FAQ – Callan Candles

FAQ

Welcome to our FAQs. Here we answer some of the most common questions we get. In some of our answers, we inject a little humour. However, you will find information here to answer most questions we receive.

Please click one of our FAQs below to find an answer.

 


How do I cancel my subscription?

Can your melts be used in an electric/Scentsy warmer?

How long is delivery?

Where is my order?/I am still waiting on my order.

Why haven't I received order confirmation or a dispatch note?

Why hasn't my subscription box been dispatched?

Are the melts/candles pet friendly?

Where are you based?

Are your products cruelty free?

Do you sell a sample pack?

Can I have free samples?

My 10% discount code didn't work/isn't working.

I have emailed seventeen times in the last hour, why haven't you replied?

What happens if I don't like a scent?

Can I mix and match scents in a box?

Can I pick my own scents each month for the subscription?

I didn't enjoy my order!

Are you CLP compliant?

What is the Callan Candles way?

 

How do I cancel my subscription? 

To cancel your subscription log in to your account. Under account information it should say 'manage subscriptions', click on that and you should have option to cancel your subscription. If you are having any issues please contact hello@callancandles.com

 Can your melts be used in an electric/Scentsy warmer?

Yes they absolutely can. We use an electric warmer in our homes as it is safer around our pets and children. We also test all of our melts on an electric warmer.

Our melts can also be used on Scentsy warmers. It is not true that you can only use Scentsy melts on their warmers, just a lovely marketing ploy to try and stop you using other companies.

Scentsy warmers do tend to be lower wattage, but we have hundreds of customers who use our melts in a scentsy burner.

 

How long is delivery?

(Please also check the question below, 'where is my order?/I'm still waiting on my order' if your item has been dispatched and you are still waiting for it.)

We aim to dispatch within 3 business days of an order being placed (Monday to Friday). We usually sit at 3 business days, however, during busy times like Christmas, it can take us longer.

This gives us time to pour and hand pack your order. Unfortunately, we cannot go as fast as companies who use machines to pour wax into plastic trays. Part of the Callan Candles experience is that our items are hand poured and we are a craft company. Everything is done by hand, in our workshop. We put a lot of time and effort into making sure you receive the best product possible. Your purchase supports small companies who supply us and real people, not just shareholders.

Items are then sent by Royal Mail 48 unless you chose express postage. You will receive a dispatch email or text, depending on whether you left a phone number or email. These are sent automatically to the address you leave. Please check your spam folder if you have not received it within 5 business days.

 

Where is my order?/I'm still waiting on my order.

When we dispatch your item, you will receive a Royal Mail tracking number. We ask that you check this first before getting in contact with us. 

During the Coronavirus pandemic, Royal Mail are not honouring their regular delivery times. There is nothing we, as a small business, can do about that. Once your item is with Royal Mail, we have no control over it. We cannot chase the item until 10 working days have passed (Mon - Fri, not weekend days)(Please see a screenshot from their website below).

This can be frustrating, but I am sure we can all cut Royal Mail some slack during these unprecedented times. We do our best to keep our customers happy, but this is outside of our control and emailing us every couple of days will make no difference to the situation. Getting angry and being rude to us will also not change the fact that it is a Royal Mail issue, not a Callan Candles one.

We receive messages regularly telling us that Royal Mail is absolutely fine where the customer lives. Informing us that the customer has received packages from Royal Mail in a shorter time period. We even had a message telling us it is ridiculous to claim Royal Mail are under pressure and we are clearly using the pandemic as an excuse now.

Royal Mail have thousands of sorting offices across the country. The delay could be in any one of them. They are no longer honouring regular postal times. This is a Royal Mail issue, and is their policy across the country. Once your package is with Royal Mail, we have no control over it.

The limit from Royal Mail is now 10 business days from dispatch. Most items arrive much quicker, but some do not. We are very sorry about that, but there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. We are a small company who have no control over Royal Mail.

We cannot process a refund before 10 business days have passed since dispatch, because that is still within Royal Mail's new guidelines. We understand your frustration. But again, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. Threatening to leave us a bad review makes absolutely no difference to the fact that it is still a Royal Mail issue and completely outside of our control.

