Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find a particular product?

There are several ways with which to locate individual products: By using our Quick Order Entry, type in any of the seven figure codes from our catalogue or the products name or key terms. Alternatively you can “drill through” to the product required. Or just call 01923 777777 and ask us.

What happens if a product I want is out of stock or there is not the full quantity that I require?

We would always prefer to despatch complete orders. The vast majority of items that we stock are available to us next day, if you place an order with us and any of the products are out of stock or the quantity showing in stock is insufficient to fulfil your order, we will contact you usually by telephone and advise you of when the full order will be available for despatch. However we will send your order in two or more consignments if immediate despatch of the items that are in stock is required. Carriage will only be charged once or not at all if your total order exceeds the minimum carriage paid figure for your location.

Where can I get technical help with a product?

You can call us on 01923 777777 or visit our trade counter and one of our professional member of the team will be happy to assist you in any technical issues. In addition to very good product knowledge of the items that we sell, some of our sales team also have engineering and construction industry experience. Often we can suggest an alternative approach to your application.

Is it safe to give my bank account or card details when shopping on Orbital Fasteners website?

Yes. We encrypt your order and the transaction details to make sure that they are completely safe as they cross the internet. You can be totally confident when you are shopping with orbitalfasteners.co.uk - our Secure Server Software encrypts your credit card information to ensure your transactions with us are private and protected as they travel over the Internet. We accept orders only from Web browsers that permit communication through Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology - this means you cannot inadvertently place an order through an unsecured connection. The latest versions of Explorer (3.0 and up) and Netscape (3.02 and up) both support this secure connection.

Which methods of payment do you accept?

We welcome these payment options: Visa, Delta, Visa Electron, MasterCard, Paypal, Maestro, Solo, Bacs/Chaps etc & Cheques*. *Goods that are purchased using a business cheque will only be despatched immediately if we can secure a Transax cheque guarantee after we have received the cheque, otherwise funds must be cleared before despatch.

Can I use the website to reserve items to be collected at the trade counter?

Yes, simply select the collection option at the checkout process or call us. Your order will be picked and waiting for you at our trade counter. Trade Counter opening times: Monday to Thursday: 7.00am - 5.30pm & Friday: 7.00am - 5.00pm. Olds Approach, Tolpits Lane, Watford, Herts, WD18 9XT Goods must be paid for when you collect, we cannot accept pre credit card payment for goods that will be collected.

How do I return an item?

If, for whatever reason you decide to return goods that have been correctly supplied by us. These goods must be returned to us in original condition by you and at your cost, with a photocopy of the original invoice included and an explanation for the return, whereupon a full credit to the value of the goods only, will be issued. If on the rare occasion, products are found to be faulty, defective or incorrectly supplied against your order, Orbital Fasteners Ltd, offer a "no charge" collection, repair and delivery service. However we are unable to quote specific courier collection times, therefore collection should be arranged from an address where someone is always available to hand the return to our carrier- this may be at your work address? Any goods that have been manufactured specially against your instruction or are items that we normally do not stock are unlikely to be accepted for credit. In the event that we do accept these goods for return, a handling charge of 25% will apply and possibly carriage charges to cover the cost of return to our source of supply.

Am I able to amend my order once it's submitted?

You will not be able to amend your order online once it has been submitted. However, if you do need to amend, add or remove items to your order, just telephone us immediately or as soon as we open at 7.00am and we will make the amendment for you. This facility is only available prior to your order being despatched. Please have your order reference number and payment details at hand before calling us.

I have forgotten my password, what do I do?

At the login section, there are instructions.

Are online prices the same as in-store?

Yes.

Are online prices the same as your catalogue?

Prices quoted in our catalogue may change due to market price fluctuation; this fact is stated clearly on the front cover. Our most up to date prices may be found on our website. We do endeavour to keep prices in our current catalogue matched to the web prices but there are some exceptions.

Do you offer a discount to account and trade customers?

