HOW WE WORK
Kustom Revival is in the business of lovingly, carefully and skilfully servicing, maintaining, restoring and/or customising vintage and modern vehicles.
We are a friendly bunch and like to do our best for you so before we start working on your vehicle we want to make sure you understand the way that we do business, it avoids problems in the future and sets us up for a good working relationship with our customers. We therefore ask all our customers to sign to say that you have read these ‘How we work’ terms of business when you check your vehicle in.
There’s always some small print and this is it… It’s all pretty standard but it does cover some extreme eventualities. If you have any concerns do give us a call, we are happy to talk through anything but we do have to say the serious stuff before we can get to the good bit… fixing up your ride! So here goes…
Initial inspection and quotations.
We take as much care as humanly possible with our customers cars but the nature of old / vintage cars is that most of the bits on them are old, very old, and getting older and more worn all the time.
It is your responsibility to maintain your vehicle on an ongoing basis, making sure that it is regularly serviced and repairs attended to quickly. Failure to regularly maintain your vehicle means that at some point almost everything on it will need attention and probably all at once – That’s expensive so please ensure you do your best to look after your vehicle and maintain it regularly. ‘Little and often’ is a great motto and can save you in the long run.
We offer regular maintenance packages so please have a chat with us about this.
In preparation for the works you have requested we will carry out a thorough visual inspection of your vehicle, give you an assessment of its current condition from which we will give you a written estimate of how long the works are likely to take and how much they will cost.
Please note though that whilst we try to be as accurate as possible with our estimates, often necessary works do not become apparent in this initial inspection. This is because the true condition/requirements of the vehicle can’t be seen until the work is begun and the vehicle is taken apart, as such additional costs are very likely to be incurred. If this is the case, we will not be held to the original price estimated as the job is no longer just the original job.
Please be aware also, that we do not give verbal estimates and will not be held to ‘ballpark’ figures so please don’t put pressure on our staff to give you a verbal quotation.
We also do not accept ‘self-diagnosis’ by our customers, their friends, their psychics, keyboard mechanics, or anyone other than ourselves because the diagnosis is usually incorrect and ends up costing more to resolve.
If we notice that your vehicle has a problem caused by works done by another garage we will advise you and give you the opportunity to resolve that problem with the previous garage before beginning work ourselves.
Kustom Revival reserves the right to refuse to fit parts we consider to be substandard, detrimental to the quality of our work and the running of your vehicle, or just down right dangerous.
Where jobs are very large and span months, maybe even years Kustom Revival reserves the right to increase the hourly rate charged (and previously estimated) on any current project inline with inflation.
Kustom Revival also reserves the right to refuse to work on any vehicle or for any customer.
Instruction and Progress Reports
We consider the job instructed once we have submitted our written estimate to you and you have informed us in writing to say that you accept the estimate. We will then advise you of the estimated date we will start working on your vehicle.
During the job you will be kept regularly informed of the progress of the restoration / repair / customisation of your vehicle by email, and we will not carry out additional works without your consent.
Should a circumstance arise that interrupts works to your vehicle (holidays, sickness, jury duty, floods, fires, anything beyond our control) we will endeavour to inform you as soon as we can.
Waiting Lists
Due to our reputation for quality work, our knowledge and our experience, there is currently a waiting list to book with Kustom Revival. We are working hard to reduce the waiting list but in the meantime, please be aware that the customisation and restoration process is often far from straightforward and therefore there needs to be some flexibility in the time allocated to each job.
We therefore, cannot guarantee exact start / finish dates but we do promise to keep you regularly informed of how we are progressing, we assure you that we are doing our best to get through the waiting list as quickly as possible whilst maintaining our high standards.
In order to be fair, we deal with our customers on a first come first served basis and for the sake of efficiency and quality, we prefer to complete one job before beginning the next one.
Please do not put pressure on our staff to bump you up the queue. It’s not fair on them nor on our other customers.
Delivery
When we are almost ready to receive your vehicle we will contact you to book a date and time to deliver your vehicle to us.
Please note, we will schedule our works around that appointment. If you miss it you will need to book another one and your job will be delayed. We do not expect our staff to work harder, faster, for longer hours, because the vehicle was delivered late.
