Terms & Conditions

Last updated – March 2006

Acceptance of Terms
Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully. They apply to all business carried out by Crystal Classics (a UK-based company) and to all users of the Crystal Classics Website and online shop. By using this Website and/or placing an order, you are deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions, and also our Privacy Policy.

Please note we reserve the right to refuse sales of any items.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms and Conditions will be governed by the laws of England and any user of this Website hereby agrees to be bound exclusively by the jurisdiction of English courts without reference to rules governing choice of laws. If any of these Terms and Conditions are found to be unlawful, invalid or unenforceable by a Court, the remainder of the Terms and Conditions will not be affected and will remain valid to the full extent allowed by the law. This does not affect your statutory rights as a consumer.

Modification of Terms
We reserve the right to change these Terms and Conditions at any time. Any such changes will take effect immediately when posted on the Website. It is your responsibility to read the Terms and Conditions each time you enter this Website and your continued use of the website indicates your acceptance of the current Terms and Conditions.

A Special Note about Children
Children are not eligible to use our online shop and we ask that minors (under the age of 18) do not submit any personal information to us or use the online shop.

Links from this website
This Website contains hyperlinks to websites operated by other parties. Crystal Classics is not responsible for the site contents, the privacy policies or terms and conditions of those websites, and does not necessarily share or endorse the opinions expressed or the information contained in such websites.

COPYRIGHT and trademark notices
By using the Website you agree to respect the intellectual property rights of Crystal Classics and agree to refrain from copying, downloading, transmitting, reproducing, printing, or exploiting for commercial purpose any material including photographs contained within the Website, or link to this Website without our written permission.

Crystal Classics and the Crystal Classics logo are the intellectual property of Crystal Classics. The copyright in this Website rests with us. All photographs on this site belong to Crystal Classics and may not be reproduced for any use without express permission.

Ordering Specimens

Any specimen on this Website may be purchased by using our secure shopping trolley purchase system. All prices are shown in Great British Pounds (£). The cost of postage and packaging will be added at the Checkout stage. There is a link to a currency converter with each mineral description if you wish to convert and view the price in another currency.
Please note price and availability of specimens is subject to change without notice.
If you would like any extra information on a specimen before you purchase it, please do not hesitate to contact Ian or Robin, click here for contact details.

How to order:

Step 1 – Browse the mineral galleries on this Website and select the item you wish to purchase by clicking the ‘buy’ button. This will place the specimen in your virtual shopping trolley and reserve it for you.

Step 2 – Continue shopping if you wish. You can click on the ‘My Trolley’ button on bottom right hand corner of the page at any time to view the items you have selected for purchase. You may remove any items from your trolley by clicking ‘remove’ next to the mineral when viewing your trolley contents. This will free the item for other customers.

Step 3 – Proceed to Checkout.
If you are a new customer you will need to register:
Enter your Billing and Postage details on the registration form, your email address, and a password that you will remember.
***Please note that we will only ship to the verified billing address connected to the credit card, unless you are an established client.***
Click ‘Proceed’. You will be asked to check your details, make any edits as necessary and click ‘Update’, or click ‘Proceed’. An email will be sent to you to confirm registration.  In future visits you will be able to use your email address and password to login and your details will be remembered for you.
If you are a returning customer you will already be registered. Enter your email address and password. If you have forgotten your password, follow the links and it will be emailed to you. Your details will be displayed, and you will be asked to check them. Please make any edits and click on ‘Update’ then click ‘Proceed’.

Step 4 – Choose your payment method. We offer several payment options:
Pay by Phone – this enables you to call us and provide your credit card or debit card information over the phone, or you may request that we contact you for your card details. You will be able to call us between 8.00am and 6.00pm GMT Monday to Friday, or you may leave your name and contact phone number on our answer phone for us to contact you.
Pay by PayPal – this enables you to pay electronically with your credit card or debit card via PayPal’s secure website, or use your PayPal account (if you have one). You do not need a PayPal account to choose this option. Please note that we do not accept eChecks through PayPal.
Pay by Post – this enables you to post a personal cheque to us in GB £, Euros or US $. If you wish to pay in Euros or US $ you must tick the appropriate box to enable us to contact you via email or telephone to give you the converted currency total cost. Please print the Pay by Post confirmation order page to send to us with your cheque.

***Please note that you must click the chosen payment method button in order to finalise your order***

Step 5 – Confirmation of your order. An email will be sent to you confirming the specimen(s) bought and the amount spent in total. Once payment is received the specimens will be posted to you within seven (7) days.

Alternative ordering methods
If you do not wish to order through our Website you may contact us directly via email, fax or phone, quoting the unique Item No. of the specimen(s) you wish to buy. The items will be reserved for you when we receive your order. We will require your name, postal address, method of payment, and a means of contacting you (telephone number or email address).
If you wish to pay by credit card or debit card, please give them to us via telephone only. Please do NOT email or fax through your card details. You may email or fax through your order with a contact phone number and we will call you to obtain your card details.

