Terms and Conditions

Correspondence

We are English speaking only, and do not have any translators to hand. If you have trouble speaking or understanding English, we advise that you do not telephone us as errors may occur due to lack of understanding or language barriers for which we cannot be held responsible.

All international (outside of UK) correspondence from us will be via e-mail and in British English. All correspondence with us should equally be in English.

You MUST check your e-mail regularly prior to delivery, should we need to get in touch with you. If, in the course of processing an order you have placed, it has been necessary to contact you, and we have not been able to do so or we do not receive a response, then the order is liable to amendment, late delivery or cancellation.

Products

Certain varieties of flowers may be delivered in bud to ensure a longer vase life.

Some flowers and foliage may be toxic or cause skin irritations. Keep out of reach of children. Always wash your hands after handling flowers and plants.

Never place flowers or plants on or near electrical equipment, and always use a protective mat or layer between the container and the surface on which it sits.

Lily pollen from stamens is known to stain permanently - avoid contact with all surfaces (you may prefer to remove stamens from the blooms as they open).

Some arrangements may contain candles, fresh fruit or other decorative items. These are intended purely for display - fruit should not be eaten (in case it contains potentially harmful fixatives) and candles should not be lit (in case they fall over, or are placed near inflammable material).

All products shown on this site are representations of the designs that will be reproduced by the florist who prepares your order and as such we cannot guarantee that your product will look exactly like the design shown in the picture.

All UK orders are despatched with care cards detailing the care and handling of our products. These give all the information required to ensure the longevity of your product. We also have full care instructions in our 'Caring for Your Cut Flowers' page on this site. Whilst we guarantee the use of the best quality products, once despatched we make no guarantees as to the vase life or longevity of our products, because as a perishable product this is wholly dependent upon their care and conditions.

We are not liable for any damage to persons or property caused by negligence or misuse of our products (other than that which is directly the responsibility of Oxtonflowers).

Non-floral products - Orders for non-floral items such as helium balloons, chocolates, soft toys, vases, wine and champagne are only accepted together with an order for floral items where shown as available. The non floral items available to these countries are generally readily available. However they are not guaranteed. In the unlikely event that the sending florist does not have your requested item in stock for the expected date of delivery the extra money will be added to the value of your order. Due to short lead times we are unlikely to be informed of this prior to despatch. Therefore no refund is due for unavailable non-floral items.

Substitution Policy

We always endeavour to make the item you have requested however if the requested flowers are unavailable at short notice or out of stock, then unless specified by yourself in the Special Instructions, we will assume that the delivery date is the most important criteria. In this event, we will automatically substitute where necessary, according to colour, style and availability in which case the item sent may not be exactly as per your order (but will always be as close as possible and of equal quality and value). Due to short lead times and regional variations, we will not be able to notify you of this in advance.
Please also understand that none of these flowers are "off the shelf" products. They are hand made by individual florists who each have their own design style and therefore each item will be uniquely made and may therefore also differ slightly from the specific products shown in the pictures. Pictures are for guidance only.

USA and Canada - Bouquets are seldom made in the USA and Canada as most flowers are delivered arranged in a container. In hotter areas the florist may decide to substitute a bouquet for a flower arrangement or aquapack bouquet to avoid drying out in transit. Unfortunately, if you order a bouquet and it is substituted for an arrangement, the florist in the USA or Canada will not inform us of this. But please remember, they will only substitute when it is beneficial for the flowers and to increase longevity and you will not be charged any extra for the arrangement.

Prices

All prices are inclusive of delivery charges, relay, international and administration charges (where applicable).

Oxtonflowers reserves the right to amend product prices without notice.

Rose Prices - Rose prices increase everywhere in the world (including the UK) during the peak seasons such as Christmas, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. Certiain products containing roses will have price increases for those periods only, during which the normal price will not be available. We will not accept orders for items containing roses placed in advance at non-peak prices but for delivery dates included in our peak period delivery dates. These dates will be made available on our site in advance of the each peak period.

