Q.   In a 'nutshell', what is Carbon Offsetting?

A.   The burning of fossil fuels for transport and industry produces an excess of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. This is harmful to our climate. Some companies have developed methods to remove or reduce this excess CO2. When we purchase Carbon Offsets, we pay the company to carry-out this process.

Q.   Does this Carbon Offset cost me anything?

A.   Absolutely nothing - It's FREE! You only pay the normal store price for your item (or even less if you used one of the discount codes we've obtained). We arrange and pay for the total cost for the CO2 Offsets pledged. No catch.

Q.   I have just bought an item but the Carbon Offset running total has remained the same. Why has it not increased?

A.   The total amount of Carbon Offset so far by us is updated manually on a regular basis. This ensures that the correct figures are displayed. As it is not practical to buy small amounts often, we wait until a bulk purchase amount is reached and then buy our Carbon Offset. Also, the Offset Shop does not receive commissions immediately a sale is completed as there are a number of reasons why the store may not pay us the commission. For example, many stores have a "No questions" refund policy. If that happens then obviously there will be no commissions due. Other examples may include; cancelled orders, duplicate orders, faulty items being returned, fraudulent transactions etc. Generally the Offset Shop will receive confirmation of any commissions due within 28 days.

Q.   How can I be sure that The Offset Shop keep their pledge and purchase the agreed amount of Carbon Offset?

A.   We pride ourselves on operating a legitimate and ethical business.

All our Carbon Offset purchases are made through an official offset provider (Climatecare.org). Evidence of the certification for our Offset purchases can be seen on our Certificates page.

All sales made through our website are monitored and verified by long established third parties (Affiliate Window mainly, but there are some sales monitored by Tradedoubler, Buy.at, OMG, Affiliate Future and Smart Quotes).

Finally, our accounts are checked and reviewed each quarter by an independent Chartered Management Accountant, Mr Mike Tombs (Website) who makes a point of specifically checking our carbon offset pledge.

Q.   Some stores must pay more commission than others, do you give these any preference?

A.   No. All stores are treated the same within the search engine script we use.

Q.   I am having problems with a purchase I made from one of the stores The Offset Shop promote. What can I do?

A.   The Offset Shop is a search engine which provides a free way to Carbon Offset your online purchases. We do not sell products directly and are therefore unable to help with any specific purchasing problems. Any problems must be dealt with directly with the store in question. However, in the unlikely event that you do encounter problems please let us know. Should a store gain a history for poor service we will remove them from our database.

Q.   I have just bought a mobile phone. How does the Carbon Offset work for this?

A.   Both contract & Pay As You Go phones will be awarded a Carbon Offset of 200kg.

Q.   Why are you not a charity?

A.   The long term aim will probably be to move to obtaining charity status. However, due to the complex rules and regulations in becoming a charity we believe that at present, whilst we are establishing the venture, our aims are best served and costs are kept to a minimum by remaining a private business.

Q.   I did not select a particular item to buy, instead I just clicked on a banner or I bought an item other than the one I originally visited the store for. Does this count towards the Carbon Offset?

A.   Absolutely. All stores shown on The Offset Shop website have an agreed relationship with us and therefore all purchases made as a direct result of visiting a store from our website will attract a Carbon Offset allowance.

Q.   Do I need to visit The Offset Shop before every purchase, or can I just add a store to my favourites?

A.   To be sure of getting the Carbon Offset allowance it is best to go through The Offset Shop. The sophisticated tracking software employs 'cookies' which inform the store you purchase from what website you came from. Should you have visited another website after The Offset Shop, it is possible that they may be allocated any relevant commissions.