F.A.Q.s

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All of this is industry standard and according to law.

Contacting us:

Please use the contact page for all enquiries and be certain that your e-mail address is entered correctly before proceeding.  Failure to do so will result in us being unable to respond to your enquiry.  Please check your spam and junk folders for messages and/or replies from us.  Increasingly we are finding that our messages and responses may be found there.

Prices:

Prices are subject to change without notice due to fluctuations in international currency exchange rates and price changes from the manufacturers.

Exchange rates:

Currency exchange rates are provided on our site as a courtesy and for information purposes.  They are calculated weekly from live online systems using authoritative sources, however it is your credit card company, or bank, or money order source, that will determine what rates they will offer you.  All charges are calculated and processed in Canadian Dollars.

Overdue accounts:

Payment in full must be received prior to orders being shipped unless special arrangements have been made.  All items remain the property of McCarthy Highland Services until full payment has been received and verified.  Failure to resolve overdue accounts within 30 days of purchase will incurr a 5% overdue account fee being added to the invoice.  5% will be added to the pre-tax invoice every month that the invoice remains unpaid.  Failure to pay may result in a collection action being taken, and/or legal action.

Shipping:

We do our best to ship as soon as possible.  Sometimes glitches do occur.  Generally we ship on Saturdays and Sundays, but during holiday times we ship as soon as we can.  Should you require faster service please contact us using our contact page.   Please be certain that your shipping address and e-mail address are correct, and to select a shipping method when placing your order.  Failure to select a shipping method will result in a local pickup order being placed, and it will be the responsibility of the customer to arrange for store pickup with appropriate documentation before an order will be handed over.  Shipping options and rates are provided by a direct link to Canada Post and FedEx computer systems and are not calculated by us.  Sometimes their system does not calculate correctly in situations where multiple items are ordered.  For instance it does not always consider that bagpipes, hemp, reeds, CD's, and drums etc, can be shipped inside of empty cases that are also purchased on the same order.  If you have questions about the amount showing, please contact us using our contact page bfore completing yo;ur order.

 Special Orders:

All bagpipe, drum, and bagcover orders are considered special orders unless marked otherwise.  Bagpipe parts made with silver or custom ngraving are considered to be speical orders.  Special orders may require a deposit before the order is placed, and payment in full is required before it will be shipped or released.  Our bagpipe covers are offered in a very wide range of styles and materials, and they are custom made to fit the pipe bag that you have for a perfect fit.  We require the brand and size of your pipebag in order to have a proper fit.  All seams are fully finished and there are no unfinished edges that will cause the cover to deteriorate quickly like cheaply made ones do.  A quality constructed cover will last a long time when looked after.  An incorrect fit is one of the leading causes of slipping pipebags. 

Special order items cannot be returned, or refunded without prior approval, and return shipping costs are the responsibility of the customer.  Fees that result from improper cancellations are the responsibility of the customer and myust be paid.  Manufacturers warranties may apply against defects in materials and construction.  Please enquire in case of warranty concerns.

 Returns:

Bagpipe reeds and kilt hose cannot be returned or exchanged due to Federal and Provincial health regulations.  Please be certain of and stipulate the strength of reeds as required, and the size of kilt hose required, before ordering.

All returns must be pre-authorized.  Return shipping charges are the responsibility of the customer, and restocking fees may apply. Restocking fee on all authorized bagpipes is 20%.  Restocking fee of 25% will be charged on all other authorized returns.  Special order items are considered final sale and cannot be returned or cancelled without prior authorization.  Please enquire before any return or cancellation.  Failure to do so may result in additional charges and/or legal action being taken.

 Refunds, Cancellations, and Transaction fees:

Once an order has shipped, it cannot be be cancelled.  Shipping and return shipping fees will be the responsibility of the purchaser as well as any transaction fees. When a refund is offered on a transaction using Visa, MasterCard, or PayPal, there are processing fees applied by the processor which are not recovered.  For example, Paypal fees are 5%.  Once we have received the item back, we will issue a credit for the total amount minus any shipping charges, processing fees, or damaged items fees, and restocking fee.  Failure to pay processing fees, and applicable shipping /return shipping fees, or damaged item fees may result in legal action being taken.

Kilt Material:

All of our kilt material is 100% worsted wool manufactured in Scotland. NOT synthetic, NOR synthetic blends, and not made in Pakistan or China. Kilt material comes in 3 weights - Heavyweight (Strome) 15-16 ounce, Medium weight (Braeriach) 11-13 ounce, and light weight (Reiver).  Strome, Braeriach, & Reiver are all trademark names belonging to LochCarron of Scotland.  These terms are often misused by companies offering cheaply made kilts using material that does not meet the standard.  All of our kilts are sewn by qualified kilt makers.

• Strome: The STROME TM range of tartans consists of over 580 authentic tartans in a traditional heavy weight (500-515 gm/16oz) worsted wool synonymous with the 8 yard hand made kilt.
• Braeriach: The BRAERAICH TM range of tartans consists of over 220 authentic tartans in a medium weight (400-415 gm/13oz) worsted wool suitable for kilts, home furnishings.
• Reiver: The REIVER TM range of tartan consists of over 500 authentic tartans in a light worsted wool (325-335 gm/10oz) suitable for tailored items.

Kilt Construction:

8 yard kilts:

The 8 yard completely hand sewn heavy-weight kilt is the gold-standard and is what is commonly asked for.  When pricing kilts you should be asking is the kilt 100% hand sewn, is it hand-sewn with a machine sewn waistband and lining, or is it totally machine sewn?  Machine sewing is less costly but creates a different lay to the kilt.  100% Hand-sewing is the best and it will lay better and last longer.

8 yards is often spoken of, however it really depends on your measurements, what tartan is selected and what is required to create the required pattern on the back (sett or stripe) .  This may actually require more or less material than 8 yards. "Casual" and "dancers" kilts require less material because the pleats are nowhere near as deep, and there are fewer of them. 

Be aware and informed about what you are pricing and comparing.  If they are being shipped in from overseas, what is being eliminated to account for a very low price?

The Maple Leaf Tartan:

The Maple Leaf Tartan was approved as an official symbol of Canada on March 9, 2011 by Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.
The Canadian Maple Leaf tartan was designed by David Weiser in 1964 in anticipation of the centenary of the granting of Dominion status to Canada in 1967. The name Maple Leaf was chosen as Maples are indigenous to Canada and the leaf, a symbol of nationhood, forms the central feature of the Canadian Flag, introduced in 1965. It was designed as a commercial venture by a Canadian, who had been in the fashion world for many years.
In the words of the Commercial Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Canada - "In creating the Maple Leaf Tartan fabric, David Weiser captured the natural phenomena of these leaves turning from summer into autumn. The green is the early colour of the foliage. Gold appears at the turn of autumn. Red shows up at the coming of the first frost. The two tones of brown find their way throughout the leaf creating a prolific profusion of colour."

Excellent articles and links to articles that we find authoritative, informative, and unbiased:

Excellent collection of how-to articles on piping by PM Brett Tidswell.

Great collection of reviews on many piping products by PM Brett Tidswell.