Terms and Conditions / Warranty

About Us

Specialist Cameras International sells microscope cameras, microscopes, and associated scientific equipment.

If you need to contact us, please send us a message using the contact page.

Specialist Cameras International is a trading name of Global Photonics Group LTD
UK Company number: 15086874
Registered Office Address (PLEASE NOTE THIS ADDRESS CANNOT BE USED FOR PRODUCT RETURNS):
Kennets Cottage,
Beauworth,
Alresford,
England,
SO24 0NZ
United Kingdom

By using our website and ordering a product, or creating an account, you agree to our terms of sale:

Making A Purchase

By placing an order on this website you agree to these terms.

Most of our orders are placed on our website. Just add any items that you wish to buy into the shopping cart. After you have finished your selection, click on 'Checkout' and you will be asked for a few details that we need to be able to complete the order. Orders cannot be placed without cookies being enabled on your browser. 

Backordered products may be charged for before they are shipped unless by special arrangement – some products are made to order and some are ordered from suppliers on your behalf. We can only accept payments by Visa and Mastercard Debit or Credit cards, or PayPal. We do not accept cash on pickup at our premises. When ordering online, we require the customer's registered cardholder address and email address, as well as your mobile phone number to alert you of delivery timing. We cannot process orders without a contact phone number and email address. If you do not provide a mobile phone number capable of receiving SMS text messages, you may not receive order tracking information from the courier.

If you have made a mistake in your order and cannot correct it in the shopping cart, contact us as soon as possible and we will correct the mistake.

When confirmation of your order is received, this is to indicate that we have received your order. It does not indicate that a contract exists between us. We will indicate acceptance of your order, and hence a contract between us, when we charge your card or take your payment. We have included this term to protect us in the case that a mistake has been made in pricing, we have inadvertently under-priced goods, or we are no longer able to supply a particular product for some reason. In the case of a change of price, we will always contact you first to ensure that the price is acceptable. Please note that prices, product specifications and images may differ from time to time and can be changed without prior notice.

Shipping and Handling

Our standard delivery charge for most of the UK is £6.00 ex VAT by Courier. Shipping for the rest of the world is arranged on a per order basis. All orders are shipped promptly if in stock, usually same-day for orders placed before 12:00, or the next day for orders placed after 12:00. During busy periods in-stock orders may be shipped the next business day. We also direct-ship from our UK suppliers, this means we have access to thousands of products that can ship to our UK customers. All goods are shipped fully insured. We do not use budget courier services, and we do not use Royal Mail. We will ONLY ship to your order address. We cannot ship to forwarding agents, drop-off locations, or PO boxes.

Ordering from outside the United Kingdom: Orders placed from outside the United Kingdom may attract local import taxes and import duty charges which may be collected by the courier or local authorities. These charges are outside Specialist Cameras International's control, and Specialist Cameras International is in no way liable for any such additional charges to overseas customers. Please make sure you are aware of your local obligations and charges before ordering.

Order Tracking: You will get an email or text alert with the tracking information from the courier if you ordered with the correct details. If you prefer your order to be left with a neighbour or in a safe place, or moved to a different day because you are out, you will need to arrange this with the courier though their web tracking application. Specialist Cameras International accepts no responsibility for deliveries which are changed by the customer in this manner.

Delivery Schedule

Deliveries to UK mainland addresses are all shipped with fully insured premium services, *some exceptions apply including many AB, FK, HS, IV, KA, KW, PA, PH, ZE postcodes. We may quote delivery charges to these areas where applicable prior to shipping.

You must inform us within one working day if the goods are lost or damaged in transit, so that we can make a prompt claim against the delivery company and correct the problem. In most cases undelivered items are held because customers are not in when the courier arrives and can easily be redelivered when you are in by following the instructions given by the courier. Please ensure all address details are accurate. We cannot be responsible for failed deliveries or losses arising from incorrect delivery addresses, or deliveries which have been changed by the customer in subsequent contact with the courier. 

You agree that proof of delivery supplied by our delivery company is sufficient evidence to establish that goods have been received.

If your product is sent by Courier they will attempt delivery twice and a signature will be required. If they are unable to deliver because you are not available and after 5 days you have not contacted them to re-arrange delivery, the goods will be returned to us and the return delivery costs will be charged to you.

Back Orders

If your item is not in stock, you can usually but not always place a back order. This will be clearly displayed on the website and your order status will reflect this. You will always have the option to cancel your order if you would rather not wait. Backordered items are shipped when the order is received or made by us. Certain made-to-order or customised products with non-standard features cannot be cancelled once we have begun building them, and this will be discussed with you when placing your order. In some cases, we may need to re-authorise your card or PayPal payment before shipping backordered products. We will always contact you about this before doing so, and we may not be able to ship until your bank indicates funds are available.

Tax Charges

Prices are listed on the website inclusive of 20% UK VAT. For orders made from the UK or within the EU, 20.0% VAT is charged. If the UK exits the EU, VAT will not be charged on EU orders. For orders placed from overseas locations such as the USA, Canada and other countries outside the EU, 20% VAT will not be charged. (VAT is a local UK sales tax only).

