Helpdesk FAQs
- What are the benefits of using BREbookshop.com?
- How do I search for a publication?
- How do I search for a specific title?
- How do I do a subject search?
- Can I see further details about the publication before ordering?
- How do I place my order?
- Which credit/debit cards do you accept?
- Will my credit card transaction be secure?
- Must I use a credit card to buy a publication?
- Can I have an invoice?
- How do I obtain a receipt?
- When will my order be delivered?
- Can I return my purchases?
- Why can't I add a publication to the shopping basket?
- Why is Netbanx taking so long to validate my card?
- How long does it take to receive the pdfs I've ordered?
- What can the Helpdesk do?
Q - What are the benefits of using BREbookshop.com?
A - Using the BREbookshop.com online gives you many advantages:
- You can rapidly search for the title or titles that you want using our powerful search tool searching our range of over 40,000 available publications.
- You can search the publications of more than 60 of the industry's major publishers simultaneously if required, making multiple searches on different Web Sites unnecessary.
- For each title, BREbookshop.com presents a brief abstract describing the publication - you don't have to guess what you're buying.
- If you don't know the exact publication you need, using the BREbookshop search tool will offer you a choice of items on the subject you have described in your search - you can then select the titles you want.
- Once you have selected the items you wish to buy, you simply pay for them using your credit/ debit card over our secure link and the publications will be delivered to your door.
- For some publications, there is the added benefit of being able to buy online PDF files of them. On confirmation of a credit/ debit card payment, these will be delivered to your computer immediately.
Q - How do I search for a publication?
A - BREbookshop.com uses a comprehensive search tool.
You may use any one or combination of any of the four elements provided.
- Enter your search term: In this box you may enter terms such as the document title, its author, ISBN number or a keyword or words.
- Select from (publishers): If you know the publisher you are looking for you can select them from the drop down menu which appears if you place your cursor over the downward arrow (click to select).
- Select from (products): Similarly, if you know the medium of publication that you require (e.g. book, video, CD-ROM, software or PDF) select it from the drop down menu which appears if you place your cursor over the downward arrow (click to select).
- Include British Standards: The available documents include a large number of British Standards. Often users do not wish to include these documents in their search (a British Standard is a very specific document type). However, if you do wish to include British Standards in your search, click on the box.
Q - How do I search for a specific title?
A - If you know the exact wording of the title, or a precise string of words in it, type them in double quotation marks in the 'Enter your search term' box. This will also find publications whose summary or keywords includes this string of words.
If you are looking for a BRE series title, this should be abbreviated and input without using spaces e.g. IP12 (for Information Papers) DG346 (for Digests) BR365 (for Reports) GBG18 (for Good Building Guides)
Q - How do I carry out a subject search?
Use the 'Enter your search term' box. Multiple terms can be input using the words "and", "or" and "not" between each term (quotation marks not necessary). The expression developed has no limit on length.
Examples are:
- concrete and steel - publications which have both the words "concrete" and "steel'" contained in the entry.
- concrete or steel - publications which have either one (or both) of the two words contained in the entry.
- concrete not steel - publications which have "concrete" contained in the entry but not "steel".
- "concrete and steel" - publications whose entry includes both "concrete" and "steel" as terms in a single phrase .
You can mix author's names (if known) with general terms, e.g.
- moore and steel - documents written by Mr or Dr Moore about steel
Q - Can I see further details about the publication before ordering?
A - Click on the title and you will find a summary of the publication and keywords. If you order it and find that it is not what you wanted, you can return the item within 14 days and the price will be refunded to you. BREbookshop.com is a virtual bookshop so it is not possible to make a visit to select publications.
Q - How do I place my order?
A - Click on the 'Add to basket' icon beside each title you require. If you wish to alter the quantities of any title, click on 'Update Qty' after you have made the amendment, and the total price including postage will appear. If this is for delivery outside the UK, select the relevant region of the world and click on 'Change'. The amended postage will be displayed. Then click on 'Go to checkout' and complete your contact details. If you are paying by credit/ debit card and you supply your email address, you will receive an Order Confirmation/ Receipt.
Q - Which credit/ debit cards do you accept?
A - We accept all Visa, Mastercard, Eurocard, and Switch Cards.
Q - Will my credit/ debit card transaction be secure?
A - Yes. BREbookshop.com uses a secure link operated by NetBanx when you enter your card details. NetBanx transactions are encoded for your security and BREbookshop.com does not store your credit card details. Therefore the amount is debited from your card on purchase of the item and not when the order is dispatched.
Q - Can I pay by cheque?
