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These terms and conditions of sale shall be deemed to be incorporated in the contract between Step by Step and the UK customer. They apply only to UK customers (including Channel Islands and BFPO's)

Description
Step by Step continually seeks to improve the quality and value of its goods and services. Whilst we take every care to ensure illustrations and descriptions within the catalogue are accurate (errors & omissions excepted) and informative, we do reserve the right to change specifications or improve our products. In the event of any substituted product not being acceptable, we will gladly issue a full credit, provided the goods in question are returned within five working days of delivery (please note prior authorisation is required - see return of goods section below) and in an "as new" re-saleable condition.

Prices
i) Prices quoted supersede all previous prices. We aim to hold all prices fixed (errors and omissions excepted) until 31/12/2009 but exceptionally volatile raw material costs may affect a few products this year. You will be advised of any increase prior to despatch.

ii) All price reductions refer to the entire Step by Step 2009 range when compared to 2008 prices.

Value Added Tax
VAT at the appropriate rate will be added to all prices where applicable including carriage and packing charges (Please note LEA schools your Education Authority will credit you with the whole of the tax paid on receipt of the appropriate forms). Please note if relevant to your ordering procedures SbS VAT No. 125688644.

Availability
If an item ordered is out of stock, we will inform you and endeavour to supply the item as soon as possible. Goods in this catalogue are subject to availability. On occasion goods will be discontinued for reasons beyond our control. We reserve the right to withdraw an item where a print error has occurred.

Payment/Credit
i) Where credit is given payment for goods supplied is due within 30 days from the invoice date.

ii) Step by Step reserve the right to charge interest at 8% above Bank of England base rate on all overdue amounts and the customer will be liable for all legal costs

New Customers and Non Account Holders
Goods can be supplied on a cash/cheque with order basis or through major credit, debit and charge cards; 30 days FREE credit is available subject to status. All cheques should be made payable to 'Step by Step'. We may consult a credit reference agency.

Passing of Property
The risk in the goods supplied shall pass to the buyer on delivery into the buyer, possession or to the carrier or place of delivery nominated by the buyer and the seller shall be under no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage occurring thereafter.

Retention of Title
Ownership (title) of the goods only passes to the purchaser on full payment of the appropriate invoice.

Carriage and Delivery (UK Customers)
i) All orders will be delivered FREE of charge providing order value is £100 or more (excluding VAT). Some large furniture items may attract an additional delivery charge of £10. ii) Orders under £100 (excluding VAT) will carry a delivery charge of £3.95. A small fee of £2.00 will be charged on all orders of £30 and under. iii) Where delivery is required urgently, we have an Express Delivery Service. The charge for carriage and packing will be £9.95 (plus VAT) irrespective of order size.

Express Delivery
For urgent deliveries we offer Express Delivery on orders placed before 11am. Once your order has been despatched and received by our couriers it will take 48 hours to be delivered. The charge for this service is £9.95 (exc. VAT) no matter how large your order. Most items will be despatched within 3 working days but please allow an extra 14 days for large or heavy items. Items will be delivered to your door via a nationwide courier during normal working hours. Please state any special delivery requirements on your order (e.g. leave with neighbour etc). This does not apply to direct despatch items.

Direct Despatch
Please note that certain items may come from the manufacturer and may take longer to despatch. Some items are also manufactured at the point of order and can take 4 - 6 weeks for delivery. In both instances such items will be identified throughout the catalogue.

Delivery
The seller accepts no liability for any loss, damages or expenses arising from the late delivery of goods by the seller, its agents or its agent's carriers due to any cause whatsoever. Any delivery time or date despatch or delivery date which the seller may specify is accordingly a best estimate only and should not be relied upon. The sellers will however, seek to achieve delivery dates specified as far as it is within its power to do so. Please note that with furniture and other large items the price quoted is for delivery to ground floor. An additional charge may be levied by direct suppliers for delivers within a specified timeframe e.g. 9am - 1pm should you have a particular delivery requirement please enquire before placing your order.

Proof of Delivery
A signed proof of delivery document will be available from the seller for a period of 90 days from date on invoice. After this period, the seller may decline such request for proof of delivery or impose a charge for its supply. In any event after this period the buyer shall be liable for payment of monies due in respect of the goods supplied.

Notice of Damage/incorrect delivery/orders don't turn up
If upon receipt your goods are damaged, incomplete, incorrect or short delivered notification must be made within 5 working days of delivery. For non delivery of goods notification should be made within 7 days of the invoice date. Claims outside this period will not be accepted. Goods should not be returned without prior authorisation and you must quote your account number and relevant reference number.

Refused Deliveries
We reserve the right to make a carriage charge plus a 20% handling charge, or minimum of £10 whichever is greater, on all consignments that are refused without reason.

Return of Goods
i) Step by Step product guarantee relates to the quality, durability and relative fitness for purpose during the first twelve months after delivery. Any products returned will be assessed by our Quality Assurance department before any compensation is given. If we find no fault with the item (s) then no refund will be issued and we reserve the right to charge a 20% handling fee or minimum of £10 whichever is greater plus recover any delivery charges incurred.
ii) Where an item is faulty, we reserve the right to repair or replace. If this is not possible, a credit will be issued
iii) Goods deemed no longer required due to ordering error, surplus to requirements may be considered for return providing prior authorisation is obtained and goods are returned in a re-saleable condition, in the original packaging and within the first calendar month following dispatch. Notification should be within 5 days of delivery and where authorisation is obtained a 20% handling charge or minimum of £10 whichever is greater will be charged. Step by Step will not accept returned goods without prior authorisation or in a non-saleable condition - in such cases goods must be paid for in full by the customer and the standard handling fee (above) will be charged along with any delivery fees incurred.
iv) For special orders or direct delivery, it may not be possible to return goods and the company will invoice the full amount.

Force Majeure
The seller shall not be liable to the buyer for failure to perform or delay in performing any of their contractual obligations when this is caused by circumstances beyond their reasonable control.

Calls May Be Recorded
Calls may be recorded and monitored to improve the service offered or for training purposes.

Data Protection
Step by Step is a registered data user under the Data Protection Act. We never make your personal details available to other companies for marketing purposes other than for the marketing of Step by Step goods and services. We (and our parent company) may hold your personal details in order to process your order and/or maintain your account. We (and our parent company) may also use your details to send you further information on Step by Step goods and services, to keep you up to date on goods, services, new products and promotional offers you may be interested in or for research purposes. If you prefer not to receive such information or be part of our research please email us on remove@sbs-educational.co.uk

Disposal of Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment - WEEE Diretive
The United Kingdom is under an obligation to minimise the disposal of Electrical and Electronic Waste Equipment (WEEE) in domestic waste, and to encourage recycling, recovery and environmental sound disposal methods, Step by Step is committed to promoting the re-use, recycling and recovery of WEEE product by contributing to VALPAK compliance scheme. WEEE Products or Packaging will be marked with a crossed out wheelie bin symbol (see below) to indicate that the product should not be disposed of in general domestic waste but disposed of through an approved WEEE scheme. For more information please see our website or call 08451 25 25 50.