Frequently Asked Questions
General
There are 4 plans available for you to choose from: monthly, 3-month, 6-month, and yearly. All subscriptions are set to automatically renew.
See Pricing >
Subscriptions are only available for US customers.
For all subscribers, boxes will be shipped in the first week of the month after you sign up (example: If you sign up on December 15th, your first box will ship the first week in January). You will be billed again each month on the 11th (or whenever your prepaid subscription expires) unless you cancel before the 11th.
If you have signed up to give the box as a gift or just want to try us out, you will still be charged on the 11th unless you set your account accordingly not to renew or you cancel before the 11th. All Deadbolt Mystery Society accounts are managed through Cratejoy and are self-service subscriptions.
We will ship out based on whatever choices the customer has made in his/her subscription profile.
Any charges incurred will also be based on whatever preferences the customer has made in his/her profile. You can cancel 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 yearly plan please note that you are opting in for a auto-renewed subscription just like the month-to-month plan. 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.
See Pricing >
Subscriptions are only available for US customers.
For all subscribers, boxes will be shipped in the first week of the month after you sign up (example: If you sign up on December 15th, your first box will ship the first week in January). You will be billed again each month on the 11th (or whenever your prepaid subscription expires) unless you cancel before the 11th.
If you have signed up to give the box as a gift or just want to try us out, you will still be charged on the 11th unless you set your account accordingly not to renew or you cancel before the 11th. All Deadbolt Mystery Society accounts are managed through Cratejoy and are self-service subscriptions.
We will ship out based on whatever choices the customer has made in his/her subscription profile.
Any charges incurred will also be based on whatever preferences the customer has made in his/her profile. You can cancel 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 yearly plan please note that you are opting in for a auto-renewed subscription just like the month-to-month plan. 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 + $5.99 shipping (US only).
Month-to-Month subscription is $26.99/month plus shipping & applicable taxes
3-month subscription is $75.99 plus shipping & applicable taxes.
6-month subscription is $146.99 plus shipping & applicable taxes.
12-month subscription is $283.99 plus shipping & applicable taxes.
*All prices are USD
*Each plan is a SUBSCRIPTION. When you subscribe to a month-to-month plan you will pay monthly. When you subscribe to a 3-month plan you will pay for 3 months up front (including shipping for all 3 months) and receive a box each month for 3 months. After you have received 3 boxes, you will be charged for another 3 months unless you manage your account accordingly. This process also applies to 6-month and 12-month subscriptions.
Yes! We offer some of our previously released boxes as one-time purchases that have no subscription component involved.
Purchase a one-time box now >
Option #2 for a single box: To purchase a subscription box that does not auto-renew, simply select the "give a gift" option at check-out and check the correct option to not auto-renew.
All subscriptions renew on the 11th 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 11th 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 11th 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. Log in to your account and select "edit" under "Your subscription". Select "skip next renewal". Your subscription plan will resume the following month.
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.
Referral Program
How does the DMS Referral Program work? (Only available for US customers)
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 11 you won't get charged a renewal fee (only shipping) and then your subscription renewal wouldn't charge again until December 11. 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.
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.
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 “Get Started”.
- 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.
- Check the “This is a gift” box. By doing this, it will set the gift subscription to not auto-renew. If you would like this gift subscription to auto-renew, check the “Automatically renew this subscription” box.
- Add the recipient’s name, e-mail address and gift message. Once the box ships, an e-mail will be sent to the recipient notifying them of this gift. Please double-check to make sure that the e-mail address is correct, belongs to the gift recipient and not you personally.
- Click “Checkout” to complete your order.
- 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.
- Check the “This is a gift” box.
- Add the recipient’s name, e-mail address and gift message. Once the box ships, an e-mail will be sent to the recipient notifying them of this gift. Please double-check to make sure that the e-mail address is correct, belongs to the gift recipient and not you personally.
- Click “Checkout” to complete your order.
Login to your account, choose the subscription option and check the box next to the gift box icon. You will then be asked to enter the recipient address. You must enter the recipient’s email address in order for them to receive your personal message.
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 the gifter wants to keep paying for the renewed subscription, be sure the auto renew box is checked. 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.
Effective 3/15/21 we ship our packages via UPS. The majority of our packages ship via the UPS SurePost option. With this, your package stays within the UPS system fully until it reaches your local area. The package is then delivered to the local USPS facility, and they will make the final delivery.
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 only take subscriptions for customers from the US. However, we ship our archive boxes to many different countries. To browse our selection of archived 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 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.) 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. NOTE: Due to COVID-19, deliveries may be delayed.
There is not currently a system in place to charge for expedited shipping but we want to help! Email your request to support@deadboltmysterysociety.com and we will see if there is something we can do.
To enter a new address, login to your account and select "add an address". Enter the new address and click save. Under the “Your Subscription (s)” section of your account info, select the “edit” button for the correct subscription, use the "shipping address" drop down box to select the correct address. Click save/change/reactivate.
Email us at support@deadboltmysterysociety.com. Please include your order or tracking number and we will reach out to UPS for the status.
Email us at support@deadboltmysterysociety.com. Please include your order or tracking number and we will reach out to UPS for the status.
Depending on the products that you order, your package will arrive in one of the following:
- White mailer envelope
- Brown shipping 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.
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 and clicking “cancel”. 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/renewal. You must email us immediately within 24 hours of your order at support@deadboltmysterysociety.com and request a refund.
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
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 UPS or inaccurate addresses entered by the buyer. All claims for lost/stolen items can be made through UPS’s official website using your tracking number. Please ensure there is a secure location for you to receive packages.