Syn-star: full terms and conditions of trade

The below Terms & Conditions apply to any customers placing orders and purchasing (products and services) with Syn-star uk Ltd:
1. Placing Orders & Stock Availability
1.1. All items offered on our website and in-store is subject to availability. We endeavor to advice on our website any items that are currently out of stock, wherever possible. If an item ordered is out of stock we will notify you within five working days of your order being placed. We shall advise you of the likely time scale of any delay, but you are of course at liberty to cancel your order.
1.2. Orders for any of our products can be placed via our Secure Online Server, by telephoning our Customer Service Centre or by completion of a manual application form, which can be faxed or posted back to us.
1.3. All required fields and sections of our order forms must be completed with the correct information.
1.4. We aim to process and dispatch all orders as quickly as possible - usually within two working days. Business orders may take longer due to verification and credit checking processes.
1.5. All orders are checked by our Order Verifying Team for the security of both you and us. Our Order Verifying Team or the mobile phone network may request proof of address and/or proof of identification from you before your order can be processed. If this is the case we will contact you giving you full details of what is required.
1.6. If you are paying for your order by credit or debit card we may carry out checks or "authorisations" with the card issuer for security reasons. If any problems occur with the authorisation of your credit or debit card we will contact you with further details.
1.7. All applications for a pay monthly mobile phone "contract" are subject to a credit check - the mobile phone network may in some cases ask for a deposit to be paid by the applicant before a connection can be made. The network may also decline your application in certain instances. If either of these occurs we will contact you and advise you of the situation.
1.8. Complications caused by any of the above in Clauses 1.3 - 1.7 may cause a delay in the processing and dispatch of your order.
2. Payment and Ownership of Goods
2.1. We accept payment by Visa, Delta, maestro, and MasterCard cards that are not swipe only. Syn-star UK Ltd will never debit any credit/debit card until the order is ready for dispatch In these Terms and Conditions of Business:- "Goods" means goods, services or products offered for sale by us. "Goods" also means mobile phones that are discounted or supplied free with monthly paid contracts.
2.2. "Promotional Product" means an item or product offered free of charge with goods that have been supplied and paid for, or discounted to free.
2.3. Goods and promotional products supplied by us remain our property until the goods are paid for in full. If payment is declined by your cardholder, or your cheque is not honored by your bank, whether before or after dispatch of the goods to you, we will treat the order as canceled. If the goods and promotional products have been dispatched we may:-
a) Require you to return the goods and the promotional products to us in good condition within 7 days; or
b) Require you to pay in full by satisfactory alternative means within 7 days.
2.4. Any claim or obligation under this Clause is without prejudice to our rights under Clause 14 of these Terms and Conditions of Business.
2.5. We verify your credit card details when we take payment for your phone handset. If your handset has no up-front costs we will still ask for authorisation for a nominal sum to debited from your credit card account for the purposes of credit card verification. We will ONLY request authorisation for this sum; no funds will be debited from your credit card account for a handset that has been sold as 'FREE'.
3. Website Accuracy
3.1. Our Website Production & Design team work extremely hard to ensure our website is as accurate as possible and in order to achieve this our website is updated on most days.
3.2. However we cannot guarantee the accuracy of information supplied, especially such things as product specifications, network tariffs, call charges and special offers and promotions which may change without prior notice, before or after you have placed your order with us.
3.3. Products, prices, offers, tariffs and promotions are valid only for the period they are displayed on our website (unless otherwise stated) - all of which are subject to availability. If any of these should change to your detriment or become unavailable in the period after you have placed an order with us we will contact you before proceeding with the order.
3.4. Pictures of products are as a representation only and should be used only as a guide.
Specifications and/or colours of products may change without prior notice.
4. Product Warranty
4.1. All new products come with up to a 12-month manufacturer's warranty. Please ask for further information if you are not clear on the length of warranty you product comes with. This warranty does not affect your statutory rights which cannot be excluded or restricted at law.
4.2. Additional insurance and extended warranty periods for mobile phone handsets maybe available at an extra cost on certain products. We do advise that you consider taking this "Insurance" wherever possible.
