do I pay VAT on my orders?
Under current legislation books are not subject to Value Added Tax, and therefore this will not be included in the price you pay. You do pay VAT on other items, such as DVDs. If VAT is chargeable, it will be included in the price.
Do you send orders overseas?
We currently only send goods to customers in the UK.