How can I place an order with Dolphin Music?

There are a number of ways of placing an order with Dolphin Music. If you are online and have an e-mail address then the easiest and most convenient way for you to do this is online through our website.

First of all you need to create a user account. This is a standard procedure involving creating a password and putting in some details about your addresses. Once you have done this its is a very simple step by step procedure of finding the products you want and adding them to your basket. Once you have all the items you need you proceed to the checkout and go through the steps of choosing a delivery address and then a payment method.

Before you finally submit payment or choose your payment method you are asked to review your order to make sure you have ordered the correct goods. You can still at this stage remove items from your basket and search for further items to add to your basket.

Once the order is placed you will receive emails confirming the order and also delivery eta's.

You can also order though Dolphin Music by calling us on 08708 409060 and placing the order over the telephone. You will need your billing address details, delivery address details if different (both including postcodes) and your payment method details. You will be asked for some personal information and then guided through the very simple procedure by a member of staff. It basically involves the sales staff going through the above procedure.

If your order is especially time sensitive then we would suggest you call us to check on availability of the items and to clarify when exactly your order will be sent and how.

If you are an educational establishment you can also order through us by merely faxing a Purchase Order to 0709 231 5633. Please note that this is only applicable to educational establishments in the United Kingdom.  Educational sstablishments outside of the UK are still welcome to order and we will always attempt to provide a discount for them but the order would need to be paid for before the goods could be sent by one of the listed payment methods.

How can you ship my order?

At Dolphin Music we are proud to have one of the most flexible and reliable delivery services around.

We have outlined what options are available below but if you have any queries that are not answered below or if you would just rather ask a specific question then please do not hesitate to contact us either by telephone on 08708 409060 or email at orders@dolphinmusic.co.uk

UK* Standard Shipping

Our standard UK* shipping service is through the well known courier Citylink. At only a bargain £6.99 we have one of the lowest shipping charges around and this covers almost every UK* postcode on a next day service. Offshore postcodes (Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Scottish Islands, Scilly Isles) incur a £10 surcharge.

Our standard service is a signed for service so please make sure that there is someone home to sign! Orders placed before 3 O’Clock and in stock will be despatched the same day for delivery the following working day. Citylink will make an attempt at delivery on the scheduled delivery date and then again the following day. They will leave a card for you to contact them each time. After the second delivery attempt they will hold the consignment at your nearest depot for 5 days. Unfortunately, any subsequent attempts after this may be chargeable depending on the circumstances so this is an extra motivation to make sure someones in! We get charged by the couriers to have the goods re-delivered and re-directed so please make sure you regularly check the status of your order to insure someone is in.

At checkout there are also various other premium delivery services available for customers to select including choosing either a morning or afternoon or an early morning although these do have a surcharge. We also offer timed deliveries.

We also have a proactive approach to sorting out any delivery issues for you – let us do it! We endeavour to contact you usually via email if there are any problems with the couriers getting you your goods.

Your order may be sent by Royal Mail at our discretion.

We can often send to work addresses as well if this is more convenient.

Unfortunately we cannot ship to BFPO addresses.

*UK excludes the Channel Islands and Shetland Islands – for information on delivery to the Channel Islands or Shetland Islands please refer to the information on delivery to Ireland or contact us.

How do I set up a return and what governs your returns policy?

Setting up a return.....

Log in to your account on our website. Go to the My Account section. When in this section go to the Returns Tab under which it takes you through a step by step process for setting up a return.

Before you do this please ensure you have any relevant serial numbers. Please also ensure that you select the most accurate reason for needing to return the item. This could completely alter the way your return is handled and it's eventual authorisation so it is very important.

Once you have set up the return putting as full as a description of the problems or reason for return as possible you will receive confirmation that you return has been set up. In certain circumstances you may also receive an automated email advising you of what you need to do next. If not then we will email you shortly with further information or instructions so please ensure you check your email regularly and have returns@dolphinmusic.co.uk added to your email safe list!

If you have any problems with any of the above then either email returns@dolphinmusic.co.uk or call 08708 409060 and ask for Returns. However, the best way to organise a return is on-line!

Below are laid out some details of what rules and regulations we work within when dealing with your return. Please note that below is basically a summary of your statutory rights as outlined by the Distance Selling Regulations and the Sales of Goods Act. There are links to both pieces of legislation below as well as links to some other organisations such as the Office Of Fair Trade, Citizens Advice and Trading Standards. If you have any queries or questions about the information laid out below then please contact them to discuss.

