Terms and Conditions

We hope that the following script is clear to understand and whilst most of us simply hate the necessity to set out such matters in black and white, we are meeting our legal obligations and setting our stall out in a way which we hope reflects our approach to trading with our customers.

Acceptance of our Terms & Conditions

The placing of an order implies acceptance of our Methods and Terms of Business explained below. All orders will be acknowledged, usually in detail on our formal Acknowledgement of Order, which also confirms total cost and gives an estimate of delivery time (but please interpret the last with understanding, allowing for weather and other circumstances beyond our control). Weasdale Nurseries' acceptance of your order commences when your order is despatched and it is at this point that the purchase contract starts and you will be charged for the goods. Despatch details will be notified by Delivery Note, which is attached or enclosed with your goods and the Invoice will normally be provided at the same time (or will follow as soon as possible if it is necessary first to get carriage charge information from our carriers). Please note that risk In the goods passes to you the customer at the moment of delivery (whether signed for or otherwise) but title to the goods remains with Weasdale Nurseries Ltd until full payment has been received.

Delivery of orders placed by telephone, mail or the internet

The majority of orders are despatched using carriers who offer full tracking ability of consignments along with insurance for the goods they carry. In certain exceptions (such as low-value printed matter, lightweight packets and some consignments to islands) we rely upon the Royal Mail surface mail which has no such tracking ability. We only advise the despatch of orders when a customer has provided us with an e-mail address for this purpose and such advice is sent on the day of despatch. The majority of consignments are delivered the next working day but more remote addresses may take 2-5 working days to deliver. If required, we can usually indicate how long it will take to deliver to a particular location. No guarantee of delivery time is either given or implied unless specifically and mutually agreed and arrangements made for a particular standard of delivery service. In such an event, our liability shall not extend beyond the refund of any such augmented delivery service premium. No deliveries are made between Christmas Eve and 2nd January (3rd January in Scotland) or the next nearest working day; deliveries at other peak holiday times may also be delayed due to increased traffic in the carriers' network. Weasdale Nurseries are not liable for delivery delays caused by exceptional weather, but will always endeavour to locate a consignment and secure its safe delivery on your behalf. Deliveries are normally made during normal business hours but, increasingly, carriers are adopting more flexible approaches, so a consignment may arrive at a surprising hour. All carriers normally require a signature but, if so instructed by you the customer, will leave a consignment in a nominated place such as in a garage, or on a patio at the rear, without a signature but this is also at your (the customer's) risk. The alternative is to arrange for a neighbour to sign for it on your behalf. If, in the absence of such alternative instructions, a carrier needs to make a second visit to deliver, then there will be a supplementary charge for this return visit. Full details of our delivery charges appear in our catalogue and on our website.

Payment for your order

Customers are requested to let us have payment in full prior to despatch of an order; this may be by cheque, postal order, BACS, cash or credit/debit card, the latter of which will be debited within 24 hours of order despatch. You may also pay by an online payment facility and, if electing to do so, we will e-mail you an e-invoice with the payment link included. For customers with approved credit accounts, payments become due nett on receipt of Invoice, and at latest by the end of the following month. In the event that any accounts are not settled within this period, interest at 2% over base rate per month will be chargeable.

Availability of stock

All the goods in our catalogue and on our website are offered subject to remaining unsold. With Specimen Trees and Hedging Plants, should a particular size be sold out on receipt of an order, we reserve the right to supply the next nearest size at the appropriate price, but one species or variety will not be substituted for another species or variety without customers’ instructions.

Forces beyond our control (wind, snow, frost, hail and rabbits for instance) can and do affect our stock from time to time and so, particularly in the case of post-dated orders, stock that once was available can suddenly not be. We'll do our very best to rectify any such shortages.

Order of Service

During the busy lifting season, orders are in fairness dealt with in rotation, every effort being made to expedite despatch, but customers are asked to make allowance for frost and bad weather, which may considerably delay lifting operations. To achieve the best efficiency with the minimum staff, and maintain an orderly work sequence, the processing and preparation of orders is programmed in advance, so visiting customers are reminded that trees ordered during a call at the nurseries cannot be lifted there and then - but, if rotational despatch is not desired, collection could of course then be booked for a subsequent date. In the event that weather conditions or other causes should prevent a “dated” order being made ready on time, notification of this would be given shortly beforehand.

If required, execution of orders can be deferred to suit planting programmes, but trees reserved in this way are subject to remaining undamaged by exceptional frost, vermin, or other causes beyond control.

Guarantees

We do not offer any blanket guarantees on our living stock (as opposed to our 100% reliable book on pruning, say), relying instead upon confidence in our own plants and the common sense of our customers. If you do experience any kind of problem, please let us know right away, however trivial it may seem. It may well be that within a few moments, we can pinpoint the problem and set you on your way to complete satisfaction or it may be that we already know about the symptoms you are seeing and can help you overcome the situation. Wait until half way through summer and we then have little chance to understand what has happened or to rectify the problem. If it is clearly a problem with the plant, we'll replace it. More often than not, it is likely to be a water issue - either too much or not enough of the stuff. Have a thorough read through our Plant Handling & Planting Instructions that we send with every order acknowledgement (and which are also available to download from our website, under "Useful Stuff") and, if you follow these, your new plants should settle in very well.

VAT

VAT is additional to all prices and charges unless otherwise advised. The current rate of VAT is 20% (May 2020) but the rate charged is that applying on the date of supply. All customers will receive a VAT invoice after the goods have been despatched. If you are a VAT-registered customer, please let us know your VAT registration number at the time of ordering to obtain access to our discounted trade rates. Fruit trees are Zero-rated for VAT purposes and if only Fruit trees are being despatched, the VAT for the Packing & Carriage will also be zero-rated.