Terms and conditions
The boatmail.co.uk mail forwarding business will be conducted by the company and in accordance with these terms and conditions.
These terms and conditions also apply to the service provided by boatmail.co.uk for mail2e-mail.co.uk and email2mail.org.uk
Description of service provided
We provide a mail forwarding service for personal and sole trading business customers (physical and electronic) to anywhere in the world (maximum weight - 2kg and size restrictions - no side longer than 60cm apply for packages to destinations outside the UK).
General
These terms and conditions are subject to change without notice and the current terms and conditions are available on our website at www.boatmail.co.uk
Any reference to we, us, our, boatmail.co.uk, or the company means boatmail.co.uk.
Any reference to client or customer means the person who has agreed to purchase the services of boatmail.co.uk.
Mail received and forwarded will generally be that which can be delivered to the PO Box number and the free UK Street address provided on application for service with the company and consequently mostly mail delivered by Royal Mail. We readily accept mail from other carriers/providers although if they are unable to deliver for any reason, their redelivery times are not always customer friendly so time to receive the item may extend.
Mail received for scanning will be opened, normally the first/relevant page/s scanned and sent as part of an e-mail as a PDF attachment to the last notified email address. Please note the packaging will be shredded on opening unless the customer specifically requests otherwise. After one month from the date of receipt, the the mail will be destroyed (shredded) and recycled in an environmental way. If a customer wishes to have this mail forwarded to them, this will be at cost as shown on our fees page
Any UK forwarding address provided by customer is to include a full postal address including postcode. Any forwarding address outside the UK is to include the ZIP/postal address code where available.
An application for mail forwarding for any number of people to the same forwarding address will attract one fee only. If any person requires mail to be forwarded to a different address, this will require a different account and will be charged separately.
Mail forwarded from boatmail.co.uk. to the UK will be carried by Royal Mail using First Class post or Airmail. We do not use other carriers. Mail will be forwarded Monday to Friday only and will exclude Bank Holidays in England also. There will also be a short closure for Christmas/New Year which will be advised to customers annually.
Mail will be forwarded subject to a frequency determined by customers. Mail received each day is generally forwarded on the same day where specified or stored securely for forwarding as per customer specification. Weekly forwardings are generally made on a Thursday and monthly forwardings at the end of each month. Forwardings by request are normally made on the same day providing the instruction is received early in the day
Mail forwarded to customers based outside the UK will be forwarded by Royal Mail Airmail letter/large letter/small parcel service (where appropriate) and are subject to posting restrictions applicable to the destination. Please note that these services do not normally have a tracking number. We only accept items/packages for forwarding up to 2kg in weight overseas with no single side longer than 60cm.
Tracking services are available to relevant items for both to the UK and overseas for which additional charges are made both for the postage and time to post
All mail/packets/items forwarded/e-mailed are sent on the customer’s behalf at the customer’s risk. Any loss, damage or delay will have to be investigated by the customer. We do not obtain a certificate of posting/proof of posting for any item except those sent by a sign-on-receipt service. The date of posting is shown on the account statement sent with every forwarding
The mail forwarding address/email address can be changed at any time on advice (e-mail, text, phone call or by post will be accepted) quoting the relevant customer number/details.
If a customer wishes to cancel the service, this must be received in writing (e-mail is acceptable) detailing when this is required. Any mail received after this date will be returned to the sender endorsed ‘not known at this address’.
boatmail.co.uk reserves the right to refuse an application without further explanation. We also reserve the right to cancel service at any time and for any reason without discussion. Fees`may or may not be refunded depending on the circumstances of each case.
boatmail.co.uk expects customers to operate their accounts in an honest and open way and not to use the boatmail.co.uk facility to avoid any authority. Further to this, if any bailiff etc visits the address for collection of debt, the associated customer account will be closed immediately and any future correspondence returned to the sender.
