TERMS

Visual standards for materials

Whilst it is Bennett’s policy to purchase only the best materials, natural materials such as timber and even manufactured products are not always blemish free. To be certain that Bennett's products are the best you can buy, a Visual Standard is applied to all products.

Assessment of glass

The clear glass used by Bennett’s is manufactured by the industry standard float glass process which is of the highest quality available. Bennett’s suppliers deliver selected quality glass in order to minimise the inclusion of faults, but it is not without imperfection, and the British and International standards which govern the quality of this glass allow for a minimal number of minor visual imperfections.

Visual standards laid down by the Glass & Glazing Federation have been developed to set standards which both represent the best quality from current manufacturing technology and fairness to Customers, as such Bennetts fully support the G.G.F. Standard.

To legally comply with Building Regulations Document L (England & Wales) and Building Standard Regulation J (Scotland) your windows and doors will have been fitted with either hard coated 'K' glass or soft low 'E' glass.

In some rare instances of strong lighting, the coating may be seen as a transparent film. This is not a fault but simply a transient effect which can be considered evidence of the coating being present. There is also the possibility of a slight colour reflectively differences between units. This should not be noticeable on units within the same frame but could become apparent with adjacent frames or where a replacements is fitted. The probability of this is very low.

Condition of inspection

Viewing
When assessing the quality of sealed units on site the unit will be viewed looking through the glass from the room side in natural daylight and not in direct sunlight. 

Viewing Distance
In all cases viewing will take place from distances as specified within the G.G.F. standards, this being 3m.

Viewing Areas
For assessment purposes, the glass or sealed unit is divided into two areas, namely an edge zone 50mm (2 inches) wide, not considered as part of the normal viewing area, and a centre zone.

Criteria for acceptance/rejection of glass sealed units

Seeds/Bubbles
These are as detailed within the G.G.F. Quality of Vision standard reproduced on the rear of this information sheet.

Assessment of frame materials

Imperfections fall into two categories:

• Imperfections in raw materials
• Mechanical damage

Imperfections in raw materials

A degree of imperfection in raw material is unavoidable and therefore acceptable if:

• A degree of imperfection in raw material is unavoidable and      therefore acceptable if:
• The small imperfections in extruded components such as aluminium or      PVC are not visible when viewed from one metre. If the imperfections are      clearly visible from one meter the component will be either corrected with      an adequate fix or replaced in line with the Bennetts Policy stated below

NOTE: A fairly common imperfection in polyester paint finish products is minute paint inclusions under the surface.

They will be deemed acceptable, provided that they:

• Are fully covered by specification paint
• Do not occur at a frequency greater than one per metre
• Are not sharp to the touch, i.e. they will not snag a duster

Mechanical damage

Damage incurred during handling, fabrication, transit or installation.

Mechanical damage is not acceptable if such damage is:

• Clearly visible from one metre, or
• In the case of anodised, lacquered or painted components the damage      penetrates through the finish to the base material

We will either correct or replace the defective components in line with the Bennetts Policy stated below.

Timber frames

Timber is a natural material and as such colour and surface texture will vary from component to component. A colour harmonisation stain is applied to reduce major colour variation but a perfect colour match is not achievable.

Surface texture and grain will vary and minor imperfections may need to be corrected on site by the application of colour harmonised fillers.

Bennetts policy

Bennetts policy is to purchase only the best materials available and have rigorous control systems in place to maintain the quality of those materials during the manufacturing and installation process. Should part of your finished installation not meet with the standards contained herein, then Bennetts will undertake to initially correct any fault using factory standard equipment, if this is not technically possible we will replace the defective part of your installation under the terms of the guarantee.

Quality of vision

Sealed units

Sealed units provide a high standard of vision. The following is a guide to the quality that can be expected.

Glass used in the manufacture of sealed units is similar to that used traditionally for single glass and will, therefore, have similar level of visual quality.

