Just purchase one of the new CS500 Series headsets like the CS510,  CS520,  CS540,  or CS540/HL10  , turn in your old headset as described in the details and receive a $25 rebate.

This rebate is only good for a limited time, so act now!

Click PLANTRONICS-REBATES for all of the details and rebate form.

And, don’t forget to visit us at www.AvanteHandsFree for all of your headset solutions.

This headset is the perfect solution for video calls or regular audio calls and is certified by Skype.  In stock and shipping now.  We offer free ground shipping within the United States.    And don’t forget we do ship to Canada!

To read more about this headset, click AUDIO648 .  

Visit us often.  New products being offered on a daily basis!  Avante Hands Free

When comparing shipping rates from FedEx and UPS, don’t forget to include fees and surcharges. Each shipper has an extensive list of additional costs. So rather than just comparing ‘standard rates,’ determine your shipping needs and then calculate the fees.

Here is a list of 2012 fees and surcharges from FedEx and UPS. For complete UPS rate information, access the Service Guide, as well as the rate changes for 2012. For complete FedEx rate information, access FedEx Rates, as well as the rate changes for 2012.

FedEx Fees and Surcharges

Additional Handling Surcharge. A charge will be assessed for any package that requires special handling, as determined by FedEx. $8.50 per package.

Address Correction. If a recipient’s address on an airbill, air waybill or shipping label is incomplete or incorrect, FedEx may attempt to find the correct address and complete the delivery. FedEx Express U.S. freight services: $60 per correction. FedEx Ground: $11.

Advancement Fee. FedEx collects a fee when it prepays import customs and duties and behalf of its customers. For FedEx Express U.S. import package and freight shipments, the Advancement Fee is the greater of 2 percent of the total duties and taxes advanced or $6.50 per shipment.

Dangerous Goods. For FedEx Express U.S. package shipments containing accessible dangerous goods, the surcharge is $75 per package. For shipments containing inaccessible dangerous goods, the surcharge is $37.50 per package.

Declared Value. The charge for Declared Value — which fixes FedEx’s maximum shipping liability, as set by the customer — is $0.80 per $100 of value. The minimum charge is $2.40.

Delivery Area Surcharge. For applicable FedEx Express U.S. package services and FedEx Ground services, a delivery area surcharge applies to shipments destined to select ZIP codes. The surcharge for commercial and extended commercial shipments is $2 per package. For FedEx Express and FedEx Ground services, the surcharge for residential shipments is $3 per package and $2.75 for FedEx Home Delivery shipments. The surcharge for extended residential shipments is $3.25 per package.

Delivery Reattempt. For FedEx Express U.S. freight services, shipper or recipient arranged delivery reattempts are subject to delivery reattempt charges: the greater of $48 per shipment or $0.0513 per lb.

Delivery Signature Options. For FedEx Express U.S. package services and FedEx Ground services, the charge for Indirect Signature Required (from someone other than the recipient, such as a neighbor) is $2 per package. Direct Signature Required is $3.50 per package. Adult Signature Required is $4.50 per package.

Disbursement Fee. For FedEx Ground shipments, the Disbursement Fee — related to paying amounts on behalf of its customers — is the greater of 2 percent of the total duties and taxes advanced or $6.50 per shipment.

Extra Service Charge. For FedEx Express U.S. freight services and FedEx International Premium service, an extra service charge applies when the shipper or recipient requests a special handling service beyond the standard freight pickup and delivery features: the greater of $66 per shipment or $66 per handler hour.

FedEx Ground C.O.D. For FedEx Ground and FedEx International Ground shipments, a charge applies when you direct FedEx to collect payment from your recipient. If you select regular or guaranteed funds C.O.D. — “cash on delivery” — the charge is $11 per package. If you select currency C.O.D., the charge is $11 per package plus an additional charge based on your shipment’s destination.

FedEx Ground Electronic C.O.D. (E.C.O.D.) For FedEx Ground and FedEx International Ground shipments, a charge applies when you direct FedEx to collect payment from your recipient and deposit it directly into your bank account, plus there is an additional weekly service charge: $11 per package. The weekly service charge is $10 for deposit in 48 hours and $35 for deposit in 24 hours.

Hazardous Materials. For FedEx Ground U.S. services, the surcharge for packages containing hazardous materials is $27.50 per package.

International Out-of-Delivery-Area Surcharge. For FedEx Express U.S. export package and freight shipments, the International Out-of-Delivery-Area Surcharge is the greater of $26 per shipment or $0.26 per lb.

International Out-of-Pickup-Area Surcharge. For FedEx Express U.S. import package and freight shipments, the International Out-of-Pickup-Area Surcharge is the greater of $26 per shipment or $0.26 per lb.

