FAQ

1. What is the standard carriage charge for Mainland UK?

We charge £10 plus VAT for delivery, regardless of the size or weight of the order for all bespoke orders. This is for tracked delivery, dispatched via courier including insurance for your order. Ensuring your order is delivered as quickly and as safely as possible. Once an order is ready for dispatch (8 – 10 for bespoke) it will be sent out for delivery the next working day. Prices for timed deliveries or overseas are available on application.

Some of our smaller items (such as printer accessories) are charges at £3. These are dispatched via Royal Mail

2. Delivery Policy Bespoke Products

For bespoke items our lead time is 8 – 10 working days approx. We dispatch all bespoke products via a next working day over night service for all mainland UK postcodes (delivery may be longer for postcodes located in outlying areas such as Scotland). The delivery service for Northern Ireland, Southern Ireland and the Channel Islands is a 2-3 working day delivery service. Prices for our standard delivery are below. Note that all prices shown are excluding VAT. For delivery to non mainland UK address please contact us for pricing and availability. Delivery times to other EU countries may vary depending on delivery service available. Please contact us for more information.

Bespoke Products: Standard Delivery: £10 Mainland UK. Insured, tracked delivery with courier

2.1 Online Sales

For products bought online from our website we use several different delivery methods depending on what product is ordered. These details will be shown in the product or the parent category.  Please note even of an item is listed as in stock it may take 3- 5 working days for delivery. The delivery cost are shown below.

Standard Delivery: £10 Mainland UK including VAT. Insured, tracked delivery with courier

Courier Delivery: £6 Mainland UK including VAT. Tracked with courier

Royal Mail Delivery: £3 Mainland UK including VAT.

We offer international shipping for specific EU countries. This is chargable including UK VAT. International shipping is subject to location.

2.2 Free Shipping

Free shipping is only available for deliveries with in the UK.  Shipping for orders under £350 will be charged at the highest shipping cost of the items in the order. This may result in free shipping being lost if a free shipping item is ordered with an item that does not qualify for free shipping. Free shipping is subject to terms and conditions.

Free shipping is not available on our roll label products and some A4 sheet label products due to value of item of weight of items shipped. Free shipping is not available on bespoke products. Free shipping on A4 Sheet Label orders that are above £150 is only for Products with single box rates that are above £150. It is not based on complete order value of A4 sheet label products.

We reserve the right to deny free shipping for non mainland UK locations.

3. Refund Policy

South East Labels offers full refunds on goods that are proven to be:

• not matching the description
• not of satisfactory quality
• not fit for purpose

As Per the Sales Of Goods Act (SOGA)

Full refunds can only be issued to the paying card. For account customers we can offer a credit note to be used against following orders or credited back into your account.Please see our Terms and Conditions for more details or contact us.

Products bought online must be either a) cancelled before product is dispatched or b) returned to us in exact condition it was delivered in before a refund can be given. South East Labels will not be held responsible for any damage to the goods incurred during transit when they are returned to us. Any damage incurred could result in the request for a full refund being denied or only a partial refund given.

3.1 Bespoke Products

If you are an account customer your order is normally dispatched between 8-10 working days from when your order was placed and/or artwork approved. If you are a pro-forma customer, your order will be approximately 8-10 working days from payment received and artwork approved (where applicable). Once the goods have left us, our courier should deliver the next working day, unless otherwise arranged.

Please see our Terms and Conditions for more details

3.2 Online Purchases

The majority of our online goods are normally dispatched within 3 – 5 working days of receipt of order. However during busy periods, such as seasonal holidays, we can get extremely busy, please allow for 8 – 10 working days.

4. Over Sea’s Deliveries

We are able to offer delivery to many EU country. However we can not offer delivery to all EU countries. To find out if delivery is available for a specific EU country please contact us. We are able to offer delivery to Repiblic of Ireland. All delivery charges to an EU country (excluding the UK) must be quoted for. All delivery charges must be paid for in full by the customer. All international orders are Pro-Forma only. VAT numbers must be given for deliveries outside of the UK.

All Pro-Forma’s issued for orders out side of the UK (EU only) will be issued in Pound Sterling Only (GBP) and must be paid in Pound Sterling Only (GBP). All charges fro currency transfer/ international bank transfers must be paid for by the customer.

We do not deliver to countries outside of the EU. We only accept Pound Sterling (GBP).

5. Finance Options

Many of our larger and more costly printers have the option to buy on finance. This is a fixed term (3yrs) with fixed amount month repayments. All of our finance options are currently only available to Limted Companies and Partnerships with more than 4 partners.

Our finance options are all handled by a third party: Halo Corporate Finance Ltd. www.hcfl.co.uk

All finance options are a fixed term lease contract with the option to buy for the price of One Months Payment (Payable to South East Labels) at the end of the finance term.

If you wish to apply for finance simply contact us as we can take you through the process. It is very easy. A representative of Halo Corporate Finance would contact you directly for eligiablity and credit approval checks. All finance options are subject to terms and conditions, status, credit approval and acceptance. All quoted finance options pricing is excluding VAT.

6. What is the difference between Thermal Direct and Thermal Transfer Printing methods?

a. Thermal Direct printing requires thermal direct labels to work. It is a process where the labels react to the heat of the print head. These labels are generally used in situations where the label does not have to last very long such as fresh food labelling. It is often used in warehouses for dispatch and pallet labelling. Used in the wrong situation the labels can fade, discolour or become illegible when exposed to heat or light.

b. Thermal Transfer printing requires either a wax, wax/resin or resin ribbon to print. It is a durable and long lasting method of printing.

c. Just tell us the make and model of your printer and what you are using the labels for and we will be able to tell which method is most suitable.

7. I need barcode labels so how do I get started?

First you must contact an organization called GS1 UK at www.gs1uk.org They will issue you with the numbers you need and explain how to assign them to your products. Once you have your numbers we can either print the labels for you or supply you with the blank labels to print on yourself. If you intend to print your own labels you will need a label printer and software which can be all be found by following the link:

We are happy to recommend the most appropriate system for your requirements if you are unsure.

We are a member of GS1.

8. I am having problems with the print quality of my label printer, what can I do?

Whilst Thermal Transfer printers are very reliable and require little maintenance, the print head should be regularly cleaned with a print head cleaner. Use this to also remove any adhesive build-up in the label path to keep your print quality at its best. Here are solutions to a few common problems:

White lines through print or print missing – Clean print head. If this does not work you may have to replace the head.

Poor print quality – Clean the head regularly with a head wipe.

Faint Print – Incorrect ribbon type or head temperature is too low.

Print filling in or blurred – Head temperature is too high or the print speed is too fast.

9. My barcodes are not passing the scan what can I do?

Any of the problems listed in the above answer can result in barcodes which cannot be read by a scanner. In general we recommend barcodes are printed as a ‘picket fence’ rather than a ‘ladder’ as they come out the printer, as this results in a higher quality scan. Also make sure you leave enough ‘quiet ‘ area (no print) either side of the barcode so that other print or the label edge does not interfere with the scan. If you need to confirm the make-up and quality of your barcodes before the goods are sent out then you may need a verifier rather than a scanner. We can help you select a scanner by following the link below or contact us for details on verifiers.