We love wax melts and candles. We literally make them! But they are a very non-essential item. Being abusive over a little piece of wax that makes your home smell nice really isn't necessary.

 

Why haven't I received order confirmation or a dispatch note?

These are sent automatically once an order is placed and then dispatched to the email address or phone number provided. Please check your spam folder if you have not received one. If you did not leave an email address and instead left a phone number, it will be texted to you instead.

If there is a spelling mistake in your email address, or you put an incorrect digit in your phone number to avoid pesky spam, then you will not receive either notification.

Orders will be dispatched within 1-5 business days, Mon-Fri.

 

Why hasn't my subscription box been dispatched?

How the subscription works is explained on the subscription box page, including sending schedules.

If you order before the 20th of the month, you will receive that month's box and it will be sent out within our 1-5 business day Mon-Fri schedule. If you order on or after the 20th of the month, you are signing up to start from the next month's box.

So if you sign up on the 20th of January, you will begin receiving your subscription box from the start of February. You will then receive a new box at the start of each month.

If the 1st of the month falls on a weekend or bank holiday, they will be sent out on the next working day. 

 

Are the melts/candles pet friendly?

All of our melts/candles are cat and dog friendly. We do not use any scent or essential oil that is problematic to them. Most irritant oils in melts/candles are problematic to cats/dogs if they come into contact with them, rather than simply from the smell.

Diffusers are especially bad for this, as they 'diffuse' the scent into the air using water droplets. These can easily land on cats/dogs. Diffusers also have a much higher oil content because they are so concentrated.

Wax melts are different and it is the heat that releases the aroma.

Unfortunately, we cannot comment on things like parrots or birds or other less usual pets. We simply do not know and are not willing to say they will be fine for animals with known respiratory issues. If in doubt, just don't buy scented products and keep your pets safe.

We also cannot account for individual cats/dogs that may have allergies or health issues. Just like a person may have a health issue, we cannot rule that out with your pet. We once had a lady tell us her dog was epileptic and so the scent would be problematic to her dog. We cannot write out every health issue with a guide for you as we simply do not know. We suggest that if your pet is already unwell, just don't use wax melts or candles around them and keep them safe.

 

Where are you based?

We are based in the West Country

 

Are your products cruelty free?

We consider this part of the 'Callan Candles Way'. (You can find out more about that at the bottom of the FAQs).

Our company is cruelty free. All of our products are vegan. We do not use plastic. And our company uses sustainable practices (even our sellotape is recycled). As a small company, we consider our impact on the environment and wider world very carefully.

Bliss wouldn't be bliss if it came at the expense of the environment, in our opinion.

 

Do you sell a sample pack?

Yes. You can get six samples in our sample box. We send you two gemstone melts of each scent for you to try, all in a box that fits right through your letterbox.

Click HERE for Sample Box.

 

Can I have free samples?

No. We are a small business. We cannot afford to send you free samples. It takes staff time to make them, materials to create them, and postage to send them.

 

My 10% discount code didn't work/isn't working?

As it mentions in the email you receive when signing up for the newsletter, the discount code cannot be used on already discounted items. That includes everything on the Special Offers page and everything with free P&P as they are already heavily discounted.

 

I have emailed seventeen times in the past hour, why haven't you replied?

Yes, this happens a lot, so don't laugh!

We are a small business. We do not have a team of people manning computers. We also like to take a break at weekends, just like regular people.

Our main focus is on making our products and we spend all day in our workshop, sometimes not finishing until late because we are trying our best to get all of our orders out to the best quality we possibly can.

Rest assured, if you emailed us or messaged us on Facebook, we will get back to you as quickly as possible. That will usually be within 24 business hours, not 24 minutes. Sat/Sun/Bank Holidays do not count in the 24 hour response time, as we like to have a little time off just like everyone else.

Please avoid messaging us multiple times on different platforms as this can be confusing for our team members who answer responses. This can lead to ineffective responses. 

 

What happens if I don’t like a scent?

We have a sample pack available, so you can try a smaller sample size of most scent you are considering before buying a full box or pod. This is a great way to try new scents without being stuck with a larger bulk of something you don’t enjoy.

