The fine print, kept short

Warranty and terms

What you can expect when you buy a PC or book a service with Eric.

Buying a PC, step by step

Everything happens by email with Eric. These are the emails you'll get. The ones marked Reply need your answer.

The terms and your total price, with your quote as a PDF. Reply "I agree" before you send any deposit.
Deposit received: just a confirmation. A PC in stock is held for you for 14 days; for a custom build, Eric orders the parts.
Custom builds: all your parts arrived. Reply within 24 hours: go ahead or cancel. It's the point of no return (see Custom builds).
Your PC is ready: pay the rest. Custom builds: within 7 days, or the PC is sold to someone else and Eric's costs come out of the deposit. PCs in stock: by the end of your hold.
Delivered in Fort McMurray: the handover photo and your final bill. Reply "Received, seal OK". Shipped instead: the tracking number and your final bill, and you check the seals when it arrives.

Your final bill lists every part's serial number and the seal numbers: keep it for warranty. You also get a short thank-you for each payment. Any time, reply to any email (Eric's phone number comes with the terms email).

Returns

Every PC is tested for at least 2 days before it goes out: games, benchmarks and stress tests.
If something is wrong with your PC, tell Eric within 48 hours of receiving it, with photos of the PC and the box. Keep the box.
The 48 hours is for real problems: it doesn't work, it arrived damaged, or it isn't what was listed. Changing your mind isn't a reason to return it.
When a problem is confirmed, Eric chooses the fix: repair it, replace the part, or refund.
No refund whatsoever for a PC with a seal broken without Eric's OK, damage caused after delivery (drops, spills, your own work inside the case), signs of meddling, swapped parts, or damage from your own overclocking or BIOS changes. Damage from the trip itself is a real problem: report it within the 48 hours.
A returned PC is tested when it arrives. If nothing is wrong with it, there's no refund, and the buyer pays the shipping both ways.
If Eric confirms the fault, he pays the shipping for the PC to come back to him, insured and tracked. If he refunds, the original shipping is refunded too. If he repairs it or replaces a part, the buyer pays the shipping to send it back to them.
A refund is paid within 14 days of Eric receiving the PC, after it's inspected.
After 48 hours, Eric's own return window is over. The manufacturer warranties below still apply.

Seals and serial numbers

Every part's serial number and every seal number are on your bill. Check the seals when you get your PC.
Delivered by hand in Fort McMurray: the case is closed with a numbered tamper seal. Don't open the case without talking to Eric first. Opening it ends Eric's returns and free help.
Shipped: the graphics card comes in its own box so it can't crack on the way, and you install it. The case can be opened for that. The parts inside (CPU cooler, memory, SSD) and the graphics card box carry numbered tamper seals instead.
Opening the case only affects what Eric covers. Each part keeps its manufacturer's warranty.

Warranty

After the 48 hours, you have what's left of each part's manufacturer warranty, counted from the day Eric bought it, where the maker allows it. Eric's help with a claim is free.
Eric opens the claim and sends the part to the manufacturer. The buyer pays that shipping.
If the PC needs to come to Eric: in Fort McMurray he picks it up and drops it off for free. Shipped PCs: the buyer pays the shipping both ways.
If Eric finds a manufacturer defect, his time is free. If everything runs fine and nothing is wrong with the parts, his time is $50 per hour.
Things can work loose in shipping. If something seems off after it arrives, tell Eric first: he walks you through checking it, step by step.
Shipped PCs: you install the graphics card, following Eric's step-by-step guide (he can walk you through it). Damage from installing it wrong isn't covered, so install and test it within the 48 hours.
Overclocking comes with no warranty whatsoever. Before any manufacturer claim, an overclocked PC is set back to stock settings.

