7th Street Shops Is Back
7th Street Shops Is Back
7th street Shops has been in business for over 16 years. We believe we offer the very best service and expertise for your cherished models. Naturally, we take what we do very seriously. We believe our clients expect the very best; we appreciate that they trust us with their valuable models and we strive to maintain that trust.
When you engage our services you agree to the terms of our policies as enumerated below.
Communication is paramount. Our primary means of communication is via email. This helps us do our best for your project and provides a record of our communication. By your prompt response, we know you have received our communications. You may call us if you wish but, unless a matter is pressing we avoid phone calls because they are not a record. Therefore, nothing said in a phone conversation is binding.
We will send an email message when;
We receive a shipment from you.
We have information or questions about your project.
We are starting or continuing your project (as an alert to you; please be watchful of your in box).
We are responding to a message you sent to us.
We have concluded a phase of the project and issue an invoice.
When we send an invoice, you agree that you will pay the bill attached immediately. ALL of our invoices are due immediately - much like going to the doctor where you pay the co-pay before you leave. We understand the distances involved and allow time for payment to get to us but we also offer Zelle.
Information for paying by Zelle is on our invoice. We do not take credit cards or PayPal.
A word about assisting the hobbyist with his projects. We do offer individual training; here, at our location on many of the things we do. We bill our time for training at the same rate as our model services. We simply cannot afford the time it takes to offer free advice. If you have a burning desire to repair or customize your own models we applaud and encourage you - after all, this is the heart and soul of the hobby - but we suggest you do what we did; attend the school of self-application and self-initiative. It is the best institution that we know of.
Please review our full policies before submitting a project to us.
Thank you and God bless you.
REQUIREMENTS FOR COMMUNICATION
7th Street Shops cannot receive text messages.
Our primary means of communication is thru email. All alerts, comments, status memos, invoices, tracking numbers, initial communications, etc. will be through email. We will talk on the phone when you call if we are available but phone calls are not recorded and nothing said on the phone by us is binding.
PLEASE RESPOND TO OUR EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIPT. This is very important and often time-sensitive. Even if the response is just the "subject" returned to us we will know you received our message. In most cases failure to respond will simply delay any progress and if we have not heard from you within a reasonable time we may need to set your project aside; and getting back to it may take some time. If there is billable time on the project, we may simply issue an invoice for whatever time is outstanding and come back to the question when you have time to respond. If the communication includes an invoice, it is very important to acknowledge the message right away and pay the invoice as soon as possible.
We try to alert you when your project is immanent to start. If you will be absent while we are working on your project please let us know so we can effectively manage our billing cycle.
ESTIMATES
There are no exceptions to this; we DO NOT offer estimates. It is not possible to be accurate or foresee how a project may develop. If you feel we have told you something different - by email or phone - you have misunderstood. We are sorry for that but we require that you read our policies before engaging our services. We assume that you have, when you ship your model.
MARKET VALUE
We are happy for our clients when they experienced an exceptional bargain. However, when attempting to "negotiating" price for our services, whatever you paid for a model has no bearing whatsoever on our conversation. When the term "Market Value" enters a discussion about "Custom Work", "market value" is meaningless. "Custom Work" is very simple to understand; what are we willing to do for what you are willing to pay.
ALL that we do is Custom Work. Our best clients understand that value of a model is its capability to fulfill dreams and promote the fun of the hobby. If cost is a concern, we ask that you seek another service.
ENGAGING OUR SERVICES
Please read our policies first. Contact us by email if you have questions and when you decide to use our services. Upon approval by us, pack the model well (see our instructions below) and ship via private carrier such as UPS or FedEx. Please, (you must) supply us with a tracking number. Do NOT use the USPS!
Include the following:
A brief statement of what work you wish or expect.
Any specific instruction that may be out of the ordinary.
The complete model in its original box if available.
All contact information. (This must be in the shipping or model box. Sending this separately is not a fair option; the information needs to be with the model at all times while we have it to prevent losing track of it.)
Send additional parts within the model box. If you need to send parts later please alert us that they are coming and what they are for. Do not send an incomplete model. (We do not quarter drivers without the frame and ALL of the Driver Sets and mechanism.) We must be able to test a completed model as if it was on your layout.
