Following is a list of questions that Koorong customers commonly ask. If you have a question that is not addressed in the information below, please feel free to email us at enquiry@koorong.com.au
Search General FAQs for information on:
What does Koorong mean?
Koorong began over 30 years ago in the garage of the Koorong Street home of Bruce and Olive Bootes, hence our distinctive name - which we understand is also an Indigenous term for waterhole, oasis or meeting place.
Is Koorong a Christian company?
Yes - Koorong's founders and current owners (members of the Bootes family)
are all practising Christians. As a company, Koorong operates on the basis
of our mission statement: "To effectively supply and promote an extensive range of Christian products that will be of spiritual benefit to the body of Christ."
Why isn't Koorong a not-for-profit company?
We don't think that profit itself is something that is unethical or unchristian. The New Testament makes clear that what counts is our attitude to wealth and how we use it that is important.
We are called to use our resources to extend God's kingdom into places of darkness.
As a commercially structured company, Koorong pays its fair share of taxes which contribute to the needs of government and the wider community. Almost all of Koorong's after-tax profits go back into developing the ministry of Christian retailing. The profits are invested in new stores to service additional communities of Christians, and are also used to improve our existing stores to provide a better level of service to existing customers. We also use our profits to subsidise the operation of some of our smaller country and regional stores.
ESTABLISHMENT OF KOORONG'S STORES
I want to open a franchise. How do I do it?
Koorong does not currently operate on a franchise basis. The management of Koorong feel that in order for a franchising operation to run smoothly, Koorong would need to provide franchisees with a complete package of our computer system tools and a franchise manager.
These systems are crucial for stores to provide the level of customer service expected from a Koorong store. At this stage we have not been able to package these systems in a form that would be practical for a franchisee to use. If at a later date Koorong is able to provide franchises, this information will be added to our website.
I would like you to open up a store at ......
In order for a Koorong store to be viable, an area or region must have 100,000 people or more. The reason why Koorong establishes new stores in certain areas is largely driven by customer demand. Often Koorong will already be taking large amounts of mail orders in that area, and are responding to customer requests that we build a store near them.
However, we are continuing to improve our Web store so that we can also effectively service those customers who live outside a region with a Koorong store.
How does Koorong screen its products? Is each book read before buying it?
Koorong's decisions on what products to stock are always guided by our mission
statement. We will only stock a product if we believe it "will be of spiritual benefit to the body of Christ".
Koorong stocks over 100,000 items, so it would be impossible to read all the books we stock before ordering them. However, we rely on the integrity of the publishers we use, most of which are members of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). As members of this association, the publishers affirm and uphold a statement of faith that is essentially identical to that of the US-based National Association of Evangelicals. http://www.ecpa.org/
If a publisher is not a member of the ECPA, we screen their products more carefully before stocking them.
Koorong aims to carry a broad range of opinions to stimulate thought and debate.
I do not agree with the opinions expressed in ...... product - why do you stock it or can you take it out of stock?
Koorong is keen to hear any complaints or feedback regarding the products we stock. The best course of action is to put your concerns in writing to the appropriate buyer for that product. The email address for each of Koorong's Product Managers is listed here.
If you are unsure which buyer to contact, you can email your concerns to enquiry@koorong.com.au and your email will be forwarded to the appropriate buyer. Alternatively, our store or phone staff would be happy to pass on your concerns.
Why do you stock Narnia products which allude to witchcraft and the occult?
Koorong takes very seriously concerns about the Narnia series being linked to witchcraft and the occult. The Bible clearly states that Christians should have nothing to do with witchcraft, or any other worldly religion or practice.
However we do not believe the Narnia series or any other works by C.S. Lewis to be a threat to our faith. On the contrary, Lewis's Narnia fiction series and his many other theological books are biblically sound, and are effective in leading believers and non-believers closer to Christ.
Any characters or practices in the Narnia series that may correlate to those used in pagan religion are used in way that does not ever mention or highlight their use as symbols of witchcraft. These characters are simply part of the fantasy world Lewis designed in these books, and have no relation to real black magic.
While the Narnia series is fictional, it is also designed to be "suppositional" to the gospel. Writing to a fifth-grade class in Maryland about the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis said: "You are mistaken when you think that everything in the books 'represents' something in this world ... I did not say to myself 'Let us represent Jesus as He really is in our world by a Lion in Narnia. I said, 'Let us suppose that there were a land like Narnia and that the Son of God, as He became a Man in our world, became a Lion there, and then imagine what would happen'."
He also clarified: "The Passion and Resurrection of Aslan are the Passion and Resurrection Christ might be supposed to have had in that world - like those in our world but not exactly like."
