Terms and conditions
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR SHEPHERDS HUT
As a professional family run company, we, at Riverside want you to enjoy your shepherds hut to its fullest potential. We provide booklets with the hut regarding all the information needed such as your instructions for electrical goods and paint colours if you ever wish to touch up or re paint your hut. We advise that those booklets are read straight away once you have your hut before operating it, especially as some items will need to be registered straight away to gain the warranty on them.
Once we have discussed the hut, we will send you a quotation detailing the specification of your Hut. The quotation will specify the initial upfront payment required from you before we will begin crafting your Hut ("Deposit”). Once we receive this initial payment, your order is then confirmed and we will send you a detailed build sheet that needs to be read and signed before we commence with the build. Once we have received both your deposit and your signed build sheet then this is a binding contract is formed between us and you ("Contract”).
During the order process we will provide you with updates and photos of the Hut. This paperworks will be prepared in accordance with our discussions with you and can be changed or amended as you require. Once payment has been received, our workshop will begin building your Hut.
Deposit
You have the right to cancel your agreement with us under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 without giving any reason for doing so, provided you give us notice to cancel within 14 calendar days after your order has been placed. We'll refund any monies paid by you as soon as reasonably possible and in any event within 14 days of receiving your written notice of cancellation. If you give us notice to cancel your order after this period but prior to commencement of construction of your Hut we will refund monies paid by you less 10% of the total net price of your Hut. Once we begin construction of your Hut, we are unable to provide a refund.
Warranty
As a valued customer we will always listen to you and try our best to resolve any issues that may arise in an unlikely event during use, after your hut is delivered.
The electrical white goods have their own guarantee which is stated on each written instruction provided with them. We offer a 30 year guarantee on the steel frame and chassis. The manufacturer for the corrugated sides and roof give a 25 year guarantee as long as you are not within 30 miles of the coast and the rest of the hut is just down to wear and tear. The 30 year guarantee does not cover any internal fixtures, fittings, wooden items or appliances.
When is your shepherds hut covered:
- Once your hut is delivered you must give us notice in writing within 2 weeks of receiving your hut on discovering that there may be an issue with it
- We are given the opportunity to examine your hut when we can do so (dependent on our schedule and the distance it requires to travel we shall fit you in as soon as possible). We will require information such as photo evidence of the alleged defect and we agree with you that the shepherds hut (or a part of it) is not fit for purpose
- If we require to visit or collect the hut, you need to ensure it is available to do so on the given dates and within a reasonable time or we provide (at our cost) a repair of the defect
Exclusions
We will not be liable to you for your shepherd’s hut failure to comply with our warranty if any of the following apply:
- You continue to use your shepherds hut after the defect has been reported which could make it worse
- The defect arises because you failed to follow our verbal or written instructions as to the storage, commissioning, installation, use and/or maintenance of your shepherd’s hut
- You (or someone acting on your behalf) alters, modifies or repairs your shepherds hut without our written consent- for this our warranty on self-build frames are limited if the structure is affected on building
- The defect arises as a result of fair wear and tear, wilful damage, abuse, negligence or abnormal storage or working conditions. For example, our warranty would not cover rust, oxidation, fading and/or other blemishes to metal components and/or cosmetic or colouring changes, weathering or cracks in wood components, some or all may affect your shepherd’s hut during the normal course of its use.
Further to what we provide in the booklet your hut must be kept heated during the winter months to avoid any damage. As the hut is full of MDF and timber it will change shape if it is left cold or damp with no heat. This is not something we can repair free of charge.
We cannot be held responsible for burst pipes or water heaters if it has been caused by frost damage from the hut being left unattended and uncared for. The water heater should be turned off and drained before being left for any period of time over the winter months. Taps should be left open to relieve any kind of pressure that may build up whilst the water and water heater are turned OFF.
Any plumbing or electrical works should be done to a standard of which can be signed off by the installer with it working as it should. Failure to comply with the correct requirements or installation techniques cannot be held responsible to Riverside as we have our installers sign the hut off as working when it leaves our workshop. As pressure, flow or plumbing issues to the hut are not our responsibility along with any electrical failures which may occur due to the incorrect installation of cables or attachments, we cannot rectify the issue if it is external. Any visits or diagnostics carried out by Riverside will be charged accordingly if it is down to no fault of their own.
Naturally the hut will need maintenance with regards to painting and maintaining the quality of the windows and doors. If you have a wooden exterior, this will also need to be treated accordingly.
Wooden items in the hut such as the worktop will need to be kept at their optimal condition. No water should be left on this wood as it will stain it. If left exposed to water for a long period of time it will cause damage and stain this oak/wood black.
The doors are provided with cabin hooks to hook the doors back. This is to stop any wind breaking the door off its hinges. If this does happen the door can be replaced but at a cost and a time to suit us. Otherwise, an arrangement must be made by the customer to have it replaced by another carpenter.
Leaded windows will weather naturally and bleed onto the window; this is normal. Over time it will stop and seal itself, it will just require the windows to be cleaned regularly to remove the residue left from the lead.
When the shepherd’s hut leaves our workshop, we remove any metal filings that may have dropped onto the drip flashings however after it has been transported some more of these metal filings may have dropped down. They will just need to be brushed off, it may not be too noticeable however once it has rained it may leave a little rust stain. This is ok, just wipe the rust off, it will not affect the flashing.
The cast iron wheels may rust around the edges where they have been moved around. This is normal where the paint has been chipped, they can just be re sprayed; it does not affect the quality or longevity of the wheel.
The hut must be situated on a level surface to ensure the doors open and close properly; even though it is a steel frame there is still a little bit of movement in the timber door if it is not level and can cause issues down the line if left on an unlevel ground.
As stated on the website, quote and deposit invoice, when you have your hut connected up both by a plumber and an electrician, it should be checked and signed off. We cannot be held responsible for any leaks that occur after delivery if a plumber has not done their checks. The same applies for the electrics, if it is signed off without it being in working order.
Once you receive your buildsheet for your hut as a completed document, please thoroughly check all the detailing to ensure it is correct. Any changes made after the buildsheet has been signed will incur extra charges. We must have a signed buildsheet back to us no less than a month before the hut build starts otherwise it can delay your hut.
If you have any questions or concerns about the terms and conditions, please call 01527 821848 or email hello@riversideshepherdhuts.co.uk