Any Questions? Call us on 01727 846055
or email us at shop@britanniamusicshop.co.uk
Terms and Conditions of Trade
By placing an order you agree to the following terms and conditions. These terms and conditions are important and should be carefully read before you place your order.
GENERAL
All goods remain the property of Britannia Music Shop Ltd until paid for in full. Instruments which are hired by the customer always remain the property of Britannia Music Shop Ltd. We are not obliged to supply goods until acceptance of your order; it is on acceptance that a contract comes into effect.
PAYMENTS
All orders must be accompanied by payment before goods are dispatched. Payments will be cashed immediately and refunded promptly if necessary (see 'Approval' below). Cheques may require clearing before goods can be dispatched, if a cheque 'bounces' we charge £10. Official educational orders must be paid within 30 days of the invoice date for discounts to apply. We reserve the right to charge interest on any overdue balance over 30 days from invoice date.
TRIAL PERIODS / CANCELLATION RIGHTS
The customer must inform us within seven days if they intend to return an item sent on approval item. It is the customer's responsibility to return the item in perfect condition if it is not required. Any damage or missing items will be charged for. Our carriage charge is not refundable. Orders sent by mail/carrier may be cancelled within 7 days of receipt of the goods but the customer must arrange and pay for their return.
CARRIAGE
We reserve the right to send items using the method we consider most suitable. Goods are normally insured while in transit, if goods arrive damaged we must be notified immediately. Please keep all packaging in the case of damaged items as the insurers may ask to examine this.
GUARANTEES
All new instruments and some accessories carry 12 months manufacturer's warranty which covers parts and workmanship. Secondhand items are sold as seen. The customer is responsible for the cost of returning the item to us. We reserve the right to repair the instrument ourselves or return it to the manufacturer. We can not cover the cost of repairs done by other repairers without prior authorisation.
PRICES
All prices are inclusive of VAT where applicable. If prices have changed you will be notified before we accept your order and offered the option of confirming your order at the correct price or cancelling it.
REPAIRS
Britannia Music Shop cannot be held liable for repair work carried-
STOCKS
Some instruments and accessories are not normal stock items. In this case a 50% non-
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Our customer care number is 01727 846055 and calls are charged at standard rates.
COMPLAINTS
We aim to respond to all complaints within 5 working days and resolve them as quickly as possible. Complaints can be notified online by email, post, or by telephone.
RETURNING GOODS
Remember, it is YOUR responsibility to return items to the shop in good condition, if an item is damaged in transit YOU will be responsible!
1. Keep all packing materials.
2. Make sure you use a service that offers adequate insurance (eg. Post Office Special Delivery with extra insurance).
3. Remember to keep the documentation in case you need to make a claim.
4. Don't forget to enclose a covering note which should include your name, address and contact phone numbers.
5. If you have been in touch with a member of staff please mark the parcel for their attention.
COOKIES
Our website uses cookies to give you the best possible experience. If you do not know what a cookie is, visit allaboutcookies.org. To find out which cookies we use and why they are used, read our cookies policy.
HIRE TERMS & CONDITIONS
The Instrument
Our hire stock includes instruments of various makes and models. As all trained musicians know, used instruments are very much as good as new ones so long as they have good maintenance. All our Hire instruments are serviced and maintained by us in readiness for rental to ensure they play perfectly.
Getting Started is Easy
- Hiring locally, FREE delivery -
To hire an instrument for FREE delivery within Hertfordshire & surrounding areas complete the online hire form or telephone us on 01727 846055. We will then arrange a suitable time to deliver the instrument. We need to see the following documents from you when the instrument is delivered - (1) your driving licence or passport, (2) a recent utility bill, (3) a payment card (credit card or debit card - not Amex), (4) bank details (eg. cheque book/debit card).
- Hiring locally -
Reserve & Collect - To hire an instrument to collect from us please complete the online hire form or telephone us on 01727 856055. We will telephone you when the instrument is ready for collection from the Fleetville Community Centre, Royal Road, St Albans, AL1 4QL (Saturday mornings 9:30 - 12:30) We need to see the following documents from you when the instrument is dcollected - (1) your driving licence or passport, (2) a recent utility bill, (3) a payment card (credit card or debit card - not Amex), (4) bank details (eg. cheque book/debit card).
