Terms & Conditions

Terms and conditions

We offer a free, no obligation survey and quotation.
Surveys are carried out by South Coast Blinds in your home, quotations are then put together off site and provided for you to consider at your leisure without pressure.
We will contact you via email at intervals to follow up the status of your quote.
Prices put together from your measurements may be subject to change following a site survey and check measure by us.
We can not take responsibility for badly fitting blinds, curtains or shutters when ordered without a site survey. For this reason we reserve the right to decline such orders.
All offers are subject to availability. A promotional discount cannot be applied in conjunction with any other offer or discount. A promotional discount cannot be backdated. We reserve the right to withdraw/change offers without notice.
Once you have decided to purchase from us you will be requested to pay a deposit, the goods will then be ordered and your deposit will be non-refundable.
Your awnings, blinds, curtains and / or shutters are made to measure. Timescales will be outlined on your quotation, these are provisional and subject to change without prior notice. These changes are infrequent and we will notify you as soon as possible and work with you to resolve the issue. Please be advised that suppliers close for public holidays so lead times may increase.
We reserve the right to refuse custom.
We install for free and offer a 1, 3 or 5 year guarantee depending on the package purchased, the product and so the excellent quality is the same in each case.
We comply with child safety regulations and fit the relevant child safety devises for free.
Please be aware that if ‘split orders’ are placed by yourself there may be some variation, due to certain items having components that are made in batches.
This is not generally a problem if an item has to be remade as some suppliers keep a small amount of each batch to use if they make an error in the manufacturing process.
Please be advised we do not have the facility to dispose of old awnings, blinds, curtains or shutters.
We have public liability insurance.

Wooden Venetian Blinds

Wood is a natural material and so some variation in shade and colour should be expected, even for painted finishes minor imperfections not readily apparent at a distance of four feet under ordinary light should be expected. There may also be a certain degree of warp and twist in the slats over their lifetime.
Wooden Venetian Blinds have optimal ideal drops in relation to their slat size and therefore the bottom slat may be at a slightly different angle and spacing in relation to the other slats, this will vary for each recess.
Selected ranges of Wooden Venetian Blind have a slave slat that covers the bottom bar and its components; there will sometimes be two at certain blind drops.

Shutters

Rail heights can only be accurate to your window rails to within half of the slat size. Stile heights adjust according to the slat size and therefore greater variance should be expected for larger slat sizes.
The tilt rod should not be used to open the shutter doors as the rod is individually pinned to the slats and may become unpinned.
Wood is a natural material and so even for painted finishes minor imperfections not readily apparent at a distance of four feet under ordinary light should be expected. They may also suffer a small degree of warpage, for this reason we recommend Faux wood in some rooms such as bathrooms or moist / humid conditions.
MDF and Faux wood shutters are supplied with small plastic feet on the underside of the panel in order to prevent the door panels rubbing on the frame and to maintain correct panel gaps.
Due to the lengthy lead time for shutters we can supply temporary blinds if available and if requested once a deposit has been paid. These remain the property of South Coast Blinds Ltd and will be collected from site when your shutters are installed.

Roman Blinds

Roman blinds can be made to measure from fabric supplied by us or by you the customer. We can not take responsibility for imperfections in the fabric the customer has supplied.
Due to the manufacturing process blackout roman blinds will have stitch holes across the blind where the rods attach as this is how the lining is secured to the face fabric.
Blinds over a certain size may have joins.

Vertical & Roller Blinds

Please be aware that some fabrics take on the shape of the transportation storage container this should fall out after regular use.
Blackout vertical blinds are available however there will be some degree of light bleed between the slats.
Care must be taken with Vertical Blinds that drop near to the floor, for example at patio doors as they are far more vulnerable to accidental damage. Vertical blinds damaged by the elements such as wind for example when the door or windows have been left open will not be covered under the guarantee. Such use will not be considered as ‘fair use’.
To protect the mechanism all of the vertical tracks we supply are self aligning meaning that if a slat is caught and becomes misaligned it can be easily rectified without damage to the track, at the time of installation we will show you how to do this and can talk you through the operation over the telephone, if you require us to come out and do this for you we may charge you a call out fee.

Pleated Blinds

Blackout pleated blinds may have a small gap around the sides allowing some light in.
Pleated blinds fitted at angled windows will require guide wires to keep them from sagging.

Faults

If your awning, blind or shutter develops a fault it must not be used until we have had opportunity to take remedial action. We will take no responsibility for any subsequent damage.
Most faults are either due to child safety activation or accidental damage and our support is as follows.
On installation our fitter will demonstrate how the child safety device activates and how to remedy this.
Please refer to the demonstration video on our website scblinds.co.uk for further support.
Please be advised that if a site visit is required to support you with child safety devises a call out fee may be charged.
We may ask you to send a photo of any issue with your awning, blind or shutter so we can ascertain if any spare parts are required in order to remedy the faults.
We will endeavour to remedy any faults as quickly as possible, please be advised new parts may need to ordered from suppliers and this may take time. We can provide temporary blinds if required and if available in the meantime.

