Terms & Conditions

1.Interpretation

1.1In these Terms:

"BUYER" means the person who accepts the Seller's Written quotation for the sale of the Goods or whose Written order for the Goods is accepted by the Seller;

"GOODS" means the goods (including any instalment of the goods or any parts for them) which the Seller is to supply in accordance with these Terms;

"SELLER" means Symphony Coatings Group Ltd, representing Symphony Coatings Branches in the following regions, South East, East, South, South West, East Midlands, North West, North East.

"CONTRACT" means the contract for the sale and purchase of the Goods;

"INCOTERMS" means the international rules for the interpretation of trade terms of the International Chamber of Commerce as in force at the date when the Contract is made;

"TERMS" means the standard terms of sale set out in this document and (unless the context otherwise requires) includes any special terms agreed in Writing between the Buyer and the Seller;

"WRITING", and any similar expression, includes facsimile transmission but not electronic mail or other forms of electronic communication.

1.2A reference in these Terms to a provision of a statute shall be construed as a reference to that provision as amended, re-enacted or extended at the relevant time.

1.3The headings in these Terms are for convenience only and shall not affect their interpretation.

2.Basis of the sale

2.1The Seller shall sell and the Buyer shall purchase the Goods in accordance with the Seller's Written quotation (if accepted by the Buyer), or the Buyer's Written order (if accepted by the Seller), subject in either case to these Terms, which shall govern the Contract to the exclusion of any other terms subject to which any such quotation is accepted or purported to be accepted, or any such order is made or purported to be made, by the Buyer.

2.2No variation to these Terms shall be binding unless agreed in Writing between the authorised representatives of the Buyer and the Seller.

2.3The Seller's employees or agents are not authorised to make any representations concerning the Goods unless confirmed by the Seller in Writing. In entering into the Contract the Buyer acknowledges that it does not rely on any such representations which are not so confirmed, but nothing in these Terms affects the liability of either party for fraudulent misrepresentation.

2.4Any advice or recommendation given by the Seller or its employees or agents to the Buyer or its employees or agents as to the storage, application or use of the Goods which is not confirmed in Writing by the Seller is followed or acted upon entirely at the Buyer's own risk, and accordingly the Seller shall not be liable for any such advice or recommendation which is not so confirmed.

2.5Any typographical, clerical or other error or omission in any sales literature, quotation, price list, acceptance of offer, invoice or other document or information issued by the Seller shall be subject to correction without any liability on the part of the Seller.

3.Orders and specifications

3.1No order submitted by the Buyer shall be deemed to be accepted by the Seller save and unless it is upon the terms and conditions set out herein by the Seller's authorised representative.

3.2The Buyer shall be responsible to the Seller for ensuring the accuracy of the terms of any order (including any applicable specification) submitted by the Buyer, and for giving the Seller any necessary information relating to the Goods within a sufficient time to enable the Seller to perform the Contract in accordance with its terms.

3.3The quantity, quality and description of the Goods and any specification for them shall be as set out in the Seller's quotation (

3.4If the Goods are to be manufactured or any process is to be applied to the Goods by the Seller in accordance with a specification submitted by the Buyer, the Buyer shall indemnify the Seller against all loss, damages, costs and expenses awarded against or incurred by the Seller in connection with, or paid or agreed to be paid by the Seller in settlement of, any claim for infringement of any patent, copyright, design, trade mark or other industrial or intellectual property rights of any other person which results from the Seller's use of the Buyer's specification.

3.5The Seller reserves the right to make any changes in the specification of the Goods which are required to conform with any applicable statutory or E.U. requirements or, where the Goods are to be supplied to the Buyer's specification, which do not materially affect their quality or performance.

3.6No order which has been accepted by the Seller may be cancelled by the Buyer except with the agreement in Writing of the Seller and on terms that the Buyer shall indemnify the Seller in full against all loss (including loss of profit), costs (including the cost of all labour and materials used), damages, charges and expenses incurred by the Seller as a result of cancellation.