Oversize Charge. For FedEx Express U.S. package services and FedEx Ground services, the charge for oversize packages is $55 per package.

Residential Delivery Charge. For FedEx Express package and freight services and FedEx Ground services, a residential delivery charge applies to shipments to a home or private residence. For FedEx Express U.S. package services, FedEx Ground service and FedEx International Ground service to Canada, the charge is $3 per package. For FedEx Home Delivery, the charge is $2.55 per package.

Fuel Surcharges. Current fuel surcharge rates: Ground: 8.5 percent. Express: 14 percent.

UPS Fees and Surcharges

Additional Handling. A charge will be assessed for any package that requires special handling, as determined by UPS. $8.50 per package.

Address Correction. If UPS is unable to deliver a package as addressed by the shipper or if the package has an invalid, incorrect or incomplete address, UPS may attempt to find the correct address and complete delivery. $11.00

Chargeback for Consignee Billing Shipments. If a shipper ships a package to an unauthorized consignee, the shipper will be assessed a fee per package in addition to the transportation charges. $11.00.

Collect on Delivery (C.O.D.) For applicable domestic package services, the charge is $11 per package.

Declared Value. The charge for Declared Value is $0.80 per $100 of value. The minimum charge is $2.40.

Delivery Area Surcharge. A surcharge applies to each package delivered to certain ZIP Codes within the 48 contiguous states. Commercial: $2. Residential: $2.75. Extended Residential: $3.25.

Delivery Change. You can request that UPS return the package to you, reroute the package to a new address, have the package held for pickup or have the package delivered on a future date. Delivery intercept: $11.00 per package for web requests; $14.00 per package for phone. Delivery change:  $4.00 per package for web requests; $6.00 per package for phone.

Destination Outside Service Area. If delivery of a UPS Next Day Air Early A.M. shipment is requested to a destination outside the service area, UPS reserves the right to assess an additional fee. $10.00 per shipment.

Dry Ice. Most non-dangerous goods shipments containing dry ice are accepted, without requiring the shipper to enter into the UPS Dangerous Goods Agreement (contract). $5.00.

Hazardous Materials. UPS accepts Hazardous Materials only from customers with a UPS Dangerous Goods Agreement in effect and a Scheduled Pickup account, and then for transport within all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Ground: $27.50. Air: $37.50.

Large Package Surcharge. A package is considered a “Large Package” when its length plus girth — (2 x width) +  (2 x height) — combined exceeds 130 inches, but does not exceed the maximum UPS size of 165 inches.  Large Packages are subject to a minimum billable weight of 90 pounds. $55.00.

Missing/Invalid Account Number or Refusal Fee. In the event of a missing or invalid account number, or nonpayment by the consignee or third party, the original shipper will be billed a fee in addition to the shipping charges. $11.00.

Over Maximum Limits. Packages with an actual weight of more than 150 pounds, or that exceed size maximums (108 inches in length, or a total of 165 inches in length and girth, are not accepted for transportation. If found in the UPS system, they are subject to additional charges. $50.00

Package Tracking, Tracing and Refund Requests. Shipper may be assessed a charge per request for excessive tracking, tracing and refund requests. $3.00.

Remote Area Surcharge. A Remote Area Surcharge applies to each package delivered to certain ZIP Codes within Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska: $15.00. Hawaii: $6.00.

Residential Surcharge. A residential address is defined as On-Call Pickup or delivery to a location that is a home, including a business operating out of a home, that does not have an entrance open to the public. UPS Ground Service fee applies to UPS On-Call Pickups made at residential addresses. UPS Air Services and UPS 3 Day Select: $3.00. UPS Ground Services: $2.55.

Undeliverable Package Return Charge. Return Charge Domestic packages refused by the consignee, or which cannot be delivered due to any other cause beyond UPS’s control, will be returned to the shipper at the shipper’s expense. Service level of the return will be UPS 3 Day Select for Air and UPS Ground for Ground shipments.

UPS On-Call Pickup Area Surcharge. A surcharge applies to each residential UPS On-Call Pickup requested at certain ZIP Codes within the 48 contiguous states. $3.00.

UPS Carbon Neutral (per package). Customers can donate to UPS’s carbon neutral program. Next Day: $0.20. 2nd Day/3-Day: $0.20. Ground: $0.05

Fuel Surcharges. Current fuel surcharge rates for Package Services – Ground: 8.5 percent. Air and International: 14 percent.

With superior sound quality, and all the bells and whistles, this unique headset is the top of its class.

New Smart Sensor technology for a seamless and intuitive user experience

So much good stuff packed in this great little headset, and it’s so comfortable to wear.

