Terms & Conditions | Doors of Distinction

Correct as of: June 2021

TERMS & CONDITIONS – DISTANCE SELLING REGULATIONS

Distance Selling Regulations apply to contracts made where there has been no face-to-face contact between us and our customers and on occasions when the consumer has not had the opportunity to view the actual products. The Regulations do not apply to business-to-business contracts and do not apply to any orders of made-to-measure, bespoke or special order doors, or any products made to the customer’s specification.

These Terms & Conditions set out the basis on which you can use our website and place orders from Doors Of Distinction. By ordering goods from us you are deemed to have understood and accepted these terms.

AT A GLANCE………….

In our experience, the most important thing is to ensure that you completely seal your door to avoid moisture getting in or out.

Check your door for any potential faults prior to commencing any alterations.
Do not fit your door in damp or newly plastered areas or before it has been properly finished or sealed.
Don’t fit an internal door outside or an external door inside.
Make sure you’ve received everything and that it is correct before booking a carpenter. We will not be held liable for any rescheduling fees or additional costs a carpenter may try to charge you.
Should a fault develop after installation, and you’ve followed our instructions, we’ll replace the door but won’t pay for any labour costs.
Full instructions regarding the care and treatment of your specific door are inside its packaging.

GUARANTEE CONDITIONS – CARE & TREATMENT OF YOUR INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL DOOR

Doors Of Distinction takes great pride in sourcing the very best products to cater for the widest range in tastes. The care taken during manufacture and the quality of the raw materials used ensures that your door will give many years of good service, providing it is stored correctly and treated properly. Every single door and all new products are guaranteed for 12 months from the date of purchase against faulty material or manufacture, so long as it is treated in accordance with our instructions. Our ironmongery is also guaranteed for 12 months.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR GOODS!

When signing for receipt of your door(s) and/ or ancillary items, “unchecked” or similar annotations will not be accepted and we will accept no liability for any shortage or damage subsequently discovered. Visible damage must be detailed and noted clearly by you at the time of receipt on the Delivery/ Receipt Note for any claim to be entertained. The Company accepts no liability if costs are incurred by booking a carpenter before having received and checked all goods.

Any claims for damaged goods – or where goods supplied are not those ordered – must be reported within 3 working days of receipt. Just because the door may be nicely wrapped doesn’t mean that you don’t have to check it!

Every effort is made to supply you with the correct door in perfect condition. However, on occasion, errors are made or a door is not up to standard. It is imperative that you check your doors for any of the following potential faults prior to commencing any alterations:

Visible damage i.e. scratches, dents or chips
Warping or bowing beyond the 4mm tolerance
Scratches on glass (if supplied)
Wrong door model or size supplier
Two odd doors where you were expecting a matching pair
Wonky glazing bars

The above are examples of potential faults/ errors but this list is not exhaustive.

Please remember that, by fitting or finishing your door or making alterations in any way, you will be deemed to have accepted the goods as supplied. Unfortunately, we cannot replace a faulty or incorrectly supplied door if ANY alterations have been carried out. Please remember that just because you may not be the one fitting it doesn’t excuse you from checking!

STORAGE, SITE & INSTALLATION

Prior to fitment the door must be stored in a cool, dry atmosphere and kept flat.
An internal door is suitable for internal use only and must not be exposed to moisture in any way. Equally, an external door has been designed solely for use externally and must not be fitted inside. Doors must not be hung in damp or newly plastered rooms or suddenly exposed to central heating or other forms of direct heat. Caution should be taken fitting doors on freshly screeded floors and in double-glazed porches and conservatories that are prone to extremes of heat or humidity. Avoid placing and fitting doors close to radiators as this will warp or bow your door. Kitchens and bathrooms should be well ventilated to prevent prolonged periods of exposure to moisture.

This door is a quality piece of furniture, please treat it with care!

MAKING ALTERATIONS

Once you have checked your door over thoroughly, typically the maximum that your door can be altered in width is by 6mm off each edge and the same from the top and bottom. Some doors can be reduced by more but please check with us before taking action if you are not sure.

If you’ve bought a door that is sold as fully finished, you must re-seal any edges and cavities or cut-outs immediately after having made any alterations. The top and bottom of the door are often overlooked but must be done, even if it involves taking the door down for a short while. To properly finish your door requires 3 coats of an appropriate product.

