Shop Terms and Conditions

Please read the terms and conditions below carefully before making a purchase online, as placing an order on our website or making a purchase with The Ess Letter is considered acceptance of these terms and conditions. For semi-custom or custom orders invitation orders, an agreement specific to the order will be sent via email signing.

PAYMENT & PRICING

Pricing is in New Zealand Dollars (NZD). Pricing shown on our website is based on your country’s bank rate at the time of viewing. The Ess Letter reserve the right to amend, correct or update our pricing at any time. Pricing is a combination of design fees and production costs. No production dates will be scheduled until full payment has been received The Ess Letter. Payment can be made by credit card in New Zealand Dollars. GST is added for all New Zealand orders. Late payment - Any monies not paid in full will be subjected to a late payment penalty fee of $45 after the due date has passed, and will be charged with interest at a rate of 8% (eight percent) per month or part month overdue. In addition, The Ess Letter is entitled to recover all reasonable debt collection cost and related legal expenses. In the event any monies due are not paid in full, The Ess Letter reserves the right to immediately suspend further work for the Client, and The Ess Letter is entitled to terminate this agreement in its entirety. The Ess Letter is not liable to the Client or any person for any loss arising from termination of this Agreement for monies due not paid in full.

REFUNDS & DEFECTS

Due to the personalised nature of design work, The Ess Letter is unable to offer refunds, exchanges, or accept returns. Client must notify The Ess Letter in writing if any goods have a manufacturing defect within 3 (three) days of delivery, otherwise after this time the goods will be deemed accepted by the Client. Defective goods must be returned to The Ess Letter by registered post. Upon inspection and acceptance that the goods are defective, The Ess Letter will reimburse reasonable return postage fees, and at The Ess Letter's discretion replace/refund the defective goods.

SHIPPING

Your order is sent via New Zealand Post, and if available, a tracking number will be provided. While The Ess Letter takes care in packaging your goods, we have no control over your parcel once it is with the postal service, and the The Ess Letter cannot guarantee delivery on or by any particular date.

International shipping: Tracking numbers for international shipments may not be available once the order has departed New Zealand. In the event of losses, damages, or delays, The Ess Letter will refer the Client to make a claim with the local delivery company. The Ess Letter is not responsible for re-shipping lost shipments. International Clients are liable and responsible for all taxes, tariffs, import fees and any other fees upon entry to the Client's shipping country.

Items may ship/mail separately.

SUBSTITUTIONS

We offer availability of our materials in good faith, however occasionally shortages or discontinuations occur without our prior understanding. We may substitute materials for similar products should selected materials become unavailable, or we will notify you and present you with alternative options to choose from of the same quality. Any additional fees for materials selected by the Client with a higher value are the Client’s responsibility.

TIMEFRAMES & DELAYS

Please refer to the timeframes provided in the item description as this varies based on the items ordered. Please allow an additional 1-2 weeks for production when adding custom ordered designs or materials, embellishments and speciality printing. On the rare occasion The Ess Letter needs to update the timeframe, you will be notified immediately. These timeframes assume that all documentation and information by the Client is supplied on time in a satisfactory way, revisions and proofs are signed off within 3 regular days, and all information supplied to us is correct and in a cohesive manner.

  • First proof ~ 3-5 working days from when The Ess Letter receives Client’s final details

  • Revisions ~ 2-3 working days from when The Ess Letter receives Client’s revision request

  • Shipping ~ not included in production timeframes or turnaround times, estimated shipping timeframe will be provided at time of shipment

Client delays - Any delays in the Client providing information, means the timeframe will be delayed and adjusted - this is not a day for day adjustment, as The Ess Letter has other projects in production - it is based on the next available production timeframe.

Rush fees - If the Client requires items sooner than the timeframes allow or would like to speed up an order after a Client delay, rush service fees are 30% of the total order plus expedited shipping charges. Rush service is based on The Ess Letter's availability.

DESIGN REVISIONS

Your item may include a design revision as listed in the item description. Proofs will be emailed to the Client for approval and/or revision requests. All feedback must be provided in writing on the supplied forms, and submitted in one instance as part of the one round of revision. If feedback is not collated in one response using one communication method, these communication instances are billed individually as separate rounds. Additional revision rounds are billed at $150 each.

*Revisions are limited to minor refinements (text edits or paper/ink colours). Any custom ordered illustrations are limited to minor refinements: increasing/decreasing size of full illustration, ink colours, removal of minor details that do not require additional/new elements. Any edits requested that are outside the scope of the existing design (new fonts, new calligraphy, revised layout, new design elements) will incur additional design fees. Pricing can range from roughly $250 - $750+ depending on the scope of the changes requested.

PRINT PROOFS/APPROVAL

The Client is responsible for reviewing, thoroughly checking, and approving all proofs. Approved proofs will be ordered "as is" with no further changes, therefore please carefully review all details, event information (including wording, urls, names, numbers, dates, days, numbers, months, years, locations), design, spelling, layout, orientation, printed sides, sizing, grammar, punctuation, materials, quantities. 

