Terms of Sale for Cremation Services

1. Terms and Conditions 

1.1 What these terms cover. These are the terms and conditions on which we supply cremation services to you when you are a consumer. Different terms and conditions apply if we supply cremation services to you when you are a business. If you are a business, you acknowledge that when you register on our website you are only registering your interest in receiving further information from us about our cremation services, and no contract exists between us until we sign a contract on those business terms and conditions 

1.2 By buying cremation services from us through our website or at our locations, you accept and agree to      be bound and abide by these terms. If you do not agree to these terms, you must not buy cremation services from us through our website or at our locations.           

1.3 Other terms that apply. The following terms also apply (available on our website) in the following circumstances: 

Our Terms of Sale for Goods	This applies when you purchase any goods from us as part of or in addition to our cremation services (such as tributes and memorials)
Our Privacy Policy	This applies when you provide us with any personal data. It explains what personal data we collect and how we use it.
Our Complaints Policy	This explains how you can make complaints about our cremation services and how we will deal with them.

2. Information about us and how to contact us 

2.1 Who we are. We are Independent Vetcare Limited, trading under the name of the practice or business named on the website. 

2.2 Our company details. Our company details are as follows: 

Business Name   Company Name	Peaceful Paws Pet Crematorium Ltd Independent Vetcare Limited
Registered Address	C/o Pinsent Masons LLP, The Soloist Building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast, BT1 3LP
Place of Registration	Northern Ireland
Company Number	NI638062
VAT Number	115141658

2.3 How to contact us. You can contact us directly at the contact details published on our website or as follows: 

Address	Peaceful Paws Pet Crematorium Ltd, C/o Pinsent Masons LLP, The Soloist Building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast, BT1 3LP
Email	info@peacefulpaws.org.uk
Telephone	(028) 9181 4174

 

2.4 How we may contact you. If we have to contact you, we will do so by telephone or by writing to you at the email address or postal address you provided to us when you register with us.

3. Our contract with you 

3.1 You can request cremation services in an IVC practice. If you request cremation services in an IVC practice, our acceptance of your request will take place when the practice confirms to you that they have accepted your request, at which point a contract will come into existence between you and us. We will provide you with a copy of these terms when you request cremation services and may also send you a copy or a link to them by post or email.  

3.2 You can request cremation services online if specified on our website. If you request cremation services online, our acceptance of your request will take place when we send you an email confirming that we have accepted your request, at which point a contract will come into existence between you and us. An email simply acknowledging or confirming that we have received your request shall not be treated as confirmation that we have accepted your request. 

3.3 Please note that we will only be able to contract with you if you have capacity to enter into a contract with us. By entering into a contract with us you are confirming that you have the requisite capacity and are of the legal age to be bound by the terms.

4. Our cremation services 

4.1 We will provide our cremation services in accordance with applicable laws. This includes the UK Animal By Products Regulation 2009 and the Animal By Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2011. Where required, our sites are approved or registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.  

4.2 Cremation is an irreversible and final process. You are responsible for removing any possessions or materials (such as collars, tags, microchips or surgical metals) before cremation if you wish to keep them. Any possessions or materials that are not removed prior to cremation may be destroyed or you agree that we may dispose of them in a non-recoverable manner.  

4.3 We will agree with you in advance whether you need to deliver your pet to us or whether we will collect your pet from a veterinary practice or facility. If you have agreed to deliver your pet to us, you are responsible for doing so at the agreed time and date. If we have agreed to collect your pet, there may be an additional charge for doing so – we will advise you of the estimated charges when you request cremation services. 

4.4 We will agree with you in advance whether you need to collect your pet’s ashes from us or whether you want us to dispose of your pet’s ashes on completion of the cremation services. If you have agreed to collect your pet from us, and do not do so within 3 months of the date of cremation, we reserve the right to dispose of your pet’s ashes by such means as we consider appropriate.  

4.5 We will provide cremation services to you during our normal business hours as set out on our website. We may change our normal business hours from time to time by updating our website. 

