Terms and Conditions
George Lane Trading As Thames Boilers
Terms and Conditions of Service
George Lane Trading As Thames Boilers
1. About Us
1.1 These Terms and Conditions apply to all services provided by George Lane, a sole trader, trading as Thames Boilers.
- Business Name: Thames Boilers
- Owner: George Lane
- Address: 14 Cowley Avenue, Greenhithe, Kent DA9 9PJ
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 01322 788418
- Gas Safe Registration: 515374
- VAT Registration Number: GB438112611
2. Definitions
In these Terms and Conditions:
- "We", "Us", "Our" or "the Company" refers to George Lane Trading As Thames Boilers.
- "You", "Your" or "the Customer" refers to any individual or entity engaging us for services.
- "Engineer" refers to the representative assigned to perform the services.
- "Services" refers to plumbing, heating, gas work, boiler and central heating system servicing, repairs, and installations, including work on unvented hot water cylinders.
- "Distance Contract" means a contract concluded online, by telephone, or by any other means where you and we are not physically present together.
- "On-Premises Contract" means a contract concluded when you and we are physically present together, such as when an Engineer visits your property.
3. Scope of Services
3.1 We provide services in plumbing, heating, gas work, boiler and central heating system servicing, repairs, and installations, including work on unvented hot water cylinders. All gas work is carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers.
4. Charges and Payment Terms
4.1 Hourly Rate Work: Where services are not provided at a fixed price, they are billed on an hourly basis at our prevailing rates. Our current hourly rates will be confirmed at the time of booking.
4.2 Diagnostic Fee for Repairs: An initial one-hour labour charge is applicable for diagnosing boiler and central heating faults, after which an estimate for the repair will be provided.
4.3 Fixed Price Work: Larger installation works, including but not limited to new boilers, radiators, control systems, and unvented hot water cylinders, will be provided at a fixed price. Quotations for these works are offered free of charge.
4.4 Online Bookings: Payment is required at the time of booking for all services booked online. Your statutory cancellation rights are set out in Section 7.
4.5 On-Site Payment: Where payment has not been made in advance, payment in full shall be due upon completion of the service, prior to the Engineer's departure from the site.
4.6 Deposits for Installation Work: For installation services, a 50% deposit is required at the time of booking, with the remaining balance payable upon completion of the work.
4.7 Payment in Advance: We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to require payment in full prior to the commencement of any work. This may apply where, for example, a customer is new to us, the work involves the purchase of specialist materials, or for any other reason we see fit.
4.8 Late Payment: Any overdue payments shall incur interest at the rate of 8% above the Bank of England base rate. If payment remains outstanding for more than 7 days after the due date, we reserve the right to pass the debt to a third-party debt collection agency. You shall be liable for any and all reasonable debt recovery costs incurred by us, including but not limited to collection agency fees, court costs, and legal fees.
4.9 All prices quoted are inclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
5. Pre-Contract Information for Online Bookings
5.1 Before you complete an online booking, we will provide you with the following information:
- A description of the service you are booking
- The total price including VAT (or how it will be calculated if not fixed)
- Our identity, address, and contact details
- Information about your right to cancel and how to exercise it
- The arrangements for payment and performance of the service
- Our complaints handling procedure
6. Contract Formation
6.1 For online and telephone bookings, a binding contract is formed when we send you a booking confirmation by email.
6.2 For on-premises bookings (agreed during an Engineer's visit), a binding contract is formed when we agree the work and price with you verbally or in writing.
6.3 We will confirm all distance contracts on a durable medium (email) including the information set out in Section 5 and details of your cancellation rights.
7. Your Right to Cancel (Distance Contracts)
This section applies to contracts made online, by telephone, or by other distance means. It does not apply to contracts made in person at your property or to urgent repair call-outs that you specifically request.
7.1 Cancellation Period: You have the right to cancel a distance contract within 14 days from the date the contract is made, without giving any reason.