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2000/20002334.htm - The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2002/20023045.htm - The Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002

Free advice from:

www.citizensadvice.org.uk

www.tradinstandards.gov.uk

www.oft.gov.uk

What is your returns 'policy' and procedure?

Please note that what follows is a summary of the above legislation and is in no way designed to be a complete or exhaustive set of rules and regulations. That is why we have included the above details so that you can get these if you need them.

Customers have 7 working days starting the day after receipt of their products to register their request to return an item or items under 'cooling off' legislation.

Goods should be returned to Dolphin Music with their original packaging. Dolphin Music will not be held responsible for any damages incurred in returning goods to us. The condition of the goods will remain the customer's responsibility until goods have been booked in and assessed by Dolphin Music.

Any return labels should not be placed directly on the item packaging. Please wrap any items to be returned in a protective layer and place any labels on this outer packaging.

Certain Items are illegible from being able to be returned under 'cooling off' period legislation namely:

• All microphones, any in-ear earphones, or in-ear monitors, and any other items that touch your mouth, your nose, or your inner ear cannot be returned for refund under 'cooling off' period legislation once opened due to our health and safety policy.
• Goods ordered specifically to meet a customer's requirements cannot be returned under the 'cooling off' period legislation, for example, a bespoke computer system.
• Software, media, sample CD’s and any other copyrighted goods cannot be returned for refund under the 'cooling off' period legislation if the item has been opened.
• Hardware and software bundled products (such as NI Guitar Rig - Kontrol Edition or Traktor Scratch) can not be returned once the included software has been registered. If available please utilize the trial periods before committing to your order.

If a product develops a fault within 30 days of receipt then a customer can request either:

The return of the product for a refund

The repair of the product

The replacement of the product

Or a reasonable amount of compensation (less than the cost of repair or replacement – at our discretion)

However, which we would opt for depends on the cost of doing each of these actions and we can decline a specific course of action based on cost.

Whichever remedy we chose would be without significant inconvenience to the customer and would be taken in to consideration.

If neither repair or replacement is realistically possible customer can request a partial or full refund. A full refund may not be reasonable if the customer has received some benefit from the unit before the problem appeared and the refund given would be in proportion to the amount of use they had from the unit before the problem occurred.

After a customer has had an item for 30 days we will always look to get it repaired as long as this is without significant inconvenience to the customer. We would look for all repairs to be competed within 21 days of receipt as a guideline.

If a customer orders outside of the United Kingdom, Dolphin Music will cover or reimburse postage costs back to the United Kingdom should a product develop a fault in the first 30 days. After 30 days of purchase the customer would be required to arrange or pay for the return of a product to us or would be advised to seek manufacturer support in their native or local state.

Should a product fail after or outside of its warranty has expired, the customer would be required to seek support from the manufacturer or supplier. In cases where this is not possible Dolphin will at its discretion charge an administration fee of £10 plus 20% of the initial repair cost to the product. Customers will also be required to cover any carriage charges.

All of these regulations relate to Consumers - these are cited as people who are "buying for purposes not related to their trade, business or profession" and these regulations are not open to non consumers.

If a product is bought for use in a business environment, been bought for use as part of someone's work then this needs to be pursued through normal business to business sale of goods contract disputes.

Consumers can not expect us to provide redress if they have misused the products - through improper use, incompatible accessories etc

Please note that in the event of cancellation under the cooling off period you the consumer is responsible for the cost of returning the goods to us at their own expense. If you ask us to collect the goods then we can collect the cost of doing so from you, the consumer. If however, cancellation is a result of products being faulty then this does not apply.

Once notification of cancellation has been received then ownership of the goods passes back to the supplier. The consumer does however still have responsibility to ensure that the goods can be returned to us to be sold as new. This means that consumers have an obligation to get the goods back to us in as new condition.

Please once again note that this list is by no means exhaustive or complete – there may be other circumstances under the regulations which prevent you from returning the goods you are ordering from us. We strongly suggest that you contact either ourselves or one of the regulatory bodies to confirm your position before purchase if you are in any way concerned.

Exclusion of Expressed or Implied Warranties

Whilst we take the utmost care to ensure complete compatibility between hardware and software products and endeavour to configure all equipment to the customers requirements, due to the frequent changes and continual upgrading of software and associated drivers we are unable to guarantee compatibility between the two. Should however, a compatibility issue arise we will endeavour to solve the problem, but in the event that we are unable to do so we cannot accept any liability for consequential loss.

What should I do if my order is missing a part or parts?

