General Terms & Conditions

WHO WE ARE

Paul Alexander Kitchens (PAK) is the trading name for the registered company Paul Alexander Luxury Kitchens, a limited liability company registered in England and Wales with Company Registration Number 6935145 and whose registered office is situated at: 22 Wycombe End, Beaconsfield, England, HP9 1NB .

GENERAL

If you agree to proceed based on the quotation/proposal provided by PAK, we will issue you with a series of invoices at staggered dates throughout your project. You only need to pay us once you have accepted our quotation/proposal and received a digital invoice. By making the deposit payment you are agreeing to our terms and conditions outlined in this document.

QUOTATION/PROPOSAL

Our quotation/proposal is valid for 30 days. All prices are listed as tax exclusive, with VAT added to the final total at the end. Appliances and worktop prices are subject to change. Please use these prices as an estimate only until the point of ordering.

Upon deposit payment being received PAK will honour prices for 6months, against any supplier price increases. If in the instance the second stage payment hasn’t been made, due to project delay and suppliers increase prices outside of the 6month period, PAK reserve the right to pass on the additional costs.

PAK will give you an estimate price for the hand painting of your cabinets. The exact price will be agreed upon ordering and the client will deal directly with the painter on costs and payment.

CONFIRMATION OF ORDER

Confirmation of an order will only be sent when all details have been agreed with PAK and the first payment has been made. This forms a binding and legal contract between you and PAK. No addition or alteration to the order will be valid unless agreed in writing by PAK. Installation of your kitchen will be included as DRY-FIT with your builder undertaking all electrical and plumbing connections. Plumbing, tiling, electrical and building work will not be included in the contract.

PAYMENT – Supply and Fit

PAK kindly request a payment of 100% for cabinetry, appliances, sinks & taps, worktops and installation is paid in full 14 days prior to your kitchen being delivered. Please see breakdown of payment stages below:

40% Deposit – Upon confirming the Order, this allows PAK to preliminary schedule your installation slot and release the M&E drawings for your builder to prepare the space for the 1^st & 2^nd fix plumbing & Electrical elements.

40% Top Up – When signing off the furniture order to go into fabrication with the workshop. (10-12 weeks prior to delivery to site.) At this stage no more amendments to the design can be made.

20% Remaining Balance – To be paid 14 days prior to your original agreed delivery date. (If your building works are delayed, we will still ask you to make this payment and work with you to re-schedule the installation at the earliest installation slot available.)

Failure to pay will unfortunately result in delivery being delayed until funds are received. No deviation from the above payment terms is permissible without express permission of PAK. PAK reserves the right to charge interest on any outstanding or overdue payments at 3% above the current UK base rate. PAK shall be entitled to either suspend delivery of the goods and installation without notice and charge interest until all amounts owing (including accrued interest) have been paid in full or terminate the contract by notice to you in writing. Failure to pay within this time will result in the debt being passed to our collection company.

DELIVERY

Delivery date is scheduled upon deposit and receipt of order confirmation. Responsibility of the goods will pass to the client upon delivery. Any damage or loss caused by persons not employed by PAK such as builders or other tradespersons is the responsibility of the client. The risk in the goods not installed by PAK shall pass to you on delivery. For goods installed by PAK, any risk shall pass after installation.

PREPARTION

It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure the site is ready for installation, unless PAK recommended building team is undertaking the works. PAK Installation Manager will be overseeing a pre-delivery site check 2 weeks prior to the agreed installation start date. If PAK deem the site is not ready to take delivery of the kitchen, we have the right to re-schedule the installation at our earliest convenience.

Reasons for re-scheduling: Site is not secured/ Space is not water tight/ Plastering not dry/ Walls not painted with finished top coat/ Flooring not down etc. We will then re-schedule the installation at the earliest installation slot.

PAK advise the heating must be working and on in the house so a regular temperature is maintained.

