Our Terms and Conditions
Thank you for choosing Fable and Willow. Interior design is our passion, and we are so pleased to be able to share that with you. We are a trading name for the interior design business of IceBlue Marketing and Design Limited whose address is 6 Church Street, Kidderminster, DY10 2AD and the website is www.iceblue.co.uk.
By accepting a quote from us or by making a purchase you are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions. We want to offer you the very best service and experience, so we kindly ask you to carefully review your quote and these terms and conditions to ensure that we have captured everything you want us to do for you and that you understand our policies. Let us know if you need further explanation of any of these terms. Once you have signed to accept our quote there is a legally binding contract between us. We particularly draw your attention to our non-refundable deposit policy and limited rights to cancel once work on your items(s) has commenced and the materials have been ordered. This is because we are making bespoke item(s) to your requirements, and they are designed and made only for you.
Bespoke, Handmade and Made to Measure Items
This can include:
- Made to measure curtains and blinds and lampshades
- Upholstery
- Furniture
- Bed linen
- Personalised items
- Any orders of fabric by the metre
- Any cut wallpapers
These items are handmade by our talented and dedicated team who take pride in every piece they create. Nothing is mass produced and everything is done by hand so please accept that slight variations are not faults but instead part of the charm of owning a unique and one-of-a-kind item.
Design consultation and sampling
The initial consultation, with us, is free of charge within a 10-mile radius of the DY7 6HF or if you choose to discuss your requirements at our showroom. A fee of £50.00 plus VAT per additional 10 miles outside of this free zone, will be payable at the time of the consultation.
The initial consultation is used to understand your requirements, the scope of work required, provide advice and to take measurements. I would always advise a site visit for us to take direct measurements.
If you require assistance in the design phase, then fabric choices and samples can be ordered. If you wish us to source and put together a selection of fabrics, colours and hardware into a room scheme a one-off charge of £75.00 plus VAT is charged per room. You will also be provided with a digital or A4 sample board of ideas for your chosen room. If you choose not to proceed with the order, this deposit will be retained by us as payment for the work undertaken in preparing the room scheme sample board.
If you require larger samples to help with your final decision most companies offer returnable samples which can be borrowed for up to 30 days and then returned in good condition without charge. After this period, the sample would be invoiced if not returned. We can arrange this for you, but any charges incurred will be your responsibility.
Initial Quotation
A full quotation will be provided to you within 14 days of our initial consultation based on your chosen fabric. This will detail the cost of each item to be provided. Estimates are valid for 60 days although we reserve the right to alter the quote should there be a change in the fabric price as suppliers’ price changes are outside of our control. In addition, if all of the elements have not been established at this stage, then these will be costed separately once you have made your final decision.
Acceptance of your order and deposits
A deposit of 50% of the initial quote is required to secure your order. Please note that deposits are nonrefundable and will be used to order in supplies specific to your bespoke item(s). We cannot always send these back to suppliers particularly when material or hardware has been cut so cannot refund you. Once you have agreed the quote, signed and paid your deposit, we will have a mutually binding contract to order materials and make your item(s) and you will be committed to pay Fable and Willow for our work.
For orders where material and hardware costs are more than the 50% of the total estimated cost, 100% of the main fabric and hardware costs will be required for the deposit along with 20% of the make up costs.
The final balance will be adjusted to take account of the actual cost incurred of any extra materials used to complete the item(s) to your specification. All extra costs will be discussed and agreed with you prior to being incurred. On completion of your item(s) you will be given a complete breakdown of the actual costs.
VAT will be added to our invoices at the current rate. If the rate changes between the order date and date of fitting or delivery, we will adjust the VAT that you pay on the final balance.
Estimated date your items will be ready
In relation to made to measure curtains, blinds, lampshades, upholstery, and bespoke furniture, we will aim to commence making your chosen item(s) no later than 10 – 12 weeks from your acceptance of the quote and payment of the deposit. We do not order any materials or commence any work before this so please bear this in mind if you delay in paying the deposit. Please be aware that most products are bespoke and therefore the size of the order and busy periods at Fable & Willow may affect the estimated time of completion. However, if there are to be significant delays of more than 4 weeks, we will advise you as soon as possible and we will update you on the reason for this. We cannot be held responsible for delays caused by circumstances outside of our control.