Paying and shipping

Payment is by Interac e-Transfer, or cash on local delivery in Fort McMurray. No credit cards and no PayPal.
Prices are in Canadian dollars. No GST is charged: Eric isn't GST-registered (a small supplier).
Before you pay a deposit, Eric emails you these terms with your total price, and you reply "I agree".
Every quote comes as a PDF by email. A quote for a PC in stock or a part in stock is good for 48 hours. After that, prices can change: just reply, and Eric confirms the price or sends you an updated quote.
To go ahead with a custom build quote, reply "I agree" and send the deposit within 48 hours. After that, the quote expires: if you still want the PC, just reply, and Eric re-checks the prices and confirms the quote or sends you an updated one.
A custom build quote is an estimate, usually good for 48 hours, but part prices can change even before then. Part prices and stock change quickly, so prices are confirmed when the parts are ordered, right after your deposit. Eric does his best to keep the quoted price. If a part is out of stock, he uses one that is the same or better. If a change would raise the price, he asks you first, by email, before ordering anything: you can accept the new price, or cancel and get your full deposit back.
The quote describes each part in general (for example "32 GB DDR5-6000" or "850 W, 80+ Gold"). Exact brands and models are chosen when ordering, and your final bill lists every exact part with its serial number. If you asked for exact models, Eric checks any swap with you first.
Sale prices and free-extra deals are good until the end date shown (Alberta time), while the PC is still available. A sale or deal agreed before its end date is kept, even if the PC is paid or delivered later. PC prices follow the market and can go up or down.
A PC ships only after the payment is deposited.
Shipping is extra: Eric quotes the insured shipping to your city before you pay. PCs ship within Canada, with a signature needed on delivery. Outside Canada, ask first.
In Fort McMurray, hand delivery is free. There's no pick-up address. At your door, Eric opens the box with you to show the seal and that it's undamaged, and takes a photo of the handover. He emails you that photo, and you reply to confirm you received it with the seal intact.

Reserving a PC for sale

A deposit of 15% of the price ($100 minimum on lower-priced PCs) by e-Transfer holds a PC for you for 14 days.
$100 of the deposit is non-refundable. If you cancel, or the 14 days run out before you buy, the $100 is kept and the rest is refunded.
Need more time? Add another 14 days for another $100, also non-refundable.

Custom builds

You get the full price, parts plus $250 build labour, before anything is ordered, and the terms are agreed in writing.
Every custom build comes with an official Windows key, at the official price (PCs in stock include it in their price). Or give Eric your own key: then any problem with that key is yours to sort out.
Tuning and overclocking are not part of the build price. If you want them, they are extra, at the tuning prices.
A 25% deposit by e-Transfer confirms the build, and then Eric orders the parts. The terms email gives an estimated ready date. It can move if a part is late, and Eric emails you a new date as soon as he knows.
Cancel while the parts are on their way: you get the deposit back, minus the restocking fee the store charges Eric (if any), minus the return shipping, minus a $50 fee for his time. Stores often take sealed parts back for free, so usually it's just the $50.
When all the parts have arrived, Eric emails you. That's the point of no return: answer within 24 hours, go ahead or cancel. Cancel then, before he opens anything: the deposit comes back minus the same fees.
No answer in 24 hours: the build goes on hold, with the parts still sealed, and you have 7 days to answer. No answer after 7 days counts as cancelled: the parts go back, and the same fees are kept.
One exception: if a price goes up before Eric orders and you don't accept the new price, you get your full deposit back, with no fees.
Once you say go ahead and the parts are opened, the deposit is non-refundable.
When your PC is ready, the rest is due within 7 days, before it ships or at local delivery. If it isn't paid by then, the PC is sold to someone else. Eric's costs and any loss on that sale come out of the deposit, and whatever is left is refunded to you.

Parts

New and open-box parts have the same 48 hours as PCs to report a real problem: see Returns.
Used parts are sold as described, with no returns. Eric tests them before selling.
Any manufacturer warranty left on a part still applies, where the maker allows it.
In Fort McMurray, parts are handed over in person at a meeting spot you agree on with Eric. Elsewhere in Canada, they're shipped, with the shipping quoted for your city before you pay.
Pay by Interac e-Transfer, or cash at the meet-up.
A quote for a part is good for 48 hours. After that, prices can change.

