Terms of use
The terms, part 1: who we are and what we sell
1. About us
1.1 dentallabsupplies.co.uk is run by Acorn Polymers (U.K.) Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 03514874), registered office Victoria Works, Nelson Street, Bolton, BL3 2DW. In these terms "we", "us" and "our" mean Acorn Polymers (U.K.) Ltd, and "you" means the person or business buying from us.
1.2 These terms apply to every order placed on this website, by phone, by email or on a trade account. Please read them before you order. Our Returns Policy, Shipping Policy and Privacy Policy form part of them.
2. Business and consumer customers
2.1 Most of our customers are dental laboratories, clinicians and other businesses. We also sell to consumers, who often use our sheets for other things, such as making models. Some clauses apply only to business customers or only to consumers, and say so.
2.2 If you buy as a consumer (for yourself, not for a business), you have legal rights that these terms do not take away. Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights.
3. What we sell: materials, not finished appliances
3.1 We make and sell materials and components: thermoforming blanks (including mouthguard, splint, retainer and bleaching-tray blanks), appliance boxes, laboratory consumables and equipment. We do not design, make, prescribe or fit finished dental appliances.
3.2 A mouthguard, splint, retainer or other appliance made from our materials is made by the laboratory, clinician or other person who forms, trims, finishes and fits it. That person is responsible for:
- choosing a suitable material, thickness and construction for the wearer and the use, including the level of protection a sports mouthguard needs;
- forming, laminating, trimming and finishing the appliance correctly, following the instructions we give for the material;
- its fit, comfort, safety and performance;
- meeting any rules that apply to it, including, where it is a custom-made medical device, the Medical Devices Regulations 2002;
- telling the wearer how to use, clean, store and replace it.
3.3 No mouthguard prevents every injury. The protection an appliance gives depends on how it is designed, made, fitted, worn and looked after, which we do not control.
3.4 Guidance we publish, such as thickness charts, technician guides, product descriptions and the Mouthguard Designer, is general information to help you choose and use our materials. It does not replace the professional judgement of the person making or fitting an appliance.
4. Placing an order
4.1 Your order is an offer to buy. A contract is made when we send an email confirming that we have accepted your order or that it has been dispatched, whichever comes first.
4.2 We may decline an order, for example if a product is unavailable, if a price or description on the website is wrong, or if we cannot print the artwork you sent (clause 10). If we decline an order you have paid for, we will refund you in full.
4.3 Please check your order before you submit it. For printed and made-to-order goods, the details you give us, including the artwork, colours and quantities, are what we will make.
4.4 We may limit the quantity of any product that one customer, household or address can buy, in one order or over a period.
4.5 We may refuse to supply anyone, or suspend or close an account or someone's use of this website, if they break these terms, misuse the website or do not pay what they owe us. Anything already owed to us remains payable.
5. Prices and payment
5.1 Prices are shown in pounds sterling and exclude VAT unless marked otherwise. VAT and delivery are added at checkout.
5.2 If a price on the website is clearly wrong, we will tell you before we accept your order and you can choose whether to go ahead at the correct price.
5.3 Payment is taken when you order, unless you have a trade account with us (clause 13).
5.4 Quantity discounts are applied in the basket as shown on the product page.
The terms, part 2: delivery, returns and printed goods
6. Delivery
6.1 We deliver to the addresses and countries in our Shipping Policy. Delivery times are estimates; we will tell you if an order will be late.
6.2 The goods are your responsibility once they are delivered to the address you gave us.
6.3 Please check your delivery and tell us about anything damaged or missing within 7 days of delivery, with photos where you can. This helps us claim from the courier; it does not shorten a consumer's legal rights.
6.4 For business customers, the goods stay ours until we have been paid for them in full.
7. Returns and cancelling
7.1 If you are a consumer, you can cancel an order within 14 days of receiving the goods, without giving a reason. Tell us by email or phone, then return the goods unused and in their original condition within a further 14 days. We will refund the price and the standard delivery cost within 14 days of receiving them back. You pay the return postage unless the goods are faulty or not as described.
7.2 The right to cancel does not apply to goods made to your specification or personalised, including printed boxes, patterned and other made-to-order blanks, and anything ordered through the Mouthguard Designer or the Appliance Box Designer.
7.3 Business customers may return unused stock items in their original condition within 14 days of delivery by arrangement with us, as set out in our Returns Policy. Made-to-order and printed goods cannot be returned unless faulty.
7.4 If goods are faulty or not as described, tell us as soon as you can and we will repair, replace or refund them. This does not affect a consumer's legal rights.
8. Printed and made-to-order goods
8.1 Printed boxes and made-to-order blanks are made for you after you order. Printed boxes have a minimum order of 25 and are usually dispatched within 3 to 5 working days. We will tell you if an order will take longer.