Ordering

Clear instructions are given on how to complete your order and payment in our 'Placing an Order & Making Payment' page. Please follow these instructions carefully.

Quantity - You may only order a quantity of 1 per item as it is assumed in the software that you would not want to order more than 1 of any particular item to the same recipient on the same day. Should you wish to do this however, you will have to place two separate orders and we will add the second delivery charge to the value of the flowers.
You may however order different items on the same order for delivery to the same address on the same day. Again, should you wish to do this we will add the second delivery charge to the value of the flowers.

Invoice Address - You will be required to give us your invoice address / cardholder address in full. This is your name, residential address including postcode, contact telephone numbers and e-mail address.
Please be sure to quote an e-mail address on which we can actually reach you prior to despatch of your order.
You MUST check your e-mail regularly prior to delivery, should we need to get in touch with you. If, in the course of processing an order, it has been necessary to contact you, and we have not been able to do so or we do not receive a response, then the order is liable to amendment, late delivery or cancellation.

Recipient Details / Delivery Address - All orders MUST clearly show the recipient's full name including first and surname. You may only input one delivery address per order. Please ensure that the delivery address is completed correctly and in its entirety, including any postal or zip codes necessary. Should it prove impossible to deliver an item due to an incorrect or incomplete address then the order is liable to cancellation, and deductions made to cover costs incurred. Orders for delivery to places of work or work addresses will, where necessary, be delivered to the reception, not directly to the named recipient. A signature proving delivery will be acquired and this will constitute successful execution of the order.

Recipient Telephone Number Mandatory - We require a full contact telephone number for the recipient on which they can actually be contacted. If the recipient is outside of the UK this cannot be a UK number, not even a UK mobile number. The number must be a valid number in the country to which the flowers are being sent (e.g. a Spanish telephone number for deliveries to Spain, French for France etc.) In the event that the recipient needs to be contacted prior to delivery of the order (for example to clarify a delivery address or time, or to ensure that the recipient is at the given address to recieve the flowers) and it is not possible to contact the recipient on the telephone number given, the order may be subject to delay or cancellation. In this instance charges may apply. We cannot accept the customer's telephone number as a contact number for the recipient.

PO Box Numbers - In most countries PO Box numbers are not accepted. Where they are accepted it will be clearly shown in the 'Special Instructions' section at the top of the relevant International product page.
Transient Addresses - Orders CANNOT be accepted for delivery to any transient addresses (i.e. non-permanent addresses) such as hotels, airports, ships, incoming seaport passengers, hospitals or oil-rigs, anywhere in the world, primarily because we cannot absolutely guarantee successful delivery. If however we receive an order for delivery to a transient address we may endeavour to organise delivery for you. Orders will be delivered to the reception, not directly to the named recipient. A signature proving delivery will be acquired and this will constitute successful execution of the order. If an attempted delivery to a transient address fails we reserve the right to deduct from any refund costs incurred up to the value of the order.

Funeral Deliveries - For funeral orders, for the name of the recipient, please state the full name of the deceased, followed by either C/O (care of) the name of the Funeral Director or C/O (care of) the person who is to receive the flowers at the home, depending on where you would like the flowers delivered. We apologise but we cannot deliver funeral flowers to churches, cemeteries or crematoria. It is usual practice to deliver either to the funeral director in charge of the funeral proceedings, or to the home from which the funeral procession is to leave, depending on the etiquette of the destination country.

You must be sure to quote telephone numbers (UK mobile / cellular telephone numbers are not accepted) and e-mail addresses on which we can actually reach the recipient / funeral director prior to delivery should this be necessary. If, in the course of processing an order, it has been necessary to contact the recipient prior to despatch, and it has not been possible to do so, then the order is liable to amendment, late delivery or cancellation.

Rural Areas (International Deliveries only) - On rare occasions, due to remote locations, it may be necessary for the recipient to collect the flowers. In these instances, the delivery charge will be added to the value of the flowers.

