Terms and Conditions
We're not big on small print, so we'll keep this short and simple. A few points you really need to know first, then we'll get on with the details:
- If you change your mind about your order, or decide what you've bought isn't suitable, you can return it to us within 30 days for a full refund. You are responsible for the cost of postage to send it back to us. We do ask that all items are still in as-new condition, in their original packaging, and that fountain pens (and similar items) have not been inked. If your goods are not in this state, please contact us to discuss if we can help - we'll do our best!
- Some companies don't really want to hear from you, and would really rather not help if there's a problem. That's not us. We want you to be happy with what you buy from us, and we're very happy to talk to you. If there's a problem with anything, please do let us know. We can usually sort out problems you might have thought were too small to bring up, and even things that are just a matter of taste, or suitability for an unusual purpose, are often really useful for us to know about.
- If you do have a problem, we will:
- Respond to your query within one working day.
- Keep you informed.
- Work with you to reach an amicable resolution.
- If your item arrives and is faulty, we will refund the cost of your return postage as well as offering a repair, exchange or refund.
These terms do not affect your statutory rights.
- We are The SQL Workshop Ltd, trading as Cult Pens. We're registered in Swindon, company number 2676287, and our VAT number is 238 5548 36. We're actually based in Tiverton, in Devon, in the South West of England. Full contact details are available here.
Still with us? Good - that's the most important stuff done, so things may go on a bit from here, but it's still important stuff if you want to know the details. We'll do our best to keep it readable.
Regulations and The Law
We are bound by the Consumer Contracts Regulations in the UK, and by the EU Consumer Rights Directive across the European Union. We generally go a bit further than the rules say in trying to keep you happy, but they're always there to fall back on. You can find out more about these laws and regulations here:
Returns Policy
As covered above, you can return anything for any reason, within 30 days of receiving it, as long as it's in 'as-new' condition, with all packaging intact. Fountain pens and other similar items shouldn't be inked. If you have something you'd like to return that doesn't fit into that, do contact us to ask, and we'll help if we can. We have to be fair to other customers, though - if something is too old, or has been out of our hands for too long, it wouldn't be fair for us to sell it as new. Inked fountain pens normally incur a cleaning charge to return them to new condition, and in cases where we decide we can accept returns of items over 30 days old, we may need to charge a restocking fee.
If an item is faulty, the above time frames don't apply and we would also refund the cost of returning the item to us.
If you're outside the EU, and return something for exchange that isn't faulty, you will need to pay the delivery charge again for us to send the replacement item.
Items ordered in specially for you can't usually be returned unless there's a problem with them, but again, contact us in case we can arrange something for you.
If you received something free for buying the items you're returning, you should also return the free item. For example, if you took advantage of an offer to spend £20 on certain products, and got a free widget; if you return those products, you should also return the widget.
These terms do not affect your statutory rights.
Pre-ordering Items
For items pre-ordered before they become available, your order will be shipped once the pre-ordered item is available.
If an item is available for pre-order, you will be able to purchase online. We will take the payment at the time of the order and dispatch to you as soon as the order is complete. Expected date of dispatch will be stated on the website, and if this changes you will be advised.
While every effort will be made to complete your order, we can't guarantee availability until the pre-ordered product is received, but we will keep you informed.
Unless clearly stated otherwise in the product description, you can cancel or return any pre-order the same way as any other item bought from us.
Description and Image Errors
We do our best to make sure images on the site accurately represent the items we're selling, because we think it's important. It's worth keeping a few things in mind, though:
- Colours show up differently on different screens. What looked right on our screen when we set it up might look a little different on yours.
- Manufacturers make minor changes to products occasionally, and we don't always know about them in time to keep up. If you know a design has changed, and the version is important to you, it's best to check with us so we can check the actual stock we have, rather than assuming it's exactly as shown.
- We often show a photo of the gift box supplied with a pen or other product. Occasionally, these can change too. Manufacturers change box designs, and may sometimes have to substitute a different gift box. Again, it's best to double-check with us if the specific box is important to you.
- While we're very careful with our descriptions, errors are possible here too.
- Pricing errors can happen - we've all heard stories of retailers who accidentally list an item at a fraction of the price it should be. Some people say the store has to sell it at that price, but they don't. We're a small company, so we're unlikely to be able to afford to cover the cost of a simple typo. If an error like this happens, and you place an order, we'll let you know about the error, and give you the option to cancel the order or pay the correct price. It's very unlikely, though, as we're very careful people. A contract is not agreed until we confirm shipment of your order.
All in all, we try very hard not to make mistakes, but we are human (and one spaniel), and humans do sometimes make mistakes. So do spaniels, very occasionally, but they are a bit closer to perfection.
Shipping and Delivery
Within the UK, we ship most orders by Royal Mail, using First Class post. While this is referred to by Royal Mail as a 24-hour service, it isn't guaranteed, and delays can happen. Royal Mail won't consider a package lost until 15 business days from posting, but we'll usually assume it's gone missing after 14 actual days - two weeks. This sort of delay is very unusual, but happens occasionally. We'll always sort out any delivery problems, but please be patient when things go wrong. If you have a deadline, we'd always recommend upgraded delivery, and contacting us so we can be really sure of stock levels before we make any promises.
We can't guarantee delivery to PO Boxes, but we don't usually see any problems with them.
If your order doesn't arrive, you need to let us know within 30 days of ordering. For international orders, delivery can take longer, but please let us know within 60 days if it hasn't arrived.
Guarantees and Warranties
We only stock items from good, reputable brands, all normally supplied to us directly from the manufacturer or their official UK distributor (with a few exceptions for rare specially-imported items). As such, you have the full backing of the manufacturer's guarantee as well as your consumer rights from us. Just let us know if you have any problems, and we'll always be happy to help you out if you need assistance with a fault.
And for those few rare special import items? Don't worry - we'll cover any problems with those ourselves, or make sure you can easily deal with the manufacturer directly. We won't leave you stuck if we can help it.
Privacy
We respect your privacy, and we hate spam too. The very short version is that we try not to do anything that would be annoying to us, because we don't want to annoy you. We don't sell your details or pass them on, except in these specific ways:
- If you pay by card, our payment processor (Pay360, part of Capita) will need your address and card data, but only to process your payment.
- Shortly after your order, we ask Trustpilot to contact you to see if you're interested in reviewing our service. We send them only your name, email address and order number. If you don't wish to review us just ignore this email and they won't contact you again. You will also be given the option to ask Trustpilot to never contact you again. Trustpilot respects your privacy and their GDPR legal obligations so this information will not be used for any other purpose and will be discarded as soon as it's of no use. Obtaining customer reviews helps us improve our service and gives new customers confidence in dealing with us.
- We send a newsletter, but only if you choose to receive it in the checkout process. If you later decide that you don't want it, you can, of course, unsubscribe at any time with the links given in every newsletter we send.
Talk to Us
You've probably spotted a theme in all this if you're still reading - we are not bad people, and you can talk to us if there's a problem.