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 County Music Supplies Ltd. until paid for in full. The invoice number must be quoted on all correspondence or when any item is returned to the shop. 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 (except official educational orders). Minimum order £10 plus carriage. 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.
APPROVAL/CANCELLATION RIGHTS Most instruments and accessories are supplied on 7 days approval (from the time of receipt by the customer. This does not apply to opened boxes of reeds; for copyright reasons sheet music and CDs can only be returned if incorrectly supplied by us or received damaged. The customer must inform us within this time if they intend to return the 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. See guidelines on returning instruments for further advice. 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 and reeds must be returned in unopened boxes.
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.
GUARANTEES All new instruments and some accessories carry 12 months guarantee. Secondhand and Special Offer list items carry a 6 month guarantee. The customer is responsible for the return carriage charge, though we will return guarantee items at our expense, however carriage on items sent for a free checkup during the guarantee period will be charged for. We reserve the right to repair the instrument ourselves or return it to the manufacturer. Our guarantee does not cover plating, lacquer or cracked wood joints, however certain makers make ex gratia replacements. We can not cover the cost of repairs done by other repairers without prior authorisation.
Cracked Instruments We have recently introduced a new upgraded guarantee which ensures that if a new wooden instrument cracks within the 12 month guarantee period we will offer the choice of repair of the cracked section or replacement of the instrument. This only applies to instruments that have been properly looked after and does NOT apply if there is any sign of misuse or unusual factors.
PRICES Where two prices are listed the first is the Recommended Retail Price suggested by the maker/supplier, the second is our discount price. All catalogue prices are inclusive of VAT at 17.5% 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 County Music Supplies Ltd. cannot be held liable for repair work carried-out by third party repairers, unless authorised in advance.
COMPLAINTS
We aim to respond to all complaints within 5 working days and resolve as speedily as possible. Complaints can be notified online at sales@county-music.co.uk, by post, by FAX or by phone.
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!
Keep all packing materials. Make sure you use a service that offers adequate compensation (e.g. 'Interlink', 'Registered Post'). Remember to keep the documentation in case you need to make a claim. Don't forget to enclose a covering note which should include the invoice number. If you have been in touch with a member of staff please mark the parcel for their attention.