Terms & Conditions

Draft for review — not yet in effect. This is suggested wording, not a finished policy. Bracketed fields (company name, number, address, prices, delivery, governing law) still need real, verified details, and clauses 9, 10 and 12 need a solicitor’s sign-off before this store can rely on them or take a payment. Remaining [[TODO]] notes flag exactly what’s still outstanding.

1. Who we are

These terms govern any order placed through this website. The seller is [Registered company name] Limited, a company registered in [England and Wales] under company number [00000000], with its registered office at [registered office address], trading as Helix Biograde (“we”, “us”, “our”). Full company details are on our Company Details page.

[[TODO: replace the bracketed details once confirmed — they must match Companies House and your payment processor application exactly, or underwriting stalls.]]

2. Who may buy from us

You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a binding contract to place an order. Our products are supplied for laboratory research use only, and by placing an order you confirm that you (or the institution you represent) intend to use them for that purpose, by personnel qualified to handle them safely, and not for any human or veterinary use. We may decline or cancel an order where we reasonably believe this condition is not met.

[[TODO: state whether you sell to individual researchers or only to verified businesses/institutions, and describe any verification step you actually perform beyond the buyer’s own confirmation at checkout — this draft assumes none currently exists.]]

3. What we sell

All products listed on this site are research chemicals supplied strictly for laboratory research use. They are not medicines, foods, supplements or cosmetics, are not intended for human or veterinary consumption, administration or any in-vivo use, and are not a substitute for one. This clause should be read alongside our Research Use Only policy, which takes precedence if the two ever appear to differ.

4. Orders and how a contract is formed

Placing an order is an offer to buy, which we may accept or decline. A contract between us is formed only when we send you an order confirmation email — adding an item to your basket or completing checkout does not itself create a contract. We may refuse or cancel an order at any point before dispatch, including where the product is out of stock, we suspect the order is fraudulent, we reasonably believe the eligibility conditions in clause 2 are not met, or a pricing or listing error under clause 5 applies. Where we cancel an accepted order we will refund any payment already taken in full.

[[TODO: confirm the acceptance point above (order confirmation email) matches how checkout actually works before publishing.]]

5. Prices and payment

All prices are shown in GBP (£) and [include / exclude] VAT — see our Company Details page for our VAT status. Payment is taken [at the point of order] via the methods offered at checkout, processed by [payment processor name], who receive your card details directly; we never see or store full card numbers. If a product is listed at an incorrect price because of a listing or system error, we will contact you before dispatch to confirm whether you wish to proceed at the correct price or cancel, and will not dispatch at the incorrect price without your agreement.

[[TODO: confirm VAT status, payment timing and your payment processor’s name once underwriting is complete — none of this can be decided before then.]]

6. Delivery

We aim to dispatch and deliver orders in line with the timescales and charges set out on our Shipping & Delivery page, which forms part of these terms. If anything here appears to conflict with that page, the Shipping & Delivery page applies.

7. Cancellation, returns and refunds

Your rights to cancel an order, return a product, and receive a refund are set out in full on our Refund & Returns Policy, which forms part of these terms. If anything here appears to conflict with that page, the Refund & Returns Policy applies.

8. Your responsibilities as a buyer

You are responsible for the safe handling, storage, use and lawful disposal of anything you buy from us, for carrying out your own risk assessment before use, and for complying with all laws and regulations that apply to you, including in the country to which the goods are delivered. You must not resell, supply or otherwise make available any product for human or veterinary use, and you warrant that you are qualified and equipped to handle it safely for the research use you have confirmed.

9. Product information and warranties

We warrant that products correspond to their description and, where a certificate of analysis is provided with a product, to the identity and purity stated on that certificate at the time of dispatch. Beyond this, and to the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not warrant that any product is fit for any particular purpose, suitable for any specific application, or that any result can be obtained from its use. Nothing on this site, including any research reference or literature, is a claim about what a product does when used.

[[TODO: confirm this matches what you can actually evidence — for example, whether a certificate of analysis is genuinely supplied with every order or only some.]]

10. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for any other liability that cannot be limited or excluded by law.

Subject to that, our total liability to you arising out of or in connection with an order, whether in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise, is limited to the price you paid for the products giving rise to the claim, and we are not liable for any indirect or consequential loss.

[[TODO: this is a starting point only, not finished legal advice. Given the product category, a solicitor must confirm this clause is enforceable and sufficient before you rely on it — do not remove this marker until they have signed it off.]]

11. Events outside our control

We are not liable for any delay or failure to perform our obligations under these terms caused by anything outside our reasonable control, including industrial action, transport disruption, extreme weather, and acts of government. If such an event continues for more than [30] days, either party may cancel any affected order, and we will refund any payment already made for it.

[[TODO: confirm the 30-day figure, or set your own.]]

12. Governing law

These terms, and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them, are governed by the law of [England and Wales], and the courts of [England and Wales] have exclusive jurisdiction over any such dispute. If you are a consumer resident elsewhere in the UK, you may also bring proceedings in your own local courts.

[[TODO: confirm this matches where the company is actually registered — Scotland and Northern Ireland use different court systems.]]

13. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The version that applies to your order is the one published on this site at the time you place it. This version was last updated on [DATE].

[[TODO: set the effective date when this page is actually published, and keep it current on every substantive edit.]]

14. Contacting us

Questions about these terms can be sent to us via the details on our Contact page.