MAINTENANCE & FINISHING

Most of our external doors and frames are sold unfinished, meaning that they need to be stained, varnished or painted after purchase. It is vital that the door or frame is sealed properly in advance of installation. If you fit the door unfinished and it is subjected to rain or direct sunlight, the door will be ruined. You must use an OIL or SPIRIT BASED product when treating the door which will properly seal the timber from moisture ingress (unless a water-based product is specifically instructed). Refer to the instruction leaflet enclosed with your door for confirmation. Try to use a branded well known finishing product. We recommend and sell Sikkens treatments but Dulux or Sadolin are fine too. Use as many coats as the manufacturer recommends but to check that you have done a good job, spray a little water on the door and see that the water forms beads and runs off. If it doesn’t then apply another coat or two. Don’t forget to seal the areas that you can’t see such as the tops and bottoms and inside lock and letterbox cut-outs.

Many of our internal doors are sold unfinished too. These need to be sealed straight away to stop the timber drying out and splitting or taking in moisture that is in the air. It is just as important to seal the tops and bottoms when fitting doors internally. Our manufacturers don’t accept Waxing or Oiling a door as appropriate methods of sealing so we cannot provide a guarantee for any door which has been treated in this way. The only exceptions are the Period Reproduction Range which are veneered in Rustic Oak, are supplied untreated and which may be waxed or oiled without compromising the standard 12 month guarantee.

More and more doors are being supplied ‘fully finished’. Remember, if you’ve bought a door that is sold under this heading, you must re-seal any trimmed edges, cavities or cut-outs straight away. The top and bottom of the door are often overlooked but must be done, even if it involves taking the door down for a short while. This is particularly important for sealing the end grain which acts like a sponge and soaks up any moisture, causing a door to swell and split. Equally, egress of moisture can cause timber to crack/split and bow.

PROTECTION OF DOORS IN EXPOSED LOCATIONS & ONGOING MAINTENANCE OF EXTERNAL DOORS

We cannot guarantee an external door that is fitted in an exposed location with no protection from the elements. A rain canopy or open porch of 1000mm wide x 600mm deep fitted above a typical single external door will protect your door and ensure that it lasts for many years to come. If this is not an option and you have installed one of our doors contrary to our instructions, correct initial treatment and regular maintenance are essential. After installation and at least once a year, lightly sand and apply a further coat of the finishing treatment to protect the fibres of the timber from deterioration and discolouration. The aim is to keep any water from penetrating your door. If you notice areas that need attention please treat them immediately. Once your door has been treated, for further protection you should apply a bead of clear silicone around all external glazing apertures. Please bear in mind that timber is a natural material which is subject to changes in temperature and humidity. We cannot accept liability for natural movement or distortion, warping, swelling or splitting which is caused by the door being exposed to extremes of temperature or humidity, or if the door is not correctly stored, treated or hung. A bow of 4mm along the length of the door is not unusual and is deemed to be within manufactured tolerances. Please note that oak as a timber is renowned for its decorative grain which is prone to small “shakes” or splits appearing. This is part of the beauty of the timber and is not considered a defect. Any flaws that appear after installation should be filled and re-finished promptly.

If you have any questions regarding the care or treatment of your door, please call our Door Experts on 01322 667525.

CONDITIONS OF SALE

ORDERS & CONTRACT

A contract is formed between you and Doors of Distinction once payment for your goods has been authorized. Until the goods are dispatched the order may be cancelled UNLESS they are made-to-measure, bespoke or to special order, which cannot be cancelled once you have received e mail confirmation that your order has been accepted. If for any reason the goods (this does not include made to measure, bespoke and special order) cannot be supplied as estimated and we have not agreed a revised time-frame with you then payment will be refunded in full. Refunds will be processed within the 30-day period in compliance with the Distance Selling Regulations. Our Sales Contract is with the named person or Company who have placed their order with us as detailed on the sales Order Acknowledgement.

CANCELLATION OF ORDER

If you wish to cancel your order of standard, stocked items, this must be communicated to us at least 4 working days before your planned delivery date and you will receive a full refund. If the requisite notice is not given, we will not refund the delivery charge. Where goods have been delivered to you, you may return them for up to 7 working days from the actual date of receipt by you and a refund will be provided within 30 days. N.B. Only applicable to contracts with consumers. We reserve the right to charge you our standard rate of £99.00 to collect the goods. If we are re-delivering an amended order (or part of one) we reserve the right to charge a further £99.00 for this service. Should you decide to return the products to our store you should ‘phone us in advance and responsibility for the condition of the goods and their insurance whilst in transit lies with you.
Special order items, products which have been custom-made or are bespoke to your requirements cannot be changed once we have confirmed the Order to you. Any orders for such special order items which are cancelled prior to delivery will be charged at 70% of the original order value – this amount will be retained by us.