Services

Services, upgrades, setup and Build with Eric are for Fort McMurray only.
Eric picks up and drops off in person. Nothing is mailed in. The one exception: 3D prints can also ship anywhere in Canada (see 3D printing).
Every job is priced before work starts, with a quote by email. Quotes are usually good for 48 hours, but if the job needs a part, its price can change even before then: part prices are confirmed when Eric orders it. If a price goes up, he asks you first, and you can say no.
Some jobs take longer than planned (a stuck part, a hidden problem, a part that has to be ordered). If that happens, Eric tells you first, and any extra time or parts are priced before he goes on.
The quote email asks you to reply "I agree" to these points before the work starts:
- Before he starts, Eric checks your PC, console or handheld (does it turn on and run normally?) and notes any problem he finds. Some problems come and go, like random crashes, freezes or blue screens, and can't always be found in a short check.
- A case swap, a clean-out or an upgrade works on your existing parts. It doesn't fix problems that were already there in your parts, Windows, drivers or software, and Eric isn't responsible for those.
- With a new motherboard or processor, Windows may need to be reactivated and the drivers updated. Eric takes care of that as part of the job.
- Parts you bring yourself are covered by their own warranty, not by Eric.
- If your PC already crashes or acts up, tell Eric before he starts. He can look into it first, priced separately.
- If Eric damages a part while working on it, he repairs or replaces it at his cost.
Back up your files before you hand over your device, or pick the file-backup option. Eric isn't responsible for lost data.
No board repairs: Eric doesn't solder, or replace chips and other components, on a motherboard, graphics card or console board. He can check a PC that crashes or acts up (parts, Windows, drivers), priced separately, but if the fault is on a board, that's beyond what he does: he tells you, and the check is still charged (finding it is the work).
A console that won't turn on: the $100 + parts covers opening it, testing the power supply and putting it back together. The $100 is still charged if it isn't the power supply and it can't be fixed. Parts are extra.
Overclocking is billed by the hour. Eric checks with you before going over the hours you agreed on.
A Windows install reuses the licence the device already has. Windows keys aren't sold on their own.
Upgrade advice and quotes are free.

3D printing

Every print is quoted before it's printed, by email, and you reply "I agree" to these points. Quotes are good for 48 hours.
Machine time is charged per hour of printing, with the material included: $5 an hour for 1 to 3 colours, plus $1 an hour for each colour above that, up to 8 colours. Minimum $20 per print job. Past that, you pay the hours.
Design work is separate: when Eric makes the model for you, it's $40 an hour, quoted first. You describe the job properly, with the measurements in mm, photos and what it attaches to. Or, in Fort McMurray, Eric comes over to measure and sketch it himself: the visit is billed as design time, with a 1 hour minimum.
You pay when it's done: Interac e-Transfer, or cash at pick-up. A shipped print goes out once the payment is deposited.
Pick-up in Fort McMurray at a meeting spot you agree on with Eric, or shipping anywhere in Canada, quoted for your city before you pay.
You must have the right to print the design: it's your own, or its licence allows it. Eric can say no to a design.
No weapons or weapon parts, and nothing illegal.
Up to 250 × 250 × 250 mm in one piece. Bigger things are printed in parts.
Printed parts can be off by a few tenths of a millimetre. Tell Eric before he prints if a part needs a tight fit. Colours can look a bit different from the screen.
If a print fails or comes out wrong because of the printer or Eric's setup, he reprints it free.
If it was printed exactly to your file or the measurements you gave, and it doesn't fit because those were wrong, a new print is a new quote.
"Design it for me": before printing, Eric sends you a picture of the design with the main measurements, and you say OK by email. If his design doesn't match what you approved, he fixes it and reprints free.
For a part that has to fit something, Eric can print a small test piece of the critical part first, quoted, so a wrong measurement costs little.
Design hours are paid even if you decide not to print: you keep the picture and the measurements you approved.
Custom prints aren't returnable: they're made for you. Ready-made prints on the Parts page follow the Parts rules.

Your information

What you send through the request form is used only to answer your request and do the job.
For every sale, Eric keeps your bill, the serial numbers and proof photos, including the handover photo, for 6 years: for tax records, warranty claims, and proof if there's ever a disagreement.
Your information is never sold. A few services help run the site and the emails. The privacy page names them, says what they see, and how to ask what Eric holds about you.

Names and photos

Other brand and product names (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, ASUS...) belong to their owners. HandBuiltPCs.ca isn't run or approved by them.

This website

Listings and prices are kept as accurate as possible. Mistakes are corrected as soon as they're found.
A mistake in a price isn't a promise. An order is only agreed once Eric confirms your total price by email and you reply "I agree" to these terms. If a price on the site was wrong, he tells you the right one before that, and you can walk away.
Nothing in these terms takes away any right you have under the consumer laws of Alberta or Canada.

Age

You must be 18 or older to buy a PC or book a job.
Younger? A parent or guardian can make the request and pay.

The law

These terms follow the laws of Alberta and Canada.

Last updated October 22, 2026.

Questions about the terms?

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