Viewing sealed units for scratches on the outer faces of the panes must be carried out before any rendering, plastering or other works adjacent to the glazing takes place, and as early as reasonably practicable following installation (48 hours maximum from installation).

How to do a professional inspection

Stand in the room no less than 2 metres away from the sealed unit and look directly through it.

• For toughened, laminated or coated glasses, stand no less than 3      metres away
• Where it is not possible to stand at the right distance then stand      as far away as you can from the sealed unit
• Do so in natural daylight, but not directly towards the sun and      with no visible moisture on the surface of the glass
• Exclude 50mm wide band around edge of the glass from the check
• Glass must be viewed at an angle of 90º

What to expect when carrying out an inspection

Flat transparent glass, including laminated, toughened or coated glass is acceptable if the following are neither obtrusive nor bunched:

• Bubbles or blisters
• Fine scratches not more than 25mm long
• Minute particles

The obtrusiveness of blemishes is judged by looking through the glass, not at it, under natural light. It must be understood that the glass used in sealed units is a processed glass, and as a consequence, blemishes are to be expected.

Sealed units with optical defects such as smears, finger prints or other dirt on the cavity faces of the glass, or extraneous material in the cavity are unacceptable, if they are visually disturbing.

Condensation

Whilst sealed units will generally reduce the incidence of condensation, it may still occur under certain conditions. See GGF Leaflet: Condensation Some Causes, Some Advice.

Brewster’s Fringes - the Rainbow Effect

Small transitory rainbow effects are sometimes produced by the glass refraction of light. Their appearance is due to high quality flat glass sheets being placed parallel to each other.

Multiple reflections

This occurs in certain light conditions and is caused by multiple surface reflections within sealed units which may vary from pane to pane.

Patterned glass

This document does not apply to patterned glass as its manufacturing process is different.

PRICING AND PAYMENT -

The price of the Goods and/or the Services will be set out in the Order. Our prices may change at any time, but price changes will not affect Orders that have already been accepted by Us.

These prices are exclusive of VAT which will be charged on the prices where applicable. If the rate of VAT changes between the date of the Order and the date of delivery or performance, We will adjust the rate of VAT that You pay, unless You have already paid for the Goods and/or Services in full before the change in the rate of VAT takes effect. 

It is always possible that, despite Our best efforts, some of the Goods We sell may be incorrectly priced. We will normally check prices as part of Our Order processing procedure so that, where the Goods’ correct price is less than Our stated price, We will charge the lower amount when dispatching the Goods to You. If the Goods’ correct price is higher than the price stated on Our literature or website We will contact You to tell You and wait for Your instructions. If the pricing error is obvious and unmistakable and could have reasonably been recognised by You as a mispricing, We do not have to provide the Goods to You at the incorrect (lower) price. Where We are providing Goods to You, You must (unless We agree otherwise and confirm such agreement in writing) make payment for Goods in advance by debit card or by way of direct bank transfer or by any other payment method agreed between You and Us. We reserve the right to accept or refuse payment by cheque. If We invoice You on an interim basis then You must make payment on presentation of the invoice. 

Where We are providing Services to You, subject to any payment terms We have agreed with You, We will usually ask You to make an advance payment of the price of the Services. We will invoice You for the balance of the Services either at intervals or on or any time after We have performed the Services. You must pay each invoice in cleared funds on the date of presentation of the invoice by such method as We shall reasonably require.

we allow a maximum of £150 or 10% of the bill (whichever is the lower amount) to be held back due to issues which need amending before the full invoice is paid. By holding back more you are not agreeing to our terms of business and we may refuse any further work to take part until the amount stated above (£150 or 10% of bill the lower of these amounts shall be used) is left on the final invoice to pay.

We take a 3 part payment  - 1st payment is 35% 2nd is 35% and last is 30% - the first payment is to secure your order and place the order. The second is payable upon installation date being provided, and the last 30% is due upon day of installation. we reserve the right to add extra payment instalments for any jobs over the amount of £8,000.