3.7Where the Seller accepts cancellation by the Buyer, the minimum sum payable by the Buyer to the Seller shall be 25% of the invoice value of the order which has been cancelled.

4.Price of the goods

4.1The price of the Goods shall be the Seller's quoted price or, where no price has been quoted (or a quoted price is no longer valid), the price listed in the Seller's published price list current at the date of acceptance of the order. Where the Goods are supplied for export from the United Kingdom, the Seller's published price list shall apply. All prices quoted are valid for 30 days only or until earlier acceptance by the Buyer, after which time they may be altered by the Seller without giving notice to the Buyer.

4.2The Seller reserves the right, by giving Written notice to the Buyer at any time before delivery, to increase the price of the Goods to reflect any increase in the cost to the Seller which is due to any factor beyond the control of the Seller (such as, without limitation, any foreign exchange fluctuation, currency regulation, alteration of duties, significant increase in the costs of labour, materials or other costs of manufacture), any change in delivery dates, quantities or specifications for the Goods which is requested by the Buyer, or any delay caused by any instructions of the Buyer or failure of the Buyer to give the Seller adequate information or instructions.

4.3Except as otherwise stated in the Seller's Written quotation or in any price list of the Seller, and unless otherwise agreed in Writing between the Buyer and the Seller, all prices are given by the Seller on an ex works basis, and where the Seller agrees to deliver the Goods otherwise than at the Seller's premises, the Buyer shall be liable to pay the Seller's charges for transport, packaging and insurance.

4.4The price is exclusive of any applicable value added tax, which the Buyer shall be additionally liable to pay to the Seller.

5.Terms of payment

5.1Subject to any special terms agreed in Writing between the Buyer and the Seller, the Seller may invoice the Buyer for the price of the Goods on or at any time after delivery of the Goods, unless the Goods are to be collected by the Buyer or the Buyer wrongfully fails to take delivery of the Goods, in which event the Seller shall be entitled to invoice the Buyer for the price at any time after the Seller has notified the Buyer that the Goods are ready for collection or (as the case may be) the Seller has tendered delivery of the Goods.

5.2The Buyer shall pay the price of the Goods (less any discount to which the Buyer is entitled, but without any other deduction within 60 days of the end of the month in which the order was placed, and the Seller shall be entitled to recover the price, notwithstanding that delivery may not have taken place and the property in the Goods has not passed to the Buyer. The time of payment of the price shall be of the essence of the Contract. Receipts for payment will be issued only upon request. Where any payment is overdue, all unpaid invoices shall become due and payable forthwith.

5.3If the Buyer fails to make any payment on the due date then, without limiting any other right or remedy available to the Seller, the Seller may:

5.3.1cancel the contract or suspend any further deliveries to the Buyer;

5.3.2appropriate any payment made by the Buyer to such of the Goods (or the goods supplied under any other contract between the Buyer and the Seller) as the Seller may think fit (notwithstanding any purported appropriation by the Buyer); and

5.3.3charge the Buyer interest (both before and after any judgment) on the amount unpaid, at the rate of 4 per cent per annum above the Bank of England base rate from time to time, until payment in full is made (a part of a month being treated as a full month for the purpose of calculating interest).

6.Delivery

6.1Delivery of the Goods shall be made by the Buyer collecting the Goods at the Seller's premises at any time after the Seller has notified the Buyer that the Goods are ready for collection or, if some other place for delivery is agreed by the Seller, by the Seller delivering the Goods to that place.

6.2Any dates quoted for delivery of the Goods are approximate only and the Seller shall not be liable for any delay in delivery of the Goods however caused. Time for delivery shall not be of the essence of the Contract unless previously agreed by the Seller in Writing. The Goods may be delivered by the Seller in advance of the quoted delivery date on giving reasonable notice to the Buyer.