Delivery Dates - How soon we need to receive your order before your specified delivery date differs from product to product in the UK sections, and from country to country in the International section. Please be sure to stick within the ordering deadlines for the particular item (as specified in the UK sections) or country (in the International sections). Although the date selector will always begin from the current date, this does not mean we can deliver your chosen item immediately. Delivery date deadlines are there to allow us to process and transmit your order, and for the sending florist to actually make the selected design, before fitting it into the delivery schedule for the selected day. We understand that flower deliveries are usually to celebrate important special and specific occasions. We ask you to input your desired date of delivery and we always endeavour to deliver on your requested delivery date, although you must be aware that delivery dates cannot be guaranteed. Late orders, particularly late orders for funeral flowers may need to be cancelled. We will notify you if an order is cancelled.
Next Day (UK) - Many items within our UK brochure can be ordered for delivery on the day following placement of your order. Orders must be received not later than 4.30p.m. (UK Time) on the day prior to delivery in order for us to be able to proccess your order and send out your flowers when required.
3/4 Working Days in Advance (UK) - This applies to most of the funeral work within our UK brochure because of the specialist frames and / or flowers with which they are made and to most of the International products within the International product pages. Working days are Monday to Friday.
5 Working Days in Advance (UK)- This applies to one or two products within our UK brochure which are quite specialist. Orchids, for example, may need to be ordered and shipped to us from Holland to fulfill your order. This also applies to several International countries, usually due to time differences or communication difficulties.
Last Order Dates at Peak Period / Late Orders - At the most busiest times of the year we need to recieve your order earlier than at quieter times of the year. This is due to the volumes of orders having to be made at these times of the year. Generally we need 4 full working days notice prior to all peak periods (Christmas, Valentines Day, Mothers Day and Easter) although this may change. Any changes to this will be posted on the site when ever we are made aware of them. However a few countries do set their last guarantee dates earlier than this and unfortunately they do not inform us of this. Therefore delivery dates requested cannot be absolutely guaranteed. Although we always work to try to achieve requested delivery dates even when our cut off dates have passed you must be aware that the dates you request are aimed for, not guaranteed.

For those orders which are recieved after deadlines have passed, we will organise delivery at the earliest opportunity, usually for the next avaliable working day, although some orders (funeral flowers for example) may need to be cancelled. We will notify you if an order is cancelled.

Non-working Days / Closing Dates / Public Bank holidays - There are no deliveries available on non-working days, public bank holidays or closing days. The closing dates shown for each country within the International section of the brochure are the most accurate information we have, where available. These are, however, subject to change without notice. Where a specified delivery date falls on a closing day (whether or not it is shown) we will deliver on the nearest working date.

Delivery Times - We can not guarantee any specific delivery times with the exception of deliveries of funeral flowers. If you specify a time parameter in your special instructions we will send your order only with a request to deliver within this parameter if / where possible.
Funeral Flowers - We ask for the time of the funeral within the product details for funeral work in order that we may be sure to deliver in good time. These are always delivered in good time for the funeral.

Card Message - You will be asked to complete the message you would like to be sent with your flowers. We have asked for a maximum of 200 characters here (although the script will allow you to type more) but please be aware that the message cards are only 'small business card' size and therefore we cannot realistically write enormous passages on them!
All card messages must be written using the English alphabet as the international computer network only recognises the English alphabet.
Messages written using non English Alphabet characters will be amended, and as such may loose meaning in translation.

We do not accept orders sent anonymously, with no name of sender on the card message. The only circumstance where we would accept an order which is sent anonymously is when there is a successful completion of the 3D Secure authorisation process. Orders sent with no name of sender and no successful completion of 3D Secure Authorisation will automatically be cancelled.

Priority Contact by SMS

Receive updates and correspondence regarding your order direct to your mobile / cellular phone by SMS text message. Convenient if you do not have constant access to e-mail, or are away from home / work for any reason. This is particularly important if there is a problem with your order and we need to contact you urgently in order to resolve the problem. Order Acceptances, queries and any other correspondence relating specifically to your order is also sent via e-mail in the normal way even if you choose this option.
We will NOT send spam text messages. The only messages you will receive from us will be those relating specifically to your order.
In the event that messages are undeliverable for any reason (e.g. incorrect number given, no signal at destination, phone switched off for a long period of time, etc.) you will not be entitled to a refund. "Priority Contact by SMS" is not refundable if the order is cancelled due to customer amendment / error and text messages have been sent out.

