FAQs
General
This information applies to purchases made through our website. If you purchase through a different site, please note the information available to you on that site as it may be different than the information here. All information here was updated on 10/17/22 as we have changed systems.
There are 4 plans available for you to choose from: monthly, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month.
Subscriptions are only available for customers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
For all subscribers, boxes will be shipped in the first week of the month after you sign up (example: If you sign up on October 15th, your first box will ship the first week in November). You will be billed again each month on the 15th (or whenever your prepaid subscription expires) unless you cancel before the 15th. This applies to the process SUBSCRIBE – > ADD TO CART – > CHECK OUT
If you have subscribed to give the box as a gift, you will not be charged on the 15th. This applies to the process SUBSCRIBE – > GIVE AS A GIFT! – > CHECK OUT
All Deadbolt Mystery Society accounts are self-service.
We will ship out based on whatever choices the customer has made in the subscription profile.
Any charges incurred will also be based on whatever preferences the customer has made in the profile. You can cancel your subscription anytime before your renewal date and will not be charged.
For multiple month subscriptions, you can cancel anytime; however, you will still receive the remaining boxes from your prepaid multiple month subscription and then your subscription will end.
For example, if you choose a 3-month subscription at checkout and want to cancel after the 2nd month- you will still receive your 3rd prepaid box. After your 3rd final box, you will not be pre-billed and your subscription will end. By choosing a 3-month, 6-month or 12-month plan please note that you are opting in for a auto-renewed subscription just like the month-to-month plan (unless you subscribe using the GIVE AS A GIFT! option). With these options, you are committing to multiple months and receiving a discount for prepaying for those months. Your subscription will auto-renew for another 3, 6 or 12 months unless you cancel.
The price per box is $26.99/month + shipping & applicable taxes.
Yes! We actually have two ways to do this. Due to popular demand, we offer some of our previously released boxes as one-time purchases that have no subscription component involved.
To purchase a subscription box that does not auto-renew, simply select the “GIVE AS A GIFT!” option. Gift subscriptions automatically expire at the end of their subscription period and do not auto renew.
*UPDATED
As of 10/4/2022 the subscription renewals have been changed to the 15th of each month, compared to the 11th of each month as detailed below. All other details are correct. Please note the adjusted renewal date is the 15th of each month effective immediately. This update was shared with current subscribers via email and social media channels.
All subscriptions renew on the 15th of each month.
If you have purchased a prepaid subscription (3 or 6 month) and have selected it to auto-renew, it will renew on the 15th of the month following the fulfillment of the last box of your prepaid subscription.
For example, if you purchased a 3-month subscription that begins in January (boxes for Jan., Feb. and March), the renewal for your 3 month subscription will auto-renew on the 11th of March (for April, May and June). If you do not wish to renew your subscription, you must login to your account and cancel before the 15th of your last subscribed month.
The Deadbolt Mystery Society is not responsible for any overdraft charges from banks or credit cards.
If your card is declined for insufficient funds or is expired during your renewal period, the system will automatically keep trying for 10 days to renew your subscription before your account expires. Please ensure your credit card information is up to date to be successfully renewed.
Login to your account.
Under the section dedicated to your payment methods, select “edit”. Under card information, select “edit”. Enter new credit card information and click “save”.
Yes, customer accounts are self-serve.
If subscribed before 10/17/22:
Log in to your account and select “edit” under “Your subscription.” Select “skip next renewal”. Your subscription plan will resume the following month.
If subscribed on/after 10/17/22:
Log in to your account. Under “Account Details” select “Manage Subscriptions.” From here you can select the future date that you would like your account to renew.
Yes, but you will need to email support@deadboltmysterysociety.com and let us know. The subscriptions will overlap and you will receive 2 of the same box. We have to manually correct the duplicate subscription in the system.
Yes. If your company or organization would like to order a large number of boxes, please send an email to support@deadboltmysterysociety.com. Let us know how many boxes you need and the estimated delivery date. We will respond with a quote and which boxes are currently available for purchase.
We offer promotional discounts at different times of the year. All discounted rates offered on subscriptions are applied to only the initial purchase and not to any renewals that occur after the initial purchase. Promotional discounts may only apply to select products. Exclusions may apply.
Referral Program
The following program is only currently available for subscribers who purchased through the Cratejoy subscription platform before 10/17/22.
How does the DMS Referral Program work?