Usual reasons for delay tend to include (but are not limited to):
- Delay in the supply of specific materials.
- Returning and reorder of spoilt materials.
- Order of specific items to hang soft furnishings not generally available.
- Organisation of 3rd parties, including fitters.
- Volume of work, particularly around the Christmas period. (This will include orders taken any later than the 1st of October in readiness for delivery in December.)
Updates and Reviews
Once your project is in progress, we are happy to provide you with regular updates by text or email such as the arrival of your materials, issues with your materials that might delay us progressing with the project or organising the delivery and fitting. You are also always welcome to contact us for updates.
Measurements
We love working alongside our clients to create beautiful schemes that enhance the home. We prefer to take our own measurements. If you provide us with measurements or quantities or your own fabrics, we will not be responsible, in any way, should the final product not fit or not be suitable if we have followed your instructions. Therefore, please carefully consider your responsibility to provide us with accurate and correct instructions as the cost of any mistakes will be yours alone. Where we undertake to make item(s) to your own sizes, you must give us the sizes in writing and the instructions must say the exact finished size required in cm.
The work will be undertaken on an ‘as-measured’ basis at the point of fitting. Only errors we may have made in measuring your chosen item(s) will be corrected by us, free of charge if they prove not to fit correctly.
Supply of client’s own fabric
If you are supplying your own fabric, you accept responsibility for the quality of that fabric. We reserve the right to charge a 10% checking fee to check the fabric for flaws and to help you manage the return process. We cannot accept responsibility for fabric you supply which may have flaws in the finish or the printing. We will endeavour to indicate any flaws with the materials supplied to us which we notice before cutting the fabric and will discuss these with you, prior to the work commencing. However, client supplied material will not be subject to the same scrutiny we offer to fabrics supplied by us.
Our team
Most of the item(s) are made by us at Fable and Willow. Sometimes we may use the professional services of outside suppliers, but we will always be responsible to you for the quality of the finished item(s).
Fitting and Installation of hardware
In advance of fitting curtains or blinds, we will organise for our fitter to attend your property. We work with a fully qualified, insured, professional fitter. If we advise using our fitter, we will include their costs in the estimate. Please ensure that you grant our fitter unrestricted access to the area where they need to work. We will charge a cancellation fee of £25 should you be unable to keep the appointment we arrange for you.
If you are unhappy with the work undertaken by our fitter and believe it needs to be changed, please advise us as soon as possible. Any potential changes made after measurements have been taken might alter the final appearance of your blinds or curtains. If remedial work is required, due to the changes you require, we reserve the right to charge for this.
We always advise using a professional fitter to fit new tracks, however sometimes we will be working with your existing fittings, or alternatively you may wish to organise fitting of the hardware yourself. Please note that if, for any reason, you choose to replace the track and/or poles after measurements have been taken and have not notified us in advance of making your item(s), the work may not fit, and we cannot be held responsible for this.
Furniture
It is your responsibility to ensure that any furniture purchased will pass through any necessary doorways/corridors/stairways and will fit into the room of your choice. Should your furniture be unable to pass easily through these spaces, we cannot be held liable for any subsequent scuffing or damage caused to walls, doorframes or paintwork nor can we offer a refund as it is a bespoke item made to your specifications.
Installation of Soft Furnishings
We like to ensure that your new curtains and or blinds look their best. We will therefore hang and dress and steam, if necessary, any bespoke items in your home once fitted and this is included in our quote.
Payment
Our preferred method to receive any payment is by a bank transfer, cash, or cheque. We do accept credit and debit cards, but we will add to your invoice a 2.5% surcharge to cover the fees that that the credit and debit card providers charge us for your use of that facility. This will apply to any payments made to us by credit or debit card.
Interim Payments
Where your order comprises of several item(s) or is a large project we reserve the right to issue interim invoices as individual item(s) are fitted or delivered and this will be itemised and accounted for in the invoice for the final balance.