Coverage (International Orders)

Whilst we can organise delivery to all areas of most countries, it is not possible to deliver to all areas of every country. Coverage for each country or country area is clearly shown in the 'Special Instructions' section at the top of each product page.
Total coverage - We can organise delivery of any product shown in these sections to any destination within this country or country area.
Limited coverage - Where coverage is limited, each product has a full list of destination areas to which delivery is possible. Delivery is ONLY possible to the specific areas shown and not outside of them what-so-ever. If your intended destination is not given in the list it is NOT possible to organise your delivery. You MUST be certain that the destination area you choose is the same as in the full address given in the 'Delivery Address' section of the order form.

Important Note: Coverage as given in the international product pages, whilst being the most up to date information we have from our international agents, cannot be absolutely guaranteed. Various factors may influence the availability of deliveries (such as locality of florist shops, product supplies and importation, political climate, acts of God and nature etc.) over which we have no control. In the event that it has proved impossible to deliver (for reasons of non-coverage) to a destination for which we have stated coverage and for which the full delivery details as given by you were correct we shall notify you as soon as is reasonably possible and shall refund your payment in full.

Delivery Charges

The delivery charge has been incorporated into the product prices as they are shown in the catalogue.
For UK orders the maximum inclusive delivery charge is £6.99 (this includes any relay charges). Where the delivery charge is less, the extra is added to the value of your flowers. For International orders the delivery charges vary considerably from country to country. Delivery charges tend to be higher in countries where deliveries are spread far and wide. Also factors such as deserts, seas and lakes, and mountain ranges are usually taken into consideration. This is the main reason for such apparent price differences between countries, as well as differing flower prices. The cost of delivery / international relay is shown separately within the terms and conditions shown on each country / country area page.

Administration Charges

We strive to provide you with the best service we possibly can and inevitably this incurs costs. Our administration charge covers most of the routine and essential costs involved in ensuring a high quality service and product, a timely and efficient delivery and the customer care and support we know you would prefer. This includes costs such as call charges, handling charges, e-commerce and banking charges, order transmission and tracking, correspondence and customer support. For orders for delivery to UK destinations the inclusive administration charge is just £3.99, and for international orders the inclusive administration charge is just £9.99.

Terms & Conditions Check Box

We have endeavoured throughout this site to make the process of ordering flowers as problem free as possible, by means of our advice, information and terms and conditions. Therefore we have introduced a mandatory section to the order form which asks you to confirm, by way of checking the box, that you have read, understand and agree with our Information and Terms & Conditions. If you choose not to check this box the order system will not allow you to continue with the order process.

Payment

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Visa Debit, Solo, Visa Electron and JCB. Unfortunately we can no longer accept online payments with Amex.

Secure Online Payment - This will route you to the secure banking server at Protx. This is the most secure method of paying online as no card details come to us in any form. At this point you will notice the Padlock symbol in your status bar to verify the secure nature of the connection. It is illegal to purchase online using another persons credit / debit card therefore you must be the authorised user of the card you are using.

Cardholder Details - Please Note: at this stage the address box will have been filled in by the automatic catalogue system. If the address you entered into the invoice address at the start of your order is NOT the cardholder address as held by the bank for that card you MUST over-write this section with the correct details.
If you are unsure about the cardholder address held by your bank you must check with your bank before making the purchase.

You can make payments online in Pounds Sterling and if yours is a different currency to any of these, it will be converted into your own currency by your own bank at their rate of exchange. Once you have chosen the card type you are using you will be routed to the payment page. It is illegal to purchase online using another persons credit / debit card therefore you must be the authorised user of the card you are using.