Before you deliver your vehicle to us for works please ensure that it has sufficient fuel in it for us for complete the works required. If we find that it doesn’t have enough fuel in it we will top it up and charge you at the rate charged by our local fuel station, and also charge a labour fee for the time and effort spent getting it.
Also if you have recently let your tank run dry please advise us as this may affect the smooth running of your engine and is something we would like to know about.
‘While it’s there can you just…?’
So you’ve accepted the estimate, we’ve booked your vehicle in for specific works, and then you say ‘While it’s there, can you just…?’ The truth is the vast majority of our customers say this, and of course we understand, while it’s here it makes sense, right!? Well maybe, maybe not. Whilst we try to be accommodating and can be flexible with little jobs, because these old Volkswagens so often present issues over and above what’s been estimated, if we then start doing all the other extra jobs that we hadn’t allocated time to it extends all the jobs and the waiting lists exponentially, and we’re already battling to bring down our wait list. So please, be as up front as you can with desired work when booking the job in the first place, and if you forget something please understand that while we want to be as helpful as we can, we can’t magically stretch time, so we may ask you to book back in for those additional jobs.
Deadlines
If you intend to use your vehicle for an event on a specific day or holiday please allow adequate time for work. Please make us aware of this date on instruction (not the scheduled start date, that’s too late) and we will do our best to accommodate it.
Please be aware, as previously mentioned, due to the fact that our work is on old and often unpredictable vehicles, or in customisation that is unique, we cannot guarantee deadlines. Whilst we make every endeavour to work as fast as we can to finish your vehicle and will do our best to have it ready in time, we consider it more important to have a safe properly functioning roadworthy vehicle than to botch it together in a hurry for a deadline.
In light of this please do not book travel and transportation plans until you have been advised your vehicle is ready for collection as we will not be held responsible for unused travel expenses should the job run over.
Similarly, we would advise that if you hire your vehicle out or use it for business, you ensure you have a backup plan whilst the vehicle is booked in for work as we will not be held liable for loss of income should works to your vehicle prevent you from conducting business.
Please note our out of hours fees below, if should you desire emergency works. However, we retain the right to refuse out of hours emergency works.
Storage
Due to limited space on our premises we are unable to offer long term storage for your vehicle. Please be aware that whilst we endeavour to keep most vehicles in the workshop during works, it’s necessary on some occasions to keep vehicles outside. As this is not a gated compound please ensure that your insurance covers this.
If you would like your vehicle to be covered, please supply your covers when you deliver your vehicle.
Storage / handling fees of £5+VAT per day become payable should your vehicle remain on our site beyond the 7 day grace period afforded for payment and collection.
Advice and consultations
Due to the sheer number of requests we receive for general advice, and current works we have already committed to, we are no longer able to offer feedback on your vehicle for free, especially if it is looked after by another garage. If you would still like our advice please contact our General Manager to book an appointment for a proper consultation. These are charged at our hourly rate.
Fees
From the 1st of March 2018 our fees will have VAT added.
Please contact us for prices.
Deposits and Payments
Please be sure you have the funds to pay before instructing Kustom Revival to work on your vehicle.
Where the work on your vehicle is likely to be in excess of £750 we will structure your payments in the following way.
- A deposit of 1/3 of the estimated total price, to be paid as cleared funds 7 days prior to the date the work is scheduled to begin.
- We also expect payment in full, prior to the commencement of works, for parts that are a known quantity and are included in your quote.
- Where the job is likely to take more than 30 days you will be invoiced monthly (from the date the works begin) for work carried out thus far, or at £2500 intervals should works reach that amount sooner than 30 days. (This is to protect both our customers and ourselves from amassing large invoices that may become unmanageable).
- On completion you will be issued with a final statement of your account and invoiced for the outstanding balance.
All payments are due within 7 days of the date of the invoice. We will be giving your vehicle the best attention we can offer, and we really appreciate prompt payment.
If you have difficulty paying the bill or your circumstances change during or after works, please talk to us as early as possible so that we can work out a plan with you to deal with the changed situation.
We do accept card payments, or bank transfers (paid directly into our bank account). We do not accept cash or cheque payments.
All monies must be paid before you can collect the vehicle, details are supplied on the invoice.