***Please note that the specimen will still be for sale in the time between you making your decision to buy, and getting in contact with us, and us receiving the order, therefore if someone else should purchase the mineral through the website during this time, we will be unable to sell the specimen to you, however we will endeavour to offer an equivalent specimen to you***

Payment options

Payment is accepted in the following currencies:
Great British Pounds (£), US Dollars ($) and Euros (€). Payment through PayPal will also accept Australian Dollars ($), Canadian Dollars ($), and JapaneseYen (¥).

Crystal Classics is able to accept payment via:

• Credit or debit card (Mastercard, Visa, Visa Delta, Maestro, Solo, Electron,  JCB, Commerical Card)
• PayPal (which accepts MasterCard, Visa, Visa Delta, Switch/Maestro, Solo, Visa Electron, American ExpressCards, or bank account transfers, or PayPal Account balance transfers)
• Personal cheques in GB Pounds (£), US Dollars ($), and Euros (€).
• Money order

Please note that the prices on the Website are displayed in GB Pounds (£) only. If you wish to pay by cheque in a different currency we will need to contact you first in order to give you the correct converted total.

Credit card and debit card payments
Crystal Classics accepts payment by major credit cards and debit cards.
If you wish to pay by credit card or debit card, there are several ways to do so.
1) PayPal – Select the 'Pay by PayPal' button on the checkout page, and you will be taken to a secure PayPal website page to enter your card details, or use a PayPal account to make payment. You do not need a PayPal account to use this option.
2) Telephone (you contact us) - If you don’t wish to send your card details over the internet, you may contact us directly with the details via telephone. Select the 'Pay by Phone' option on the checkout page. We will require the full name and the address of the cardholder, the card number, expiry date and card verification number. If you are not able to reach us by phone, please leave your name and contact number on our answer machine and we will call you back. Do not leave your card details on our answer machine, as we cannot guarantee their security!
3) Telephone (we contact you) – If you would prefer that we contact you to receive your card details, select the 'Pay by Phone' option on the checkout page, and on the confirmation page tick the box for us to contact you directly.

*******Important notes******
Please do not email or fax your card details to us as we cannot guarantee their security. Please give them to us directly via telephone only.
Please note that we will only ship to the verified billing address connected to the credit card, unless you are an established client.
For returning customers, your personal information (name and address) is stored on our system and accessed via your username (email address) and password to save you re-entering the information. Please note that, as an extra security measure, we do not store any of your payment or card details, therefore you will need to give us these details each time you make a purchase.
Please note that your specimens will be reserved for 48 hours only, if we do not hear from you with your card details within the 48 hours we will be unable to reserve your minerals and they will go back for sale.

Personal Cheque payments
Crystal Classics accepts payment by personal cheques in GB Pounds (£), US Dollars ($) and Euros (€).
If you wish to pay by cheque, select the 'Pay by Post' button on the checkout page. This will take you to a confirmation order page. Please print out this confirmation order page, and send it attached to your cheque to help us complete your order.
Please make all cheques payable to CRYSTAL CLASSICS and post to:

Crystal Classics
PO BOX 3967
Yeovil
Somerset
ENGLAND
BA20 9AH

If you are paying by cheque in GB Pounds (£) simply post a cheque for the full amount together with the confirmation order page.

If you wish to pay by cheque in Euros (€) or US Dollars ($), we will need to contact you first to give you the correct amount in your chosen currency. On the confirmation order page, tick the box that you wish to pay by cheque in Euros or US Dollars. We will contact you via email or phone within 48 hours with the correct price in the new currency. PLEASE DO NOT SEND CHEQUES UNTIL WE HAVE CONTACTED YOU.

*****Important notes*******
Once we receive your order we will reserve your ordered specimen(s) for seven (7) days in order for us to receive your cheque. If you are paying in Euros or US Dollars, it will be seven (7) days from the date we contact you with the converted price. If we do not receive your cheque within the seven (7) days, we will not be able to reserve your ordered specimens and they will go back for sale. If you think your cheque will not reach us within the seven days, please call or email us immediately.

Additional Information about Specimens

General health warning
Please note that some minerals may be toxic and/or contain heavy metals, and so all minerals should be handled carefully. Never inhale or ingest mineral dust, or lick specimens. Always wash your hands after handling minerals.

Customs/Duty Fees
It is the customer's responsibility to pay all associated customs or duty fees, for minerals purchased and posted/shipped to outside of the UK.

Size of specimens
Each specimen is assigned a size category based on the way the mineral would be displayed in a collection. The size category is determined by the length of the longest dimension.

Please note that minerals may be returned to sale (for instance if an order was cancelled) so if a mineral you like is currently reserved, please look again in an hour - it may have been returned to sale!!

Postage

Crystal Classics aim to post all items within seven (7) days of receiving payment. If you are an established customer your order will be filled as soon as possible. If you are a new customer the order will not be sent until payment has been received and authorised (if payment is by cheque we will wait for the funds to be cleared before posting).
All postage costs are determined by the current UK Royal Mail postage rates and the cost of packaging, which may change. Crystal Classics reserves the right to change the postage rates without notice as determined by the underlying costs.