- Hiring for national delivery -
to arrange to hire an instrument for national delivery please complete the online hire form. We will telephone you for further details and email you for you to confirm the details are correct. Delivery will be arranged at a time to suit you Tuesday - Friday by courier. Delivery costs vary from instrument to instrument based on size, weight, value etc.
What Happens Next?
You receive the instrument and hire starts.
Hire for as long as you like
There is a minimum of 3 months hire, but you can continue hiring for as long as you like as long as payments are up to date.
Hire Payments
- The Initial Payment -
This covers 3 months hire, plus any postage and/or accessory pack if required. (If I return the instrument before the end of the first 3 months do I get a refund? No -because the first 3 months hire charge pays for the administration of the hire account, payment handling, stock control, and inspection and testing of the instrument when it is returned to us.)
- Bank Standing Order Payments -
In order to be able to hire you need to supply us with a valid bank standing order which starts after 3 months. (I'm worried I'll pay too much by accident. -Don't worry - when you return the instrument you cancel the standing order with your bank, and if your bank accidentally pays us too much, or continues to pay us after you have returned the instrument, we refund you any relevant over- payment.)
(Do I have to pay by bank standing order? Yes because this is how we keep the cost of hire as cheap as possible -other forms of payment take up staff time and would add to the cost.)
- Card Payment Authorisation -
On the hire form you give us authorisation to take the initial payment. After this your card would never normally be charged - it would only happen if you owe us money and we have been unable to obtain payment in the normal way. You need to keep your card details up- to- date with us.
Care of the Instrument
All good instrument teachers give training in the correct handling of the instrument to avoid damage. You should also be careful not to leave the instrument in very hot or cold places (e.g. near a radiator or heater, in a vehicle in cold weather, or in a vehicle in hot sunny weather). Instrument Care information is available on each hire page.
- Free maintenance -
General maintenance of the hire instrument against normal wear and tear is FREE whilst you are hiring (although costs of repairing damage need to be paid for by you). The various consumables of an instrument (eg. reeds, strings, cleaners, cork grease etc.) are NOT covered by this free maintenance. This means that we will keep the instrument in good playing order for you but various accessories may need replacing at your expense from time to time.
If you live far away you can send the instrument to us for maintenance, but please be aware the cost of sending it is paid by you. When we receive it we will determine whether the work needed is caused by wear and tear or by damage, and we will only charge you if it is damage. Alternatively to save on postage for small repairs you can get the instrument repaired by your local repairer, who must be a professional repairer, at your own cost.
- Damage -
Through inexperience many learners will at some time cause damage to their instrument, very often without even noticing how it has occurred. Damage is quite different from general wear and tear and the cost of repair is not easy to predict until the repair is completed. To support for our customers we always attempt to repair damage free of charge if the job is not too large, but where significant cost is incurred we have to charge you the cost of repair.
- Loss -
If you lose the instrument, you would need to pay us the Instrument Value mentioned on the hire form.
Insurance -
Returning the Instrument
When you no longer need the instrument simply return it to us.
- Bring it to the store -
If you live near- by just drop it in to us at the shop.
- Posting it to us -
If you are sending the instrument to us make sure it is packaged well to avoid damage, and make sure you pay the courier or postal service the small extra fee to insure it against damage or loss.
The Final Check-
Before we sign-
Cancelling Your Standing Order
After you have returned the instrument when you no longer need it, please remember to cancel your Bank Standing Order (we can't do this for you as only you have control of your bank account). You can usually do this by phoning you bank.
Can I buy the instrument I am hiring?
This is not a hire-
Who can hire?
To hire an instrument you must be a UK citizen, at least 21 years old, employed, with a valid credit or debit card and a permanent UK address. Individuals can hire instruments from us, but organisations cannot (eg. schools, colleges, companies, charities).