Credit Card Security

When the order is placed at our website, credit card numbers are encrypted with the latest secure technology directly by our merchant provider. We are fully PCI compliant and the website is SSL certified, and we do not store card data on our systems.

Specialist Cameras International Warranty and Guarantee

We guarantee your satisfaction. All products carry a full 12 Month non-transferrable manufacturer warranty unless specified when ordering. Other products carry a 12-month non-transferrable manufacturer warranty.

The goods you receive must be inspected on the day you receive them, or the next business day. If goods arrive damaged this should be reported immediately to us so that we can arrange to collect, inspect and replace the damaged goods where applicable.

Please note all faulty goods are required to be inspected by us or the manufacturer prior, to a repair, or replacement being authorised and shipped. We will repair or replace a product at our discretion. We will arrange collection of faulty goods within the first 12 months of a warranty. Once inspected, a replacement or repair can be authorised. Goods that carry a warranty longer than 12 months require return by the customer after the 12 month period expires. Lens based optics such as binoculars, eyepieces and refracting telescopes are guaranteed to arrive in collimation, and mis-collimation as a result of shipping damage whilst in the courier’s care, must be reported within 7 days of receipt of the goods. Mirror based optical systems are designed to be collimated by the customer and are therefore not guaranteed to arrive in collimation.

Returns Policy

Your rights to return goods are protected under the United Kingdom's Distance Selling Directive and any agreement between us is solely governed by English Law.

You are entitled to cancel your order and return the goods within 14 days for a full refund, including the cost of delivery, if applicable. Do this by contacting us by email or telephone and quoting the order number supplied to you. Your refund will be paid within 30 days and this is determined by your bank and card provider, not us. All returns must be authorised by us prior to shipping them to us, or you can bring them in for inspection at our shop. If you send a product back without authorisation we might not recognise it, nor accept it. You are responsible for the cost and risk of loss or damage when returning the goods, so you should take out enough postal insurance to cover their value. This cancellation policy does not affect your rights when we are at fault - for example, if goods arrived faulty. Any unwanted goods returned should be in unused saleable new condition including all original packing, instructions, and any free gifts. Damage to free gifts are not deemed a valid reason for returning a product. We cannot accept unwanted returns which have been assembled or used. Please note software is not returnable, and if you acquire a free 3rd party software license with a product and return that product, the license will be revoked. 
These terms apply to your order. We may change our terms and conditions at any time. Please do not assume that the same terms will apply in the future.

None of these terms affect your legal rights and these are not diminished in any way. If any term is held to be invalid under any applicable statute or rule of law, that term is automatically omitted from the terms to minimum extent necessary to comply with the law and without affecting the validity or enforceability of the remainder.

Contacting Us

If you need to reach us, please email us using the link on the store page, alternatively, you can call on +(44) (0) 1603 721946 or write to us at our registered office which is:

Specialist Cameras International
Unit 2, 
Earl Rd, 
Rackheath Industrial Estate, 
Rackheath, 
Norwich 
NR13 6NT
United Kingdom

Privacy Policy

Specialist Cameras International do not disclose buyers' information to third parties other than when order details are processed as part of the order fulfilment, or to enable a partner manufacturer to drop ship a product direct to you, or to send replacement parts and products for warranty reasons.

GDPR compliance means Specialist Cameras International uses a secure HTTPS website and collects your data (name address etc) only with your consent, protects your data and never shares it aside from what is required to fulfil your order or service.

We will retain the personal information you supply to us in the course of submitting an order or an enquiry, for the purpose of fulfilling that order, responding to or processing that enquiry.

If you place an order, we will retain an electronic copy of your invoice data for the period required by HMRC, after which we will delete it.

Your information will be: Securely stored on hardware that has limited access to only relevant persons; and on a server maintained by a third party such as a web host. Whether held by us on our hardware, or on our behalf by a third party, it will be kept secure and protected from unauthorised access using all reasonable means.

We may contact you by telephone, email or other means in relation to your order, for example: Notifying you of delivery status, updating you on stock availability or informing you of changes with the order. You cannot opt out of these communications. We will never combine these communications with marketing promotions that you have a legal right to opt out of.

We may use your data for marketing purposes but will always provide a means for you to opt out. We may occasionally use the data you supplied, in our own Legitimate Interest, to send details of products and services that we believe may be of interest to you. We will never use your data in a way that conflicts with your own legal rights and interests, however we may disclose your personal data is we are required to do so by law, or if you violate our terms of service.

If we share information with a third party, such as a payment gateway or delivery company, their use of your data will be limited to the purpose of fulfilling your order. In general, the third-party providers used by us, for example couriers, will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to allow them to perform the services they provide to us, and we will only provide them with information required to fulfil your order and/or support your product. However, third-party service providers, such as couriers, payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies in respect to the information we are required to provide to them for your purchase-related transactions.