3D Secure Authentication - This is a new level of banking security that allows you to register your card to the "Verified by Visa" or "Mastercard Securecode" schemes using pin numbers and password protection. Your own bank holds this information and so every online purchase using your registered card must be authenticated by yourself with your own unique pin and password. As with all pins and passwords, this should not be the same as any other pins or passwords, but be ones you can remember easily. This gives you added security and peace of mind that should anyone obtain your card details through fraudulent means, they will not be able to use it online to purchase from any web site such as ours that uses 3D authentication.
If your card is registered with either of these schemes, when buying from our site you will be asked by your bank to auhtenticate your purchase.

Once your payment has been authorised by the bank your order details will be sent to us. Neither placement of an order, the confirmation e-mail of placement of an order, nor the authorisation of payment of an order constitutes acceptance of an order. Orders, once received are accepted or rejected. We will notify you by e-mail if we reject or cancel an order, giving the reasons why and notification of any charges incurred.
If we are notified of problems with the cardholder address or other payment problems it may be necessary to cancel your order. We will notify you by e-mail if we need to cancel an order for this reason.

Acceptance of Your Order

Once you have placed your order you will be sent an auto-response e-mail from our shopping system. This simply confirms our system is aware of your order and does not establish a contract. Once we are able to check and authorise your order we will send you an "Order Acceptance" e-mail. This will confirm our acceptance of your order and the intended date of delivery. Occasionally, due to short lead times and / or during busy periods, this e-mail may come to you after delivery has been effected. The sending of this e-mail to you does not necessarily mean that we will not encounter problems with your order at a later stage. Any problems will be notified to you by e-mail, and usually require an urgent response to resolve the issue.

Amending Your Order

If you would like to amend any details of your order you must notify us as soon as you possibly can. Usually e-mail is the fastest way of contacting us, expecially if you are outside of the UK. We check our incoming mail constantly during working hours (Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm UK time). We will accommodate your wishes wherever possible.
If the order has already been processed amendments may carry extra charges. It may not always be possible to make the changes you request, especially if the order is for imminent delivery and has been processed and / or made.

Cancelling Your Order

If you would like to cancel your order you must notify us as soon as you possibly can and not later than 36 hours in advance of the delivery date. All cancellations are subject to a cancellation fee to cover charges incurred up to the value of your order.
Any orders for peak periods (Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Easter) placed after our "Last Guarantee Date" as shown everywhere on the site will be processed as high priority, so that we may endeavour to get delivery on or before the peak period (although we cannot guarantee this). Therefore any cancellations of late orders intended for peak periods for which we cannot guarantee delivery dates will incur cancellation fees up to the value of your order.
Minimum cancellation fee is £5.00

Recipient Not There

It is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that the recipient will be at the address given on the order on the requested date of delivery.
Should the intended recipient not be available at the delivery address given, the flowers will either be left with a neighbour and a signature obtained or they shall be returned to the shop. A card will be left at the delivery address to inform the recipient that a delivery has been attempted and of the location of their flowers. A signature proving delivery will constitute successful execution of the order.
If a first delivery attempt fails and it should be necessary to attempt a second delivery it may be necessary to charge additional costs to re-deliver. In this instance we will contact you and require to take additional payment for this second delivery. We will NOT organise second delivery without payment.
If an attempted delivery fails (such as the wrong address specified on the order, recipient is away from home etc.), we reserve the right to deduct the shipping costs/product wastage/courier return fee from any refund if the order is subsequently cancelled.

Problems / Complaints

If there is a problem with your order or you are unhappy with the product or service for any reason then please contact us immediately. Please let us know the nature of your complaint, for example early delivery, late delivery, non-delivery, poor quality flowers or not to value, inappropriate item delivered, wrong item delivered, other?

If you are dissastisfied with the quality of the product, because of the perishable nature of our products you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery and retain the product. We may require the return or collection of the product to the sending florist in order to investigate the complaint.

We will endeavour to respond to you within 5 working days of your complaint, although this may be longer during busy peak periods such as Christmas, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Should your complaint, upon investigation, be proved valid, please also let us know what action you would like taken. Would you still wish delivery to be carried out or would you prefer to cancel the order?
New enquiries relating to international (outside of UK) orders will not be investigated after 1 month from the date of delivery.

