The terms and conditions on this page apply only to orders placed prior to 10th September 2006.

Standard Terms and Conditions Of Sale
We are flexible - individual terms can be negotiated if required.
The terms and conditions below do not affect your statutory rights.

Contents
        Response to orders
        Right to refuse service
        Stock availability
        Prices & Pricing Policy
        Postage and Packing
        BFPO Addresses
        Dispatch
        Goods received damaged
        Items delayed or "lost" in transit
        Returns of faulty goods
        Cancellation of Contract
        Cancellation of orders not yet dispatched
        Complaints
        Payment & Deposits
        Collecting from our shop
        Cut Back Policy In Event Of Short Supply
        Your details, security & privacy

Response to orders

We aim to respond by email to all orders sent within 24 hours. During peak periods such as times leading up to Christmas our response time may be a little longer. If you require your goods by a specific date you should state so on your order - we will contact you quickly if we are unable to meet a specific date.  

IMPORTANT: If you have given us details of your credit card either at time of order (e.g. Phone/Fax) or when we contact you by phone (web orders), a charge will not be passed to your card issuer until the day of dispatch.  Due to the bank clearing systems, this means your card will not usually be debited until after the goods actually leave our premises.

Back to top

Right to refuse service

By placing an order (whether by telephone, fax, email, web form, letter or in store) you are offering to purchase goods at the current listed price.  We reserve the right to refuse any order, in which circumstances goods not supplied will not be charged for. A reason will not always be given as to why we refuse orders.

Back to top

Stock availability

STANDARD PRODUCTS (EXCLUDES SPARE PARTS): Due to the extensive range listed on this website it will often be necessary for us to obtain individual pieces for you. We aim normally to dispatch all items to you within 28 days of ordering (and often much quicker) but on occasions stocks of certain items may be hard to come by. This particularly applies to products with poor UK stock availability, including Matchbox, CDC, IXO, Minichamps and Exoto.  If an item that you order is not available from stock and our suppliers (we use in excess of 15 suppliers for the items on the site) are unable to provide stock of the item within 28 days we will contact you to ask if you wish to cancel the order at the time the stock does actually become available. Similarly, items which you choose to order before they are released by the manufacturer will be supplied within 28 days of UK release - however, we usually ship out new release Corgi & Lledo within 2 days of release. 

SPARE PARTS: Tamiya parts not in stock are normally express shipped from the importation warehouse direct to Time Tunnel twice weekly, and are received in our packing room within a few working days of your order being placed online.  We then pick and pack your order with utmost urgency and usually dispatch next-day via letter post or ParcelForce or Courier, or similar, (for bulkier items).  Therefore, you will normally receive your order within 7-10 days, maximum.  Many parts in stock will ship on day of order.

If there is a problem obtaining one or more of the parts of your order, we will dispatch those items which are available and cancel the remaining parts off the order.  If you wish us to leave outstanding items on order for dispatch as soon as they are received, please select the appropriate option on the order form. Please note: The  handling charge is not charged again on outstanding items shipped later.  The Hobby Company advise us that any item out of stock should be back in stock within 4-6 weeks.  Remember, if we can't get it, no-one else will be able to get it for you so you may as well select to back-order parts.

It is important to note that we do not hold stock of every item on our site.  We do however have active accounts with suppliers for every item listed and would expect to obtain any item listed (if not in our extensive stocks) within a reasonable timescale as noted above.

Back to top

Prices & Pricing Policy

All prices are in £ sterling, and are priced to include standard P&P. Prices may occasionally differ in store due to localised trading conditions.  Where a recommended or suggested retail price is shown, this is supplied by either the UK importer or our sole supplier of the product in question. 

Prices are subject to change due to taxation changes or supplier price changes. In the event of a price rise occurring between ordering and time of dispatch, we will contact you to check that you wish to continue at the revised price.  In the event of a reduction, the lower price will be charged.