6.3Where the Goods are to be delivered in instalments, each delivery shall constitute a separate contract and failure by the Seller to deliver any one or more of the instalments in accordance with these Terms or any claim by the Buyer in respect of any one or more instalments shall not entitle the Buyer to treat the Contract as a whole as repudiated.

6.4If the Seller fails to deliver the Goods (or any instalment) for any reason other than any cause beyond the Seller's reasonable control or the Buyer's fault, and the Seller is accordingly liable to the Buyer, the Seller's liability shall be limited to the excess (if any) of the cost to the Buyer (in the cheapest available market) of similar goods to replace those not delivered over the price of the Goods.

6.5If the Buyer fails to take delivery of the Goods or fails to give the Seller adequate delivery instructions at the time stated for delivery (otherwise than by reason of any cause beyond the Buyer's reasonable control or by reason of the Seller's fault) then, without limiting any other right or remedy available to the Seller, the Seller may:

6.5.1store the Goods until actual delivery and charge the Buyer for the reasonable costs (including insurance) of storage

6.5.2sell the Goods at the best price readily obtainable and (after deducting all reasonable storage and selling expenses) account to the Buyer for the excess over the price under the Contract or charge the Buyer for any shortfall below the price under the Contract.

6.6In the event that the Buyer requests an express shipment, the price for express shipment shall be agreed between the parties at the time of the request. Time shall not be of the essence of this clause. The Buyer expressly agrees with the Seller that the liability of the Seller in respect of this service shall not exceed any sum that the Seller can recover from the carrier.

7.Risk and property

7.1Risk of damage to or loss of the Goods shall pass to the Buyer:

7.1.1in the case of Goods to be delivered at the Seller's premises, at the time when the Seller notifies the Buyer that the Goods are available for collection; or

7.1.2in the case of Goods to be delivered otherwise than at the Seller's premises, at the time of delivery or, if the Buyer wrongfully fails to take delivery of the Goods, the time when the Seller has tendered delivery of the Goods.

7.2Notwithstanding delivery and the passing of risk in the Goods, or any other provision of these Terms, the property in the Goods shall not pass to the Buyer until the Seller has received in cash or cleared funds payment in full of the price of the Goods and all other goods agreed to be sold by the Seller to the Buyer for which payment is then due.

7.3Until such time as the property in the Goods passes to the Buyer, the Buyer shall hold the Goods as the Seller's fiduciary agent and bailee, and shall keep the Goods separate from those of the Buyer and third parties and properly stored, protected and insured and identified as the Seller's property, but the Buyer may resell or use the Goods in the ordinary course of its business.

7.4Until such time as the property in the Goods passes to the Buyer (and provided the Goods are still in existence and have not been resold), the Seller may at any time require the Buyer to deliver up the Goods to the Seller and, if the Buyer fails to do so forthwith, enter on any premises of the Buyer or any third party where the Goods are stored and repossess the Goods.

7.5The Buyer shall not be entitled to pledge or in any way charge by way of security for any indebtedness any of the Goods which remain the property of the Seller, but if the Buyer does so all moneys owing by the Buyer to the Seller shall (without limiting any other right or remedy of the Seller) forthwith become due and payable.

8.Warranties and liability

8.1In respect of goods manufactured by the Seller no separate warranty is offered or given. Entirely at the Seller's discretion, in the event that a complaint is made regarding the Goods, the Seller shall have the right to request samples from the Buyer for testing and again at its own discretion, provide replacement goods or provide a credit in respect of the goods.

8.2In respect of goods which have been supplied to the Seller by the Seller's supplier, the Buyer shall only be entitled to the benefit of any warranty or guarantee as is given by the supplier to the Seller.