A - To make a purchase this way you should follow the purchasing procedure through to Step 4 - Checkout. Complete the billing and delivery details and then select the 'if you would rather send your order by post then click here' option. You will then be presented with a proforma invoice which you should complete and either post to us with a cheque (or fax with credit card details if you do not wish to transmit these over the Internet). BREbookshop.com does not retain details of proformas created in this way so please send the form with your cheque.
However, since payment is required before your order can be processed, this will introduce a delay in the delivery of your purchases. Make sure that you include the postage costs by adding the item(s) to the shopping basket to see the full cost before writing a cheque.
If you wish to pay through BACS, please e-mail BRE Bookshop (bookshop@bre.co.uk) for details.
Q - Can I have an invoice?
A - BREbookshop.com does not invoice but at the end of the process of building up your order online, there is an option for you to create your own proforma. BREbookshop.com does not retain details of proformas created in this way so send the form with your cheque.
Q - How do I obtain a receipt?
A - At the end of the online ordering process, you are given the option to print a receipt. If you input your e-mail address when prompted during the process of creating your order, you will automatically receive by e-mail an Order Confirmation that also acts as a receipt.
Q - When will my order be delivered?
A - We expect to deliver your purchases to you within 14 days of the date of your order, or 1 month in the case of overseas orders. If you do not receive them within 1 month and have not been notified by us of any delay, contact us at bookshop@bre.co.uk. Any claims relating to non-receipt must be notified to us within 2 months (1 month if your order includes standards).
BREbookshop.com does not offer an express delivery service. If you require a publication urgently, contact us for advice before placing an order. To avoid disappointment, please do not place an order, then ask us to send it out immediately. The orders are processed and posted by distributors and we cannot prioritise one order over another.
If we can't deliver your purchases to you within 30 days of the date of your order, you will have the option to cancel your order. Full details are in the BREbookshop.com Terms and Conditions.
Q - Can I return my purchases?
A - BRE wants you to be completely satisfied with your purchase. To demonstrate this we offer a 14-day money back guarantee. This does not apply to Standards, videos, computer software, CDs, or DVDs, or to downloaded pdfs and software. Refunds or replacements for these will only be made if the item is faulty.
If you want to return any items purchased from us please see the returns page on this site.
Q - Why can't I add a publication to the shopping basket?
A - If there is no "add to basket" icon for a particular publication, the item has not yet been published, or it is temporarily unavailable.
If you cannot add any items to your basket, it could be because the security settings on your computer are not accepting cookies (you can check your security settings in Internet Explorer - Tools - Internet options - Security).
Q - Why is Netbanx taking so long to validate my card?
If you have input your credit card details and the screen seems to freeze for a long time with nothing happening, then Netbanx is having difficulty connecting to your card issuer to validate your card. This happens occasionally in the afternoons when the Internet is busy, and happens much less often in the mornings, so the best thing is to try again the next morning. Don't keep pressing the button, as this may cause your card to be debited more than once.
If you get a message that Netbanx has been unable to validate your card, but you are sure that you have input the details correctly (eg the billing address must be the billing address for the card), it does not necessarily mean that there is anything wrong with your card - it may just be that Netbanx has been unable to get a response from your card issuer. Try again later or the next day.
When Netbanx has validated your card and deducted money from it, it sends an email to the email address that you supplied earlier, so if you have not received an email from Netbanx, the Netbanx transaction has not gone through and your card has not been debited.
If you receive more than one email from Netbanx for the same transaction, contact us at bookshop@bre.co.uk. We will check the Netbanx transactions and process a refund if we find that you have paid twice.
After taking payment, Netbanx connects back to our website, and you see a page saying the order has been completed, giving you an order number and the option of printing a receipt. BREbookshop.com then sends by email an Order Confirmation. So you should receive two emails in total.
If you receive an email from Netbanx but no emailed Order Confirmation from BREbookshop.com, then contact us as it can happen (though very rarely) that Netbanx is unable to connect back to our site and the order is not completed. In that case we would have no record of it and your order would not be processed. Contact us and we'll check.
Q - How long does it take to receive the pdfs I've ordered?
A - If you have purchased downloadable pdfs or software, the order confirmation page gives you a link where you can download the item(s) straightaway. If you have trouble doing this, the Order Confirmation emailed to you also contains a link, so try that one. If it still does not work, then email us at bookshop@bre.co.uk for further help.
Q - What can the Helpdesk do?
A - The Helpdesk is there to help you with any problems that you may experience whilst using BREbookshop.com. However, don't forget that with an on-line bookshop it's you that's in control of the process - you know what type of book you want, what subject areas, what keywords. Using the BREbookshop.com's search function you will rapidly be able to find the titles you want.
If you wish to contact the BREbookshop.com Helpdesk you can do so by emailing: bookshop@bre.co.uk