4.6 We will provide the cremation at such premises as we consider appropriate. If you are invited to attend those premises you must comply with any health and safety instructions that apply at those premises, and you are responsible for any belongings that you bring to or leave at those premises. 

4.7 We will normally perform our cremation services within timescales agreed with you following an initial consultation. However, we reserve the right to change those timescales where reasonably necessary, and will endeavour to do so in consultation with you.  

4.8 We can accept and rely on instructions and information from your representatives. This includes, for example, your family members, pet kennels and pet sitters. You can contact us at the address, email address or phone number above to let us know who is authorised or not authorised to represent you. We reserve the right at our discretion to refuse to accept instructions from them (such as if they are under 18 years old or we reasonably believe that they are not authorised to represent you) or to require proof that they are authorised to represent you. 

4.9 We are not responsible for delays outside our control. If our supply of the cremation services is delayed by an event outside our control then we will contact you as soon as possible to let you know and we will take steps to minimise the effect of the delay. Provided we do this we will not be liable for delays caused by the event, but if there is a risk of substantial delay you may contact us to end the contract and receive a refund for any services you have paid for but not received.  

5. Looking after our staff, clients and pets 

5.1 We take the health, wellbeing and safety of our staff, our clients and pets in our care very seriously. We therefore take a zero-tolerance approach against intrusive, offensive, violent or aggressive behaviour. Examples of behaviour that we deem unacceptable are: 

(a) Making malicious allegations about our staff or other clients; 

(b) Derogatory racial or sexual remarks; 

(c) Offensive sexual gestures or behaviour; 

(d) Using violent, threatening or abusive language (including swearing and offensive remarks);  

(e) Violent, threatening or abusive behaviour towards our staff, our clients or pets in our care; 

(f) Theft and other criminal activity; and 

(g) Non-compliance with the practice’s health and safety requirements. 

5.2 We have the right to refuse to provide services. We reserve the right at our discretion to decline to supply cremation services, to ask you to leave our premises and/or to terminate our contract with you if you or any person accompanying or connected with you engage in any such behaviour, whether in our practice or when speaking to our staff via telephone, email or through our website. We understand that the death of a pet can be very distressing and will take this into account when dealing with such behaviour.  

6. Your rights to end the contract 

You can always end your contract with us at any time before we perform any cremation services. You may not end your contract with us where we have already commenced performing the cremation services (including where we have commenced supply of any personalised goods). To end the contract with us, please let us know by doing one of the following:   

(a) In person. Visit our site during normal business hours and let us know that you want to end the contract. We may ask you to sign a document to confirm that you want to end the contract. 

(b) By email. Send us an email (from the email address that you have registered with us) at the email address above and let us know that you want to end the contract. Please provide your name, home address, details of your pet and, where available, your phone number and email address.  

7. Our rights to withdraw services  

7.1 We may write to you to let you know that we are going to stop providing particular services. We will let you know as soon as reasonably possible and will refund any sums you have paid in advance for services which will not be provided.      

8. If there is a problem with the services 

8.1 How to tell us about problems. If you have any questions or complaints about the cremation services that we have provided to you or any of our staff, please contact us at our email address or telephone number above. 

8.2 Summary of your legal rights. We are under a legal duty to supply services that are in conformity with this contract. See the box below for a summary of your key legal rights in relation to the product. Nothing in these terms will affect your legal rights. 

Summary of your key legal rights 

This is a summary of your key legal rights. These are subject to certain exceptions. For detailed information please visit the Citizens Advice website www.adviceguide.org.uk or call 03454 04 05 06. 

If your product is services, for example cremation services, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says: 

a) You can ask us to repeat or fix a service if it's not carried out with reasonable care and skill, or get some money back if we can't fix it. 

b) If you haven't agreed a price beforehand, what you're asked to pay must be reasonable. 

c) If you haven't agreed a time beforehand, it must be carried out within a reasonable time. 