7.2 How to Cancel: To exercise your right to cancel, you must inform us of your decision by a clear statement. You may use the Model Cancellation Form at Schedule 1, but it is not obligatory. You can contact us by:
- Email: [email protected]
- Post: 14 Cowley Avenue, Greenhithe, Kent DA9 9PJ
- Telephone: 01322 788418
7.3 Cancellation Deadline: To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the 14-day cancellation period has expired.
7.4 Effects of Cancellation: If you cancel, we will reimburse all payments received from you without undue delay and no later than 14 days from the day on which we are informed of your decision to cancel. We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment you used for the initial transaction, unless you expressly agree otherwise. You will not incur any fees as a result of the reimbursement.
7.5 Services Starting Within the Cancellation Period: If you wish us to begin work before the end of the 14-day cancellation period, you must make an express request to do so. By making this request, you acknowledge that:
- If you cancel after work has begun, you will be required to pay us an amount proportionate to what has been performed until you communicated your cancellation, compared to the full coverage of the contract;
- If the service has been fully performed before you exercise your right to cancel, you will lose your right to cancel.
7.6 Urgent Repairs Exception: There is no right to cancel where you specifically request an urgent call-out for repairs or maintenance. This exception only applies where you have contacted us requesting urgent assistance for an immediate problem.
7.7 The Model Cancellation Form is set out at Schedule 1 to these Terms and Conditions.
8. Cancellations and Rescheduling
This section applies in addition to (not instead of) your statutory cancellation rights under Section 7.
8.1 Short-Notice Cancellations: If you cancel a booking with less than 24 hours' notice (other than by exercising your statutory right to cancel under Section 7), no refund shall be due for any prepayments made. This is because we will have reserved time in our schedule for your appointment.
8.2 Repeated Rescheduling: Customers who reschedule the same booking more than three times may be required to pay in advance for future bookings. We also reserve the right to refuse future bookings entirely from customers who repeatedly reschedule, at our sole discretion.
8.3 Missed Appointments: If an Engineer attends an appointment within the scheduled time frame and access to the property is not granted, we will make reasonable attempts to contact you. If access is not provided within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time, the appointment will be considered missed, and you will be charged for the service. To rebook, payment for a new appointment will be required.
9. Customer Obligations
9.1 Work Area: You shall ensure that the work area is clear and accessible before the Engineer arrives. We reserve the right to charge additional fees should the Engineer need to clear the area in order to perform the Services. We accept no responsibility or liability for any damage to personal belongings, furniture, fixtures, or any other items left within the work area during the provision of Services. It is your responsibility to remove all items from the immediate work area prior to work commencing.
9.2 Pets and Children: For health and safety reasons, you shall keep pets and children away from the work area at all times during the provision of the Services.
10. Our Obligations and Your Consumer Rights
10.1 We are responsible for supplying services that meet your consumer rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. This means our services will be performed with reasonable care and skill.
10.2 Where we supply goods as part of a service (for example, a new boiler), those goods will be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described.
10.3 If you have any concerns that we have not met our legal obligations, please contact us at [email protected].
11. Liability and Warranty
11.1 Existing Systems: We shall not be liable for any issues arising from the connection of new equipment to pre-existing systems. Our liability extends only to the newly installed fittings and equipment.
11.2 Boiler and Cylinder Servicing: We do not accept liability for any faults that may develop during or after the service of boilers and unvented cylinders, as servicing may reveal pre-existing issues.
11.3 Repairs: No warranty is provided for repairs performed on boilers over 10 years of age. A 12-month warranty applies only to parts fitted by us; we accept no liability for failure of any other parts within the boiler or central heating system following the repair.
11.4 Repairs due to Sludge or Scale: Repairs necessitated by the presence of sludge or scale in the system are excluded from any warranties provided by us.
11.5 Warranty Limitations: Any warranties provided shall be void if the goods or services provided by us are tampered with, repaired, or modified by any party other than us.
11.6 Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall limit or exclude our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be limited or excluded by law.
