Terms and conditions

The transport service and this website are operated by Esa Couriers, of Chicksand Avenue, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Email info@esacouriers.co.uk or call 01908 822 779.

The customer is the person or company ordering transport. If you book for a company or the owner of the goods, you must have authority to give instructions and enter the agreement. A consumer is an individual booking mainly outside their trade or profession. An account customer is a business whose credit application we have approved.

A booking includes its agreed route, goods, vehicle, dates and price. Written instructions include email. References to legislation include amendments in force. Headings help navigation and do not change the agreement; references to a person include a company where appropriate.

These terms apply to new bookings from the date above. Updates do not rewrite previously confirmed contracts. Specific written arrangements for a job take priority over general provisions, subject to the carriage conditions in section 11 and mandatory law.

An online estimate or saved quote does not reserve a vehicle. Submitting a request asks us to arrange the job; a request acknowledgement is not confirmation. The booking becomes binding when we confirm acceptance, including a confirmed paid online booking. Jobs requiring office review remain requests until accepted.

Office quotations are open for seven days unless another period is stated. Saved online quotes retain their recorded price, but dates, vehicle availability and the details of the work still need confirmation. Please check all information before proceeding and contact us promptly to correct a mistake.

We may decline work we cannot safely or lawfully perform. If information about the load or access changes, we will explain any revised price before you agree. If we cannot accept the booking, or you decline a revised offer before confirmation, advance payments are returned. An obvious pricing error will be discussed with you; it does not authorise us to charge a different amount without agreement.

After confirmation, changes to stops, goods, dates or vehicle requirements need agreement from the office. We will explain the effect on availability and price. If a change cancels reserved work, the cancellation provisions below apply without recovering the same loss twice.

Prices are in pounds sterling and displayed as a net amount + VAT. The booking breakdown separately states VAT and the total payable. We apply the VAT treatment required by law and show any adjustment before payment.

Mileage follows the collection and delivery stops in the order entered. Road-routing data uses postcode locations; an estimate is identified when routing is unavailable. The map indicates the journey and is not a guarantee of a truck-safe route. Drivers must follow actual access, height, weight and road restrictions. An ordinary diversion does not by itself change an agreed price.

The calculation uses the selected vehicle and current pricing rules. One collection and one delivery are included; each additional collection or delivery can attract the displayed extra-stop fee. Applicable minimums, van distance discounts, truck delivery-zone charges, London fees and weekend or out-of-hours charges appear in the breakdown. Congestion, ULEZ and other London categories are alternatives, not three cumulative London charges. A truck zone charge may also apply. A qualifying weekend charge is applied once, including when both collection and delivery fall on a weekend.

Confirmed prices cover the work described. Additional waiting, changed routes, a return journey, special equipment, ferry crossings or other work outside that description require an agreed charge. We will explain costs before proceeding where practicable and promptly explain necessary emergency costs. We do not charge again for an item already included in your quote.

Guests can book without opening a credit account. When online payment is offered, it takes place on Stripe's hosted checkout. We receive payment status and references, not your full card number or security code. The provider's terms govern its payment service; we remain responsible for our transport agreement and for resolving charges or refunds owed by us.

Business credit requires a completed company application, verified email and manual approval. Applying alone does not grant credit, a discount or a confirmed job. Approved accounts receive 30 days from invoice date. An agreed individual discount is shown in the account and applied to the net total before VAT on eligible new quotes. The office issues invoices separately. Guest checkout remains available during review.

We may agree a credit limit in writing and require advance payment if a limit is reached or overdue balances or other evidence make further credit inappropriate. We may review or withdraw credit for future work and explain changes. This does not retrospectively change confirmed prices or agreed payment dates.

Invoices may be issued once a booking is confirmed. Additional agreed charges and unpaid cancellation balances are due within 30 days of invoice unless another due date is agreed. Tell us promptly about an invoice dispute and pay the undisputed balance on time. Consumers retain any legal right to withhold a genuinely disputed amount.

For qualifying overdue business debts, we may claim statutory interest at 8 percentage points above the Bank of England base rate, statutory compensation and reasonable recovery costs allowed by law. Commercial late-payment legislation is not applied to consumer bookings. Serious non-payment may lead to suspension of further unperformed work after appropriate notice.

A transport-of-goods booking for a specified date or period is generally outside the usual 14-day distance-contract cooling-off right. Your rights concerning faulty or unperformed services remain. Where a booking does carry a statutory cancellation right, that right takes priority over the fee table; accepting these terms does not waive it.

We must provide the service with reasonable care and skill and honour binding information given about it. If we fail, you may be entitled to repeat performance, an appropriate price reduction, a refund or other remedies. Business-only liability limits and commercial debt provisions do not apply to consumers.

Supply accurate addresses, site contacts, stop order, dates, dimensions, pallet count, total weight, goods description and access or handling restrictions. Tell the office the value of the goods and any special risks before confirmation. Update us immediately if details change.

You must own the goods or have permission to arrange carriage. Package, palletise, label and secure the load for normal road transport and handling. Supply required documents and ensure the load is lawful, within the vehicle's capacity and safe to handle.