8.2 We print the artwork, text and colours you give us. Please check them before you order: we cannot accept returns for mistakes in what was supplied to us.
8.3 Printed colours, sizes and positions can differ slightly from the preview, between batches, and on different box colours. Small differences of this kind are not a fault.
8.4 If we think your artwork will not print well, for example because it is too fine or low in resolution, we will contact you before we print.
9. Online designers, previews and colours
9.1 The Mouthguard Designer and the Appliance Box Designer show an illustration of the finished product to help you choose. Colours, patterns, print sizes and positions on screen are close to, but not exactly, what you will receive.
9.2 Screens show colour differently, so colours on our website are a guide. Ask us for a sample if an exact match matters.
10. Your artwork
10.1 When you send us a logo, image or text to print, you confirm that you own it or have permission to use it, and that printing it will not break anyone's rights or the law.
10.2 We may refuse to print artwork that we believe infringes someone else's rights, or that is offensive or unlawful.
10.3 If you are a business customer and a claim is made against us because artwork you sent infringes someone else's rights, you will cover our reasonable costs and losses from that claim.
10.4 We use your artwork only to make your order and keep it on file to make repeat orders easier. Ask us and we will delete it.
The terms, part 3: liability, trade accounts and general
11. Our responsibility to you
11.1 We are responsible for supplying materials that match their description, are of satisfactory quality and are fit for the purposes we state for them.
11.2 We are not responsible for:
- the design, construction, fit, protection or performance of any appliance made from our materials by someone else;
- injury, loss or damage caused by an appliance that was badly designed, formed, trimmed, fitted, worn, cleaned or stored, kept in use past its useful life, or used for something it was not made for;
- materials used against our instructions, mixed with other products in a way we do not recommend, or stored or processed in conditions we do not recommend;
- the choice of material, thickness or construction for a particular wearer or sport.
11.3 If you are a business customer:
- we are not liable for loss of profit, revenue, business, contracts or goodwill, or for any indirect or consequential loss;
- our total liability for any order is limited to the price paid for that order;
- the conditions implied by the Sale of Goods Act 1979 about quality and fitness for purpose apply only as far as clause 11.1 says.
11.4 If you are a consumer, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking these terms or failing to use reasonable care. We are not responsible for losses that were not foreseeable, or for business losses.
11.5 Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, for defective products under the Consumer Protection Act 1987, or for anything else the law does not allow us to limit or exclude.
12. Using our materials safely
12.1 Follow the instructions, temperatures and storage advice we give for each material, and keep any safety data sheets we supply.
12.2 Our dental materials are intended for use by dental laboratories, clinicians and people trained to work with them. If you are not trained, ask a dental professional to make and fit your appliance. If you use our sheets for something else, such as model making, it is up to you to check they suit that use.
12.3 Ask us if you are unsure whether a material suits a particular use. We will help where we can, but the decision on an individual wearer's appliance remains with the person making or fitting it (clause 3).
13. Trade accounts and resale
13.1 We may offer business customers a trade account at our discretion. We may set or change a credit limit, and suspend an account that is overdue.
13.2 Invoices must be paid within 30 days of the invoice date. If payment is late, we may charge interest and compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, and hold further orders until the account is paid.
13.3 Our blanks are sold for making appliances, not for resale as materials. You may not resell EVA blanks in sheet form in the UK, or sell any of our products wholesale, without our written consent.
14. Using this website
14.1 You may use this website to find out about and buy our products. Do not copy or reuse its content, images or tools without our permission, try to break its security, or use it for anything unlawful.
14.2 We try to keep the website accurate and available, but we cannot promise that it will always be free of errors or interruptions. We may change or remove products, prices and tools at any time; this does not affect orders we have already accepted.
14.3 Your personal information is handled as set out in our Privacy Policy.
14.4 If you send us a review, comment or other content for the website, you allow us to publish and use it, including in our marketing, without payment. We may shorten it, and we may remove anything we believe is offensive, unlawful or misleading. You are responsible for what you send.
14.5 Links to other websites, and services run by others (such as payment and delivery services), are there for your convenience. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content or how they work.
15. General
15.1 We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control, such as courier failures, severe weather or supply shortages. We will tell you and do what we can to limit the effect.
15.2 If a court finds part of these terms unenforceable, the rest still applies.
15.3 We may update these terms. The version on the website when you order applies to that order.
15.4 These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and any dispute will be heard by the courts of England and Wales, sitting in Manchester. If you are a consumer, you can also bring proceedings in the courts where you live, including in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
15.5 If we do not enforce one of our rights straight away, we can still enforce it later.
15.6 These terms, the policies named in clause 1.2 and anything we agree with you in writing for your order make up the whole agreement between us.
16. Contact us
Acorn Polymers (U.K.) Ltd, Victoria Works, Nelson Street, Bolton, BL3 2DW
Email info@acornpolymers.co.uk · Phone 01204 524404