Here are a few features:

• Automatically answers calls simply by placing on your ear.
• Automatically transfers calls between mobile phone and headset.
• When on a mobile or PC call, softphone presence is automatically updated.
• Eliminates accidental dialing by locking call button when headset is not worn.
• • Dual-mic AudioIQ2 DSP for noise cancellation, delivering clear voice quality to you and your listener.
  • Advanced WindSmart® technology provides three layers of wind protection.
  • PC Wideband delivers heightened speech clarity, providing the best possible PC audio quality.
  • Integrated A2DP lets you listen to streaming media, including your favorite songs, podcasts, turn-by-turn navigation and more.

For more information on this headsets, click  VOYAGERPROUC  .  This item is in stock and shipping now.

Don’t forget to visit us often.  We are adding new products on a weekly basis – Just in time for your holiday gift-giving.

www.AvanteHandsFree.com

It’s lighweight, portable and very easy to use with both single ear and dual ear capability.  Great for travelers carrying a laptop.

The Blackwire C435 offers wideband capability, DSP sound for extra clarity and a multi-media platform enabling the user to use for VoIP calling,   Skype,   music and more.  The noise canceling microphone enhances internet calling.

For more information and features, click BLACKWIRE C435   These headsets are in stock and shipping now!

Visit us ofen.  We carry a complete line of the very latest Plantronics headsets and accessories, as well as GPS units, telephones and consumer electronics.

Avante Hands Free

The new CS500 family of headsets are lighter than the old, and offers upgraded technology.  They will be replacing the older headsets:

CS540  replaces the CS55, CS50

CS510  replaces the CS351, CS351N

CS520  replaces the CS361, CS361N

How are they different?  The newer models are more streamlined, offers longer talk times, longer range, DECT technology, all are noise-canceling, and are the lightest DECT headsets in today’s market.  And the CS540 Convertible offers 3 wearing styles:  Behind-the-ear, over-the-head, and behind-the-head.

Features: 

• Gain mobility
  - multitask, hands-free up to 350 feet
• Use with
  Electronic Hookswitch Cable or Handset Lifter to remotely answer/end calls
• Audio controls
  volume/mute at your fingertips
• Adaptive power
  system optimizes for range and talk time
• Voice-dedicated
  DECT™ technology eliminates Wi-Fi interference
• Advanced
  wideband audio using CAT-iq technology enables clearer conversations
• Choose
  narrowband mode to preserve talk time or wideband mode for clearer
  conversations
• Noise-canceling
  microphone filters out background noise
• Digital Signal
  Processing (DSP) provides more natural voice sound
• SoundGuard™
  technology protects against audio spikes
• Conference in
  up to three additional CS500 or Savi headsets for enhanced collaboration
• New headsets
  can subscribe to a base by simply docking the headset
• Auto answer
  option lets you answer/end calls by removing/replacing the headset from
  the base
• Up to 9 hours
  talk time on a single charge (CS510/CS520)
• Backed by
  Plantronics industry-leading global service and support

For more information on this new family of headsets, click  CS540  and related items.

For these headsets and other items, please visit us often at AvanteHandsFree.com

The Savi 710 and 720 are also part of the new Savi 700 3-in-1 series – headsets that work with a desktop phone, personal computer and Bluetooth mobile phone.

These two models are especially good for long wearing periods, and so comfortable. The SAVI 710 is a monaural or single ear wireless headset, and the SAVI 720 is a binaural or double ear wireless headset. Both are good for call centers, home office use, professional office, listening to music or noisy environments.

The Savi 710 is on order and expected to start shipping early-mid August. The Savi 720 is currently in stock and shipping now.

For more information on both of these headsets, click SAVI 710 or SAVI 720

And don’t forget to visit us often. We offer FREE SHIPPING on many items.

~ Avante Hands Free ~

Plantronics has done it again!  Now you can have one headset for all of your various platforms and media all in one.

Chose from two different wearing styles:

The Plantronics Savi 730 for over-the-ear,  or the Savi 740 Convertible Style which can be worn over-the-ear, over-the-head, or behind-the-head.  Both models offer the DECT 6.0 encrypted technology and a range of  350 ft away from the base, and 40 ft range when talking on your Bluetooth mobile phone.

See details on talk time and features when you click on   Savi 730   or  Savi 740.

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Both of these models offer 3 convenient wearing styles:  Over the head, behind the ear, and behind the head.  Equipped with the highest sound and digital encrypted technology makes this headset very special.  Especially for professionals on the go, the new Savi W440 and W440-M works with your PC or laptop via a USB adapter and is the lightest of its kind offered in today’s market.