For these providers, we recommend that you read their privacy policies so you can understand the manner in which your personal information will be handled by these providers. In particular, remember that certain providers may be located in or have facilities that are located in a different jurisdiction than either you or us. So if you elect to proceed with a transaction that involves the services of a third-party service provider, then your information may become subject to the laws of the jurisdiction(s) in which that service provider or its facilities are located. As an example, if you are located in the United Kingdom and your transaction is processed by a payment gateway located in the European Union, then your personal information used in completing that transaction may be subject to disclosure under local legislation where the data is processed.

Co-operating with legal authorities:
We will pass information about you and your business to legal authorities who have the legal right to demand such data.

Your rights:
If you have engaged with us, but never placed an order, you may request the complete deletion of your details from our systems. Whether or not you have placed an order, you may request us never to contact you again, and we will comply with your request unless you make a further enquiry with us.

Cookies:

Cookies are used on this shopping site to keep track of the contents of your shopping cart, to store delivery addresses if the address book is used and to store your details if you select the 'Remember Me' Option. They are also used after you have logged on as part of that process. You can turn off cookies within your browser by following the browser instructions and selecting to block cookies. If you turn off cookies, you will be unable to place orders or benefit from the other features that use cookies. Data collected by this site is used to:
a. Take and fulfil customer orders.
b. Administer and enhance the site and service.
c. Only disclose information to third-parties for goods delivery purposes.

Links: When you click on links on our store, they may direct you away from our site. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites and encourage you to read their privacy statements.

Changes to this Privacy Policy: We reserve the right to modify this privacy policy at any time, so please review it frequently. Changes and clarifications will take effect immediately upon their posting on the website. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated, so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it. If our store is acquired or merged with another company, your information may be transferred to the new owners so that we may continue to sell products to you.

Questions and contact information: If you would like to: access, correct, amend or delete any personal information we have about you, register a complaint, or simply want more information contact our Data Protection Officer at Specialist Cameras International.

Website Terms and Conditions of use:

These terms and conditions govern your use of our website. Please read these terms in full before you use this website. If you do not accept these terms and conditions, please do not use this website. Your continued use of this website confirms your acceptance of these terms.

Website access

1.1 It is not necessary to register with us in order to use most parts of this website. However, particular areas of this website will only be accessible only if you have registered.

Use of website

1.2 This website may be used for your own private purposes and in accordance with these terms and conditions.

1.3 You may print and download material from this website provided that you do not modify or reproduce any content without our prior written consent.

Website uptime

1.4 All reasonable measures are taken by us to ensure that this website is operational all day, every day. However, occasionally technical issues may result in some downtime and accordingly we will not be liable if this website is unavailable at any time.

1.5 Where possible we always try to give advance warning of maintenance issues that may result in website down time but we shall not be obliged to provide such notice.

Visitor provided material

1.6 Any material that a visitor to this website sends or posts to this website shall be considered non-proprietary and non confidential. We shall be entitled to copy, disclose, distribute or use for such other purpose as we deem appropriate all material provided to us, with the exception of personal information, the use of which is covered under our Privacy Policy.

1.7 When using this website you shall not post or send to or from this website any material:

(a) for which you have not obtained all necessary consents;

(b) that is discriminatory, obscene, pornographic, defamatory, liable to incite racial hatred, in breach of confidentiality or privacy, which may cause annoyance or inconvenience to others, which encourages or constitutes conduct that would be deemed a criminal offence, give rise to a civil liability, or otherwise is contrary to the law in the United Kingdom;

(c) which is harmful in nature including, and without limitation, computer viruses, Trojan horses, corrupted data, or other potentially harmful software or data.

1.8 We will fully co-operate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requiring us to disclose the identity or other details of any person posting material to this website in breach of Paragraph 1.7.

Links to and from other websites

1.9 Throughout this website you may find links to third party websites. The provision of a link to such a website does not mean that we endorse that website. If you visit any website via a link on this website you do so at your own risk.

1.10 Any party wishing to link to this website is entitled to do so provided that the conditions below are observed:

(a) you do not seek to imply that we are endorsing the services or products of another party unless this has been agreed with us in writing;

(b) you do not misrepresent your relationship with this website; and

(c) the website from which you link to this website does not contain offensive or otherwise controversial content or, content that infringes any intellectual property rights or other rights of a third party.

1.11 By linking to this website in breach of clause 1.10 you shall indemnify us for any loss or damage suffered to this website as a result of such linking.

Disclaimer

1.12 Whilst we do take all reasonable steps to make sure that the information on this website is up to date and accurate at all times we do not guarantee that all material is accurate and, or up to date.

1.13 All material contained on this website is provided without any or warranty of any kind. You use the material on this website at your own discretion.

Exclusion of liability

1.14 We do not accept liability for any loss or damage that you suffer as a result of using this website.

1.15 Nothing in these terms and conditions shall exclude or limit liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence which cannot be excluded or under the law of the United Kingdom.

Law and jurisdiction

These terms and conditions are governed by English law. Any dispute arising in connection with these terms and conditions shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.