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Terms & Conditions

About Us

1st-direct.com are completely dedicated to your total satisfaction. If you have any suggestions or comments please email us using the link on the Contact Us page.

Our Contact details:
1st-direct.com
Ambassador Business Park
West Stour
Gillingham
Dorset
SP8 5SE
Sales: 0800 328 4150
Technical Help: 01747 839608
Fax: 01747 839609
Email: enquiries@1st-direct.com
V.A.T No. 355933921
Registered in England and Wales 3307133

1st-direct.com accept no liability for any direct, indirect, special, consequential or other losses or damages of any kind arising out of access to, or the use of, this website or any information contained on it. 1st-direct.com is not responsible for and has no liability in respect of any other website's which may be accessed through this site.

The information on this website may not be copied other than for domestic individual's reference purposes with all copyright or other proprietary notices retained. Please note that some images are used for illustrative purposes only. Should you wish to clarify the illustration of a product please contact us.

Making a Purchase

Making a purchase could not be easier. Just browse our store, and add any items that you wish to buy into the shopping cart. After you have finished your selection, click on 'Checkout' and you will be asked for a few details that we need to be able to complete the order.

We accept credit card payment. We accept Switch or Maestro, Visa and MasterCard. We do not accept Diners Club or American Express. You may send your credit card information via phone, fax, snail mail or over the Internet.

When confirmation of order is received, this is to indicate that we have received your order. It does not indicate that a contract exists between us. We will indicate acceptance of your order, and hence a contract between us, when we send you an invoice. We have included this term to protect us in the case that a mistake has been made in pricing, we have inadvertently under-priced goods, or we are no longer able to supply a particular product for some reason. In the case of a change of price, we will always contact you first to ensure that the price is acceptable.

Shipping and Handling

UK Mainland
Orders up to £50.00 exc. V.A.T - £5.99
Orders over £50.00 exc. V.A.T - FREE

Some heavy goods require delivery charges, this is included either in the displayed price or we will work out the extra cost and inform you.

Some areas of Scotland, N Ireland, the Isle of Man & the Isle of Wight will need extra carriage. Delivery is usually via Business Post or Royal Mail but on occasions when the product is shipped directly from our suppliers an alternate means of delivery may be employed. At this time we are unable to ship to Jersey and Guernsey, but if you are still interested in purchasing a product we can arrange for the item to be delivered to a mainland address where you can make arrangements for delivery. We are unable to deliver to PO or BFPO boxes.

Delivery Schedule

90% of deliveries are dispatched overnight if the order is placed by lunchtime the day before. If the item is not stocked or is a special order these are dispatched up to 28 working days from order depending on the goods.

Special delivery instructions may be left for example if the item is a gift or delivery is needed before a certain date. We are unable to instruct our Couriers, Business Post to leave a package without signature. If you instruct us to leave your goods without signature, i.e. an unattended delivery, the responsibility falls on you to ensure a safe delivery site. We will not be held responsible for lost items if your delivery instructions have been passed to our carrier. For all above ground pools especially wooden pools, we require that you ensure an able bodied person meet and assist with the delivery. If you need to arrange that a delivery is made and are unable to sign for the goods please contact us on 0800 328 4150.

If delivery is attempted 3 times by our carriers, and delivery has failed, the goods will be returned to us, and an additional charge will apply for re-delivery. If you decide you no longer require the goods after a failed delivery attempt, there will be a minimum £20 administration charge deducted from any refund to cover shipping & handling.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR DELIVERY

It is ALWAYS best to sign for your delivery as UNCHECKED or make sure you check your delivery BEFORE you sign for it as being received ok.

If you are unable to check your delivery before signing for it, sign for your delivery as UNCHECKED or if the package is damaged in anyway, no matter how small, please sign for it stating DAMAGED. We CANNOT CLAIM from our carriers for any damaged items that have not been signed for as DAMAGED.

If you sign for a delivery which you find at a later date is damaged, our carriers WILL NOT accept liability and you may be charged for the damaged items if we cannot claim from the carriers, In this case a delivery charge for replacement items WILL be made.

