Shipping & Returns Policy

Order Acceptance Policy

All orders placed with us are subject to our acceptance. We reserve the right to decline (i.e. not accept) any order up to the point of the order being dispatched and an invoice for the order being issued. We will not dispatch an order until we have received payment in full for the total value of the order. Automatic confirmation of successful order placement and/or receipt and/or processing a payment for the order does not constitute acceptance of the order by us. If we decline your order after a payment for the order has been received/processed we will contact you with the details and refund the payment in full.

Stock Availability

The stock information displayed on our website is kept as up to date as possible, but can be upto 3 days behind actual stock levels. Hence, if our website indicates that an item is in stock, it generally means that it is. We do however recommend that you contact us about stock availability if you see on the website that our stock levels for the item you want to purchase are low (i.e. less than 5 items in stock) or you intend to purchase a large quantity of the same item (i.e. more than 5).

If an ordered item is out of stock it will be placed on backorder or partial backorder. An estimated time of arrival will be made available where possible. Some products are never held in stock and must be ordered in specifically for your order, which means it will generally take a bit longer. Please contact us for details of your specific item. If you do not wish to wait, please contact us and we will immediately refund you for the items which have not been shipped.

Backorders

Backorders can occur when:

• You purchase a quantity of products which is greater than available in stock
• You purchase a product which has stock as "ETA" or "BY ORDER"
• You purchase a product which has been sold to another customer and quantity information on the website has not yet been updated

When one of these conditions occurs at the time of purchase you will be notified of the 'Backorder' and will be contacted to discuss available options (i.e. Keep the order and wait for the item to arrive in stock or cancel the order (or part) and immediately receive a full refund for the unshipped items if payment has already been processed).

Please note, there may be additional shipping costs if you request a partial shipment of your order.

Order Cancellations

We are very flexible with order cancellation and allow to cancel the order up to the point when you receive and sign for the goods. However, if we incur costs as result of the cancellation, we will pass these on to you, so please research and choose the products carefully and consider how you pay for your purchase. Also, please note that all cancellations must be done or confirmed by email. The following policies apply on order cancellations where the order is cancelled as a result of the customer changing their mind:

• Credit Card Handling Fees - For order cancellations paid for by Credit Card, the Credit Card Handling Fee of 2.5% is not refundable, as this fee is charged by the bank and is not refunded to us when an order is cancelled and we have to issue a refund.
• Freight Costs & Shipping Insurance - If you cancel an order that has been shipped but not yet delivered, the freight cost and shipping insurance will not be refunded, as we will not be refunded this cost by the courier. Please note that an order in the status of Shipping may have already been shipped but not yet updated on our website.
• Restocking Fees - Although unlikely, a 20-25% re-stocking fee may apply, as depending on the item and supplier we may be charged this fee.

Payment Methods

We must receive cleared payment in full for the total value of the order before we will accept and start processing your order. The following methods of payment are accepted:

Credit/Debit Card Over The Phone (Immediate clearance)
(2.5% handling fee may apply)

Electronic Bank Transfer (1 day clearance, depending on your bank)
Bank: NAB (Hamilton)
Acct Name: Survey & Instrument Specialists Pty Ltd
BSB: 082 748
Account Number: 176 914 738

Direct Bank Deposit into our account - Over the Counter (Immediate clearance)
Bank: NAB (Hamilton)
Acct Name: Survey & Instrument Specialists Pty Ltd
BSB: 082 748
Account Number: 176 914 738

Survey & Instrument Specialists takes no responsibility for any delays associated with processing your payment by third-party financial institutions.

SURVEY & INSTRUMENT SPECIALISTS or SURVEY & INSTRUMENT SPECIALISTS PTY LTD will appear on your credit card statement for orders placed with us.

Fraud Prevention

For certain Credit Card orders (i.e. based on fraud risk as determined by our automated fraud risk assessment procedures), we will undertake additional steps (as determined by our fraud prevention policies) to ensure the transaction is not fraudulent. These steps may include, but are not limited to:

• Calling the customer and/or the owner of the credit card on a landline number
• Verifying the landline number as belonging to the delivery or billing address
• Validating the billing address specified on our website as matching the billing address provided to the credit card issuer
• Requesting the courier to verify and record the identity of the recepient on delivery
• Requesting a photocopy of the credit card to be faxed to us (to verify physical posession of the card)

Data Security

Survey & Instrument Specialists uses the industry standard security protocol Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encrypt all sensitive information (like your credit card details) that passes between your computer and the Survey & Instrument Specialists website. We employ the latest 128-bit encryption technology in all areas of the site which require you to provide your personal or account information. This means that the credit card information you send is encrypted by your computer, and then decrypted again on our side, preventing others from accessing your private information in transit. So, when using an SSL capable browser, shopping on the Survey & Instrument Specialists website is perfectly safe.

Also, when your provide credit card information on our website, it is passed directly to the bank via an SSL secured payment gateway and is at no stage stored on our website or in our database. This means there is no risk of your credit card information being stolen, even in the highly unlikely even of someone gaining access to our database.

Shipping

Shipping charges apply to all orders placed. Our shipping cost is calculated on the weight, volume and delivery post code for every order. Shipping and dispatch times on our website are indicative only. To avoid delays and possible second delivery charges, we strongly recommend that you provide an attended business address (such as a work address), where someone you trust will be available to receive and sign for the order during normal business hours.

We only use person-to-person delivery services (i.e. Where the recepient must sign for the delivery) to ensure orders can be tracked all the way through to delivery. For certain orders (i.e. as determined by our fraud prevention policies), we may also request for the courier to verify the identity of the recepient.

