Delivery and Return Policy

Delivery Options

Delivery

Items and products can be delivered to any address as long as the address of delivery and billing match. All deliveries must be signed for (with the exception of items mailed by post and those small enough to be put through your letterbox). Please ensure the receipts are enclosed with your goods. Applicable delivery fees are automatically added when you add products to your shopping cart. You will always see this charge before submitting your order. The timescales for all deliveries depend on the availability of products and delivery slots. For small parcels, the delivery may be made by Royal Mail. Subject to availability, products are delivered the next working day. Nonetheless, delivery could take up to six working days. Please check for missing or damaged parts and notify us within 48 hours to resolve any arising issue upon receipt of your goods. Your order contents and delivery postcode area determine which delivery services would be available to you. EssexGates (Vgates Ltd) does not deliver to Post Office Box or shipping agent addresses. We deliver between 7 am and 6 pm on weekdays only– we cannot confirm the exact delivery hour. EssexGates (Vgates Ltd) selects the most suitable carrier for your goods. This implies your delivery may arrive in more than one batch. We do this to ensure your order is transported in the best possible way. While we make every reasonable effort to keep to any delivery date, the delivery time shall be of no essence. EssexGates (Vgates Ltd) shall not be liable for any losses, costs, damages, or expenses incurred by the customer or any other person or company arising directly or indirectly from any failure to meet any estimated delivery date. Upon delivery to the customer, the risk in the goods shall pass from the company to the customer.

Postage

Depending on your order contents and delivery service choice, you will only pay one delivery charge per order. When all items have been added to your shopping cart, the standard delivery charge for those products becomes applicable automatically to your order.

Our Product Returns Policy

Please see below the guide to our returns policy, which aims to replace faulty products fast and straightforwardly. You have 28 days to return an item purchased from EssexGates (Vgates Ltd) if you need to. Please note that cut-to-length steels are bespoke products that, once cut, cannot be returned. If this is your case, please contact our sales staff as it is at our discretion whether we will accept the cut-to-length steel return. It is required that the returned goods must be in a resalable state, and any goods or accessories that accompany the returned product must also come back to us. Also, please return the goods with their original box, packing, and accessories. Provided we know this within 10 working days, EssexGates (Vgates Ltd) will offer a full refund or replacement if the return is due to missing or faulty parts. Any refund due to a fault or other defect will include a refund of the applicable delivery cost. Your order may arrive and be the latest model as and when the manufacturer has launched a new version of the product. In the case that the part cannot be used as a direct replacement, you will be contacted before your order is dispatched. Please contact our sales team for information on corresponding returns addresses. Note that this returns policy does not affect your legal rights.

General Points

Please check our products for their warranty periods. The exceptions are cut-to-length steels, and once cut, cannot be canceled or returned. All our warranty returns require a return number, and you can obtain it by contacting our sales team. If the return is for an item with a suspected fault covered under warranty, you will first need to contact our technical or sales team to issue the return number. You must obtain a return number before sending the product back or returning it to the branch where it was purchased.

Advanced replacements:

EssexGates (Vgates Ltd) does not offer advanced replacements. If you require a replacement product to be sent out in advance of the suspected faulty unit being returned, a purchase order or payment will be required. If we can find no fault with the original returned product (or the item has been damaged and, therefore, not covered by warranty), a credit will not be raised, and the original item returned to you. We may request payment for the return of non-faulty goods in some circumstances.

PLEASE NOTE:

It is essential that you are aware that we issue a return number based exclusively on the information you gave us. This does not automatically confirm that the product is faulty as we can only diagnose a suspected fault by what we are told over the telephone. Please understand that your original product may not be defective but might have been incorrectly installed, damaged during installation, or unintentionally damaged during operation. The suspected faulty item will be thoroughly tested when we receive it back. If the product, which is within the warranty period, is defective, a credit, repair, or replacement product will be issued depending on the requirement. However, if the product is not found with any fault, it will be returned to you with a copy of the inspection sheet and without credit or replacement issued. Please be aware that without a Returns number, we will not be able to process the received product, and it will be set apart while we await further instruction from the customer.

Please note the following fault causes will negate the product warranty:

• Water ingress.
• Unauthorized component replacement, using non-genuine manufacturer products.
• Insect damage
• Third-party damage (e.g., evidence of a product that has been forced or incorrect installation)

Under the above circumstances, EssexGates (Vgates Ltd) will not raise a credit for the products or issue new products without charge.

Restocking Charges:

In instances where ordered items are not required, we will accept the products back under these conditions:

• The products have not been installed
• The products are returned as complete items
• All packaging and instructions for each product are as new

A restocking charge will be levied on every unwanted return. The product condition will determine the amount to be charged. However, the restocking charge will be a minimum of 20% of the item value for all returns within 30 days of the original purchase date. Contingent upon the circumstances, we reserve the right to impose a higher restocking charge. Any products not in original packaging upon return, which will disable us to re-sell the products to another customer, will be returned to the sender without credit issued

Repairs

Repairs for out-of-warranty products will be conducted on a chargeable basis. We will advise of the inspection fee at the time a returns number is generated. Before the inspection, we will require a purchase order. Customers who hold no credit facility with EssexGates (Vgates Ltd) will have to pay for the inspection charge by Pro-forma or credit card. When we perform a repair, the product’s repaired element will come with a 3-month warranty from the date of the repair shown on the invoice. Nevertheless, please be aware that we are not able to repair any product for outdated systems.

When sending goods back to the manufacturer for Credit or repair:

Please package all items securely in an outer carton, ensuring that the manufacturer’s packaging is not marked in any way and damaged during transit. Enclose the returns paperwork we send to you within the packaging. Once your items are received in our warehouse, they will be thoroughly checked if they are returned for credit. If found to be in a suitable condition, a credit will be issued via your original payment method, less any applicable restocking charge. Please note that a product received without a returns number will not be processed, and it will be separated, awaiting added instruction from the customer.

Force Majeure

EssexGates (Vgates Ltd) shall have no liability to you for the following:

• Any failure to deliver goods you have ordered, or
• Any delay in doing so, or any damage or defect to goods delivered caused by any event or
• Circumstance beyond its reasonable control.

Bespoke/Special Order Returns Policy

We have a strict no-return policy on fabricated or bespoke products ordered via the website, telephone, or office. This covers any item or products that must be fabricated, ordered specially, or finished in any non-stock finish. All Gates are non-refundable.

Cancellation of Orders

You can cancel your order before shipping with no cost penalty incurred and full credit of your account if monies have already been taken. Cancel your order by following the links on the EssexGates (Vgates Ltd) (www.essexgates.co.uk) website or by calling us on 01277 582111. For more information or to discuss the contents of this delivery and returns policy further, please do not hesitate to contact our sales team using the Contact Us form on our website (www.essexgates.co.uk) or send a mail to info@essexgates.co.uk.