Please be aware that as a small business we rely on cash flow to continue running smoothly and must therefore enforce the following terms for customers who pay late or cannot pay at all.
Late payment / Non-payment
We will not release the keys or the vehicle until payment is received, and you will be charged a daily storage fee of £5 for each day the invoice remains unpaid after the 7 day grace period for payment and collection.
If your bill remains unpaid beyond 30 days interest of 8% Apr will be charged on your invoice.
Failure to pay after 60 days we result in your account being submitted to our credit control team who will if necessary seek to recover any unpaid debts from you through the courts.
Should you regain possession of your vehicle without paying your bill, or fail to keep up payments to clear your debts to us, we retain the right to repossess the vehicle until payment is complete and you will be subject to interest and storage fees.
Retrieving your vehicle from our premises without our consent is a criminal offence and you will be liable to prosecution.
Should you be unable to settle your bill at all we may seek to sell the vehicle, or item, at its current market value to cover your debt. Any balance would be returned to you. This is an absolute last resort and would not be actioned without your consent or a court order.
Warranties and Parts
Please advise us of any existing warranties on your vehicle and its components before we begin work on it. We will not be held responsible for void warranties that we were not made aware of.
New parts /paint provided by Kustom Revival are covered by the respective supplier’s warranty provided that the part has failed without influence from other factors which may void the warranty. Kustom Revival does not offer additional warranties on these parts and labour to replace them is chargeable.
If a part fails due to improper fitting on the part of Kustom Revival we will rectify the problem free of charge.
Parts manufactured by Kustom Revival are guaranteed for one year and labour to replace them is free if they were fitted at Kustom Revival.
It is sometimes necessary to modify new parts in order for them to fit and operate correctly. Doing so voids any manufacturer warranty. If the part subsequently fails within the manufacturers warranty period due to an issue unrelated to the modifications carried out at Kustom Revival this will not be covered by any parts or labour warranty. If parts failure occurs due to the necessary modifications they we will rectify the problem free of charge.
Please be aware that repairing and or fitting new/upgraded parts to old systems so that they function correctly can cause stress on the old system which may cause another part of it to fail. The rest of the system and additional parts are not covered by a Kustom Revival parts/ labour warranty. Labour and parts to rectify such problems are chargeable to the customer.
Second hand parts are not covered by any warranty, and we offer no guarantees or warranties on parts supplied by the customer. Where the customer supplies the parts we reserve the right to increase our labour rate by up to 20%, this is to cover our loss of income from supplying parts which helps us to keep our labour costs down.
If there is a problem with parts supplied by the customer, it is the customer’s responsibility to resolve all warranty claims with the supplier, and labour to rectify these issues will still be chargeable.
Kustom Revival does not accept responsibility for works outsourced to another company. Those will be covered by those companies own warranties and guarantees.
Complaints
We try our best at all times to keep our standards high and do the right thing by our customers and their vehicles, however, we are human and very occasionally things can go wrong.
Should you encounter any problems with any of our work, services or staff, please contact us directly as soon as possible, and we will try to resolve these issues.
Please note that if you instruct third parties to correct / repair / remedy such problems without prior knowledge, consent or authorisation in writing from Kustom Revival, any cost incurred by you will not be reimbursed by Kustom Revival.
By instructing works with us, you agree to these terms and to give us the opportunity to resolve any issues privately rather than posting comments and complaints on the internet and in public forums.
Insurance
We are fully insured by Zenith Marque. Details will be supplied upon request.
Social Media Marketing
Kustom Revival has the right to use photographs and videos that we have taken of your vehicle for the purposes of marketing our business. Will not knowingly post anything that may have negative repercussions for you. You have the right to refuse the use of your vehicle in photos/videos, if this is the case please advise us on delivery of your vehicle.
Data Protection
Kustom Revival is fully GDPR compliant and as such when you instruct us to work on your vehicle you acknowledge and provide your consent to our storage and use of your personal data only for use to administer instructed works. Your data may be held by us for up to 7 years. We will remove all data upon request as required by GDPR. To be notified of the data we hold for you or request its removal please email kustomrevival@gmail.com
Please be assured that your privacy is important to us and your personal information is never shared with any third party without your explicit permission.
There… now we have said all that serious stuff, let’s get down to fixing up your ride!