 

9. Price and payment 

9.1 Wherever practicable, we will agree a price estimate with you before providing cremation services. If we believe that the price estimate will be exceeded, wherever practicable we will discuss this with you and agree a revised price estimate with you before continuing to provide cremation services.  

9.2 The price payable for the cremation services that we provide will be calculated in accordance with our standard price and rates at that time. That is the case even if that is higher or lower than any price estimate agreed with you. Price estimates are not intended to be a fixed or maximum price for cremation services. Our prices and rates are inclusive of VAT unless specified otherwise, in which case it will be added as appropriate. We will provide you with an appropriate statement or invoice of the price payable by you.  

9.3 You must pay for our cremation services in advance when we accept your request for cremation services. Where you have a valid pet insurance policy that includes the cost of cremation services, we may at our discretion agree to make a claim for payment directly to your insurance company. You agree to provide us with any information that we request about that policy. We may charge a fee for completing, submitting and/or managing a claim for payment on your behalf, and you agree to pay us on request at any time for that fee and for any amounts that the insurance company has not paid as at the date of our request for payment. 

9.4 You may pay the price payable to us by cash, debit card or credit card at our practice. We are unable to accept payments by cheque or by telephone unless specified on our website.  

9.5 We may take further action to recover overdue payments. If any amounts payable to us are not paid when due then, without prejudice to any other remedies available to us, we may at any time: 

(a) refer any overdue accounts to our debt collection agency for recovery; 

(b) add additional charges to your outstanding account in order to recover fees and costs in connection with the collection of the sum you owe, including but not limited to administration costs and debt collection agency fees; and 

(c) refuse to supply further cremation services to you until all outstanding sums are paid by you.  

9.6 If you are unable to pay. If you are unable to pay for the cremation services that we provided, we are only obliged to fulfil our minimum legal responsibilities and professional regulatory obligations in respect of the animal under our care. 

10. Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you 

10.1 We are responsible to you for foreseeable loss and damage caused by us. If we materially fail to comply with these terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking this contract or our failing to use reasonable care and skill, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time the contract was made, both we and you knew it might happen, for example, if you discussed it with us during the sales process. 

10.2 We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury to human beings caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.  

10.3 We are not liable for business losses. We only supply the products and services for domestic and private use. If you use the services or any products that we supply in providing the services for any commercial, business or re-sale purpose we will have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity. 

10.4 Our liability to you is limited. Subject to the above exceptions, our liability to you for any damages, losses, claims, costs or expenses arising out of our supply of any products or services shall not exceed: (a) if the supply of those goods or services are covered by our public liability or professional indemnity insurance, the limit of that insurance for each claim or series of connected claims; and (b)  if the supply of those goods or services are not covered by our public liability or professional indemnity insurance, the value of the total fees paid or payable by you for the products or services in question. 

11. How we may use your personal information  

When you register on our website or order any goods or services from us, we will collect personal data about you. We will only use your personal information as set out in our Privacy Policy available on our website.  

12. Other important terms 

12.1 We may transfer this agreement to someone else. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to another organisation. We will always tell you in writing if this happens and we will ensure that the transfer will not affect your rights under the contract. 

12.2 You need our consent to transfer your rights to someone else. You may only transfer your rights or your obligations under these terms to another person if we agree to this in writing. 

12.3 Nobody else has any rights under this contract. This contract is between you and us. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of its terms. 

12.4 If a court finds part of this contract illegal, the rest will continue in force. Each of the paragraphs of these terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect. 

12.5 Even if we delay in enforcing this contract, we can still enforce it later. If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these terms, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of your breaking this contract, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date. For example, if you miss a payment and we do not chase you but we continue to provide the products and/or services, we can still require you to make the payment at a later date. 

12.6 Which laws apply to this contract and where you may bring legal proceedings. These terms are governed by English law and you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the services in the English courts.  

13. We may make changes to these terms 

13.1 We may amend these terms from time to time. We recommend that you check them each time you use our website or engage our services to make sure that you are aware and understand the terms that apply at that time.  

13.2 These terms were last updated on 26th March 2024.