When 3 people successfully use your personal referral link to sign-up for a SUBSCRIPTION with The Deadbolt Mystery Society, you will receive the next month’s renewal absolutely free. You must have an active subscription for the rewards to apply to your account. (Shipping rates will still be charged for the free month) For example, if you have 3 successful referrals in the month of October then when subscription renewals process on November 15 you won’t get charged a renewal fee (only shipping) and then your subscription renewal wouldn’t charge again until December 15. Please note you get 1 free monthly renewal per 3 successful referrals and the system will automatically apply your reward to the renewal. If you have a 3-month, 6-month or 12-month renewal that is set to renew and you successfully refer 3 people then you will get 1 free month (shipping rates still apply) and then your 3-month, 6-month or 12-month subscription would renew and charge the following month.
By logging into your Cratejoy account via the link provided below you will be able to track your progress, send email invitations to friends, claim your rewards, etc.
https://deadboltmysterysociety.cratejoy.com/customer/refer
Remember, your referrals need to follow your personal link in order for you to get credit for them. That link can be found when you login to your DMS storefront at the link above.
Referrals only work with subscriptions, not one-time box purchases. And you must have an active subscription in order to receive your rewards for successful referrals. To recap:
1. You must have an active subscription
2. Your referrals must use your personal referral link to subscribe for you to get credit
3. After 3 successful renewals you will receive 1 month free as your reward
4. Purchasing one-time boxes does not count towards your referral goal.
Gift Subscriptions
- Click “Subscribe” button
- Choose your subscription plan (month-to-month, 3-month, 6-month, 12-month) and then click “GIVE AS A GIFT!”.
- Click “Add to Cart” button
- Click “Check out” button
- If you would like a gift message included with the gift recipient’s order, complete the following field: Leave a note for the recipient (Please include your name)
- Select “I agree with the terms and conditions” and then click the “Check out” button
- Complete all appropriate fields. Add the shipping information of the gift recipient. Shipping charges will be applied once a shipping address is entered. If you purchase a multi-month (3,6,12 month) subscription, total shipping charges for all months will be applied to the cart.
- Click “Continue to shipping” button
- Complete all appropriate fields. Click “Continue to payment” button.
- Add payment information and complete all appropriate fields. Click “Pay now”
- Click the “One-Time Boxes” tab at the top of the site.
- Select which boxes you would like and click “Add to cart”.
- Complete all appropriate fields. Add the shipping information of the gift recipient. Shipping charges will be applied once a shipping address is entered.
- If you would like a gift message for the gift recipient included with the shipment, please complete the following: Leave a note for the recipient (Please include your name)
- Follow the remaining prompts through the shipping and payment process and complete your order.
In order for the original credit card not to be charged, the gift recipient must set up their own account and order the preferred subscription. If you need assistance, please email support@deadboltmysterysociety.com.
When placing the order, you will have the option to include a personal message to the recipient. Please include the recipient’s email on the order. Your email message will be sent when the order is shipped.
We do not gift wrap gift orders. The purchased gift will be placed into one of our shipping mailers or boxes.
Shipping
Our mysteries are created, packed and shipped from Tupelo, MS.
All domestic purchases ship USPS. International shipments are shipped via APC.
Each month’s box ships in the first week of the month.
We take subscriptions throughout each month and ship out boxes the first week of the following month. So, If you subscribe on November 7th, your first box will ship the first week in December. Please note that we do not have the ability to guarantee delivery dates.
Yes, we do. We currently take subscriptions for customers from the US, Canada, and the UK. However, we ship our One-Time boxes to many different countries. To browse our selection of One-Time boxes, go here.
Please ensure your address is correct at check out. The Deadbolt Mystery Society is not responsible for shipments lost due to incorrect addresses. If a box is returned to us due to invalid address, the customer is responsible for the additional shipping charges to re-ship the box to the correct address. It is up to the customer to update (or reach out to Customer Support to have them update) the shipping address on the account. For subscriptions, all changes must be made by the last day of the month by 6PM CST in order for the change to go into effect on your next box. (Example: if it is October 14th, and you need your November box shipped to a new address. This has to be updated on your account and selected as shipping address by the 31st of October at 6PM CST.) If more than 15 days has passed since your box was shipped and you still have not received it. Contact us as support@deadboltmysterysociety.com.
Email your request to support@deadboltmysterysociety.com and we will see if there is something we can do.