Illegal goods are never accepted. Hazardous substances, explosives, weapons, ammunition, live animals, human remains, cash, bullion, jewellery, precious stones, antiques, artwork, tobacco, duty-suspended alcohol, perishable or temperature-controlled goods require our express written acceptance and any legally required specialist arrangements. A standard online quote is not that acceptance. Do not conceal restricted items in an ordinary load.

We may refuse, stop or secure an unsafe or unlawful load and, where justified, inspect it or involve the relevant authorities. We will act with reasonable care and explain our action where lawful. Business customers are responsible under the applicable carriage conditions for losses caused by their breach, inaccurate instructions or unsafe goods. Consumers are responsible only for reasonable losses caused by their own breach, not our negligence or losses we could reasonably avoid.

A collection receipt records handover; it does not certify concealed contents, value or the condition of sealed packaging. Business transit and any custody outside transit are governed by the RHA conditions identified below. The transit period normally starts when the load leaves the collection premises and ends when it is tendered at the proper delivery point. Different arrangements require written agreement.

We normally obtain a delivery acknowledgement. Please inspect the goods and record visible shortage or damage; a clean signature does not by itself remove rights concerning concealed damage. We may use an agreed recipient's signature or another agreed delivery record.

Unattended or unsigned delivery requires your specific instructions and a suitable location. You accept risks arising from the location you choose, but this does not excuse our negligence or delivery to an incorrect address. If a safe authorised handover is impossible, we will seek instructions. A missing signed delivery record alone does not establish that a business invoice is not payable.

We work towards agreed times. Unless an express guaranteed service is agreed, timings are estimates affected by traffic, access and operating restrictions. Tell us before booking if a deadline is critical. We will communicate material delays and take reasonable steps to resolve them.

If nobody can receive the goods, an address is wrong or access is inadequate, we will try to contact you. After 24 hours without instructions following notice, continued storage or return arrangements may be needed. Business transit ends in the circumstances defined in the RHA conditions; we do not treat an unsuccessful handover as proof of delivery to the intended recipient.

We can recover reasonable extra costs of incorrect instructions or failed delivery for which you are responsible. Please give collection, return or onward-delivery instructions within seven days of notice.

Uncollected goods do not automatically become our property. A lien, sale or disposal will be exercised only under applicable carriage conditions and law, with required notices and an opportunity to collect. Lawful sale proceeds are accounted for against permitted costs and debts, and any balance returned to the person entitled to it. Hazardous or perishable goods may require urgent lawful protective action.

Contact the office promptly with the booking reference, affected items and what went wrong. Keep packaging, photographs, receipts and weight evidence and allow a reasonable inspection. Tell us before disposing of damaged goods unless immediate action is needed for safety.

For business claims, provide notice and available damage evidence within seven days of the end of transit and a written claim within fourteen days. The applicable RHA conditions set the full claim and legal-action time limits and any exceptions where compliance was not reasonably possible. These reporting periods do not shorten a consumer's statutory rights.

We will investigate complaints and explain our decision and proposed resolution. Contact info@esacouriers.co.uk if you disagree so we can review it. You remain free to seek independent advice or use the courts; making a complaint is not a waiver of your rights.

Severe weather, road closures, industrial action or infrastructure failure may interrupt transport. We will notify you and take reasonable steps to limit disruption. Business carriage follows the RHA provisions for events outside reasonable control. This is not a blanket exclusion for our negligence. If a service cannot be supplied, we will discuss alternatives and settle any refund due for unperformed work, preserving mandatory rights.

We may use suitable subcontractors and remain your contractual contact. They perform work under the applicable carriage arrangements, and only information needed for the service is shared with them.

Specialist storage, international carriage and other services outside the agreed road journey require separate arrangements. Any additional industry conditions will be identified and supplied before agreement. UK Warehouse Association storage terms are not automatically included in a standard courier booking.

Keep credentials private and tell us promptly about suspected unauthorised access. Do not submit fraudulent bookings, interfere with the website or access another customer's information. We may restrict access to protect users or investigate misuse, with an explanation where safe and lawful.

Maintenance or technical faults may interrupt the website. Contact the office if an action fails; an estimate or interrupted payment screen alone does not prove a booking completed. Keep your booking reference and confirmation.

Each party must protect the other's confidential business information, sharing it only as needed to perform the agreement, obtain professional advice or meet legal obligations. Information already lawfully public is not confidential.

Both parties must handle personal information lawfully. Provide site-contact details only when entitled to do so and let those people know their information is being used for delivery. Our privacy policy explains processing; our cookie policy explains browser storage. Accepting these terms is not blanket consent to marketing.

If the business or a contract is transferred, affected customers will be notified and their existing contractual rights protected. Customers need our written agreement to transfer a booking or account; we will consider reasonable requests. Subcontracting does not itself transfer your contract.

Except for protections expressly given to carriers, employees or agents in applicable carriage conditions, the agreement does not give third parties a right to enforce it. If a provision cannot legally operate, the rest continues where it can sensibly do so. Delaying enforcement is not a promise never to exercise a right.

The law of England and Wales governs this agreement. Business disputes are subject to the courts of England and Wales. Consumers retain mandatory protections and any right to bring proceedings in the courts of their home UK jurisdiction.