Price match policy: It is our policy on all large gift type items (train sets, RC, slot sets etc) to broadly match, but not undercut, prices of competing stores operating in the same town as ourselves, and then to offer these same prices on our web site.  We monitor the prices regularly of both national chains and independent stores to ensure that our prices are locally competitive.  A small number of cheaper-but-larger items are held at a higher price online as it would be unviable to sell with free delivery at the in-store price.  We do not match sale prices or temporary reductions.

IMPORTANT: If you have given us details of your credit card either at time of order (e.g. Phone/Fax) or when we contact you by phone (web orders), a charge will not be passed to your card issuer until the day of dispatch.  Due to the bank clearing systems, this means your card will not usually be debited until after the goods actually leave our premises.

Back to top

Postage and Packing

UK: Our "Standard" delivery option is £2.50 for orders under £50 and £4.50 for orders over £50.  Orders will be sent as soon as we can by First Class post or Express Courier (Parcelforce 24 or Fastway Express).  A budget option is available to select - "No Rush" where we will dispatch without hurry and by second class post or economy parcel services - this is Free for orders over £50 or £1.25 for smaller orders.  Postage and packing although not separately charged on UK destination "no rush" dispatches is included in the price of all products.    Very occasionally we may advise a higher rate for unusually heavy items - we won't charge a higher rate without your approval.  

BFPO: For BFPO addresses, simply select "UK - NO RUSH" as the delivery option.  BFPO deliveries are sent by the post office to the BFPO hub in London from where the BFPO takes over delivery.  We cannot state a timescale for BFPO services as they are out of our control once parcels dispatched.  NOTE: We can only dispatch to a BFPO address if your payment card is registered at that exact same address.   It can take up to 72 hrs to gain authorisation from the banks on BFPO registered cards, so please be patient whilst we process your order. BFPO parcels are always sent fully insured - in certain circumstances there may be an additional charge for this - we will always contact you first giving you the option to proceed if this is the case.  Note also that we may sometimes require additional paperwork and/or information for certain BFPO deliveries under certain circumstances or if you request special handling or processing so please ensure you can be reached on the phone number you give.  There are length, size and shape restrictions and content restrictions for BFPO addresses which mean certain products cannot be sent - in truth only a few products.  If you order such a product, we would advise immediately.

European Community: Postage & Packing, whether surface or airmail can be selected at time of order.  To Europe, we charge a flat percentage (subject to a minimum of £2.50) - this is clearly shown when selected on the order form.    Very occasionally, a surcharge may be required - we will always contact you for approval before applying such a charge.

USA, Australia and Rest Of World: VAT deducted, Airmail carriage charged at cost of stamps.  Details via Handling information.  Sorry, but due to many products being to special order, we cannot always give an accurate cost of postage in advance - only an estimate if requested.  

Back to top

Dispatch

If all of your order will be available within approx 14 days, we would normally hold most items until they are ready to be dispatched together.  Otherwise, we dispatch to you in batches as and when products arrive into stock.  Minimum individual dispatch value for no-cost P&P in the UK is usually £30 - however, if you have one item outstanding on an order which costs less than this we would still usually dispatch it without postal charge.  On orders totalling less than £30, postage & packing is charged at £1.25 per dispatch if the No Rush option is selected.  Otherwise our Standard postal charges apply.

IMPORTANT: If you have given us details of your credit card either at time of order (e.g. Phone/Fax) or when we contact you by phone (web orders), a charge will not be passed to your card issuer until the day of dispatch.  Due to the bank clearing systems, this means your card will not usually be debited until after the goods actually leave our premises.

Back to top

Goods received damaged

If you receive any goods damaged please telephone us without delay. It is essential that you keep all the packaging that the goods were received in as these will be required to make a claim against the delivery organisation under any insurance which may be active.

Back to top

Items delayed or "lost" in transit

Whilst we endeavour to dispatch your order promptly, delivery is provided by Royal Mail in many instances and delays do sometimes occur.  Please note that orders placed with our "No Rush" delivery option which are valued at below £60 will usually be dispatched by 2nd class post, and as many of our packages are too large to be posted through residential letter boxes, many will be held at your local sorting office for you to collect.  We therefore ask that if you feel an excessive time has passed, once you have confirmed that we have dispatched a package to you (note that we charge you on day of dispatch, not on day of order, so if a charge has been made then goods have been dispatched) you check with near neighbours (post officers often deliver "next door" if they call when you are out) and your local sorting office to check if an item has been held for you. 