RETURNS POLICY

NON-FAULTY GOODS:

Standard, stocked items

Please contact one of our Door Experts on 01322 667525 if you decide to return your order to us within 7 days of having received it and tell us the reason for your decision.

We reserve the right to charge you for costs incurred by us for the collection of your goods if you have decided to return them to us, and will also apply a 25% handling and re-stocking charge. Our standard charge for this collection service is £99.00. If you decide to arrange to return goods to us yourself, you are responsible for any transportation costs and appropriate insurance and the returns should be made to us immediately. Any residual refund owing to you will be made by the same payment method you used for the initial purchase once the doors have been returned to us.

We reserve the right to refuse returns, refunds or replacements if the goods are not returned to us in a saleable condition.

Special Orders
Any bespoke/ custom-made special order items cannot be returned to us unless deemed faulty (see below).

FAULTY GOODS:

In the event that your goods are faulty, you must call us on 01322 667525 immediately and provide written notification to us at sales@doors-of-distinction.co.uk within 7 days of receipt of the order. The goods along with the packaging must be kept for our inspection. Please quote your Order No. and include a full description of the fault, along with photographs if possible. In the event that goods have a manufacturing defect requiring replacement or refund our liability will only extend to the replacement value of the faulty goods. Any appropriate refunds will be made once the goods have been inspected by us.

PRICES

Due to circumstances beyond our control prices may have to be altered up or down and will also reflect any changes to the prevailing V.A.T. rate. The correct price will be shown within your Shopping Basket at check-out. All prices are in sterling and prices of individual products do not include delivery charges (where applicable). Prices of goods displayed on the website and ordered via it may differ from prices in-store.

PAYMENT & REFUNDS

All items must be paid for in full prior to delivery unless account facilities are in place. The title of goods remains with Doors Of Distinction until full payment has been made.

Due to limited storage space, we reserve the right to return to stock and withhold all monies paid on any goods which are not accepted by you within 2 weeks of them becoming available for delivery. Wherever possible, we will notify you by telephone or in writing prior to taking such action.

Refunds will only be considered on production of proof of purchase (which must be within 1 month of the date of sale).

ESTIMATED DELIVERY DATES – SPECIAL ORDERS

Upon placing an order you may be advised of an estimated lead-time. The estimate is an ‘estimate’ and not a firm date of arrival of goods. Various factors affect the supply of goods (many of which are imported from overseas) and as such we cannot be held responsible for failure to supply within an estimated lead time or for any costs arising from such a delay. We will however endeavour to keep you up to date with the progress of your order. If your order is particularly time critical and can only be placed if a particular delivery date is met, please notify us in writing of your time-frame and we will confirm whether or not that we accept your order on this basis.

View our delivery page for full details on our delivery process.

DELIVERIES – STOCK PRODUCT

View our delivery page for full details on our delivery process.

Typically, goods will be supplied when all the elements of your order are available. On occasions arrangements may be made for part-delivery of orders.

If you fail, through no fault of ours, to take delivery of the Goods at the delivery location, we may charge the reasonable costs of storing and redelivering them.

COLLECTION OF YOUR ORDER

If it has been agreed that you will collect your order, any order will be held for a period of 14 working days from date of delivery from supplier. If your order has not been collected in this time frame it will be sent back to the supplier and any costs incurred will be passed over to you (the customer).

REPEAT ORDERS

Please note that if you are placing a repeat order (i.e. for additional goods that you are hoping to match to goods previously supplied), we are unable to guarantee continuity in product. Elements such as the timber colour or grain, panel sizes, rail heights etc. may all vary from previous stocks. We source our products worldwide and reserve the right to change manufacturer sources without prior notice. To avoid future disappointment, please purchase all goods for a project in one go.

ORDERS FROM OVERSEAS

We are happy to accept orders from all over the world. However, it is the responsibility of the customer to organise transportation of their chosen goods from our Distribution Centre to the designated delivery address/ country. Please contact one of our Door Experts for further information. On signing for the product(s) at the point of collection or delivery, your agent is confirming as your representative that the goods have been delivered by us satisfactorily. Please note that our guarantee is not valid for products once they are outside of mainland UK.

ENSURING YOU ARE HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE

We aim to supply quality products as efficiently as possible but there are occasions when mistakes are made through human error. Should this occur we would be very sorry for any inconvenience caused and would do our utmost to rectify any problems as quickly as possible. If you are unhappy with your purchase or our service please contact us immediately at Doors Of Distinction, Unit 2, Birchwood Business Park, Maidstone Road, Swanley, Kent BR8 7QD, call us on 01322 667525, or email us at info@doors-of-distinction.co.uk