Terms of Purchase
Manufacture, tuning and balancing of a fine musical instrument
is a time consuming process.
Therefore I have found that the following order and payment structure
is
required.
All chanters, bag/bellows combinations, practice sets, 1/2
sets,
full sets and upgrades to any of
the previous, require a pre-determined waiting period, more commonly
known
as a “lead time”.
The lead time for any of the aforementioned items is determined by the
order
in which the
required deposit of 50% of the printed price of the item ordered is
received.
I process orders on
a first-in-first-out basis. A calendar period, appropriate to the
amount
of work time required is
allocated to the job. The delivery time is thus determined and cannot
be
bumped or moved. A
1/2 or full set can be built in stages. If, however, a 1/2 or full set
is
ordered, a practice set cannot
be delivered in the interim, as it would bump any previously ordered
practice
sets. If a practice
set is initially ordered and the customer wishes to upgrade to a 1/2
set
(for instance) several
months later, a 50% deposit is required for the upgrade and a new lead
time
is dedicated to the
1/2 set upgrade. This outline of the lead time process perhaps seems a
bit
complicated, but it is
the best method I have found for being able to deliver within a
reasonable
amount of time to the
lead time initially quoted on sale/deposit. This system has
considerably
reduced lead time error.
As stated above, a deposit of 50% of the asking price is
required
to secure a schedule opening.
This deposit is non-refundable except in such a case as I am unable to
finish
the work. Payment
of the balance is required, after notification of completion, for
delivery.
A period of 30 calendar
days after notification of completion is allowed for the final balance
payment.
After 30 days, the
ordered instrument becomes forfeit to the original purchaser. However,
the
original deposit can
be applied to purchase of another instrument for an indefinite period
after
the expiration of the
30 days notification-of-completion grace period. In such a case,
standard
lead time rules, and
any price changes, apply. Otherwise, price increases do not apply to
balances on orders that are already logged with a deposit.
All pipes and accessories produced in my shop are warranted,
against defects in materials and
workmanship, for life except bags and bellows. Bellows are warranted for 10 years and bags a warrented for 15 years.
This, of course, does not apply where abuse or
neglect
are found to be a
factor. Reeds (for reasons well known to anyone familiar with the
Uilleann
Pipes) cannot be
warranted against future detrimental playing characteristics. No set of
pipes will leave the BC
Childress workshop without first confirming that the chanter, drones,
regulators
and their
respective reeds function properly. Documentation to this effect, in
Audio/visual
form, is
available for every set produced. Due to the problems some beginners
experience
with reeds, I
am always on call for advice and (if necessary) reed replacement. For
this
reason, I have
adjusted my calendar schedule to accommodate reed replacement,
adjustments
and instrument
repairs, with a short (usually no more than 2 weeks) turn-around time.
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