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My Account | Help | Export Customer?

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On this page you will find answers to the most frequent queries we receive. To allow us to answer your questions, use the quick links below:

How much do you charge for delivery?
When will my goods be despatched?
Do I have to register first before I make a purchase?
I am an existing customer but I have never ordered online before, how do I access my account?
How do I create an account if I am a new customer?
I've forgotten my password. What do I do?
How do I change my password?
I have submitted an order but have not received a confirmation email
How do I apply for a credit account?
I am a customer from outside the EU. Would you still be able to deliver to me? Do I pay VAT?
I'm ordering from outside the UK, what currency can I pay in?
What is your returns policy?
I've placed an order but not received it yet. What do I do?
How do I get back to the homepage of the website?
Is there a facility for ordering the same product at regular intervals?
I want to collect my order at your Trade Counter. Do I pay when I order or when I collect?
I want to change my invoice address. Can I do this immediately?
My payment card has been declined. What should I do?
How can I get more help on the website?
Where do I enter my order reference or Purchase Order number?
Where can I find product datasheets?
Do I have to sign for parcels?

All UK mainland orders over £35 (excluding VAT) qualify for Free Delivery. Orders below £35 (excluding VAT) are subject to a £4.95 + VAT delivery charge - UK mainland only.

UK Offshore deliveries are £9.00. UK Offshore areas include the Channel Islands, Scottish Isles, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland. Please note: UK Offshore deliveries that exceed 1 kilo may be subject to additional charges.

Orders to other countries are determined by the size and weight of the items making up your order. The estimated delivery cost will be shown during the checkout. If there is any variation in this, you will be advised before your order is despatched.

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Goods are normally despatched on the day the order is received, if the order is received by 8pm Monday - Friday. We shall despatch goods by First Class post (for orders below £60 and under 1kg) or our preferred Carrier (for orders over £60 or over 1kg in weight) to UK-based customers.

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Yes. Although you can place items in the shopping basket without registering or being logged in, once you proceed from the ‘View Basket’ screen you will be prompted to enter your contact information and log-in details.

You can choose to go straight to checkout and you will be asked to provide your personal details. After placing your order, you will then be sent an email containing your log in details that you can use when placing future orders and to check on the status of the order you have already placed.

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If you have an existing offline Rapid account, you can activate your account online by clicking the 'Login/Register' link at the top right of the screen. Select 'No, I am new to the website' and the 'Continue' button. You will need to enter your Rapid account number and billing address postcode, contact information and create your log-in details to activate your account. 

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Simply click the 'Login/Register' link at the top right of the screen, and select 'No, I am new to the website' and the 'Continue' button. You will need to enter your Rapid account number and billing address postcode, contact information and create your log-in details. You will also be able to add your personalisation preferences. At the end of the registration process you will be sent an email confirming details of your account number, with a link to view your log-in details.

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If you forget your password, select the 'Login/Register' link at the top right of the screen. Click the 'Forgotten Password?' link, enter your email address and click the 'Submit' button. You will be sent an email with a temporary link to a page on which you can reset your password. Please note: this link is only valid for use once. Alternatively, if you are still having difficulty, or if you do not receive the email, contact us and we will manually reset your password for you.

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For security reasons you should regularly change your password. You can do this from the 'Change My Password' link in the 'Account Options' menu of 'My Account'.

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When you create an account or place an order, an automated email will be sent to you.

If you do not receive these emails, this could be due to an error with the email address you provided when you registered with www.rapidonline.com. You may have omitted a letter, number or other character, so that any messages we try to send will not reach you. If this happens we will receive a notification and contact you if possible and amend your email address on our records.

Sometimes our emails are blocked by email filtering software, particularly if it is the first message we have sent you. It is worth checking your Spam folder and adding no-reply@rapidonline.com to your safe senders list.

If you do not receive an email that you expect from Rapid, please contact us.

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An application form is available here. Simply print it out, complete and return to Rapid either by post, fax or email.

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We deliver to addresses around the world. Customers from outside the EU do not pay VAT. If you are a non-EU customer and VAT is included in your order, please contact our Export department on +44 (0)1206 751166, who will set up your account correctly or refund to you any amount already paid.