Fees for services
All fees are to be paid for in advance and accounts kept in credit. Details of current fees are available i on the boatmail.co.uk website.
The charging structure is as follows:
- Annual and Monthly subscription membership fee
- No membership fee for our ‘Pay as you Go’ service
- Administrative fee for each item forwarded
- Scanning fee per item
- Printing fee per item
- First class/airmail postage at cost (sending scans by email incurs no charge)
- Any additional service will incur an additional charge (e.g. tracked or proof of posting)
There is no set-up, storage or packaging fee (except in the case of boxes for medium and large parcels) charged for enclosing and preparing items for posting.
A deposit/bond will be required to be provided by the customer to draw against for the item charge/postage/scanning/printing fee which will require funding when reaching below £5. Customers will be advised of the current state of this deposit every time mail is forwarded by a statement of account. If the deposit is exhausted and not funded, customers will be contacted and mail will be returned to the sender 14 days after exhaustion of the funds. Subsequent non funding will result in the account closed and any mail returned to sender on arrival.
No charge is made for retaining mail that has been scanned. Mail that has been scanned with be retained for a month before being shredded.
Where an account has been opened and fewer than 3 scans/forwardings are made, an administrative charge of £10 will be made if the account is closed
Accounts that have been inactive for a year will be deemed to be closed. No notification will be sent to the customer.
A one-off posting service for customers is also available subject to the same conditions. See our mail forwarding fees page for details.
Any postage bond/item fee monies on hand when a customer account is closed will be refunded (see above) to the last notified address/via PayPal unless otherwise advised. Any account that lays dormant for a year will be deemed closed
No refunds will be made on subscription services (monthly and annual) where only part of the period has been used
Payment terms
boatmail.co.uk accepts payment by:
- Credit or debit card via PAYPAL
- Cheque
- Bank transfer to our UK bank account
Please note we do not accept cash.
Full details can be found in the apply section of www.boatmail.co.uk
boatmail.co.uk accounts must always remain in credit otherwise the account will be deemed closed. When an account (deposit) is reduced to an advised level (£5), customers will be expected to provide funding. The amount of funding is a standard amount for the service provided and this is shown on the boatmail.co.uk website (mail forwarding fees). Customers will be advised when this is required via their statement of account when receiving mail.
Security of Mail
As security of mail can be a sensitive issue, any request for forwarding of mail must be supported by a signature on our application form. For each adult whose mail will be forwarded, they need to agree by signature to this on the application form and be bound by the terms and conditions specified here.
boatmail.co.uk will take all reasonable steps to ensure customers mail remains secure whilst in our care. However, whilst mail is in transit, responsibility lies with the carrier (Royal Mail).
boatmail.co.ukwill not be held responsible for any loss, consequential loss or damage whilst mail is in transit.
All mail will be posted with Royal Mail on the dates advised to customers. We normally despatch mail on the day of receipt (where specified by the customer) although customers should expect times when this will not be possible due to other commitments. Should any lost/damage/delay to the items/s claim be made by customers, this is the responsibility of the customer to progress with Royal Mail. We will not be responsible for mail once handed over to Royal Mail or for any non receipt claim.
In the event of any allegations of a crime or offence, boatmail.co.uk will cooperate with any appropriate bodies that make a legitimate request for information.
If it becomes apparent to boatmail.co.uk that any customer has used the service in connection with any unlawful activity, service will be ceased and all monies on hand may be returned to the customer (where appropriate) at the last notified address. Any further mail received will be endorsed ‘refused - return to sender’.
boatmail.co.uk reserves the right to refuse a service application without further explanation. We also reserve the right to cancel service at any time and for any reason and without discussion.
Complaints
Our aim is to provide excellent customer service in all aspects. If a customer has any issue that they are not completely satisfied with, contact should be made with boatmail.co.uk as soon as possible so a satisfactory solution to both parties can be found.
Any compensation of failed service will be limited to the fees charged to the customer. No additional compensation will be paid