Please see the FAQ above entitled "What do I need to do if an order I have received is damaged or one of the items on the delivery note does not appear to have arrived with me or is not what I have ordered?

There are also a lot of other bits of information with regard to our returns policy and what happens below. Please make sure you look through these below as they are very important.

Collections: Please note that even if we arrange and pay for the collection of your goods it is you, the customer,  who is reponsibile for making sure they are packaged sufficiently and safely to get to their destination. If goods arrive with any marks,  damage or faults with them that were not reported to us before they were shipped then you will be held liable for the cost of fixing or repairing these problems.

How much will delivery cost?

• Standard next working day delivery within mainland UK costs £6.99
• Delivery to Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Offshore UK & Scottish Highlands is £16.99 per order.
• Some very bulky or heavy orders may incur additional shipping charges but we will always notify you of these at the earliest opportunity.
• Orders for anywhere in the EU will be charged a basic £16.99 delivery fee. (With some exceptions: Malta is standard £40)
• Orders for the Rest of the World, including European countires not in the European Union, will be charged a basic £40 fee.
• However, please be aware that shipping costs can vary depending on location and the size and weight of the goods. You will always be contacted with the exact shipping cost before anything is shipped out if there is any variation on what you have paid. 
• Please note that when sending to some countries, customers will be charged an import fee and there may be other associated charges from the carrier for this. These charges are solely the responsbility of the receiver and we, as Dolphin Music accept no liability for these charges. We are unable to advise on these charges before shipping and it is entirely the responsbility of the receiver to make sure they know how much the charge is and that they can cover it. If packages are returned to us as a result of these charges being unpaid then the full cost of shipment out and back to us will be deducted from any refund to our customers.
• If you have any shipping queries then please contact us.

How soon will you ship something that I buy?

If the product you require is in stock and the order is placed before 3pm then your product will be shipped out that day. In some circumstances the products will need to be specially ordered or shipped directly from a supplier. If this is the case then it may take an extra day or two to arrive. If it is going to take any longer than that then we will do our best to contact you with as precise an estimated time of arrival as possible. 

We are working hard to get things out to you promptly and at the lowest possible price.

We will do our best to keep you informed. If you would like to know about availability before ordering, the only way is to e-mail or call us on 0870 840 9060. Our service and sales team will answer your enquiry as soon as they can.

What do I do if I'm not satisfied with the service from Dolphin Music?

Please tell us. Contact us by email or by calling us on 0870 840 9060.

What do I need to do if an order I have received is damaged or one of the items on the delivery note does not appear to have arrived with me or is not what I have ordered?

If a delivery that you are receiving appears to have significant external damage to it we would suggest that you refuse delivery from the courier. If it appears to have some slight damage we would recommend that you accept delivery and then proceed to check the goods for damage or problems.

If any of the goods are damaged then you would need to follow our returns procedure - see the relevant Returns section for how to do this.

If it appears that you are missing goods then please contact us via email at orders@dolphinmusic.co.uk or by telephone on 08708 409060. Please make a note of the initials of the person who packaged your order that appears on the delivery note that should have come with the delivery before contacting us. This is not compulsory but would be a great help to us.

If it appears that you have been sent the wrong items then please also follow the above procedure. However, we would strongly recommend that you open all of your packages before contacting us - we often package goods in other manufacturers boxes to save on costs so it's well worth checking on.

What is the status of the contract I have with Dolphin Music and how can this be altered?

 When you place an order with us, you are making an offer to buy goods. We will send you an e-mail to confirm that we have received your order.

In the unlikely event that the goods are no longer available, or that we have made a pricing mistake, we will advise you of this as soon as possible. We would then look to supply you with an alternative product or the product that has superceded the product ordered at no extra cost to yourself. However, this will not always be possible and in some cases this may lead to the cancellation of the contract.

If the goods are not available, we may supply you with substitute goods. If you decide not to accept the substitute goods, you will not have to pay to return them to us. We would only do this with certain goods i.e. such as supplying a longer cable than ordered if none of the correct length available.

Where do you deliver to and how does it get sent?

With our wide variety of shipping options available we can now ship almost anywhere in the world. If the country you require is not listed on the drop down menu on the site then please email us at orders@dolphinmusic.co.uk and we can let you know what we can do.

For more detailed info on our shipping protocols and options then check out the 'How can you ship my order?' section.

Please note that we can only send to a residential or business address - we can NOT send to BFPO addresses or toher Post Boxes as all our deliveries need to be signed for.