Quote terms and conditions

[James Atkinson]

Just wondering what everyone is slapping on their quotes and invoices regarding terms and conditions so your all covered for every possible situation. Re doing mine and it’s getting pretty lengthy [emoji23]

[richy_B]

What have you got so far?

[Ian88]

I am just doing my first one and having the same thing. Think I will be having them in full as a page on website with a mention of them on quotes, invoices and maybe small print on emails.

[Gray git]

I am just doing my first one and having the same thing. Think I will be having them in full as a page on website with a mention of them on quotes, invoices and maybe small print on emails.

That's exactly what I have done and requested a written confirmation back before starting work with quote number, value and agreement to terms mentioned also looking into having a quote exceptance page similar to enquiry page on site to make this easier

[Thesnarlingbadger]

Yep same here. I just have the basics on the email quote like ‘all waste taken’ and ‘work to BS3998’ then ‘full terms and conditions pleased visit website’.
As Mr git said get them to reply saying they want to go ahead as I have been caught out in the past by someone saying they really want the work done and booked in a date then turned round and said they never said that.
You don’t want to do a job and then not get paid.

[forestboy1978]

For information regarding guarantees, insurance, licenses, our work standards and our
reference list, please click the portfolio link at the bottom of the enclosing email.
After confirmation of any quotations, a few days before work is to begin, we add a project
folder to our portfolio which has your surname/ company name and a brief description of the
work being carried out.
This folder contains before images/ videos and is added to throughout the project duration!
You can find this folder by clicking on the Portfolio link at the bottom of any email received
from .......... and then by clicking “Current Projects In Progress”
This will enable you to view work whilst you are away from site and to keep hard copies of
work as it progresses!

 

Payment Terms
We accept payment by bank transfer, cheque or cash!
For large contracts we will break the contract into stages and upon completion of each stage to the customers'
satisfaction we kindly request that payment be made within 72 hours.
We do NOT expect payment for materials when they are placed on site. We feel that materials can be used
improperly and in such cases are not always salvageable, hence no requirement for payment until either a set stage is
completed, or a contract is completed in full and has been assessed by the customer or a professional person they see
fit to survey the work.
Our quotation is based on the detailed specification provided. Any amendment, change, variation, addition or
unforeseen work not listed in the quotation may be chargeable. You will be notified in writing of any variation that will
incur additional costs before work recommences. We endeavour to keep any such costs to a minimum but cannot be
expected to undertake, at no cost, any additional work or provide materials, plant and labour over and above that
stated in the quotation.

[forestboy1978]

Long enough?

 

Got sick of the bullshit. Photographing every job before and after and an email convo confirming acceptance of the quote is sufficient if it goes to court. 

 

Used to get people to sign things but found my quote conversion dropped significantly. 

[Inoff the Red]

One potential pitfall with T & Cs is ensuring that they actually form the basis on which your contract with the customer is based.

The mistake a lot of companies make is to only put their terms and conditions on the back of their invoice. From a legal perspective an invoice is a post contractual document and so unless your t&cs have been brought to the attention of a new customer beforehand, you should not assume that that is the basis of your contract, normal sale of goods act will apply (but see * below).

To be bullet proof, it is safer to send the t&cs to a customer and get a signed acknowledgement AND KEEP IT FILED in case it is needed. Alternatively ensure that your t&cs are included with your quotes and that the quote makes clear that any contract is subject to those terms.

 

This may be relevant if you are selling goods and claiming retention of title to items supplied until they have been paid for. Many ROT claims fail because of an inability to show that the term was incorporated into the contract.

 

* There is an argument that t&cs notified to customers on the back of an invoice  can be deemed to govern the contract if there is an established pattern of trading with that customer so you could argue that they were aware of your terms. This does open all sorts of practical problems of proving established pattern of trade etc so it is risky to rely on this.