If a refund should be necessary due to error on our part, we will refund your payment in part or in full, as necessary. If a refund is necessary due to an error on the part of the customer, we reserve the right to deduct from the refund costs incurred, including a minimum of 5% of the order value to cover charges incurred. In this event, notification will be sent by e-mail of all deductions made.

Contacting Us

You can contact us in the following ways:
E-mail -
  
Post -
   Oxton Flowers, Ridgewood House, PO Box 320, Birkenhead CH25 9BS United Kingdom

Typographical Errors

Spelling errors - We have tried to the best of our ability to ensure that all spellings on our site are correct, including those of place names. We cannot guarantee however that there are no spelling errors on the site and ask for your patience and understanding. In the unlikely event that an order is routed to an incorrect destination as a direct result of a spelling mistake on our site we will refund your card in part or in full as necessary.

Pricing errors - In the event that a product is mistakenly listed at an incorrect price, we reserve the right to refuse or cancel any orders placed for a product listed at the incorrect price. We reserve the right to refuse or cancel any such orders whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit / debit card charged. If your credit / debit card has already been charged for the purchase and your order is cancelled, we shall issue a refund to your card for the amount of the incorrect price and we will notify you of this by e-mail.

Limitation of Liability

In no event will Oxtonflowers be liable for any damages including, without limitation, indirect or consequential damages, or any damages whatsoever arising from use or loss of use, data, or profits, whether in action of contract, negligence or other tortuous action, arising out of or in connection with the use of the site.

Disclaimer

Oxtonflowers does not warrant that the functions contained in the website will be uninterrupted or error free, that defects will be corrected, or that this site or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or bugs or represents the full functionality, accuracy, reliability of the materials. This site and the information, names, images, pictures, logos and icons regarding or relating to Oxtonflowers and its products and services (or to third party products and services), is provided "as is" and on an "is available” basis without any representation or endorsement made and without warranty of any kind whether express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, compatibility, security and accuracy.

Copyright

The entire content included in this site, including but not limited to text, graphics or code is the copyrighted property of Oxtonflowers and is protected by international copyright law. You may display or print portions of the material from the different areas of the site solely for your own non-commercial use. Any other use, including but not limited to the reproduction, distribution, transmission, resale, lease, public display or performance of the content of this site is strictly prohibited. All rights not expressly granted to you are reserved by Oxtonflowers.

General

We reserve the right to supplement and amend the Terms and Conditions on which you are permitted access to the Oxtonflowers web site from time to time. We will post any changes on the site and it is your responsibility as a customer to review the Terms and Conditions on each occasion you access this web site. Changes will be effective immediately after the posting of any such change and all subsequent dealings between you and us shall be on the new terms and conditions.

Additionally, we reserve the right to suspend, restrict or terminate access to the Oxtonflowers site for any reason at any time.

These Terms and Conditions shall be deemed to include all other notices, policies, disclaimers and other terms contained in the Oxtonflowers Site, provided that in the event of a conflict between any such other notices, policies, disclaimers and other terms, these Terms and Conditions shall prevail. If any of these Terms and Conditions is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

We shall ensure that we comply with the requirement of all current data protection legislation including, without limitation, the Data Protection Act 1998 (as replaced, modified or re-enacted from time to time). We shall only use personal data received from you for the purpose of fulfilling our obligations under these Terms and Conditions and as stated in our Privacy Policy.

A person who is not a party to the agreement between you and Oxtonflowers has no rights under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any of the Terms and Conditions but this does not affect any right or remedy which exists apart from that Act.

Save in respect of fraudulent misrepresentation, this agreement (including any documents and instruments referred to herein) supersedes all prior representations, arrangements, understandings, and agreements between you and us (whether written or oral) and sets forth the entire agreement and understanding between you and us relating to the subject matter hereof.

Your purchase will be deemed to have occurred in the UK. These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law and the parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

All users of this site agree that access to and use of this site are subject to the above Terms and Conditions, our Privacy Policy and applicable law.