LOCAL INDEPENDENT BUSINESS | EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE | FREE SURVEY & QUOTE | LONG WARRANTY*
TERMS OF BUSINESS
All The Little Details
Everything you need to know when purchasing from The Suffolk Shutter Company.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE – PLEASE READ BEFORE PLACING YOUR ORDER:
Shutters are an integral addition to your home and are a permanent fixture which is retro-fitted in to your existing environment. This can mean that there are some adjustments required which I have endeavoured to detail below to avoid any surprises so please familiarise yourself with all details including my payment terms and feel free to ask any questions before you place your order to avoid any issues after your order has been placed.
Being a local, small, independent company, I work to tight margins and will always offer my best price.
1. Payment terms – 75% non refundable deposit payable to place order, remainder payable before day of install.
2. Full payment is required before the day of installation otherwise we reserve the right to delay install until balance has been received.
3. This quotation is subject to our standard terms and conditions of business unless otherwise agreed in writing.
4. Any changes made to the specification detailed on this quote after the order has been placed will be charged for in full in addition to full payment being required for this order.
5. If you decide to cancel your order after the deposit has been paid, full payment of the order is required including delivery charges but less the fitting charge which will have been calculated as either a day or half day. The shutters will be delivered to you once full payment has been made, but will not be installed.
6. Quotation valid for 28 days. Prices and delivery subject to confirmation after this time due to manufacturer price rises.
7. All prices are inclusive of VAT.
8. Shutter warranty starts from date of install (assuming full payment has been received) and is valid only for the customer named on the order form at the address detailed, for the length of time discussed and is dependent on the product chosen. Warranty cannot be transferred to a new house owner. Installation is warrantied for 6 months. Caulk may need to be replaced over time due to shrinkage caused by central heating. Any remedial work required after 6 months will be charged for at an hourly rate and is subject to a minimum call-out charge of £60. Please note we do not return to adjust tension of louvres as this can be done using a Philips head screwdriver in the screw hole at the edge of each panel.
9. Quote includes labour, fitting materials & disposal of all Suffolk Shutter Company packaging if more than one bin bag, for a single bin bag we will ask if you can dispose of this. We are not able to dispose of your old window coverings (blinds, curtains, poles etc. and we do not paint any walls/frames or skirting after installation of the shutters).
10. In the rare event that any hairline cracks are caused in the plaster by drilling the frames in to your walls, we will make good the cracks with filler but do not repaint. We cannot be held responsible for any damage caused to your walls and are not liable for repainting /repair costs should this be necessary.
11. During install of L frame shutters, we will use caulk to fill the gap created between the edges of the shutter frame and your walls to prevent any daylight showing through the cracks – this is white coloured only and can be painted over should you wish to do this, but we do not carry out this service. Z framed shutters do not require caulking to the sides.
12. Manufacture lead times quoted at first survey are subject to final confirmation at the time of placing your order.
13. Pre manufacture survey quotes or estimates, are subject to a final manufacture survey by one of our fitters and are subject to change following the final survey.
14. We do require the customer to be present and to “sign-off” the installation on the day and to sign a customer satisfaction sheet to say that they are satisfied with the product and the installation.
15. If a midrail is ordered on shutters please note that it will be placed within a 40mm tolerance of the position measured for as it has to be placed between the louvres so cannot always go exactly where it has been requested. Equally if a split hidden tilt is ordered this will be positioned as close to the measurement taken but has to fit in between louvres so may be moved.
16. For Tier on Tier shutters, the position of the split between the tiers will be as close to the supplied survey measurement as possible but may have to be altered to accommodate louvres. Tier on tier shutters will be supplied with a fixed horizontal frame in between the tiers (unless made in wood and requested to be supplied without) but we would recommend having the horizontal frame to avoid uneven light bleed between the tiers and to provide support for the top tier. This frame will remain in place even if all panels are fully opened outwards, it does not move once fitted.
17. Please note that none of our shutters are sold as “Blackout Shutters”. All shutters will let light through the louvres and in between the edge of the panel and the frame to allow enough space for the panels not to catch when opened.
18. If bi-folding doors have been ordered, please note that due to the increased weight of the 2 panels, they will require assistance to open and close and the panels should rest on the bottom frame to help support the weight during opening and closing and if being left opened out. If panels are large in width or drop then there will be additional flex created from the weight. Often the centre panels on bifolding sections will be fitted to butt up tightly to each other and “bite” together to make them sit tightly in their frames, when opening it may be necessary to slightly pull on the panel to remove it from the bite. This is normal and is not a fitting fault. Bifold panels often have an inconsistent light gap at the top and or bottom edge of the panel and the frame, due to the increased weight on the panel furthest from the hinges.
19. Panels do not stay flat against walls when opened out fully due to the inconsistencies in the flatness of walls (even on new build houses) – there will be a degree of “creep” when shutter panels are open – especially on bifold or large panels due to their increased weight. Tier on tier panels will also be prone to creep as there are 2 sets of panels in the window.
20. Bay windows are supplied without trim to the wall edges – if required this may need to be added on to the cost estimate after the second manufacture survey has been conducted by one of our fitters.
21. In many houses the recess is not straight, we can only caulk up to a maximum of 5mm so anything over this will require trim to be added at additional cost. A recess is a 3 dimensional space for a standard square, rigid frame to be positioned in, so often we have to make adjustments using caulk and trim or planing frames down at install, unfortunately this is standard and especially frequent on older houses due to subsidence and the age of the walls.
22. Bay windows may not sit on the sill if the sill is either too narrow for the frame, or the recess, sill or ceiling is severely out of alignment, in some cases we may have to fit the bottom of the shutter frame to the front of the window sill as a “face fix” – often we wont know this until the day of install.
23. Refunds (full or partial) will not be given if the final installed shutters “do not match the image” a customer has in their head when ordering or if a customer decides they do not like an element of the shutter design. Every window is unique and is made bespoke so there will be variations on panel size and frame position with every window on every order. The sample panels shown at survey will not be the final size of your panels. Please ensure you look at the sample carefully before placing your order for the product chosen as any issues regarding the shutters supplied which areas per the sample will not be refunded.
24. In the event of damage to any part of the shutters supplied, we will replace the damaged part of the shutter free of charge (assuming the damage was not caused after install). Money cannot be held back in lieu of any damage.
25. For single window installs we will ask for you to dispose of the rubbish, for installs over 1 window we will remove the rubbish.
26. Your surveyor will discuss the position of shutters with you but in some instances it may be necessary to alter the final position of the frames and panels on the day of install – especially in the case of either shaped or bay windows – please advise the surveyor if this will be a problem for you.