By completing your order you agree to abide by these instructions to check your delivery and sign for it accordingly as either OK, UNCHECKED or DAMAGED. If you have signed for your goods as DAMAGED you must notify us by telephone within 3 days of the original delivery date.

Back Orders

If your item is not in stock, we will back order for you. You will always be contacted with the option to cancel your order if you would rather not wait.

Tax Charges

For orders made from the UK or the European Union, 17.5% VAT is added.

Credit Card Security

Credit card numbers are encrypted using 128 bit encryption. They are not held in clear text on any web site.

Guarantee

Prices subject to change. If a product is unavailable we will send a product of a similar type and quality. Should any of our products fail to meet your expectations, our no quibble guarantee allows you to return the goods to us (at your cost providing they are in perfect condition) for exchange or refund within 30 days of purchase. Should these goods prove to be faulty, we will meet the cost of return but we must nominate the carrier used.

While we try and ensure that all prices on our website are accurate, errors may occur. If we discover an error in the price of goods you have ordered we will inform you as soon as possible and give you the option of reconfirming your order at the correct price or cancelling it. If we are unable to contact you we will treat the order as cancelled. If you cancel and you have already paid for the goods, you will receive a full refund.

Acceptance of your order and the completion of the contract between you and us will take place on dispatch to you of the products ordered unless we have notified you that we do not accept your order or you have cancelled it (please refer to Returns and refunds).

Reaching Us

If you need to reach us, please email us using the link on the Contact Us page, alternatively, you can call on 0800 328 4150 or fax us on 01747 839609.

Privacy Policy

1st-direct.com does not disclose buyers' information to third parties other than when order details are processed as part of the order fulfilment. In this case, the third party will not disclose any of the details to any other third party. We may occasionally send you information about our products via the post or email e.g. a new season's catalogue.

Cookies are used on this shopping site to keep track of the contents of your shopping cart, to store delivery addresses if the address book is used and to store your details if you select the 'Remember Me' Option. They are also used after you have logged on as part of that process. You can turn off cookies within your browser by going to 'Tools | Internet Options | Privacy' and selecting to block cookies. If you turn off cookies, you will be unable to place orders or benefit from the other features that use cookies.

Returns & Cancellation Policy

This policy does not apply to the following goods, which are exempt from the right to cancel:

Bespoke items, Liners, Solar Covers, Foam Covers, Winter Covers, Roman Ends, Coping Stones, Slides, Paint, D.I.Y Swimming Pool Kits, Gas/Oil Boilers, Thermalec Heaters, Spas and any other bespoke item.
Any other specifically special orders.

You can cancel your contract at any time up to 7 working days after the day of delivery. You do not have to give a reason for cancellation. However, a brief explanation will help us to improve the service we offer to customers in the future.

At our discretion we may accept goods returned to use unwanted outside of the 7 days, but no more than 28days from the date of purchase, but these goods will be subject to a 20% restocking charge, subject to the condition of the returned goods.

If you cancel you must return the goods to us at your own expense. You must ensure that the goods are packaged adequately to protect against damage.

We recommend that when returning an item that you take out the suitable Parcel Insurance and obtain Proof of Posting. If you cancel when the goods have been dispatched but not delivered you will be liable for the delivery charges.

If you fail to return the goods, we will collect them, and we will charge you the direct cost of collection. If you fail to take reasonable care of the goods before they are returned to us and this results in damage or deterioration, we will charge you for the reduction in value.

This cancellation policy does not affect your legal rights - for example if the goods are faulty or misdescribed.

We regret that we are unable to accept cheques.

Damaged Goods

It is very important to slowly and carefully inspect your items. No claims can be entertained for damaged or missing goods that have been signed for as received in good condition. All damaged goods should be refused and sent back to us after marking the assignment note or delivery document as refused damaged. We should immediately be notified of missing, damaged or late delivered goods, this must be within 72 hours of receiving damged goods. We make every effort to ensure your goods are delivered quickly and arrive in perfect condition but we cannot be held responsible for delay or damage caused or liable for any consequential loss or damage caused.