8.3Subject to and without prejudice to clause 8.2:

8.3.1the Seller shall be under no liability in respect of any defect in the Goods arising from any drawing, design or specification supplied by the Buyer;

8.3.2the Seller shall be under no liability in respect of any defect arising from fair wear and tear, wilful damage, negligence, abnormal working conditions, failure to follow the Seller's instructions (whether oral or in Writing), misuse or alteration or repair of the Goods without the Seller's approval;

8.3.3the Seller shall be under no liability under the above warranty (or any other warranty, condition or guarantee) if the total price for the Goods has not been paid by the due date for payment;

8.4Subject as expressly provided in these Terms, and except where the Goods are sold to a person dealing as a consumer (within the meaning of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977), all warranties, conditions or other terms implied by statute or common law are excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.

8.5Where the Goods are sold under a consumer transaction (as defined by the Consumer Transactions (Restrictions on Statements) Order 1976) the statutory rights of the Buyer are not affected by these Terms.

8.6A claim by the Buyer which is based on any defect in the quality or condition of the Goods or their failure to correspond with specification shall (whether or not delivery is refused by the Buyer) be notified to the Seller within seven days from the date of delivery or (where the defect or failure was not apparent on reasonable inspection) within a reasonable time after discovery of the defect or failure. If delivery is not refused, and the Buyer does not notify the Seller accordingly, the Buyer shall not be entitled to reject the Goods and the Seller shall have no liability for such defect or failure, and the Buyer shall be bound to pay the price as if the Goods had been delivered in accordance with the Contract.

8.7Where a valid claim in respect of any of the Goods which is based on a defect in the quality or condition of the Goods or their failure to meet specification is notified to the Seller in accordance with these Terms, the Seller may replace the Goods (or the part in question) free of charge or, at the Seller's sole discretion, refund to the Buyer the price of the Goods (or a proportionate part of the price), in which case the Seller shall have no further liability to the Buyer.

8.8Except in respect of death or personal injury caused by the Seller's negligence, or liability for defective products under the Consumer Protection Act 1987, the Seller shall not be liable to the Buyer by reason of any representation (unless fraudulent), or any implied warranty, condition or other term, or any duty at common law, or under the express terms of the Contract, for loss of profit or for any indirect, special or consequential loss or damage, costs, expenses or other claims for compensation whatsoever (whether caused by the negligence of the Seller, its employees or agents or otherwise) which arise out of or in connection with the supply of the Goods (including any delay in supplying or any failure to supply the Goods in accordance with the Contract or at all) or their use or resale by the Buyer, and the entire liability of the Seller under or in connection with the Contract shall not exceed the price of the Goods, except as expressly provided in these Terms.

8.9The Seller shall not be liable to the Buyer or be deemed to be in breach of the Contract by reason of any delay in performing, or any failure to perform, any of the Seller's obligations in relation to the Goods, if the delay or failure was due to any cause beyond the Seller's reasonable control. Without limiting the foregoing, the following shall be regarded as causes beyond the Seller's reasonable control:

8.9.1Act of God, explosion, flood, tempest, fire or accident;

8.9.2war or threat of war, sabotage, insurrection, civil disturbance or requisition;

8.9.3acts, restrictions, regulations, bye laws, prohibitions or measures of any kind on the part of any governmental, parliamentary or local authority;

8.9.4import or export regulations or embargoes;

8.9.5strikes, lock outs or other industrial actions or trade disputes (whether involving employees of the Seller or of a third party);

8.9.6difficulties in obtaining raw materials, labour, fuel, parts or machinery;

8.9.7power failure or breakdown in machinery.

9.Indemnity

9.1If a claim is made against the Buyer that the Goods infringe or that their use or resale infringes the patent, copyright, design, trade mark or other industrial or intellectual property rights of any other person, then unless the claim arises from the use of a drawing, design or specification supplied by the Buyer, the Seller shall indemnify the Buyer against all loss, damages, costs and expenses awarded against or incurred by the Buyer in connection with the claim, or paid or agreed to be paid by the Buyer in settlement of the claim, provided that:

9.1.1the Seller is given full control of any proceedings or negotiations in connection with the claim;

9.1.2the Buyer shall give the Seller all reasonable assistance for the purposes of any such proceedings or negotiations;