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Your payment card will be debited in UK pounds sterling, and based on the current exchange rate converted to the equivalent amount in your own currency. Prices on the website are displayed in UK pounds sterling. There is the option to view prices in US dollars or Euros, for guidance purposes only. You can set this up in My Account.

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If, upon receipt of your order, you find shortages or damaged items, please contact us within 7 days of delivery on 01206 751166 and we will arrange replacement goods as necessary. Items found to be faulty within 12 months of purchase may be returned for repair or replacement where applicable – please contact us to arrange.

If you wish to return items for any other reason, they must be returned within 30 days of purchase, undamaged and in their original packaging – please contact Rapid to arrange an RMA note. In some instances a handling charge of 20% (or minimum of £2.00) may apply – please see  our

Delivery & Returns section and Terms & Conditions for full details.

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If you are ordering from the UK mainland using our standard delivery option, and your goods do not arrive within 7 working days of despatch, we recommend that you contact our customer services team on 01206 751166 or sales@rapidelec.co.uk, who will investigate the matter for you.

If you have selected a UK mainland timed delivery service and your order has not arrived by the expected time, please contact us.

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From any page, just click on the Rapid logo at the top left corner of the screen to be taken back to the homepage.

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Yes. If you are a statement account holder with Rapid, placing a Scheduled Order will enable you to select the products you require, at a fixed price, as well as specify the dates on which you would like them delivered and invoiced. The stock will be allocated to you (if there are problems with stock we will inform you) and the price quoted will be fixed for the life of the scheduled order; barring extreme fluctuations in supplier price/exchange rate.

When you are logged in, click the 'Place a Scheduled Order' link in the footer or the 'Scheduled Orders' option in 'My Account'. Simply choose the frequency of delivery, the number of drops you require, the delivery address and dates. Then add the product codes (Rapid or manufacturer's codes) and quantities for each drop to the schedule.

Click here to go to the Scheduled Orders Page

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You pay when you place your order on the website. Using the 'Trade Counter Collection' delivery option saves you the standard delivery charge of £4.95 on all orders under £35 (excl. VAT), as long as your order value is over £5. Orders are ready for collection within one and a half hours.

Orders for Trade Counter collection must be placed before 4.30pm to ensure same-day collection during our normal opening hours. Orders placed after this time will be available after 9am the following working day. The Trade Counter is open Monday-Friday, between 7.30am and 6.00pm, and Saturday between 9.00am and 5.00pm.

The Trade Counter is located at our offices in Colchester, Essex. For directions, click here.

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It is possible to have separate addresses registered to your account for deliveries and invoices. However, for security reasons, this is not available for your first order placed on www.rapidonline.com, nor for the first 30 days of your registration. Please contact us on 01206 751166 to enquire about updating your invoice address details.

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Please contact our customer services team (01206 751166), who will investigate why your card has been declined. This could be due to insufficient funds in your account, the entering of incorrect details relating to your card and billing address (such as your postcode) or your bank's anti-fraud controls. We will respond promptly and suggest an appropriate course of action.

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If you are having trouble placing an order, finding the part you want or when the information you need is not immediately available online, click on the Live Help button.

This facility allows you to contact a sales or technical advisor, who will seek to solve your problem as soon as possible via a real-time web chat.

This facility is available from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 5pm on Saturday.

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You can enter your reference or Purchase Order number on the Review Order page of the checkout process.

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Datasheets are available on product pages when you see the red Adobe icon . Simply click on the icon to open a PDF document, containing technical, health and safety or approval information about the product. If you require a datasheet for a particular product, please contact feedback@rapidelec.co.uk. If a datasheet can be sourced it will be emailed to you and made available on the website.

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All orders weighing under 1kg or less than £60 in value are sent via 1st class post and do not require a signature. Parcels above 1kg in weight and £60 in value are sent by our preferred carrier and require a signature before delivery. In the event that no one is available to sign, a card will be left and the customer will be asked to collect the parcel from the carrier's local depot or arrange a more convenient time for delivery. If you would like to give us special delivery instructions, such as leaving parcels with neighbours, you can do so over the phone at the time you place the order.