Where Are My Plans?

You just bought plans, now you are wondering, “Where are they?” It says they are “Available for Instant Download” but I don’t see where. Or, you tried the download and something did not work?

We are here to help! If you are not yet able to get the plans after your purchase, DEFINITELY, please read this.

This is a Frequent Question about getting the plans, about downloading, and about saving plans after placing an order. There are many variations of this question like:

I ordered some plans, but when will I get them?
Where are the Plans I ordered?
When I try to download, it says “No Downloads Remaining”. How do I get the plans?
The page says “Link Expired”. Now What?

We agree, getting the plans is a big deal. After all, you ordered them, you paid for them, and we promised to have them ready for you immediately after payment. So, where are the plans?

We value our customers, so we will take care of your order one way or another. Below are several ways to answer these questions depending on your situation.

I Ordered Plans, But They Did Not Come!

It is common at other places to get “Mail Order” plans. You order them, then wait 2 weeks while they print, then ship them. That is not what we do.

At Mechanical Elements, we love the technology that allows you to have the plans in your hand (on you computer) in just a few minutes. No need to wait for the mail, especially if you live outside the USA. And, no reason for you to pay Shipping and Handling, because internet delivery is free.

If you order plans thinking they will come in the mail, we are terribly sorry. We have notices on every product page and buttons to say things about the plans download. We understand that some ideas die hard, because we have overlooked similar things too. I am sorry that happened, but there is good news. You can still get them! It takes only a few minutes. Read more about downloading the plans below.

I Can’t Find The Plans Download Link

Plans are available to download (save to your computer) immediately after payment using a link on the Order Received page. The image below is a partial screenshot of the page you should see after payment. If the system did not display this for some reason, OR if you closed it not realizing what it was, don’t worry. There are more ways to access the plans. (Read more below.)

Clicking on the “Product” name (blue text) will take you to the product page. Clicking on the box in the “Download” column (white text) will start the download. (It looks a little bit like a button.)

Email Download Link — This is a sample email sent as a receipt for your order. Orange added for emphasis.

If for whatever reason you did not get to this page after payment, or if the link did not work, or the page closed, or if you missed it, or whatever the reason – don’t worry. Here are some more ways to download the plans.

There is Download Link in the email receipt. Click on the title of the plans, and it will start the plans download.
As a third option, please Login to your Account and find all your downloads.

By default, for security, the server allows 3 download attempts in the next 7 days. If either of these expire, then you will get an error message. But again, don’t worry. We are here to help.

I Am Getting A Plans Download Error !!

Sometimes error messages appear when attempting a plans download. While an error message is annoying, it does NOT mean you caused a problem. It means something is not working right, or we have hit a limit. We just need to know which one. Here are the 2 most common errors and what they mean.

No More Downloads

If the message says no downloads are available, then the system thinks 3 attempts have already been made. It means the link is tapped or clicked 3 times. It is easy to do. You click the link, and nothing appears to happen, so you click it again.

In the background your device is trying to download it, or perhaps there is some latency in the loop. All the reasons don’t really matter, the point is you still do not see the plans, and now it says the link is expired. Let’s just get it solved!

Solution

The file is probably on your computer or phone already in the downloads folder (directory). Actually, you may have 3 copies.

Because there are so many ways to setup a computer, I can’t say exactly where your downloads folder is. However, if your computer (or phone) did not ask where to save the file, it means you have a downloads folder where it puts things automatically. Find that folder, and you will probably find the plans.

For more information about where to find that directory, do a Google search like “Where is my downloads folder?” or “How to find download files on iMac?” Make sure you specify the device, the operating system, and the version. Example: Windows, Mac, Android or Linux. Each of these has their way of saving downloads.

Time is Expired / Link is Expired

If the message says time is expired (or something like that), then it is more than 7 days from the time of purchase. The download links expire after 7 days, so it gives you time to download. However, for security reasons the links do go away after a week.

That does not mean you no longer have access, it only means that link is expired.

Solution

If you tried to download earlier, the plans might already be on your computer. See the section above. If not, then Contact Us, we can reset it manually. We are happy to help you out with that. (Please be patient if we are not in the office at that moment. We will help you soon.)

Phones Versus Desktop (or Laptop)

For what it’s worth, personal devises like phones or tablets do work to download the plans, but they can be tricky sometimes. If you are not super tech savvy with your personal device, we recommend using a computer to download the plans.

The primary issues with phones are: 1) Slow response so you may not think things are working; then 2) Finding the files after download. Phones are not as transparent about where they save; 3) Access to the files after download. These plans can be pretty hard to view on a small phone screen, likewise, printing from phones can also be problematic.

Solution

If you do have trouble finding or printing plans on a mobile device, try a desktop computer (or a laptop, of course). We do get more calls from people having trouble with phones, especially iPhones for whatever reason. If you do have some difficulty, and if a computer is an option for you, they typically handle the job of downloading plans, and printing, more smoothly.

When Nothing Else Works

Again, links expire in 7 days and the system will give you 3 attempts to download. If you are outside this window, or if you are still having trouble finding the plans, please contact us. We are happy to help. (Again, please be patient if we are not able to help immediately.)

We are here to help you do great things with DIY – including getting the plans download. There are always ways to download the plans, so let us know, and we will help figure something out.

Thank you again for being a customer. Please don’t stress over a plans download that did not happen as expected. One way or another, we will get the plans to you.