9.1.3except pursuant to a final award, the Buyer shall not pay or accept the claim, or compromise any such proceedings without the consent of the Seller (which shall not be unreasonably withheld);

9.1.4the Buyer shall do nothing which would or might vitiate any policy of insurance or insurance cover which the Buyer may have in relation to such infringement, and this indemnity shall not apply to the extent that the Buyer recovers any sums under any such policy or cover (which the Buyer shall use its best endeavours to do);

9.1.5the Seller shall be entitled to the benefit of, and the Buyer shall accordingly account to the Seller for, all damages and costs (if any) awarded in favour of the Buyer which are payable by, or agreed with the consent of the Buyer (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld) to be paid by, any other party in respect of any such claim; and

9.1.6without limiting any duty of the Buyer at common law, the Seller may require the Buyer to take such steps as the Seller may reasonably require to mitigate or reduce any such loss, damages, costs or expenses for which the Seller is liable to indemnify the Buyer under this clause.

10.Insolvency of buyer

10.1This clause 10 applies if:

10.1.1the Buyer makes a composition or voluntary arrangement with its creditors or (being an individual or firm) becomes bankrupt or (being a company) enters administration or goes into liquidation (otherwise than for the purposes of amalgamation or reconstruction), or a moratorium comes into force in respect of the Buyer (within the meaning of the Insolvency Act 1986); or

10.1.2an encumbrancer takes possession, or a receiver is appointed, of any of the property or assets of the Buyer; or

10.1.3the Buyer ceases, or threatens to cease, to carry on business; or

10.1.4the Seller reasonably apprehends that any of the events mentioned above is about to occur in relation to the Buyer and notifies the Buyer accordingly.

10.2If this clause applies then, without limiting any other right or remedy available to the Seller, the Seller may cancel the Contract or suspend any further deliveries under the Contract without any liability to the Buyer, and if the Goods have been delivered but not paid for the price shall become immediately due and payable notwithstanding any previous agreement or arrangement to the contrary.

11.Export terms

11.1Unless the context otherwise requires, any term or expression which is defined in or given a particular meaning by the provisions of Incoterms shall have the same meaning in these Terms, but if there is any conflict between the provisions of Incoterms and these Terms, the latter shall prevail.

11.2Where the Goods are supplied for export from the United Kingdom, the provisions of this clause 11 shall (subject to any special terms agreed in Writing between the Buyer and the Seller) apply notwithstanding any other provision of these Terms.

11.3The Buyer shall be responsible for complying with any legislation or regulations governing the importation of the Goods into the country of destination and for the payment of any duties on them.

11.4Unless otherwise agreed in Writing between the Buyer and the Seller, the Goods shall be delivered fob the air or sea port of shipment and the Seller shall be under no obligation to give notice under section 32(3) of the Sale of Goods Act 1979.

11.5The Buyer shall be responsible for arranging for testing and inspection of the Goods at the Seller's premises before shipment. The Seller shall have no liability for any claim in respect of any defect in the Goods which would be apparent on inspection and which is made after shipment, or in respect of any damage during transit.

11.6Unless otherwise required by the Seller, payment of all amounts due to the Seller shall be made by irrevocable letter of credit, in a form acceptable to the Seller, to be opened by the Buyer in favour of the Seller and confirmed by a bank in the United Kingdom acceptable to the Seller within 14 days after the Contract is concluded.

12.General

12.1A notice required or permitted to be given by either party to the other under these Terms shall be in Writing addressed to that other party at its registered office or principal place of business or such other address as may at the relevant time have been notified pursuant to this provision to the party giving the notice.

12.2No waiver by the Seller of any breach of the Contract by the Buyer shall be considered as a waiver of any subsequent breach of the same or any other provision.

12.3If any provision of the Contract is held by a court or other competent authority to be invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part the validity of the other provisions of the Contract and the remainder of the provision in question shall not be affected.

12.4The Contract shall be governed by the laws of England, and the Buyer agrees to submit to the non exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.