Final Payment
A written invoice will be provided on completion of the item(s) and prior to fitting or delivery, which details the costs of each item, the total order cost and the amount of any deposit or interim payments already received and the final balance to be paid. Final payment is due as soon as the item(s) have been fitted or delivered. All item(s) remain our property until payment is received in full.
Non-Payment by You
Should you refuse or delay in making any payment for your items, which is due to us then we will be entitled to stop work on your item(s). We also charge interest on late payments at the rate of 2% a year above the base rate of the Bank of England base rate from time to time. This interest accrues daily from the due date until the date of actual payment of the overdue amount, whether before are after a court judgment. Should we have to take action to recover our costs, then you will be liable for all of our costs and expenses including legal fees and court fees for doing so.
Cancellation
The item(s) that we make for you are unique and personal to your requirements and as such we only offer a cancellation policy in very limited circumstances. As a bespoke product the Consumer Cancellation Contracts (information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 which offer a 14-day cooling off period do not apply.
If for any reason you change your mind or are unable to proceed with the order, depending on how much work has been undertaken and/or materials ordered or used, we will use our reasonable discretion and may agree cancellation terms with you. You have to pay for item(s) and work done prior to a cancellation by you. We will advise you if it is too late to cancel. If the item(s) have been completed, you must pay us the balance of any amounts outstanding in full.
If you wish to cancel your order you should do so in writing by email to: handmade@fableandwillow.co.uk.
If unforeseen circumstances arise after you place your order which mean that we will have to cancel or significantly reschedule your order, we will notify you as soon as possible. If we are forced to cancel your order after your deposit has been paid, we will give you a full refund of your deposit. If we alter the completion date by more than 8 weeks than originally advised, you will also have a right to cancel with a full refund of any payments made.
Changes
Should you wish to make any changes after we have agreed the quote and specifications for the items(s) then please contact us immediately in writing. We cannot guarantee we will accommodate your changes and there maybe a change to our quote. Much depends on the stage of the works done as at the date you notify us of your required changes.
We may make minor technical adjustments and improvements to the item(s) or be required to make a change to reflect a change in the law. An example of this is the legislation for the cord to be safely fitted on blinds.
Should any changes we need to make affect the finished look or use of your item(s) we will always discuss and agree any such changes with you and offer a right for you to cancel and be fully refunded.
Returns and Refunds
Please understand that all of our handmade item(s) are bespoke to you and we strive to ensure that you are happy with the design, style and fabric before we start the making process. For this reason, we are not able to accept returns and will not be able to offer a refund if you change your mind once the materials have been ordered and the making process has started.
Please note we are unable to give refunds on the following items:
- Damaged items not notified to us by email within 30 days of receipt.
- All bespoke products including made-to-measure curtains and blinds, upholstery, furniture, bed linen and personalised items.
- Any orders of fabric by the metre.
- Any cut wallpapers.
- Any items sold as seconds or sale items.
- Gift cards.
- Bedding - sheets, duvets, pillowcases - which are not returned as new or are returned without original packaging.
Faults and Complaints
We make every effort to ensure our item(s) are as expected. We take photos before item(s) leave the showroom and on installation, alongside a full inspection with the client and so faults are rare. Please be advised that handmade items(s) can sometimes carry small discrepancies and do not have a factory finished look. In addition, some items such as curtains may need a period to hang and settle to get the finished look.
An items true colour, when made in full, may not exactly match any samples and can look different in situ. These are not faults in the item(s).
If, however, the finished item is faulty and that is due to our lack of care or poor workmanship then the following will apply: -Faults must be reported as soon as possible after installations and in any event within 7 days of installation. Please ensure that you check all items on receipt, as faulty items must be reported with accompanying photographic evidence by email to handmade@fableandwillow.co.uk or to Fable & Willow, 41 High Street, Kinver, DY7 6HF. Tel 01834 438443.
- We will make a client visit to assess the fault and where possible, we will correct the fault. Where this is not possible, we will either offer a free replacement or a refund.
- We will not be held responsible for charges if you have another company make alterations – you will still be responsible for the original invoice.