14 Days: Due to the way the post works, the Post Office will not accept that a package has gone missing until 14 days minimum after posting.  In some areas this is extended to 3 weeks.  During this period our hands are tied and we must simply wait, as "lost" packages are often redelivered or returned to sender during this time.

Post Office Carding: Many post men do not leave cards if you are out, they should but often do not.  Either that or the cards get mixed with flyers and leaflets and are not found.  The Post Office Sorting Offices will rarely confirm that they have a package waiting for you by telephone and will only normally confirm in person if you present ID with the same address - this we imagine is to protect the mail and prevent fraud.

Let Us Know: In the event that you have checked with neighbours and the sorting office, and no trace can be found of the package, please contact us and we will look into it.  If it appears that the package has been lost in transit we will forward to you a document for you to sign to confirm that you have not received the package, and once we receive this back from you a duplicate order will be dispatched.   If a refund, rather than a replacement, is required, we must wait until the post office have completed their investigation, after which we will credit the value of any lost goods to your card.

Back to top

Returns of faulty goods

Before any returns can be accepted you must telephone or e-mail us to obtain  a returns authorisation code and returns pack (which we will post to you) or you can download from our DOWNLOADS CENTRE - www.goldstarstockists.com/downloads - thereafter, our policy is as follows:

Genuinely faulty goods will be refunded, substituted or replaced as required.  We will refund any reasonable return postage fees incurred by yourself.  We cannot refund postage fees from overseas. Please ensure that all parts of the product (including packaging) are present where at all possible. Please use the post office's "Standard Parcel" service and not First Class Post for return of bulky items.  We will only refund up to the relevant Standard Parcel charge if you choose to return by first class post.

Please place a note within the package with at minimum your name, address and telephone number on it, any customer reference, the returns authorisation code and the date shown on your receipt. 

In the case of faults with electrical toys, please double check all instructions and, where possible, seek advice from the manufacturers help line number if one is given on the box.

Genuinely faulty goods are not subject to a restocking fee.

Refunds will not be given for products which have been damaged by misuse.

Our maximum refund will not exceed the total price paid for the goods. 

Back to top

Cancellation of Contract

Before any returns can be accepted you must telephone or e-mail us to obtain  authorisation: 

As per the current UK Distance Selling regulations, Non-Faulty goods may be returned within 14 days of receipt. We will accept a return at your expense and give you a refund for the goods value.

We will deduct from the value of the refund a restocking fee of 7.5%, to offset non-recoverable bank processing, packaging and carriage fees.  Any "Insured P&P" or "Express P&P" services are not refundable in this instance.

We ask that you notify us within 7 days of receipt if you are returning an item. You have a duty to ensure that the item (including all packaging, certificates etc) is in resalable and undamaged condition, specifically that no parts are missing and all factory sealed bags/liners are still sealed and that it is insured in transit.  If the product has been used we will reduce the refund accordingly.  We will refund on receipt of the product at our store.

Back to top

Cancellation of orders not yet dispatched

Please email or telephone with reference to your order advising which items are no longer required.  We will then cancel any order for these items as applicable.

Back to top

Complaints

In the event of a complaint, please contact Pat Gorin via any of the methods outlined on our Contact Us page.   We will endeavour to respond to all complaints within 3 working days, however usually response will be within 24 hours at any time.  You will be kept updated as to the progress and outcome of your complaint.

Back to top

Payment & Deposits

No charge is made to your card during the ordering process - charges are only made as and when goods are ready for dispatch except where a deposit or prepayment is required - which will be clearly shown online if this is the case.

