Terms and Conditions

🔍 The Retail Blind Spot: When is a contract actually formed?

On a modern e-commerce website, an order confirmation email is automatically sent the second a customer pays. If a customer orders 50 pallets of marble that you don't have in stock, or if your website accidentally displays a pricing error (e.g., charging £1.00 instead of £100.00), an ambiguous "accepted order" phrase can accidentally lock you into a legal contract before you manually verify your stock.

To give intmarble.com maximum legal protection against website glitches or stock shortages, we should explicitly define that the contract is only formed when you dispatch the goods, not when the website takes their money.

2.1 Price Benchmarks: Product pricing follows the current active price list displayed on intmarble.com at the time of purchase, or the itemized rates issued on an official, written quotation.

2.2 Quotation Validity: Custom trade and architectural quotations issued manually by the Seller are strictly valid for 30 days from the date of issuance, after which they automatically expire. The Seller reserves the right to modify or withdraw a quotation prior to formal acceptance if material costs or freight carrier tariffs fluctuate unpredictably.

2.3 VAT and Delivery Adjustments:

• Retail Purchases (B2C): All public prices displayed on the intmarble.com storefront are inclusive of statutory VAT at the current applicable rate.
• Trade/Custom Quotes (B2B): Custom project quotes or corporate pro-forma invoices may display prices exclusive of VAT, which will be itemized separately at checkout.
• Logistics Fees: All product prices completely exclude specialized heavy pallet delivery charges. Shipping tariffs are calculated dynamically based on cargo weight and regional destination zones, and are added as a distinct line item prior to final contract completion.

3.1 Payment Timing & Clearing: Full payment of the total order value, including calculated pallet freight tariffs, is required at the point of checkout or upon formal acceptance of a custom invoice. The Seller is under no legal obligation to reserve current quarry batches, allocate inventory, or initiate warehouse packaging until funds have successfully cleared into the Seller's bank account.

3.2 Bespoke & Custom Orders: For bespoke, tailored, or custom cut-to-size stone materials, production will not commence at our facility until full, non-refundable payment has been verified.

3.3 Default & Default Rights: In the event that any payment method is declined, reversed, or flagged for security auditing post-purchase, the Seller retains absolute ownership of all goods (Retention of Title) and reserves the right to cancel the order line immediately, halt shipments in transit, and refuse delivery to the site without liability.

4.1 Consignment Dispatch & Redelivery Tariffs: Goods will be securely routed to the exact geographic shipping address provided by the Purchaser at checkout. Stated delivery dates and fulfillment frames are operational estimates rather than absolute contractual deadlines. If a delivery attempt fails due to inaccurate address entry, the absence of an authorized signatory, or localized site blockages, a mandatory carrier redelivery fee of £49.00 per pallet structure will be charged to the Purchaser before a second transport run is scheduled.

4.2 Structural Freight Kerbside Limits: In accordance with heavy pallet network configurations, all deliveries are strictly Kerbside Only. Offloading is limited to the nearest safe, level, solid hard-standing ground surface (such as an external tarmac driveway or curb). Under no circumstances will vehicles or pumping tools cross loose turf lawns, uncompacted gravel paths, steps, or severe inclines. If a driver attempts to accommodate a closer drop at the Purchaser's request, all financial risks regarding property damage, concrete fractures, or vehicle structural entrapment fall solely on the Purchaser.

4.3 Transfer of Risk & Asset Protection: Absolute physical risk passes completely to the Purchaser the exact second the cargo pallet is offloaded from the vehicle tail-lift at the drop-off site. The Purchaser bears full financial responsibility for safeguarding the stone materials from weather exposure, site theft, or handling cracks from that moment forward.

5.1 The Natural Mineral Standard: The Purchaser acknowledges that all marble, limestone, and granite tiles supplied by the Seller are 100% natural geological materials quarried from the Earth. Unlike factory-made, mass-produced ceramic or porcelain products, natural stone features inherent mineral variations. No two pieces are ever identical.

5.2 Acceptable Geological Characteristics: The Seller is not legally responsible, nor will credit notes or replacements be issued, for standard geological differences, which include but are not limited to:

• Shading & Chromatic Shifts: Variations in background color, blending, or depth of shade between different tile boxes or quarry batches.
• Veining Dynamics: Sudden shifts in veining density, patterns, crystal clusters, or natural color lines running through the stone.
• Micro-Fissures & Pits: Naturally occurring dry seams, surface pitting, or microscopic fissures that are standardly filled, resin-backed, or reinforced during professional factory processing.

5.3 Pre-Fixing Inspection & Structural Acceptance: Samples and website images provide an approximate benchmark of the stone's character only. The Purchaser or their tiler must unpack and dry-lay tiles from multiple crates to mix and balance the natural shading before applying adhesive.