If you do get a box and don’t like it, you can send it back to us for a replacement or refund, at your own cost, provided the melts are unused.

Unfortunately, we can’t cater to every individual taste. Just like you can’t return a packet of crisps because you didn’t like the flavour, or get a refund at the cinema because you didn’t enjoy a film, we unfortunately can’t send you free items because you didn’t like a certain scent. We are a small company who work very hard to provide the best melts possible, but we aren’t responsible for individual taste.

Each of our melts were selected because they won 'scent of the month' in one of our subscription boxes and became regular scents, which means hundreds of people voted for each of them because they loved them.

Just because you believe a scent smells like toilet cleaner or smoke, doesn't mean that other people don't like it and think the same. We all smell fragrances differently. 

 

Can I mix and match scents in a box?

We can’t mix and match scents in a box. It would be extremely time consuming and result in prices increasing.

 

Can I pick my own scents each month for the subscription?

The subscription is a selection of four new scents chosen by us each month. It is a way to try new scents that you maybe wouldn’t have otherwise. We can’t make each box to individual requirements. The reason we are able to keep the subscription cheap is because they are all the same each month and we can make them in bulk.

Please feel free not to email us abusive messages if you don't like a scent or box (yes, again this happens!). Taste is subjective and we can assure you, for every negative email, there are hundreds saying they love it.

 

I didn't enjoy my order!

We work our very hardest to create the best wax melts and candles possible. It has helped our little corner of bliss grow quickly, so that from a company who started pouring melts and candles in our spare room, we now have tens of thousands of happy customers who are very kind in their praise of us in reviews and posts online for the world to see. This tells us we are doing things the right way.

However, we understand that we cannot please everyone. Some people just have different tastes and preferences. That is okay. Some people don't enjoy soy melts as much as paraffin (we will never understand how the risk of developing cancer is worth a slightly stronger melt, but that's just us).

We thank you for trying Callan Candles all the same. We are sorry you didn't enjoy your experience, but our small team worked our very best to provide it for you.

Please also understand, you are in the minority. By a long way. For every negative comment, we get hundreds of positive ones. Emailing us abusive messages (yes, we get them) or exclaiming how our products are rubbish, really isn't a very nice way for an adult to act and just makes you look silly. We are real people who spend hours and hours in our workshop creating our products. It is not a pleasant experience to read those types of messages. Imagine someone sending you the same message to your work, or even better, to the small company you have worked so hard for people to enjoy.

Sometimes, things just aren't for you and your individual tastes. That is fine. We wish you all the best in the future and hope you find your bliss elsewhere. But a wax melt really isn't something to get abusive over. It is just a little cube of scented wax (or, as one of our customer's children calls them, 'Stinky Rocks')

Let's all be friendly and kind. Our entire aim with Callan Candles is to spread a little bliss and lift people's moods. And we overwhelmingly succeed in doing so.

 

Are you CLP compliant?

Yes, we are. From day one, making candles and melts in our spare bedroom, we started out as a fully CLP compliant company. The health and safety of our customers is important to us.

 

What is the ‘Callan Candles Way’?

At Callan Candles, we consider ourselves a little different. We are proud of that fact.

We don’t use plastic, even though it ends up costing us more. That is because we don’t think making your home smell divine should come at the cost of drilling oil out of the ground.

We use soy wax, never paraffin. You can find out why we came to this decision by reading our blog post HERE.

We support small businesses wherever possible. We want to make the world a better place for normal people, not CEOs.

We support Royal Mail. We consider it an important part of the UK. They will only survive if we all support them.

Royal Mail also pay pensions and support their staff. This is important to us. Much more important than a delivery coming a day earlier. Anticipation makes it all the better, in our mind.

Our customers and staff are our family. We see you as part of Callan Candles and we appreciate each and every one of you. Wherever we can, we will go the extra mile for you.

 

I want to ring you on the phone to sort out my order, how do I do that? 

We are a small business and we are an unable to have an office telephone. Even if we did have one, due to our customer service team members working from home, there would be no one to answer it! 

Can you think of anything else we should have on our FAQs? Email us and let us know!

Customers Are Family

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