To enter a new address, click “Login” from our website menu. From here, you can edit your address.
If you need assistance, email our customer service team at support@deadboltmysterysociety.com
Email us at support@deadboltmysterysociety.com. Please include your order or tracking number and we will reach out to USPS or APC for the status.
Email us at support@deadboltmysterysociety.com. Please include your order or tracking number and we will reach out to USPS or APC for the status.
Depending on the products that you order, your package will most likely arrive in one of the following:
- White mailer envelope
- Brown shipping box
Each package will have the shipping label which does contain our company name and logo. The label will be the only place on your package that mentions our company unless you order a single DMS Crate. If you order a single DMS Crate, the name of our company is visible on the box.
Playing the Game
We do try to make these as family friendly as possible. While they are murder mysteries and do contain those elements, we don’t focus on the more gruesome aspects of the crime. None of our boxes contain profanity, offensive pictures or sexual situations. They focus more on puzzle solving as a means of determining which suspects can be eliminated. Recommended for ages 13+.
Based on subscriber feedback, our boxes are ideal for 1-4 players.
Each box typically takes 2-3 hours to complete.
Yes, there are QR codes that will need to be scanned with a phone or tablet. This will lead you to more clues or evidence about each case via the internet. You might also be asked to visit websites, send e-mails, etc as part of your investigation.
QR Codes link the offline world with online content so you need to be connected to the internet. If you’re not on a network (such as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint…) you need to be in a hotspot, a location with Wi-Fi. Make sure you’ve enabled your Wi-Fi in your device’s settings so it can find and connect with the network. Try deleting the QR Code reader from your device and reinstalling it, or try a different reader. If you continue having problems with the QR codes, please email support@deadboltmysterysociety.com for assistance.
The Contents, Hints and Solutions files will remain on www.deadboltmysterysociety.com indefinitely.
The Deadbolt Mystery Society gives you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and make personal and non-commercial use of this product. The license does not include any resale or commercial use of any Deadbolt Mystery Scoiety product or its contents. No DMS product may be reproduced, duplicated, copied, sold, or otherwise exploited for any commercial purpose without the express written consent of DMS.
Yes, you can find our hints and solutions here: https://deadboltmysterysociety.com/files/ Simply select the box you are playing to access those files. Feel free to download and print them out. You can also join your fellow sleuths on Facebook in The Deadbolt Mystery Society Hint Group!
If you receive your mystery that was purchased directly from us and after checking the contents list you realize that you are missing an item, send an email to support@deadboltmysterysociety.com and we will take care of you.
We do not support missing items from products that are purchased via secondhand sellers, acquired via trades, etc.
Cancellations & Refunds
You can cancel by logging onto your account. Please note that if you cancel before your subscription expires, you will continue to receive all prepaid boxes. No refunds will be issued for partial subscriptions. If you need assistance, email us at support@deadboltmysterysociety.com. We will be happy to help!
Once you subscribe your account is immediately charged. If you cancel right away, this will only ensure that your subscription will not renew, but you will still receive a box. If you cancel because you have changed your mind and wish to be refunded and not receive a box, you must email us immediately at support@deadboltmysterysociety.com and request a refund via email as refunds are manually processed. Refunds will be provided if you email us directly within 24 hours. Canceling your subscription will not automatically generate a refund for you. You MUST notify us in order to get the refund.
We honor refunds within 24 hours of placing your order/subscription renewal. You must email us immediately within 24 hours of your order at support@deadboltmysterysociety.com and request a refund. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method within 10 business days. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.
If you make a purchase and at some point in the future and that product goes on sale, we will not refund you the difference in your purchase price and the sale price.
If you make a purchase and at some point in the future that product goes on sale, we will not refund you the difference in your purchase price and the sale price.
Damaged or Missing items
Damages and issues
Please inspect your order upon reception and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.
We will gladly send you a complimentary replacement if your product arrives damaged or defective. Please email us at support@deadboltmysterysociety.com and attach required photo evidence of any damages/defects within 14 days of receipt of the box.
Every box comes with tracking, and is domestically insured. The Deadbolt Mystery Society is not responsible for lost/stolen packages once marked as delivered by USPS or APC or inaccurate addresses entered by the buyer. All claims for lost/stolen items can be made through USPS’s or APC’s official website using your tracking number. Please ensure there is a secure location for you to receive packages.