Purchases over £750 are entitled to free postage and packaging to anywhere in the world.

Domestic postage
All orders within the UK are posted by Royal Mail First Class Recorded (Signed for).

There is a flat rate of £5 surcharge for packaging and postage for all orders.

International postage
European customers
All orders within Europe will be posted by Royal Mail Airmail. The cost of postage and packaging is determined by the weight of the specimen and packaging, and the cost of packaging materials.

More valuable items will be sent International Recorded (Signed For).

European countries are classified by the Royal Mail as:
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Azores, Balearic Islands, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Corsica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madeira, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Spitzbergen, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State.

Worldwide customers
All orders to be sent to worldwide destinations will be posted by Royal Mail Airmail. The cost of postage and packaging is determined by the weight of the specimen and packaging, and the cost of packaging materials.

More valuable items will be sent International Recorded (Signed For).

We are unable to post to the French Southern and Antarctic Territories.

Returns Policy

All customers are entitled to a 20 calendar day grace period from receipt of the purchase, for you to view the specimen(s) in real life and decide if you wish to keep the specimen(s).
If you are in anyway unhappy with your purchase and wish to return the specimen, please follow the steps below:
1. Please contact us immediately (and within the 20 days grace period from the receipt of your purchase) in WRITING, including via fax or email, of your intent to return the item. You are also welcome to contact us by telephone, but we will require written confirmation to follow.
2. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF WE DO NOT RECEIVE WRITTEN NOTIFICATION OF YOUR INTENTION TO RETURN THE SPECIMEN WITHIN THE 20 DAY GRACE PERIOD, WE WILL BE UNABLE TO ACCEPT THE RETURN.
3. Return the specimen to us in its original condition following the instructions below. The specimen must arrive at our UK address within 7 calendar days of notifying us of its return. This means you must post the item to us immediately upon notification of return.
4. International customers wishing to return specimens may have a longer period allowed for postage depending on their location. This will be decided upon the notification of intent to return.
5. Carefully wrap the specimen(s) individually using the original packing material, and include any labels or documentation. There should be at least 2cm of padding around each item, and each item should be placed in its original specimen box.
6. Place the specimen boxes (with wrapped specimens enclosed) in the postage box, or a new box if the original box was in any way damaged during transit, with at least 4cm of padding between the specimen boxes and the sides of the postage box. Bubblewrap or scrunched newspaper are the best to use as padding. There should be no possible movement within the box once packed.
7. Please insure the package for the full value of the specimen(s) being returned; as you are responsible for the full value of the items should they be lost or damaged during return transit.
8. Post the box to:

Crystal Classics
PO BOX 3967
Yeovil
Somerset
ENGLAND
BA20 9AH

9. Please note that you are responsible for all postage costs related to the return of a specimen to Crystal Classics.

All monies paid for the specimens, including the initial cost of postage and packaging will be refunded within 30 days of the notice of cancellation upon receipt of the returned specimen on time, and in good condition.

Item was received in a damaged condition

If you received your specimen and it was damaged in transit please contact us immediately via phone, fax or email. We will then be able to come to an arrangement with you for either:
• the return of the item and a full refund;
• return of the item and a similar item to be sent to you as a replacement;
• or a discount on the damaged item if you wish to keep it. Please note that we will need to see the evidence of the damage, preferably by digital photograph.

If you are returning the item please return all pieces of damaged or broken specimen with any labels and documentation, and the original packaging follow the steps in the Returns Policy.

Please remember to insure the item to the full cost of the specimen(s) and post to the return address.

Trade up policy

Crystal Classics offer the option to upgrade any specimen you have purchased, providing the original specimen is still in good condition. You may return a previously purchased specimen and use the original price paid on the item as a partial payment on the mineral upgrade. Please note that the original cost of postage is not included and it is the owner’s responsibility to ship the specimen to us in order to upgrade. Trade ups are done by prior agreement only, please contact us with details of both original item purchased and the new specimen you are interested as purchasing as an upgrade.

Crystal Classics offers a mailing list that users of the site may join. Emails are sent out on a regular basis to inform you when new items are added to the site, new collections we have purchased and will be available to buy, upcoming events, and information about your specific interests.

To Subscribe
There are two ways that you may join the mailing list.
1) Click on the link 'Click here to join our mailing list' on the home page. Enter your name, email address, and any mineral interests and click send. Your details will then be added to our mailing list and a confirmation email sent to you.

2) When registering your details to purchase a mineral, tick the box for 'please add me to the mailing list'. Your details will then be added to our mailing list.

To Unsubscribe
You may unsubscribe at any time.

If you subscribed by option 1), on the homepage click on the link 'Click here to join our mailing list', and then click on the link 'Edit my mailing list account or unsubscribe' below the box. Enter the email address you receive the mailings at, and click submit. You will be emailed your account details and link to allow you to edit the details or unsubscribe. In your email click on the link, or copy and paste the link into your web browser. On the resulting web page tick the unsubscribe box and click Save. You will now be unsubscribed.

If there is anything you do not understand or would like clarification on for the above terms and conditions, or would like to ask any other questions please do not hesitate to contact us.