Delivery Times

Normal delivery times for items in stock are 1-2 days from payment clearance. These timelines are guidelines only. Survey & Instrument Specialists does not take any responsibility for any delays in shipping. Where possible we provide consignment details and courier tracking numbers to customers, so please contact the corresponding courier to track your shipments.

Loss and Damage

The customer is responsible for ensuring that either they or their authorised representative inspect the goods prior to accepting the delivery and signing the Proof Of Delivery (POD) document. Each delivery should be checked for completeness (i.e. Enclosed goods as per accompanying Consignment Note) and any transit damage. Failure to inspect the goods prior to signing the POD will result in voiding of any claim against loss or transit damage.

Signing of a Proof of Delivery (POD) document confirms that the consignment has been delivered in full and in good condition (i.e. no visible physical damage). POD should only be signed once the goods have been inspected as a clean signed POD will void any claim against loss or transit damage.

If a shipment arrives with a damaged carton or item, the delivery should either be rejected with POD not signed or the POD must have the exact damage noted on it including any carton identifier available, signature, name and date as above. If this information is not provided the POD will be treated as clean and will void any ability to claim loss or transit damage against shipping.

Additional Fees and Charges

If we incur extra delivery charges as a result of your action or inaction, these may be passed on to you at our discretion. An example of such charges are second delivery charges by couriers as a result of you or someone who can receive the goods not being in attendance at your nominated delivery address when you have specified that the address is attended during normal business hours.

Manufacturer Promotions

Manufacturer promotions are offered at the discretion of the manufacturer. This may include cash-back offers, free items, or any other promotion. These promotions are only valid on products that are obtained through the Australian channel from stores such as ourselves. Generally any products purchased from us will be valid for manufacturer cash-backs and other promotions being advertised in Australia, provided any other additional criteria are met.

These promotions are in no way under the direct or indirect control of Survey & Instrument Specialists. Manufacturers will place set time frames in which these promotions are current and valid, and we have no ability to extend these times. We may still offer products for sale after the promotion has expired, and the promotion shall not be redeemable.

Should any more information be required about any given promotion, we are happy to assist with queries where possible.

Refund and Return Policy

Statutory Rights

No part of the Refunds and Returns Policy is intended to limit any rights or remedies customers may have under the Trade Practices Act or equivalent State and Territory legislation.

Refunds

Please research the products carefully before placing an order. We generally do not provide refunds or exchanges for incorrectly ordered goods or if you change your mind once you have received the goods. We take no responsibility for incorrect choice of product or for any hardware/software compatibility issues. The customer is ultimately responsible for researching the product specifications from the manufacturer and other resources and selecting the appropriate product to meet their requirements. For your convenience, we do provide manufacturer’s links for the majority of products sold in our store. If at our sole discretion, we decide to accept non-faulty goods for a refund, a re-stocking fee of 20%-25% may be charged and other non-refundable costs incurred by us (i.e. Credit Card Handling Fee and Freight Costs) will be passed on.

Return of Faulty Goods (Under Warranty)

BEFORE returning any faulty goods to us you must initiate a return / warranty claim with our Service Department. You must provide the Invoice / Sales Receipt and the faulty item's serial number (for those items that have a serial number) and as much information as possible about the fault / problem. Where appropriate, we will issue you with a Return Authorisation Number (RA Number) and provide with instructions on returning the faulty item. The RA Number is valid for 7 days from the date of issue, in which time the faulty goods must be received by our Service Centre. The RA Number will not be extended or re-issued. The RA Number MUST be clearly displayed on the return package. Any goods returned without an RA Number will be not accepted and shipped back to you at your expense. Depending on the item we may require that it is returned with all original accessories. Our Service Centre reserves the right to reject incomplete or not properly packaged items.

A refund or replacement item will only be issued once the faulty item has been received and tested for the specific fault / problem specified in the Return / Warranty Claim and found to be faulty.

Dead-On-Arrival (DOA) Products

You must go through Return / Warranty Claim procedure outlined above in order for us to process your return / warranty claim. If the item is found faulty, we will either replace or repair the item based on your choice. To ensure expedient handling of your DOA return please initiate the DOA return within 7 days of receiving the product.

Return of Non-Faulty Goods

Our Service Centres test for declared faults thoroughly, however, if they find the item to have no faults or intentional damage to the item, a $60 service fee may be charged and the non-faulty item will be shipped back to you at your expense. If the item is found to be not faulty and the service fee is charged, you will be required to pay the service fee prior to the goods being shipped to you. If payment is not received within 30 days, the goods will be sold to recover the service fee and any difference will be refunded to you.

Warranty

All products sold by Survey & Instrument Specialists are covered by Return-to-Base or Manufacturer Warranty. Most of the goods carry 12 months return-to-base or manufacturer warranty, but some could have extended warranties. Please contact the product manufacturer for extended warranty details. You may also find it more efficient to handle the warranty claim directly with the manufacturer for items where the manufacturer has a service centre network in Australia.

Bundles

Any promotions that we may run from time to time, at our discretion, may be, or may contain items bundled together. In any such cases, the components of the bundles are to be treated as individual items at a discounted price when purchased together. Any and all warranties are on these separate items, not on the bundle itself. In the case of a warranty/return claim, only the faulty item(s) in the bundle may be returned and replaced/refunded (as per this return policy) and any other products in the bundle that are returned will be treated as a Return of Non-Faulty Goods (outlined in this policy) and may result in restocking fees or the item being returned to you at your cost.

Data Loss

Survey & Instrument Specialists does not accept any responsibility for any data loss caused by the product purchased from us.

Terms and conditions are subject change from time to time without prior notice. It is your responsibility to review the terms and conditions prior to placing orders on the website.