12. Waste Disposal
12.1 Installation Works: For larger installation jobs, waste disposal shall be included in the quoted price.
12.2 Repair and Service Jobs: Disposal of waste materials, including packaging and old parts, shall be your responsibility unless otherwise agreed.
13. Access and Parking
13.1 You shall ensure suitable access to the property and parking arrangements within 50 metres of the property for the Engineer's vehicle. Any additional costs incurred due to restricted access or parking constraints shall be chargeable to you.
13.2 Parking Liability: It is your responsibility to ensure that legal parking is available for our Engineer's vehicle for the duration of the appointment. Where you are unable to provide legal parking and our Engineer is required to park without a valid permit or in a restricted area in order to carry out the Services, you accept full liability for any parking fines, penalty charge notices, or other parking-related costs incurred by us whilst carrying out work at your property. We will not be held responsible for any delays caused by inadequate parking arrangements.
14. Health and Safety
14.1 We will comply with applicable health and safety legislation and industry best practices.
14.2 You shall provide a safe environment for the Engineer to work and inform us of any hazards or risks on-site before work commences.
15. Force Majeure
15.1 We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in the performance of our obligations where such failure or delay is beyond our reasonable control. This includes but is not limited to acts of God, adverse weather conditions, strikes, power outages, and equipment failures.
16. Title and Risk
16.1 Title to any goods supplied by us shall remain vested in us until payment in full has been received. Risk in such goods shall pass to you upon delivery.
17. Right to Refuse Service and Customer Conduct
17.1 We reserve the right to refuse, discontinue, or decline to provide any service, at our sole discretion and for any reason, including but not limited to where we deem the working conditions unsafe or unreasonable, where you have breached any of these Terms and Conditions, or where we consider it is not in the best interests of our business to proceed.
17.2 Customer Conduct: We expect our Engineers to be treated with courtesy and respect at all times. We operate a zero-tolerance policy towards abusive, threatening, aggressive, or discriminatory behaviour directed at any member of our team. If any such behaviour occurs, the Engineer has the right to stop work immediately and leave the property. In such circumstances, you will remain liable for payment for all work completed up to that point, and we reserve the right to refuse any future bookings.
17.3 Where we exercise our right to refuse service under this section, any deposits or advance payments may be retained to cover work already carried out and any costs reasonably incurred by us.
18. Complaints
18.1 Any complaints should be submitted to us by email at [email protected].
18.2 We will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within 2 working days and endeavour to provide a full response within 5 working days.
19. Alternative Dispute Resolution
19.1 We are not required to participate in alternative dispute resolution procedures operated by an approved dispute resolution provider. If you have a complaint, please contact us at [email protected] and we will endeavour to resolve the matter directly with you.
20. Data Protection
20.1 We will process your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which is available on request.
20.2 We collect and process your personal data for the purposes of providing our services, managing bookings, processing payments, and communicating with you. The legal basis for this processing is the performance of our contract with you.
21. General Provisions
21.1 Governing Law: These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. The parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
21.2 Severability: If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is found to be unenforceable, it shall not affect the enforceability of the remaining provisions.
21.3 Entire Agreement: These Terms and Conditions, together with any quotation or booking confirmation, constitute the entire agreement between us and you.
21.4 Amendments: We may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time. The version in force at the time of your booking will apply to your contract with us.
Schedule 1 — Model Cancellation Form
(Complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract)
To: George Lane Trading As Thames Boilers, 14 Cowley Avenue, Greenhithe, Kent DA9 9PJ, Email: [email protected]
I/We hereby give notice that I/We cancel my/our contract for the supply of the following service:
- Service description: [Service description]
- Ordered on / Service date: [Date]
- Name of consumer(s): [Name]
- Address of consumer(s): [Address]
- Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper): [Signature]
- Date: [Date]
Version 3.0 – February 2026
For any questions about these terms, please contact us at [email protected] or call 01322 788418.