In accordance with UK and European stone industry standards, the physical installation or cutting of the stone constitutes absolute structural acceptance of the material. The Seller will process no claims, returns, or compensation requests for color, shading, or natural variation once the tiles have been fixed with adhesive or altered on site.

6.1 Post-Delivery Custody & Environmental Controls: Upon successful offloading at the drop-off site, the Purchaser assumes full custodial and financial responsibility for the handling, movement, and environmental storage of the stone materials. Natural marble is a porous, mineralogically reactive material that must be shielded from moisture and chemical contamination prior to installation.

6.2 Strict Storage Constraints: To maintain product integrity and preserve your warranty framework, the Purchaser must ensure that:

• Moisture Protection: Tile crates and pallets must be stored in a completely dry, covered, well-ventilated indoor environment. Material must never be left exposed to rain, standing puddles, or stored directly on open, damp soil.
• Warping & Pressure Controls: Crates and pallets must sit on flat, level, structurally sound ground. Marble tiles must remain stacked vertically on edge within their boxes—never stack stone tiles flat on top of one another, as excessive downward pressure will cause fracturing.
• Chemical Shielding: Goods must be kept completely away from harsh acids, unapproved plastic coverings that trap condensation, or industrial chemicals that cause irreversible mineral discoloration or staining.

6.3 Absolute Liability Disclaimer: The Seller explicitly disclaims all legal and financial liability for product damage, efflorescence, atmospheric staining, structural cracking, or warping caused by improper handling, negligent site movement, or substandard storage conditions after delivery. The Seller will issue no refunds or replacements for materials ruined by environmental exposure post-handover.

7.1 Professional Installation Mandate: The Seller supplies premium architectural-grade materials that require specialized skills to install. It is a strict condition of sale that natural stone tiles are installed exclusively by qualified, experienced, and fully insured professional stone tilers who adhere strictly to British Standards (BS 5385) and The Tile Association (TTA) guidelines.

7.2 Specialized Accessory Constraints: To prevent irreversible mineral damage, chemical staining, or structural failure, the Purchaser must ensure their installer uses chemical accessories engineered specifically for natural stone:

• Adhesive Choice: Light-colored or translucent marbles (such as Carrara or Calacatta formats) must be fixed exclusively using high-performance, white flexible thin-set tile adhesive (Minimum Class S1 or S2). The use of standard gray adhesives or spot-bonding methods is strictly prohibited, as it causes permanent shadowing and staining through the face of the stone.
• Grout Formulation: Installers must utilize specialized, high-flexibility stone grouts with a recommended 2mm to 3mm structural joint gap.
• Mandatory Sealing Regimen: Genuine marble is naturally porous and must be sealed with a premium, high-performance impregnating sealer both before and immediately after the grouting process, followed strictly by the use of pH-neutral cleaning agents.

7.3 Total Exclusion of Installation Liability: The Seller acts solely as a material distributor and accepts zero legal or financial liability for project execution issues, substrate movement, chemical staining, installation errors, or stone damage caused by local installers or sub-contractors. The selection, vetting, and supervision of the installation professional rests entirely with the Purchaser.

8.1 Structural Defects & Transit Verification: The Seller warrants that all catalog stock items match their core mineral descriptions. If structural defects or physical transit fractures are discovered, they must be recorded directly on the carrier's paperwork and reported with high-resolution photographic evidence to cs@intmarble.com within 24 to 48 hours of delivery. The Seller reserves the right to physically inspect the batch at the site prior to authorizing a material replacement or a proportional refund credit.

8.2 Statutory Withdrawal vs. Discretionary Returns:

• B2C Consumers (Statutory Window): In compliance with UK Consumer Regulations and EU Directive 2023/2673, retail buyers have a 14-day statutory right from the date of physical possession to cancel or withdraw their standard order for any reason. EU customers can trigger this instantly using the digital storefront "Withdraw from Contract" profile button. The Purchaser is solely responsible for organizing and paying the full cost of return freight carriage to our Kilkeel depot.
• Extended Return Window (Days 15–30): Returns initiated after Day 14 but within 30 days of purchase are purely discretionary, require prior written management validation, must be returned as full unopened pallet configurations, and are subject to a 20% architectural handling and restocking charge.
• B2B Trade Accounts: Commercial business accounts do not possess statutory cooling-off privileges. Approved discretionary trade returns are subject to a 30% handling fee.

8.3 Refund Execution Timelines: For approved statutory consumer returns, refunds will be issued directly to the original payment channel within 7 to 10 business days (maximum 14 calendar days) from the date the undamaged, resalable goods physically arrive at our distribution yard: International Marble Ltd, 67 Newcastle Street, Kilkeel, Co. Down, BT34 4AQ.

8.4 Total Liability Exclusions: The Seller disclaims all legal and financial liability for stone issues caused by normal wear and tear, scratch abrasions over time, substrate movement, acidic chemical staining, site negligence, environmental exposure post-delivery, material misuse, or unauthorized surface repairs.