Savi W440 Standard is built for UC (unified communications) applications and softphones for Avaya, Cisco, IBM, Skype and more…

Savi W440-M (MOC) version is optimized for Microsoft Lync 2010 and Microsoft OCS 2007.

For more information, please visit  Savi W440  and  Savi W440-M

And don’t forget to visit us at www.AvanteHandsFree.com for more information on new and exciting products.  We are adding new items every week.

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Every online retailer will, at some point, be faced with fraud. It is as inevitable as taxes, but far more sinister!

Your credit card processor is going to give you two pieces of information to help combat fraud: the 3 or 4-digit “security code” and an AVS response.

The CSC code should never be stored in a merchant’s database. It is only printed on the card itself. So, if someone has stolen credit card info electronically, they wouldn’t have this number (in theory). Therefore, if someone places an order on your website and the CSC doesn’t match, NEVER accept the order. However, CSC is only a first line of defense against fraud. If a dishonest waiter is swiping credit card info, he’ll have unfettered access to the CSC.

AVS = Address Verification System. When a transaction is placed, you’ll receive two YES/NO values: one for the street address and one for the zipcode. They tell you whether the billing address the customer entered matches with what the issuing bank has on file for the customer.

AVS is a guideline, not gospel. International banks rarely support AVS, some US banks don’t support it, and the data isn’t always current. Customers that have recently moved may have old info on file. So, you’ll often receive false negatives. Basically, don’t decline an order based upon AVS info. Rather, use it as part of your overall risk assessment.

So, let’s assume that an order has come through. The CSC matches, the AVS is Y/Y, but the shipping address doesn’t match the billing address. Now YOU have to make the call and determine the likelihood that the order is fraud.

Here are some things to look for:

• Are they shipping via an expedited method? It isn’t the fraudster’s money and the quicker they can get the goods before the card is cancelled, the better for them. Check for the ratio of money spent on shipping versus the value of the goods. Would a “real” customer pay $60 to ship $30 worth of merchandise?
• Are you able to contact the customer via email? If they’re responding via email, that’s a good sign that it isn’t fraud. Fraudsters typically provide bogus email addresses or simply never check the multitude of accounts they possess.
• Is the billing address in the US and the shipping address in a foreign country? This can be a red flag for fraud.
• Where was the order placed? There are free IP address geolocation tools that you can integrate into your order fulfillment package. If the IP address is in Belgium, but the billing address is in Florida and the shipping address is in California, perhaps you need to do more detective work.
• If you’re capturing a phone number, where does that phone number originate? Again, there are free APIs that will tell you the city and state. Do these match with the billing address or shipping address?
• Use whitepages.org or anywho.com to determine the accuracy of the address information provided.
• What is the customer’s email address? Do they use a “shady” free email service that you’ve never heard of before? Or is the email address from a .edu, .k12, or .mil domain? The harder it is to get an email address at a particular domain, the less likely the order is fraud. Of course, just because they entered that email address, it doesn’t mean it’s an active email account.
• Fraud is more rampant in certain countries than other. For instance, never ship to Nigeria.
• Don’t assume that an inexpensive order isn’t fraud. Fraudsters aren’t stupid. They obviously want to get as much from a store as they can before the stolen card is shut down, but if they’ve ascertained that $25 is your threshold, they will exploit it.

There are many other metrics you can use to assess risk. Some will be more relevant than others depending on your type of business.

If you’re not sure about an order, contact the customer. They’ll appreciate your commitment to security. Sometimes we tell a customer that we can only ship to their AVS-verified billing address. Other times, we ask customers to send us a photograph or scan of their credit card so we can verify that it is in their possession. In some instances, we ask for scans of passports or other government-issued IDs to prove that they live at the address to which they want us to ship. Some customers are uncomfortable with this, but the majority have no problem complying. Remember, you’re the one on the hook if it is fraud.

To mitigate your risk of fraud, you must look at every order and assign a level of risk. If you receive too many orders to do this manually, then you need software. If you must, hire a programmer. It’s worth the expense. If a fraudster starts hitting your website, you won’t know for days or weeks. In that time, you could get hit with thousands of dollars worth of charges.

Your job is to do everything in your power to stop 99.9% of preventable fraud and simply chalk up the rest to the world we live in. This requires your vigilance. You must constantly update your fraud system because fraudsters have blogs, too. They share and flout their conquests.

Take solace in knowing that you’ve become a worthwhile enough target for fraud! You’re popular! If law-abiding citizens love your product, there are going to be criminals that do, too.

P.S. from Avante – Don’t forget about name verification as well.  Call the card issuing bank to do a final check.  Fraudsters are very tricky!  Visit us online at www.AvanteHandsFree.com

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