Acceptable Behaviour Policy

South Coast Blinds will not tolerate abusive or aggressive behaviour. Such as verbal abuse, bullying, shouting, swearing, assault, threat of any of the aforementioned in person or via social media, email, text or telephone. South Coast Blinds will not service or tolerate requests to not comply with our legal obligations, requests to alter our terms and conditions or any requests deemed as unreasonable by us.
Supplying and fitting of goods / services.
Our terms and conditions apply to all our goods and services.
If you do wish to go ahead and make a deposit payment on site during your survey you will be asked to confirm that you are happy to be responsible for costs incurred in producing your items up to the date you may cancel it.
We do this as the items we supply are made to measure and are unlikely to be resalable to others.

Our contract with you

You enter into a Contract with us by placing your deposit.

Price and payment

The price includes a free survey, quote and fitting and VAT.
Unless otherwise stated on the quotation the balance in due on completion. Payments by cheque are not deemed to have been made until the cheque has cleared.
We reserve the right to claim interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
All Goods remain the property of South Coast Blinds Blinds Limited until paid for in full.
If you request a delay in fitting in excess of 14 days of the date we notify you that we are in possession of your items we may apply a fee to cover the cost of storage or for the balance to be paid in full prior to fitting.

Cancelling a contract

Your rights to cancel a contract vary according to how you order from us, and what type of goods you order.
Subject to clause above, the goods we will be supplying to you are made-to-measure so you will not be able to cancel your order once made (but this will not affect your legal rights as a consumer in relation to any goods that are faulty or not as described).
If you place your order during a survey you have a right to cancel under distance selling regulations. If you are entitled to cancel the Contract, and wish to do so, you will be responsible to pay the reasonable fees and costs we have incurred already fulfilling our part of the Contract including loss of profit to date up to the overall value of the Order.

Cancellation by us

We reserve the right to cancel the contract or decline your order if:
We have insufficient stock of the fabric or product required to manufacture and/or supply the Goods you have ordered; or any of the Goods in your Order was listed at an incorrect price due to a typographical error or an error in the pricing information made by us and/or received by us from our suppliers.
Before cancelling your Order we will do our best to source and offer you suitable alternative Goods of a similar style and quality, but you are not obliged to accept them.
If we do cancel your Order we will notify you as soon as possible and will refund you for any services / goods not received.
Although we appreciate that you may be disappointed in such circumstances please be reassured these are not decisions we come to lightly. In these circumstances we will not be able to offer you any compensation for disappointment you may suffer.

Installation

If your order includes installation we have to make certain assumptions when we quote, these are as follows:

access to immediately outside your property is unobstructed to a medium sized van with free parking available.
the area around where the goods are to fitted is unobstructed and of standard construction with no cables or pipes under the surface in the relevant area.
the walls or wood into which we need to attach hanging apparatus are in a condition that allows us to easily obtain good fixings for the tracks, poles and battens.
you have removed all ornaments, appliances and other objects in the immediate working area.
none of the areas or items into which we are installing the goods have any warranties or guarantees that will be invalidated by the installation.
that access will be available at the time and date agreed or at least 48 hours notice given of any change
payment will be due on completion
No changes are to be made to the window, recess or surrounding area unless we are notified prior to the order being placed.
That access will be given to the property in a timely fashion to install goods / address issues, if our fitter is left on the premises to complete an installation it is on the understanding keys can be put through the letter box or equivalent, we can not offer a key holding facility.
If these assumptions are not met in your circumstances, or if you have reason to doubt that they are, (for example if you live in a very old property, there are hidden pipes conduits or cables or if you have parking or access problems), you must let us know at the point of Order. If you do not we may need to make an additional charge if additional time, costs or materials are required to complete the Installation for you as a result of these assumptions not being met which will be added to the Price, and any warranties you may have on third party products may be invalidated.
For the avoidance of doubt we will not be responsible for carrying out any building work, for moving any furniture to clear access to the immediate working area, or for the invalidation of any warranties you did not tell us about in writing.