Therefore The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe clearly demonstrates many biblical themes including atonement, resurrection, repentance, faith, sanctification and redemption. The morals that are endorsed in this book are in line with the Bible's teachings and it has been encouraging for millions of Christians and non-believers worldwide.
In regard to C.S. Lewis's own faith, there is little doubt he was a true, practicing Christian. As he clearly states in his book Mere Christianity: "We are told that Christ was killed for us, that His death has washed out our sins, and that by dying He disabled death itself ... That is Christianity. That is what has to be believed.
STORE HOURS/ POSTAGE/ PHONE SERVICE QUERIES
Why isn't Koorong open on Sundays?
In the future we may open some stores on Sundays, in areas where this would be beneficial to our customers. Our customers' shopping patterns have changed, as in other countries, with more people choosing to shop on a Sunday. However we are mindful of the need for our staff to be able to go to church, so would be careful to roster staff on at times that still enabled them to attend their church.
Why does postage cost so much?
Koorong offers customers the lowest possible postage rate, which is economical and good value. In fact when the costs of postage, insurance, labour and packaging are added up in processing an order, Koorong actually subsidises some of the cost.
In order to save even more on postage, customers can shop at our Web Store. All Web orders under $125 save $1.00 postage. All Web orders $125 and over are postage free (within Australia only).
Why don't you have a 1800 number?
Our aim to keep our prices as low as possible has prevented Koorong from establishing a 1800 number in the past. However, we recognise the benefits this service would offer Koorong customers and are considering introducing a new 1300 number some time in 2007. This would allow long-distance and interstate callers to phone Koorong for the cost of a local call.
Is Koorong going to transfer its call centre off-shore to India, as large companies are now doing?
Koorong's phone centre is primarily operated from our support office at West Ryde, as well as from our stores in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. We have no plans to establish a call centre overseas.
I have a student discount, why can't I use it on the Web, over the phone etc? Why do I have to come into the store - I live 200kms away?
The student discount was introduced to help students through their studies as an in-store discount only. The easiest way for us to have proof that a customer is a student, is by seeing Bible college student card or similar proof of enrolment. We don't have the technology available to check if a customer is a student when ordering on the phone or Web.
However, we also have discount sales throughout the year where anyone can receive 15% or more off all items. This discount applies to purchases made online or over the phone, as well as in-store purchases.
Do you have a discount for Pastors/ Ministers? Why not?
We don't offer individual discounts to Pastors/Ministers, however we do offer church discounts. If churches are interested, they can apply by contacting their nearest Koorong Store Manager. Each application will be assessed by the Store Manager, who will then decide if the church is eligible for a discount.
What are your bulk discount prices?
Koorong is very happy to offer bulk discounts. The discount available depends on the cost of the item and the number of these items in stock. Customers need to contact their nearest Store Manager to negotiate this discount.
Not all DVDs work in all DVD players!
DVD players and DVDs are labelled for specific geographical regions in the world. There are six major geographical regions, with additional regions reserved for specialised use.*
Australia is in region 4, so some DVD players sold in Australia are made specifically to region 4 specifications. As a result, region 4 DVD players can only play region 4 discs or region 0 (all regions) discs.**
This does not apply to multizone DVD players, which are able to play DVDs from every region.
At Koorong we only stock DVDs from region 1, 4 and 0. If your DVD player is region 4-specific, you will not be able to play region 1 discs.
All region 1 DVDs sold at Koorong will have a sticker on the front to identify them. If you are still unsure about the particular region number of a DVD, please check the back of the DVD package or ask one of our friendly staff.
** Please note there is a small chance you may also have problems playing region 0 discs if your DVD player is region 4-specific.
*DVD regions
REGION 1 -- USA, Canada
REGION 2 -- Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East, Greenland
REGION 3 -- S.Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, parts of South East Asia
REGION 4 -- Australia, New Zealand, Latin America (including Mexico)
REGION 5 -- Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Africa
REGION 6 -- China
REGION 7 -- Reserved for unspecified special use
REGION 8 -- Reserved for cruise ships, airlines, etc ...
REGION 0 or REGION ALL -- Discs are uncoded and can be played worldwide
DVD/VHS formats
The use of DVDs is also affected by the configuration of your television.
There are two main video signal formats used in the Australian television industry: PAL (which stands for the Phase Altering Line) and - less commonly used - NTSC format (which stands for National Television Standards Committee).
All TVs in Australia will play PAL DVDs or videos. However if you have an older TV (ie. bought before 1999), you may be unable to play NTSC DVDs or VHS tapes.
All NTSC DVDs sold at Koorong will have a sticker on the front to identify them. If you are still unsure if DVD is in NTSC format, please check the back of the DVD package or ask one of our friendly staff.