Do NOT include any payment with the model unless it has been pre authorized by us.
Be patient. We have one technician and one administrator and a shop full of work. It may take 6 months to a year to get to your job. You are quite welcome to check with us periodically for status information of your model. We appreciate keeping in contact.
CHARGES AND PAYMENT
PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THESE CHANGES
We charge all labor by an hourly Shop Rate. Depending on the type of job the following rates may apply. (Please note changes as of 1 June 2025)
No rate changes apply to jobs already submitted or scheduled before 1June 2025. A job is locked into the rate it was submitted under.
BILLING SCHEDULE
Typically, your project will follow certain course of progress. We will bill around specific tasks as they are completed depending on the circumstances. Our Major tasks are;
(* See our Blog for information on balancing models)
CUSTOM WORK (12 to 20 hours at a time) is ongoing. This includes custom decals, custom manufactured parts as well as advanced work such as drivers, bearings and side rod mechanic that include machine work. It also includes the research and any drafting required to obtain custom parts.
We routinely execute minor repairs (brass only) at our discretion and without specific consent as it may occur.
INVOICE & PAYMENT
YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY RESPOND TO EMAIL WITH AN ATTACHED INVOICE; We bill by email and your response is needed to know you have received that invoice. Failure to acknowledge may effect our attention to your project and repeat failure will cause summary cancellation of the project.
ALL INVOICES ARE DUE IMMEDIATELY; Late payments will be subject to penalty and interest after the 15th day. Repeat late payments will cause cancellation of the job.
PAYMENT METHODS
Please read everything on the invoice. If paying by check, follow the instructions on the invoice concerning how to fill out the check. We now offer Zelle as a means of bill payment. Payment by Zelle to 7th Street Shops is made to the phone number provided on the invoice. We encourage our clients to contact their bank about this service. If you choose not or cannot use Zelle you must pay by check made out as instructed on the invoice and sent by FedEx or UPS. NO form of USPS is acceptable as our service is very unreliable. Please provide a tracking number immediately. If we do not receive payment within 15 days, we consider the invoice late and WILL apply 15% interest and penalty with the option to CANCEL the job. If this is a second occurrence the penalty will be applied immediately and the job WILL be summarily canceled. WE will take action after 30 days to recover our losses.
No Model is released until every invoice is satisfied. A model is considered abandoned when an invoice is 30 days late. We may do with it as we see fit with no obligation to the "former" owner. Again, communication is fundamental to our service. If for any reason you cannot meet our requirements, PLEASE CONTACT US! We understand circumstances and are willing to help you work thru them. NO COMMUNICATION CONSTITUTES NEGLECT!
We do not take credit cards.
If a credit is due, 7th Street Shops will first apply the credit over multiple invoices on the same job. This is usually 2 or perhaps 3 invoices. We avoid taking money in advance and we try to avoid debt. If nothing is outstanding we will issue a check at our earliest convenience
SHIPPING & SHIPMENT SUGGESTIONS
Your model is at greatest risk in the hands of a shipper. We have the following suggestions
If you receive a model damaged in shipment you must submit all evidence including photos to 7th Street shops as quickly as possible. The window for filing with FedEx is 15 days from the SHIPMENT date. A model can be in transit for a week or more which may leave only a week to file a claim.
GUARANTEE
We guarantee our work with the following limitations;
OUR VALUED CUSTOMER
We understand the client's "need" to know what our services will cost. The following are ball park expectations offered only as a "feel" for what your project may cost
Our product is our service and many decades of self-taught experience. We work for the model as if it were our own. For this, we often charge a lot of money; but you get the very best available. No model is ever out-shopped because if we can't do it, it can't be done.
We value your patronage. We will always listen and we will work with you within the parameters of these policies. We pay close attention to your record with us and we will give our best clients preferential treatment. Not fair? We do NOT like this symbol ( - ) showing up in our bank balance! Our best clients help keep that from happening. Thank you for choosing 7th Street Shops. WE are in our 15th year and hope to serve you many more to come.
We reserve the right to penalize or cancel an order upon violation of these requirements.
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