Safety Devices

We comply with safety regulations. The Regulations have been introduced to help to prevent accidental death by way of strangulation to young children. Regulations state safety devices supplied with Goods must be fitted by us at the time of Installation otherwise we may be negligent and perhaps be in breach of the Regulations. Therefore, if the Goods contain any safety device, we will fit this device and ensure that we have complied with the Regulations. In the event that you should instruct us that you do not wish to have such a safety device fitted, then we will refuse to Install the Goods. In such an instance, you will be liable to pay us the Price under the Contract.
You agree that you will not treat our refusal to Install the Goods for the reasons set out in clause 17.1 above as a fundamental or any breach of the Contract and that you will still be bound under the Contract to take delivery of the Goods.
For the avoidance of doubt we consider clause 17 to be reasonable in all the circumstances given our obligations under the Regulations. This will not affect your legal rights as a consumer in relation to any Goods that are faulty or not as described

Product descriptions

The product information and photographs contained in our Sales Literature are provided for illustrative purposes only and we cannot warrant that they are accurate.
Whilst every effort is made by us to ensure that Goods sold and delivered to you or installed in your home match any sample or description we may have shown or given or sent to you, minor or immaterial variation or change in colour or pattern between the sample or description and the Goods delivered shall not entitle you to reject the Goods nor to claim any compensation for such variation or change. Also some products require specific changes to their specification due to the variation in the size required to ensure they maintain structural integrity or specification.

Warranty

We warrant that all Goods sold to you will be free from material defects for a period of 12 months from delivery of the Goods to you unless:
Shutters have a 5 year warranty.
Unless you selected a package with increased warrantee period for a particular product; or
the Goods are to be installed on Commercial or Public premises where the period is 12 months; or
the Goods are to be installed on premises that are to be Rented, Let or Hired where the period is 12 months.
As a consumer, you have legal rights in relation to Goods that are faulty or not as described in addition to the above warranty. Advice about your legal rights is available from your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau or Trading Standards office. Nothing in these terms will affect these legal rights.
The warranty given in clause above does not apply to any defect in the goods arising from fair wear and tear, wilful damage, abnormal storage, negligence by you or any third party, failure to use the Goods in accordance with the instructions, any unauthorized alterations or repairs or any specification provided by you.
If the Goods are defective on delivery or a defect arises within the following 12 / 36 or 60 months, please contact us in writing within a reasonable time of suply / install / upon becoming aware to provide us with details of the defects and we will discuss with you how this will be addressed. Provided that clause 19.3 does not apply and if it appears to us that the Goods are defective we will promptly arrange for the defective Goods to be repaired, returned or replaced free of charge.
If the Goods are not defective, or have been modified, misused or the subject of negligence, you will be responsible for the payment of our charges on a time and materials basis in respect of any repairs and collection and return of the Goods, which we agree to carry out at your request.
All Installations are guaranteed for a period of 12 months unless:
-we need to customize items beyond the manufacturer’s original specification,-the fittings you require or request do not support the weight of the Goods,
-someone who is not one of our staff or explicitly accredited has removed or refitted the Goods.
-we have specifically notified you in writing of a decreased warranty period for a particular product; or
-the Goods are to be installed on Commercial or Public premises where the period is 12 months; or
-the Goods are to be installed on premises that are to be Rented, Let or Hired where the period is 12 months.
Before commencing Installations we use our knowledge of good building practice to decide if we should fit into a particular area. It is up to you to tell us if you know of any cables or pipes hidden in the wall, and we will not be held responsible for striking such fittings.
We shall not be liable to you nor be deemed to be in breach of contract by reason of any delay in performing, or any failure to perform, any of our obligations in relation to the Contract, or for any damage or defect to Goods delivered that is caused by any event or circumstance beyond our reasonable control including, without limitation, third party default, strikes, lock-outs and other industrial disputes, breakdown of systems or network access, flood, fire, explosion, accident, breakdown of manufacturing or other equipment or unavailability of raw materials.
In these Terms we do not seek in any way to limit your statutory rights, nor to limit our liability for any death or personal injury resulting from negligence on our part.
The warranty given in clause 19.1 above does not apply to any of the child safety components that are designed to fail under abnormal usage for the protection of the user.
The warranty is not transferable to any persons on sale of you home.

General Terms

If any part of these Terms is unenforceable (including any provision in which we exclude our liability to you) the enforceability of any other part of these conditions will not be affected.
Sometimes things do not go as planned and we will endeavor to resolve any issues that are a result of either our actions or our suppliers as promptly as possible. Although we appreciate that you may be disappointed in such circumstances we will not be able to offer you any compensation for disappointment you may suffer or your time.
Failure or delay by us in enforcing or partially enforcing any provision of the contract shall not be construed as a waiver of any of its rights under the contract.
We will only use any information you give us in relation to your Order for the purposes of processing your Order, providing the Goods and/or Installation for you and to inform you of similar products or services that we provide. Please let us know if you would rather not receive such marketing correspondence. If you are ordering from us online details of our treatment of your personal data will be detailed there, and you will be given the option to opt in or out accordingly.
This contract is subject to English law and the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

South Coast Blinds Ltd

Company number: 08553778

Registered Address: Unit 29 Highcroft Industrial Estate, Enterprise Road, Waterlooville, England, PO8 0BT