4.3. All preowned products come with a three month warranty. This warranty is with Syn-star UK Limited. This warranty does not affect your statutory rights which cannot be excluded or restricted at law.
5. Delivery
5.1. Accessories - we endeavor to dispatch all in stock accessories within 1-2 working days of the order being placed.
5.2. Mobile Phone Contracts - we endeavor to dispatch all contract and prepaid mobile phones within 2-3 working days of ordering. (See clause 1.4 regarding business orders). These items are sent by Royal Mail Silver Service, Parcel Force or City Link Insured Next Day Delivery. Saturday and Monday delivery cannot be guaranteed by Royal Mail and Parcel Force and City Link do not deliver on a Saturday.
5.3. Prepaid Sim Cards - we endeavor to dispatch these connections within 2-3 working days of ordering. Prepaid Sim cards are dispatched by Royal Mail recorded delivery.
5.4. Syn-star UK Limited cannot be held responsible for any delays with Royal Mail, Parcel Force, Parcel Line or any other courier delivery service.
5.5. Parcels sent to the remotes parts of the United Kingdom, such as Northern Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man etc may take longer to deliver.
6. Privacy of Information
6.1. Any information collected by Syn-star UK Limited, including that gathered at the time of ordering/registration is collected lawfully and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.
6.2. Syn-star UK Limited do not sell or transmit any customers personal information, including email addresses, to any organisation for any purpose other than for processing orders placed with us (if necessary).
6.3. Where there is sufficient evidence to suggest that fraud is being perpetrated, (such as the stated name and address being different to that of the credit/debit card owner), Syn-star UK Limited reserve the right to pass identification (such as name, address, email and ISP details) to other businesses, fraud data bases and relevant authorities.
6.4. From time to time we may send you information via email or post regarding your purchase or regarding other services/products available from Syn-star UK Limited. We would always provide an "opt-out" or "unsubscribe" option in any electronic correspondence to enable you to stop any further mailings if you so wished.
6.5. If you require any further information regarding our Privacy of Information policy please email enquiries@syn-star.co.uk
7. Pricing (standard and hourly)
7.1. Unless we indicate otherwise, all prices stated include VAT and delivery within the United Kingdom (excluding Eire). All Errors and Omissions are accepted.
7.2. All quoted prices are exclusive of VAT and carriage and VAT and/or carriage will be added to the agreed price if applicable. Cost of parts required to carry out a successful repair will be extra and are not included in the labour charge quoted. A minimum standard charge for 1 hour applies to any on-site visit. If the on-site visit takes longer than 1 hour, the customer will be charged for the extra hours of labour. A quote for the extra hour(s) will be given to the customer at the time of booking. As an example, the customer is charged for 3 hours if the on-site technician completes the job in 2h50 minutes but the customer can ask the technician to stay for the full length of the extra hour to carry out training or any other computer-related work if necessary.
7.3. All technician requests (when the customer requires a technician from Syn-star UK Ltd to visit there office, home or place of work) Are charged for the physical amount of hours the technician is at the premises. Mileage and travel time may also be chargeable dependent on distance and number of visits to the place of request. No guarantee of being able to complete a given task is offered, you are charged for the technician time only.
7.4. Every effort shall be made to complete a scheduled task within a pre given estimated time frame, however no guarantee for this is offered.
7.5. If invoices are not paid in full within 30 days of the date of invoice interest shall be charged. Also any legal fees or time spent to chase outstanding invoices may be charged.
7.6. If there are any disputes or queries with any work that has been completed this should be reported within seven working days.
8. Mobile Phone Contract Connections and SIM Card Connections
8.1. All mobile phone and prepaid SIM card connections (excluding prepay handsets) are subject to a minimum 12 month airtime contract. All connections (excluding prepay) are subject to a connection fee (unless otherwise stated). All contract connections are subject to status and acceptance by the Network concerned to United Kingdom residents aged 18 years or over. Contract upgrades are also subject to a minimum 12 months airtime commitment.
8.2. A credit check will be carried out by the network/provider prior to connection using the information supplied by the applicant. We will always advise the applicant of any negative credit assessments and connection refusals. syn-star UK Ltd cannot be held responsible for the result of any credit assessments or for any delays caused by insufficient or incorrect information being supplied by the applicant. See also Clause 1.7.
9. Returning Products
9.1. If for any reason you wish to return a product or receive a replacement product please call our Customer Service Team on 01730 233350 for assistance or visit any Syn-star store.
9.2. We would request that you contact our Customer Service Team as soon as any problem becomes apparent.
9.3. We will deal with all replacements and refunds with high priority.
9.4. Replacements will be sent out when the original item is returned.
9.5. It is the customer's responsibility for the safe return of all goods. All items returned under our 14 day return policy (i.e. none faulty) must be returned as they were received with their original packaging and full contents included, along with original documentation and proof of purchase. Items returned in a less than pristine condition and/or with damaged or missing packaging will incur charges to cover the cost of the items. These charges will be pursued by Syn-star UK Limited.
9.6. Where a refund is sought for non faulty items we reserve the right to make a charge to cover our administration costs. This charge will not exceed the direct costs of postage etc.
9.7. Refunds cannot be given if we judge that the product has been willfully damaged, misused, neglected, overloaded, modified, adapted or repaired.
9.8. Where goods become faulty within the first 14 days and qualify for an exchange, the faulty items must be returned to us, with the original packaging, within 14 days of the date of Invoice. Items returned as faulty and subsequently found to be subject to customer damage will incur charges. These charges will be pursued by Syn-Star UK Limited.
9.9. Should the return be because of a change of mind the customer will be responsible for all return postage costs. Contact and pre pay handset packages must be returned within the first 14 days, excluding T Mobile contract and pre pay, all upgrade connections and Just Talk number transfer to Orange contract where the return period is within the first 7 working days. All other items must be returned within the first 7 working days also.
9.10. We will only refund postage or supply a prepaid packet for faulty items that are returned to Syn-Star UK Limited within the first 28 days.
9.11. If returned goods cannot be accepted due to clause 9.7 a charge of 9.99 will be made to cover postage
10. Returning Contract Connections and Contract SIM Connections
10.1. If you are dissatisfied in any way with any contract connection or contract sim connection it is essential that you return it to Syn-Star UK Limited within 14 days of connection, except upgrade connections, Just Talk number transfer to Orange contract and T Mobile contract handsets, where returns must be within 7 days. The day the handset/sim is connected by Syn-star UK Limited is classed as day one. This is usually the date which appears on your delivery Invoice. The exception is T Mobile who class day one as being the day of delivery.
10.2. Upon safe return of the product we will remit to you a full refund.
10.3. All items must be returned as they were received with the original packaging and full contents included along with original documentation and proof of purchase.
10.4. Where a refund is sought we reserve the right to charge the initial cost of delivery. We will not charge for the initial costs of delivery where the product supplied was not of satisfactory quality.
10.5. Clause 10 does not apply to pay as you go or prepaid hand set packages. See Clause 9.
11. Your Legal Rights as a Consumer
11.1. These Terms and Conditions do not affect any of your statutory rights, which cannot be excluded or restricted at law.
12. Complaints
12.1. If you have cause for complaint regarding any service or product provided by Syn-Star UK Limited please email full details for the attention of the Duty Manager to enquiries@syn-star.co.uk. Or in writing to: Syn-star UK Ltd, 7 The Square, Petersfield, Hampshire GU32 3HJ.
12.2. We endeavor to respond to all complaints within two working days and aim to resolve any problems as soon as we can after receiving details of a complaint.
13. Mobile Number Portability
13.1. Should your mobile number transfer be delayed, we cannot be held responsible for any delay occurring after our initial setting up of the procedure with the relevant network, as the mobile number transfer is then totally the responsibility of the two networks and/or service providers involved.
13.2. If your mobile number transfer spans over two separate calendar months we cannot be held responsible for any tariff or line rental changes imposed by the mobile phone networks and service providers.
