TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE

Let me explain my terms and conditions, briefly:

If part of the order is missing when the package arrives

If the invoice total is less than £49 then I DO NOT usually expect you to pay until you have received all the items listed on the invoice. If the invoice total is £49 or more then I DO expect you to pay before I send the balance of the order. If I do not plan to send - or can not send - the complete order, I will advise you by e-mail.

Value Added Tax (V.A.T.)

UK and EU residents must pay VAT at the current rate, as invoiced.

If you are outside the European Union countries then you pay NO V.A.T. but you MUST tell me "Export Order - no VAT". You must do this at the time of ordering.

Otherwise, V.A.T. must be added to the complete order value including post, packing and handling but not including books and manuals. If you are in Europe (EU) and have a company V.A.T. registration number then you can avoid paying this tax by including your registration number in your order and the words "EU order, no VAT". You must do this at the time of ordering. An administration charge of £2 will be added to EU no VAT orders because of the additional bookkeeping work it requires so there is no point in asking for no VAT if the order value is small.

I require payment in not more than 10 days
(but see exceptions below)

This means that I expect you to post payment no more than 7 days after you receive the package.
I call it my "trust" system and it allows me to offer a "next day delivery" service (UK) without the delays of "Proforma" invoices or the expense of credit card transactions.

In the UK, I am required by law to give you seven days "cooling off" period if you order by e-mail. You may return the goods in good, resellable condition within that time and all you have to pay me is the postal charge (+ VAT) on the invoice. If you keep the goods for longer then the full invoice amount is payable unless I agree otherwise.

CREDIT CARDS

I do not accept credit card payments except in the case of large items which are shipped direct to you from the warehouse (UK only) in which case the warehouse will debit your card directly but you must give your permission for this and supply card details in a secure manner (use fax or separate e-mail messages for card number and expiry date).

EXCEPTIONS

To accommodate the extra time for overseas orders to arrive and payment to return, the normal 10 day requirement is extended to 21 days for Europe, Scandinavia and America.

IMPORTANT

Prepayment is required if:

• Order value exceeds £50.
• Previous invoice is unpaid or payment was late.
• Order is from an Educational, Government or other "official" source or bookshop.
  (This includes "invitations to tender").
• Order is from Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta where the postal "system" is unspeakably bad.

Please use the Order Form and wait for acknowledgement which will include an invoice number.
Post your payment to me and include this number.

REMINDERS

I check invoices at least once a month and send out reminders at that time. If I send a reminder by email there is no charge on the first occasion because I don't check my records. If I have to send it by post, there's a £5 administration charge to cover my time and my bookkeeper's time required to check my accounts records and banking book, plus the cost of stationery and postage and, because Customs and Excise classify this as a "service", there's VAT to add.

If the Invoice is still unpaid when I check again, I send out another reminder and, if it's still unpaid after a further 7 days, the account becomes a BAD DEBT. I mailshot all parts suppliers on a regular basis and inform them of any bad debts and late payers. I also take action to recover outstanding payments.
Chasing bad debts takes a great deal of time because I have to check and double-check my accounts records, bank statements and paying-in slips to ensure that I haven't made a mistake.

Late payments give everyone problems because there is only so much "money in the pot". If I can't afford to buy enough stock then somebody is going to be disappointed when they are desperate for spare parts that I haven't got. It's not fair and I punish late payers by putting them on a "proforma only" payment system.

Late payers come into two categories:-
Those who deliberately withhold payment for whatever reason.
Those who are careless or simply don't care.

I treat both categories the same because the effect on me is the same.

If somebody desperately needs credit then I might offer that but with the usual penalty of a percentage interest rate.

I accept unused UK postage stamps as payment, as well as cash etc.

LEGAL: See note above. All the usual stuff applies - goods remain my property until paid for in full, etc.

RETURNS

If you ordered something then decide you don't want it you may return it to me (packed carefully in good, unused condition complete with instructions, invoice copy etc.) and pay only the full postage amount (plus vat) as invoiced. Please consult me for authorisation before returning goods, otherwise the FULL invoice amount may be payable. People have returned perfectly good parts to me because they looked different from the originals.
Please ASK ME before returning anything. Always state the invoice number.

A charge for testing and inspecting returned items may be added if the items are not faulty and were correctly supplied as ordered.

Your statutory rights are not affected.

Martin Pickering

SatCure
PO Box 12
Sandbach,
CW11 1XA
England

NOTE: I NEVER REPLY BY FAX OR PHONE.
I use e-mail or post - it's always cheaper and more reliable.

EXCUSES

A favourite excuse for not paying promptly is "It was only a small amount so I thought you wouldn't mind". Problem is that most orders are for "a small amount" so, with this philosophy, nobody pays on time!

The other excuse is: "You didn't send the invoice". The invoice is in the "Documents Enclosed" wallet on the front of the package. It's the piece of paper that has your address. Without it the package can't reach you!

Another excuse is: "You didn't send a statement". What's the point of a statement? You already paid me didn't you?

The best excuse is: "I fitted the parts but it didn't work". Nice try, but legally you don't have a chance. The parts I supply are guaranteed free from manufacturing defect and the accompanying sheet lists the parts. All my kits fulfill their purpose which is to provide you with the parts that are most likely to enable you to carry out your repair or modification. I can't guarantee your work or your ability to read. I can't guarantee that your repair will be successful (although it usually is). If you think that the parts are incorrect then return *everything* in the package as supplied within 7 days. If bits are missing or look used so I can't resell them, then you will have to pay. Your Statutory Rights are not affected.

And another excuse: "I couldn't contact you/you didn't reply". This is bullshit. You have my e-mail address, my fax number, my phone number, my mobile number and my address on the invoice. I *always* reply provided that I receive your message and you include your correct e-mail address.

And another: "I didn't know how to pay/couldn't get a Sterling Postal Order, Girobank Cheque, Eurocheque, Bank Notes, Dollars..."
Nice try but not credible.

And: "You didn't send me everything I ordered".
If the invoice value exceeds £50 I will not send everything until you have paid.

And, finally: "I forgot". Hey, your memory must be even worse than mine! You read the invoice which says "please send a cheque " ... and you then forget???

(The legal bit: In the absence of prior written agreement to the contrary, payment of our charges is required on receipt of our invoice. Failure to make payment within 28 days of the due date could result in the matter being referred to our Debt Collection Agents whose charges will be added to, and payable with, the invoice debt. If you do not respond to the initial request for payment, your details may be given to a third party or parties and you agree to this by sending the order).

HOW DO I PLACE AN ORDER?