Client approved errors - If the Client notices an error after the proof approval, please contact Sara@theessletter.com immediately as The Ess Letter may be able to limit additional reordering/reprint fees depending on how much work as been done. Regardless where an error originated, all associated reordering/reprint fees are the responsibility of the Client due to Client approved errors. If The Ess Letter made an error not approved by the Client on the proof, The Ess Letter will offer either a printing credit or reprint/reorder at its next available opportunity.

VARIANCES

Please note colours on the screen may differ from real life items due to the varying calibrations on screens and devices - purchasing samples are highly recommend before approving any item for production. The Ess Letter carefully reviews items to ensure it meets its highest standards and inspects each piece individually, however there may be slight variances present with handmade/handlettered goods due to the nature of handmade materials. Printed materials may have slight variances depending on the print method. Digital and letterpress printing may have slight variances when comparing items printed from different print runs or when comparing different pieces/different stocks, this is expected as each print run will have some level of variation with ink levels. Speciality print methods such as letterpress or foil may have slight uneven areas with placement, ink coverage, and impression due to the method of printing (each pieces is printed individually). If there is an issue at hand due to The Ess Letter's neglect, The Ess Letter will attempt to remedy the issue. The order cannot be cancelled, refunded, or returned due to these slight variances. The Ess Letter highly recommends ordering samples or test prints beforehand.

CALLIGRAPHY

It is the Client’s responsibility to provide address/spelling details in the format requested. All pieces will be hand written as they are spelled with the information you provide. Each calligraphed item will vary in design, layout, and spacing due to the length of written details. This means that when comparing pieces, no two pieces will look the same due to the varying information and line lengths, artistic placement, and use of calligraphy/hand lettering. Corrections due to personal preference will be at the Client’s expense. If an error is made by The Ess Letter, the item at their discretion, will either be redone, or a credit provided for the misspelled item.

INVITATION POSTAGE

The Client understands that The Ess Letter is not affiliated with any postal service. The Ess Letter does not have control over postage rates, and the Client is responsible for all invitation mailing costs. Should there be any lost mail or damages to the Client's mailed invitations, concerns can be directed to the Client's local post office. The Ess Letter highly recommends ordering at least 8 additional invitations as replacements for lost or misdirected mail.

DESIGN OWNERSHIP, COPYRIGHT & USAGE

The Ess Letter retains all rights to our artwork/designs, whether preliminary or final artwork. All materials provided during communication will be for review purposes only. The Client cannot reproduce, modify, decompile, disassemble, create derivative works and/or re-use any artwork. Any unauthorised use of artwork will be considered a violation of The Ess Letter's intellectual property rights. Digital files are not included with your order (please contact us if you wish to purchase a license to re-use our artwork on other goods). Any and all trademarks, whether registered or unregistered, remain the property of the contributing party. It is your responsibility to obtain the correct copyright permission for any submitted words such as lyrics, hymns, readings, images, pictures, to be used.

PHOTO RELEASE

The Ess Letter may publish images of your project for promotional purposes. If there is an issue or concern, please advise The Ess Letter in writing (Sara@theessletter.com) beforehand. Should any images of The Ess Letter work be published in online blogs/publications/business social media accounts, the Client must notify The Ess Letter prior to publication and The Ess Letter must be correctly credited as "The Ess Letter" (instagram @theessletter, website www.theessletter.com). 

NO WARRANTY

The Ess Letter services are provided on an “as is” and “as available”, without representation or warranty or condition, express or implied.

LIMITED LIABILITY

The Client agrees to indemnify and hold harmless The Ess Letter, its related companies, parties, affiliates, agents, independent contractors, assigns, directors, employees and officers from any and all claims, causes of action, damages or other losses arising out of, or related to, the services provided in this agreement. The Ess Letter is not responsible for any damages or loss as a result of transportation and/or shipping the Client's items. The Client agrees that the maximum amount of damages entitled to in any claim relating to The Ess Letter’s services are not to exceed the total cost of services provided by The Ess Letter. Any imposed liability shall be limited to the resupply of services. 

FORCE MAJEURE

The Ess Letter is not responsible for the delivery delay if the delay or failure to supply is caused by matters beyond reasonable control including, without limitation: work stoppages; war or other acts of hostility (declared or not); hazardous situations; power failure; equipment failure; ‘Acts of God'; and any other event beyond The Ess Letter’s reasonable control.

The Ess Letter (or a responsible party) will give notice to you via email, and at its discretion, may issue a refund or credit based on a reasonably accurate percentage of services rendered. The Ess Letter's complete obligation to the Client may be discharged in its entirety without prejudice. The Ess Letter disclaims any secondary consequences or costs that the Client may incur.

CHANGES TO TERMS & CONDITIONS

The Ess Letter reserves the right to modify these terms and conditions at any time. Any changes will be posted on its website and will be effective upon posting.

CONTACT US

Contact email: Sara@TheEssLetter.com

last updated 15 November 2024