Your credit card bill will show a charge to Time Tunnel, Stevenage. Payment by cheque is also welcomed - please indicate in the comments section on the order form.  We will then phone or email you to confirm the exact amount you should make your cheque (or postal order) out for.  When we receive your cheque it will be banked and your goods dispatched as soon as it has cleared, with reference to Stock Availability above.  Our bankers can take up to 10 days to fully clear a cheque.  We reserve the right to take action to recover bank charges and any out of pocket expenses in the event that your payment is stopped, bounced or payment is received by cheque in a non-UK currency.  Cheques must be made payable to the business owner, P GORIN and not to Time Tunnel due to the banking arrangements we have for cheque deposits.

In order to comply with the Safebuy scheme, all deposits and pre-payments are underwritten and guaranteed by a third party who holds no stake in the business.

Back to top

Collecting from our shop

If you wish to collect your order from our shop at 3 Market Place, Stevenage, please advise us when you order and you will therefore not be charged any postage or packing - this means a discount for a few bulkier items. Please wait for us to telephone you to advise that the items are in stock as (see Stock Availability above) some items may take a little while to become available. Members of the Corgi and/or Lledo Collectors Clubs who produce their card in store will receive a 5% discount off many Corgi and/or Lledo items - regrettably we cannot offer this further discount to our mail order customers at this time. We do not mail out to local addresses - if you require items to be delivered to you locally - in or around Stevenage, please telephone for advice.

Back to top

Cut Back Policy In Event Of Short Supply

Where products are ordered in advance of release, we ensure on a weekly basis that our orders with our suppliers are increased accordingly to cover all customer requirements.   However, on occasions a supplier may be unable to fulfil our order in full due to shortage of supply by the manufacturer or oversubscription to the trade or for other reasons beyond our control.

In the event of this happening which would result in more outstanding orders for a product than stock available, we will always apply the following policy:

Any order for more than one piece of the item will be reduced to an order for one piece only.

In the event this doesn't allow enough product to supply one to each who has ordered:

All orders will be sorted into date/time order (subscription customers counting as the earliest possible date) and items will be allocated in single pieces to each order in date/time order to ensure that the model is supplied on a first-come-first-served basis.

This policy applies to all diecast, railway, slot racing and RC products advanced ordered via our site, in store, by fax, by letter or by telephone.

Back to top

Your details, security & privacy

In the event of any query relating to privacy or security matters, please contact Neil Gorin, General Manager via any of the methods outlined on our Contact Us page.

Personal and order details are collected online and by telephone at point of order, or enquiry, lawfully and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, under which we are fully registered.

Once received your details will not be disclosed to any third party, except where required to process your payment and arrange delivery of the goods.  Your email address will be added to our Newsletter receivers list only if you select that option when ordering (or enter your mail address into the box on our menu page).  Each newsletter published includes clear instructions on how to cancel future issues.

Your name & address will be passed only to the following organisations: Credit Card merchant services - for security checking and sale authorisation.  Delivery Organisation (e.g. Royal Mail, Parcel Force, Courier etc) for delivery.  We do not maintain or keep a postal mailing list - if you wish to be kept updated on new products, we recommend you join our email newsletter using the link at the bottom of our menu page.  Our email newsletter mailing list software stores only your name & email address and no other details whatsoever.

In the event of online payment by credit or charge card, no payment details are kept on any form of computer system once orders are received and actioned, only on paper file within a locked office to which no public access is permitted.  Online ordering processes are protected by both SSL secure layers and password protection.

Cookies are used in the implementation of this site only to pass non-sensitive information during the ordering process, and do not store card details or payment information.

Back to top

HISTORY
These revised terms and conditions apply from 8th May 2004. 
Revision to postage rates 17th April 2005.
Addition: Cut Back Policy 19th January 2006.
Revision to cooling off period - now 14 days - 11th March 2006.
Addendum regarding Postage from August 21st added - 7th April 2006 - Deleted 14/4.
Revised Postage Rates Applied 14th April 2006.
Revised Postage Rates Applied 25th August 2006.

The terms and conditions on this page apply only to orders placed prior to 10th September 2006.