Travel costs
We reserve the right to charge for our travel and parking costs as follows:
- Petrol at a rate of 0.45pence per mile for each mile completed on journeys we make outside of a 15-mile radius.
- Parking charges will be invoiced to the client with proof of purchase.
Risk and Ownership
Any risk to the item(s) getting lost or damaged will remain with us until we deliver the item(s) to you. Once delivered, all risk of any loss or damage to the item(s), immediately transfers to you.
‘Delivery’ means that the items have been collected by you or delivered to your home even if payment is still outstanding.
You do not own the items until you have paid for them in full and if you default on your payment obligations then we have the right to seek the return of the item, collect them from you or refuse to allow the item(s) to leave our premises.
Insurance
We have public liability insurance and are happy to provide you with a copy of the certificate to confirm this should you wish to see it.
Care of your Item
We want all our clients to love their purchases for years to come. Much of the fabric we use cannot be washed or dry cleaned. We will be happy to provide information about the best way to keep your item(s) looking like new.
Where relevant, please follow the manufacturer’s instructions in relation to caring for your item(s). We are unable to provide replacements or refunds for items where instructions have not been followed or for general wear and tear (including artificial and UV light damage). We recommend that you take steps to protect your item(s) from sun damage such as shutting curtains on sunny days and pulling blinds up and down daily to allow fabric to fade evenly.
We cannot be held responsible for shrinkage to curtains that have been steamed, or to curtains exposed to varying humidity causing the fabrics to shrink.
Certain fabrics such as fine silks or linens will be affected more than others from damp, artificial light, UV and sunlight or heat exposure and this is not something that we can prevent or be held responsible for so please bear this in mind when choosing your fabric.
The bespoke item(s) are made for you for normal domestic use only. If any fault arises which is due to your failure to properly look after your Item(s), we will only undertake remedial work, if possible, on terms which we mutually agree and there will be a charge for this.
Safety Measures
Upholstered pieces of furniture must meet the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire & Safety) 1988 regulations. Any fabric supplied to us that is NOT made up of at least 75% natural fibres (cotton, linen, viscose, modal, silk, wool) MUST be Fire Retardant (FR) treated. When the fabric is not treated the price will include a schedule 3 FR Barrier cloth as required. All of the fabric and build materials will be treated with the relevant fire treatments for domestic and contract upholstery when required.
Child safety
It is a legal requirement that all of All our blinds, roman blinds and corded tracks will be fitted and supplied in line with the Child Safety Requirements for Internal Blinds BS EN 13120, BS EN16433 and BS EN 16434. All hardware will use components from approved manufacturers and fit as per the requirements of the above regulations.
If your hardware is supplied by yourselves and does not meet the current Child safety requirements, we will advise you accordingly and reserve the right to turn down the work.
Events outside of our control
We will not be held responsible for any delays or failures to meet our obligations where the delay or failure is due to an event or circumstance beyond our reasonable control. In such circumstances, we will discuss the best way forward but shall not compensate you for the delay.
Ending our Contract with You
We can end our contract with you and claim our costs and expenses (including any legal costs and expenses) if:
- You do not make payments to us when due and you fail to do so after a 7 day reminder; or
- If you do not within a reasonable time of being requested to do so provide us with information or access to your property to enable us to make or provide the item(s).
Our Liability
We are responsible for losses you suffer caused by us breaking the contract unless the loss is unexpected, caused by a delaying event outside of our control, avoidable or a business loss.
“Unexpected” means it was not obvious that it would happen and nothing you said to us before we accepted your order meant we should have expected it.
“Avoidable” means something you could have avoided by taking reasonable action.
“Business loss” means it relates to your use of the item(s) for the purpose of your trade, business or profession.
Personal Data
How we use any personal data you give us in the set out in our privacy notice which can be found here: www.fableandwillow.co.uk/privacy-policy/.
Law and General
These terms are governed by English Law and wherever you live you can bring claims against us in the English courts. If you live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can also bring claims against us in the courts of the country you live in. We can also claim against you in the courts of the country you live in.
