Availability
All trees offered for sale on our website are subject to availability. We cannot guarantee that the varieties and formats you order will be available when we come to despatch your order, because trees in the nursery may fail to reach the expected size during the growing season, or become damaged in transit or otherwise unsuitable for sale.
Trees may become unavailable even after we have sent you a "despatching soon" notification because of issues which can arise during picking and packing and delivery. However if this happens we will let you know by email as soon as we are aware. We will not despatch alternative or substitute varieties without first discussing with you.
Your details
Please make sure your contact details, especially your email address and phone number, are accurate and kept up to date in your account details on our website, so that we can get in touch with you if there are problems with your order.
If you use a spam blocker on your email system, or an email screening service, please ensure you permit emails from any address @thomasfruittrees.eu.
Delivery
Trees are natural products and we can only ship them when they have reached the right size and weather conditions at our nurseries are suitable. However in most cases we are able to agree a week within the month when you would prefer delivery.
We cannot guarantee delivery, or delivery dates, or undertake to deliver on specific days or at specific times. Because of the size of our delivery packages the day of delivery may change even after we have confirmed despatch. We strongly recommend you allow flexibility in any further arrangements you may have, for example if you are travelling, or booking a gardener to help plant your trees. You should not rely on delivery on or before a particular date.
You must be available to receive the delivery, or have made arrangements with neighbours to receive the delivery and plant the trees if you are not present.
It is essential you tell us in advance if access will be difficult for a large vehicle. We will then arrange for the trees to be sent on a smaller vehicle or delivered to an alternative address.
If you ask us to ask our couriers to leave the delivery cartons in a safe place or with a neighbour we cannot accept liability for loss or damage. We will pass your delivery instructions to the courier, but please note that it is entirely at the driver's discretion whether to follow them or not.
In the case of pallet deliveries please have someone available to sign for the trees. If no-one is available when the delivery is made the driver may decide to return the trees to us, and you will be liable for the delivery cost and a 10% re-booking fee.
We will advise you when the courier tells us the delivery has been completed. If you believe the items have not been delivered please contact us immediately so that we can follow-up with the courier - we would rather have a false alarm than be alerted too late.
If there is a problem with your order for whatever reason we will refund your payment.
If we make a mistake and deliver something different from what you ordered (as shown on your order acknowledgement), please let us know by email within 3 days. We will arrange a replacement or alternative if available, or a refund.
Any errors or discrepancies with the delivery must be reported to us within 3 days.
We do not accept any liability if your trees fail to grow, or do not reach the expected sizes, or do not produce fruit or blossom.
Damage in transit
Our trees undergo quality control procedures to ensure they meet our standards and we package them carefully to ensure they reach you in good condition.
Whilst we and our couriers want your trees to arrive in good condition, there can be minor damage, such as to the tips of branches. This may look unsightly but it will not affect the future growth of the tree.
However if the damage is serious we will make arrangements to refund / collect or replace the trees. In the meantime please look after them carefully - lie them on the ground in a safe place and cover the roots with garden soil.
Refunds and replacements
Unfortunately it is extremely unlikely that a damaged tree can be replaced.
Cancelling your order
Please note that in most cases we reserve stock for you even if we have not taken payment, therefore if you wish to cancel your order please let us know promptly so that we can make the trees available for other customers.
You can cancel your order at any time up to the point within 24 hours after the date when we send you a "despatching soon" notification. After this point your items will have been packed and readied for shipment. If you still wish to cancel after the "despatching soon" notification please see "Returns" below - but contact us as quickly as possible as we may still be able to cancel the delivery.
For large orders ( more than 20 trees) or trade orders we require a 50% deposit payable in advance with the balance in the week prior to delivery. If you need to cancel the order a re-booking fee will apply. The re-booking fee is lower at the start of the season (5% of the deposit), and progressively higher towards the end of the season (up to 50% of the deposit).
Returns
It is not possible to return bare-root trees because they are perishable items, so please check your order acknowledgement carefully.
If you decide to reject the delivery you will be liable for the cost of returning the trees to the Nursery, and this will be deducted from any refund due.
Payment issues
Online payment systems are constantly being updated by the banks to improve protection for consumers. To minimise problems please make sure you supply full address details on your order as this information is used by the banks to verify your credentials. The delivery address does not have to be the same as the billing address, but PO Boxes cannot be used.
We also reserve the right to cancel an order after payment has been made if post-authorization checks by our bank reveal problems with the transaction. We will refund the original amount in this situation.
Sales tax
If you are a trade customer and have a valid EU sales tax reference (outside France) please let us know before you pay for the order. We will then verify the tax reference and remove the sales tax from the order.
Make sure you alert us before paying for the order - if you pay for the order while it still includes the sales tax it will not be possible to refund it later.
Your responsibilities
In order for your trees to grow successfully we ask you to note the following responsibilities:
- Plant the tree promptly, in accordance with the guidance provided on our website and in the delivery notifications.
- Ensure the tree is watered in accordance with its needs over the spring and summer.
- Ensure the ground around the tree is kept clear of grass and weeds for the first few years.
- Do not store the tree in a heated house at any time.
- Trees supplied in temporary pots must be planted out within a few weeks of delivery.
- Most importantly ... please check your tree regularly, and notify us promptly of any issues or concerns.
Other general terms and conditions
All our contractual terms are defined in English.
Title to the goods remains with Thomas Fruit Trees until full payment has been received and the goods have been delivered and accepted by you.
We reserve the right to cancel your order for any reason at any time up to the point of delivery. Any payments received would be refunded in full.
We do not accept liability if we do not supply the trees you have ordered because of production or delivery problems or other reasons, although we will of course refund you in this situation.
We reserve the right to change these terms and conditions at any time.
Website information
We try our best to make sure all the information on this website is accurate, however we do not accept any liability for any loss or damage from inaccuracies in the information we provide.
The photographs on our website are for illustration purposes only, since there can be natural variations in size and appearance between varieties and from one year to the next.
All text and images on this website are copyright Orange Pippin Ltd or La Pepiniere du Fruitier, and may not be copied or re-used without our written permission.
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