This is not PAK being awkward but looking out for your best interests, as the cabinetry will absorb moisture if not going into a controlled environment and we want the best end finish for you to enjoy your new kitchen.

DUCTING

PAK Installers do not undertake any building work, as such any ducting holes required will need to be prepared by your building contractors prior to our installation. This would include making good of existing or redundant holes from your previous kitchen. Any long or concealed ducting routes will need to be carried out by your builder prior to our arrival onsite. PAK installers will connect the extractor unit to the builders ducting. 6’’ rigid ducting is always required for best performance and reduction in noise as specialist extraction companies are being used.

UNDER FLOOR HEATING

PAK advise underfloor heating not to be fitted beneath any furniture. Especially on front fix skirting as the hot air generated will have nowhere to escape and will potentially result in the furniture warping and cracking.

INSTALLATION

PAK work on a DRY-FIT installation, meaning your builder will be responsible for all 1st and 2nd fix plumbing and electrical works.

Your kitchen installation, depending on size and if it is being hand painted typically takes between 4-5weeks. This is to be used as a guideline and subject to change per project specifics.

1^st Week – Cabinetry will be installed ready for the stone templating.

2^nd/3^rd Week – The stone will usually get templated at the beginning of the 2^nd week and this is the longest on-site lead time. Typically allow for 10-12 working days. PAK Installation Manager will liaise with your builder to make the final electrical and plumbing connections upon stone install.

4^th Week – Installers return to finish off, worktop units (Anything that couldn’t be done prior to worktops going in), plinth and cornice. If your kitchen is larger or more than one room, this will extend the installation period. If you are in the hand painted onsite range, this typically happens next. Following the painting, at this stage we call it ‘Practical Completion’ which means you can start using your kitchen.

Remedial Visit – PAK Installation Manager will then attend site and go over the kitchen with yourselves and form a detailed snagging list to work too for ‘Final Completion’. Which typical takes a further 4weeks, if things need to be re-made in the worktop.

HANDMADE

Each cabinet is handmade and thus unique. Changes in colour, texture and wood grains are all characteristics of this. Our unpainted oak doors are a natural product; that has a natural variation of wood grain and colour.

Natural characteristics of timber such as movement, shakes, moisture, colour or texture are not considered defects. The expansion and contraction of timber is a natural process which can vary depending upon, temperature, moisture and humidity levels. Finally, we are not responsible for damage due to other contractors/tradespersons (e.g. plumbing or after work).

HAND PAINTED

On hand painted products, the frames, door rails & stiles, cornice and plinth skirting are made from timber with the centre panel being MDF. All units will come pre-assembled and primed in one of three base colours that best match your finished colour choice.

Each painted cabinet is hand painted, there may be a slight variation between cabinets. You are advised that brush strokes will be heavier in darker colours of paint, this cannot be remedied. Paint colours can sometimes change over time as they respond to sunlight exposure and moisture content in the air. Hairline cracks in the paint due to movement in the timber are also not to be considered as defects. Chipping due to use; which is repairable with some touch-up paint and is not covered in our guarantee.

FACTORY SMOOTH PAINTED

The doors are constructed from the highest grade of Hidrofugo Moisture Resistant MDF with the frames in solid timber. The painting process consists of 2 coats of primer and 2 top coats (10% sheen which gives the satin matt finish) of A/C paint (Acid catalysed solvent based in both the primer and top coat paint.) This is one of the hardest paint finishes within the kitchen industry. That being said, we always advise treating the kitchen with care. If you hit anything hard enough with a saucepan it will dent and chip. Hairline cracks in the paint due to movement in the timber are also not to be considered as defects. Chipping due to use; which is repairable by third party professional spraying company and is not covered in our guarantee.

STONE WORKTOPS

Quartz is a man-made product and although its 93% natural and 7% man made, it is ultimately still a porous material and care should be taken. We advise to use a chopping board rather than cutting directly on the surface. Quartz is harder than metal so sharp objects such as knives may leave a metal residue on the worktop. Always place items from the oven or hob onto heat pads or stands to protect the surface. Although Quartz has a high heat resistance, a sudden change in temperature can cause thermal shock.