The majority of our customers are professional trade users, ranging from “one man bands” to multinational construction companies. The prices that we offer are the same for all customers and are quantity related. All of our products are set at the lowest possible prices already, and there is simply no room for any additional discounts. However we may be able to offer a lower price for an unusually large enquiry of an individual item such as a full pallet quantity.

How much will it cost if I'm not in the Orbital own van delivery area or if I’m an export customer?

Deliveries to UK postal code areas that fall outside of those listed in our van delivery area are carriage paid at £60 + VAT, orders below £60 +VAT will be subject to a carriage charge £10 +VAT. The exceptions are the following Scottish & Irish postal codes and all International or offshore destinations. **All of - BT, IV, KW, PH **AB except AB10, AB11, AB15, AB16, AB21 - AB25 **PH except PH1 - PH15 **PA except PA1 - PA19 and PO30 - PO41. Customers placing orders for delivery to these areas will notice that they are given no payment option and that the delivery method will automatically default to collect. Upon receipt of these orders, a member the sales team will contact you (during our business hours) and quote a carriage charge, only if the carriage charge is accepted will proceed with your order and arrange for payment to be collected. Orders that are despatched to International/export destinations will be charged at zero rated VAT.

What is Orbital Fasteners own van delivery area?

The Orbital Fasteners delivery vans deliver daily (Monday - Friday). We have a carriage paid (i.e. no delivery cost) value of just £25 + VAT to the following postal codes. If the order value does not come to £25.00+VAT you will incur a £10 delivery charge. Post code areas for the Orbital own van delivery area are: All of - AL, E, EC, EN, HA, HP, IG, KT, LU, N, NW, SL, SW, TW, UB, W, WC, WD GU14, GU15, GU17 - GU20, GU46, GU47 OX9, OX39, OX49 RG1, RG2, RG4 - RG10, RG12, RG30, RG31, RG40, RG41, RG42, RG45 SE1, SE7, SE8, SE10, SE11, SE16, SE18, SE28 SG14

Orders that are delivered by own van fleet.

Orders placed before 4.00pm that fall into our van delivery area will normally be delivered the next working day. Some orders that are placed later than 4.00pm may still get delivered during the next working day, this is again dependent on the volumes of orders that we have to process prior to our own van fleet departing on the next week day morning. Please note that our own van fleet only delivers Monday-Friday. Any Saturday deliveries will be made by carrier at an additional charge of £45.00 regardless of the order value.

Do you have the option for premium delivery charges for urgent deliveries?

Yes we do, Premium Delivery Costs (Excluding these postcode area’s **) Same day courier P.O.A. Before 12.30 pm £20.00 Before 10.30am £30.00 Saturday £45.00

Orders that are to be delivered by carrier.

The earlier that you can place your order the better! Our carrier must leave at 5pm, therefore the very latest possible deadline for orders to be despatched for delivery the following working day is 3.00pm. This deadline may not apply if we are unusually busy, if your order is unusually large or the carriers vehicle has reached their weight limit.

Can I have delivery the same day?

Yes we arrange for delivery by same day courier, to business addresses, building sites and or your hotel. The cost of this will depend on the destination mileage and time of day. We will charge the courier at almost cost. Please call us for a quotation, ideally you should have at least the first part destination postcode to hand.

Is there an alternative delivery method for very small orders?

Orders placed online that are of very little weight and value may qualify to be sent by Royal Mail in a small Jiffy bag. This option does not appear during the checkout process as 95% of our orders require a carrier and a next day service. If you place a small order and accept the standard carriage charge of £10+vat we can amend the order as necessary and refund the additional carriage paid. All orders sent by Royal Mail will be sent Second Class and untracked so will be at the customers own risk. There is a flat rate charge of £3.50+vat for this service. Depending on how busy we are or how late in the day the order is placed it is not always possible to put this offer forward. If this is something you would like for us to do you should contact us by phone prior to placing the order or by informing us in the 'Order Comments' section when submitting the order online.

What do you consider a small order to consist of?

For an order to be sent via Royal Mail it needs to meet certain criteria. It must not be more than 1kg in weight once packed. Must not exceed a goods value of more than £10 inclusive of vat. The delivery must fit through a letter box.