14. Early Termination of Air Time Contracts / Changing of Tariffs
14.1. Our offers with monthly contract phones and packages are totally dependent on the tariff selected therefore:-
14.1.1. In the event that you are disconnected from your network for any reason within the period of 120 days from your initial billing date, we will invoice you the minimum sum of £200 plus VAT per handset. The charge will be dependent on the tariff selected at the time of disconnection.
14.1.2. Disconnections arising during the initial 14 day period, or initial 7 day period with T Mobile, are the only exceptions to the above clause 14.1.1
14.1.3. In the event that you elect to downgrade your tariff in the first 120 days from your initial billing date ("first period") we will invoice you the minimum sum of £100 plus VAT per handset. The charge will be dependent on the tariff selected at the time of the downgrade. Should you change your tariff during the first 120 days from your initial billing date, either up or down, the "first period" starts again. It is in your interest not to change tariffs in the first 120 days from your initial billing date. Certain Networks may not allow you to change tariff within the first 6 months of your contract. Also see 14.1.5
14.1.4. It is important to note that Orange will automatically downgrade to a Talk share handsets connected by Syn-Star UK Limited, that subsequently have existing handsets added to them as sharers of the tariff set up by syn-star UK Ltd In this instance clause 14.1.3 will apply. It is in your interest not to add handsets, connected prior to that set up by Syn-Star UK Limited, as sharers within the first 120 days from your initial billing date.
14.1.5. It is important to note that some networks and service providers will not allow you to downgrade your tariff during your contract. It is in your interest to select the lowest tariff that is most suitable for your needs at the commencement of your contract. You may upgrade your tariff with all networks.
14.2. Should you have supplied us with your credit or debit card details you hereby expressly authorise us to deduct the above amounts from your card account in the event of either of the above conditions arising.
15. Orders Taken via the Telephone
15.1. We aim to give the most accurate and up to date information available when taking telephone orders. However Syn-Star UK Limited cannot be held responsible for networks, service providers, manufacturers and their distributors who from time to time change specifications, terms and conditions and offers.
15.2. Having read our terms and conditions we recommend that you check the appropriate network and service provider terms & conditions and charges to ensure that you are completely satisfied with these.
15.3. By ordering over the telephone it is deemed that you have read and accepted our terms and conditions
16.Repairs
16.1. Please note that unless given written instructions to save information, Syn-Star accepts no reasonability for the loss of data and do not guarantee to be able to retrieve data.
16.2. All repair cost are for service only & do not include hardware. Hardware is charged in addition to any repair cost paid in advance.
16.3. A minimum charge is applied to all repairs undertaken unless agreed prior to any work being undertaken.
16.4. Syn-star UK Ltd does not accept responsibility for any lost, damaged equipment left in possession at any of their premises.
16.5. Estimates are given subject to change and Syn-star UK Ltd reserves the right to a variance of 50%. If property is not collected within two months of the equipment left with Syn-star uk Ltd it will be disposed of.
16.6. Problems arising not connected with the repair / upgrade will not be covered by subsequent warranties and therefore will be charged separately. There will be no refunds of any machine / equipment that have sustained additional damage by way of liquid or other foreign body.
16.7. We do not guarantee to be able to fix faults, and the advance charge is purely for labour and not guarantee for completed repairs. All software repairs involving viruses are covered by a one week warranty, new virus are not covered. By entrusting Syn-star UK Ltd with either leaving equipment at any of there sites across the UK or requesting a technician to visit your office, home or place of work you agree to all Syn-star UK ltd's full trading terms & conditions.
17. Insurance
17.1. In partnership with WCS insurance and Mobile phone supercover, we offer every customer who does not have inclusive insurance, 2 months free insurance, against theft damage and unauthorised calls. There is nothing to pay up front, if you decide to continue after the 2 months free, you will be charged either £4.99 / £5.99 or £7.99 per month dependent on handset worth.
17.2. Insurance will only begin when your direct debit has been accepted by your bank, which will be confirmed directly to you. Most handsets carry a £25 excess except for three and certain smart phones which, due to their high cost, carry £50.