If book-matching in quartz, please note that the industry standard is 75-80% match. This is due to the manufacturing process of tumbling in the ‘pigment’. If you want a 100% match Ceramic is preferred and granite offers 90-95% as long as the slabs our taken from directly behind each other in the cutting block.

GENERAL CLEANING

PAK cabinetry should be cleaned with just warm water and a soft cloth.

Quartz Worktops  – For daily maintenance, wipe over the surface using a damp cloth with a neutral detergent. For ease of removal, we recommend to wipe off any spills as they happen. For more stubborn spills that cannot be removed with water, rub over the area with a nonabrasive scouring pad and a cream cleaner such as Cif.

VARIATIONS IN COLOUR

The customer will be shown a sample of a typical piece of furniture and worktop. Due to the nature of some of the timbers and worktops used there may be natural variations in colour and surface markings. No guarantee is given that the furniture and worktops supplied will be an exact replica in terms of colour and surface markings as those shown in samples.

FITTING TOLERANCES

PAK will endeavour to take as accurate survey dimensions of your space as possible, however when signing off the cabinetry for manufacture 10-12weeks before being delivered to site. Inevitably means at times, we are measuring off block work to block work and some instances walls that are not even removed/ built . We will either allow fillers or extend the frames of units to accommodate this and cannot be accepted as a basis for complaint.

STORAGE

If the agreed delivery date is delayed due to your builder over running, PAK offer 2 weeks FOC storage in the warehouse, after which each subsequent week will be charged to the client at £100 + VAT.

CANCELLATION

Orders are not generally cancellable but may be possible in writing or e -mail provided that all costs, expenses, or other charges already incurred are reimbursed. We retain the right to utilise deposits paid to cover these costs. Any balance in excess will be returned to the customer. We reserve the right to hold up to 25% deposit value.

WARRANTY

All goods supplied by PAK are warranted free from defects. PAK supply high quality cabinetry and are confident that you will be entirely satisfied with your new kitchen. If, however, there is a problem with the cabinetry resulting from a defect in the manufacturing or raw material, we will replace the cabinet for a period of up to 5 years after installation in the UK. Frontals (doors, panels, plinths cornice and pelmets) are guaranteed for a period of five years and should you have a problem resulting from a defect in the manufacturing or raw material, we will provide a replacement (subject to availability). All appliances are covered by the manufacturer’s guarantee. Please refer to manufacturer’s website or speak to us for more details.

PAK offer a 12month installation guarantee. During this period if in the unlikely event ‘An end panel was to fall off’ we would of course attend site and rectify. This does not include everyday general wear and tear, where hinges on doors drop etc or any accidental damage/ mis-use coursed by the end user.

DATA PROTECTION

We respect your privacy and comply with the Data Protection Act 2018. We will not disclose or pass personal details of customers to any third party for marketing purposes. We will in certain instances have to pass on details to our trusted suppliers to perform the contract.

EXCLUSION

For the avoidance of doubt, the contract does not include:

• Making good as a result of removal or repairs caused by other contractors. Please also note, PAK installers will need to scribe to walls. This my result in the need for your decorator to touch up after.
• Disposal of any waste unless quoted for.
• Plumbing in taps. Your/ Builders plumber will be required to connect and plumb in.
• Installation of any non-supplied unit, hardware or appliance unless quoted for.
• Installation or venting of extractors through walls. PAK does not run ducting, this will need to be installed by your own builders prior to our arrival.
• Due to new laws we cannot connect any electrical appliance (unless the company is contracted to arrange this with registered approved contractors) – this must be carried out by a qualified electrician.
• Disposal of any refrigeration or any domestic appliance (we cannot dispose of fridges as under law disposal of such items is governed by strict environmental restrictions – please contact your local council).