Terms of Business

Our mobile service

Sunshine Valets is a mobile valeting and detailing service carried out at your home, workplace or another agreed location.

To work safely and effectively, we need a suitable, reasonably level area with enough space to set up our equipment and move safely around the vehicle.

If you are unsure whether your location is suitable, please contact us before booking. We regularly work around access and parking restrictions and will always try to find a practical solution.

Safe working locations

For safety, we cannot work on vehicles parked on main roads, busy roads, narrow or restricted roads, or in locations where passing traffic would put us or our equipment at risk.

We also cannot normally work in pay and display car parks or other locations where carrying out commercial work is prohibited.

We reserve the right not to begin or continue work where we reasonably believe the location is unsafe, unsuitable or does not allow us to complete the booked service safely.

If a location issue that should reasonably have been identified beforehand prevents us from carrying out the work, our cancellation terms may apply.

Power

Our work involves powered equipment throughout most bookings, including vacuuming, extraction, polishing and steam cleaning.

As standard, we supply our own power using a petrol generator and carry our own extension equipment, so we do not normally require electricity from you.

The generator produces some noise while running. If this may be unsuitable at your location, particularly on a quiet residential street or somewhere with close neighbours, please let us know when booking.

Where agreed beforehand, we can instead use a suitable mains electricity supply, such as an outdoor socket or a safe connection from inside the property.

Water

Depending on the service and length of the booking, we may require access to a suitable water supply, normally an outside tap.

This is more common on longer appointments and services requiring significant washing or rinsing.

We will confirm any requirements for your chosen service before the appointment.

If access to water, electricity or another facility has been agreed beforehand but cannot be provided when we arrive, and this prevents us from completing the work, our cancellation terms may apply.

Booking and payment

Bookings are secured through our online booking system.

Depending on the service booked, payment at checkout may be either a deposit or the full booking price. The amount required will be clearly shown before payment is made.

Your appointment is not confirmed until the required booking payment has been successfully received.

Where only a deposit has been taken, the remaining balance is due on completion of the work unless otherwise agreed.

Prices may vary depending on the service, vehicle, location and work required.

Your right to cancel

Where you make a booking online or otherwise at a distance, you may have a statutory right to cancel the contract within 14 days of making the booking.

Nothing in these terms affects your statutory consumer rights.

If you ask us to carry out your appointment during this 14-day cancellation period, you are expressly asking us to begin providing the service before that period has ended.

Where legally applicable, if you cancel after we have begun providing the service, you may be required to pay for the work already provided.

Once a service has been fully completed, your statutory cancellation right may end where the legal requirements for beginning and completing the service during the cancellation period have been met.

Cancelling or moving an appointment

Outside any statutory cancellation rights, we understand that plans sometimes change.

If you need to cancel or move your booking, please contact us as early as possible.

Where more than 7 clear days' notice is given, we will normally refund any booking payment made, less any reasonable and unavoidable direct costs we have already incurred specifically for your booking.

Where between 48 hours and 7 days' notice is given, we may retain some or all of the booking payment where this is reasonably necessary to cover the loss caused by the cancellation.

Where less than 48 hours' notice is given, or where you do not attend or make the vehicle available for the appointment, an amount up to the full value of the booking may become payable where this reasonably reflects the loss caused to Sunshine Valets.

We will always take reasonable steps to reduce our loss, including attempting to refill the appointment where practical. Any amount retained or charged will not exceed our reasonable loss resulting from the cancellation.

Requests to move an appointment may be treated in the same way as a cancellation where the original appointment cannot reasonably be refilled, although we will always try to accommodate genuine changes where our diary allows.

Transferring a booking

Within 48 hours of making your booking, we are happy for you to transfer the appointment to another named person.

The new location and vehicle must be suitable for the service booked and meet the requirements set out in these terms.

Any difference in travel cost, vehicle size or work required may result in a change to the final price.

If we need to cancel or rearrange

Occasionally circumstances outside our reasonable control may prevent us from completing your appointment as planned. These may include severe weather, unsafe working conditions, significant traffic disruption, equipment failure or the actions of third parties.

Where this happens, we will contact you as soon as reasonably possible and offer an alternative appointment.

If Sunshine Valets cannot provide the booked service or offer a reasonable alternative, you will be entitled to a refund of any amount paid for the service that has not been provided.

We will never retain your booking payment where the cancellation is our responsibility and no service has been provided.

Vehicle condition and additional work

Our prices are based on the amount of work reasonably expected for the service and vehicle booked.

Vehicles requiring substantially more work than would normally be expected may require additional time and an additional charge.

Examples include excessive:

• pet hair
• sand or mud
• food and drink contamination
• mould
• staining
• bodily fluids
• heavily soiled load areas
• excessive rubbish or personal belongings

If you know your vehicle requires significantly more work than usual, please send us clear photographs before booking or contact us before your appointment.

This allows us to estimate the work properly and reserve enough time in the diary.

If we have not been made aware beforehand, we will explain any additional work and agree any additional charge with you before carrying it out.

We will not add charges for additional work without discussing them with you first.

Hazardous contamination

Some forms of contamination require specialist handling and may fall outside the work we are equipped or insured to carry out.

For health and safety reasons, we reserve the right to refuse or stop work involving hazardous materials, needles, human or animal waste, significant biological contamination, severe mould or anything else we reasonably believe cannot be handled safely using our normal equipment and procedures.

Where possible, we will explain the issue and advise you before beginning work.

Access to the vehicle

The vehicle must be available at the agreed location at the agreed appointment time, with suitable access for us to carry out the booked work.

Where keys are required, somebody must be available to provide them or another arrangement must have been agreed with us beforehand.

If we are unable to access the vehicle or begin work because of circumstances within the customer's control, this may be treated as a late cancellation or missed appointment.

Additional charges and outstanding balances

Any additional work or surcharge will be discussed with you before that work is carried out.

Where an additional balance remains after the appointment, it may be invoiced using the name and email address supplied when booking.

Payment is due in accordance with the payment terms shown on the invoice.

We reserve the right to recover overdue amounts through the appropriate legal process where necessary.

Maintenance Scheme

Our Maintenance Scheme is designed for vehicles we look after regularly.

Maintenance pricing normally applies to vehicles booked approximately every four weeks. Where substantially more than five weeks has passed since the previous visit, standard pricing or an additional charge may apply depending on the condition of the vehicle and the amount of work required.

We know life happens. Children, dogs, muddy walks, beach trips, long journeys and the occasional accident are all part of using a car.

If your vehicle needs more attention than usual, please let us know before your maintenance appointment.

Unexpected additional work can significantly affect the time allocated to your booking and can make us late for the next customer. Letting us know beforehand means we can allow enough time and tell you in advance if an additional charge is likely.

Where the condition of the vehicle requires substantially more work than is included within a normal maintenance appointment, an additional charge may apply. This will be discussed with you before the additional work is carried out.

Fairness and communication

These terms exist to protect both Sunshine Valets and our customers.

We will communicate clearly, charge fairly and deliver the service we have agreed with you.

In return, we ask that you provide accurate information when booking, make the vehicle and agreed facilities available to us, and give us as much notice as possible if your plans change.

Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer.