Frank Smythson Limited (“Smythson”) is completely dedicated to your total satisfaction. If you have any suggestions or comments please email us at enquiries@smythson.com.

Frank Smythson Ltd. are registered in England and Wales No. 3594597
Registered Office: 12 Great James' Street, London WC1N 3DR

Contacting Smythson

If you need to reach us, please email us at enquiries@smythson.com. Alternatively, you can call 44 (0) 20 7318 1515 or fax us on 44 (0) 207 318 1500 or write to us at 40 New Bond Street. London, W1S 2DE, United Kingdom.

Making A Purchase

We accept credit card payment.  If you are shopping from outside the U.K. your credit card company will convert the transaction to your own currency.

We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Maestro cards.

Formation of a contract

When you place an order to purchase a product from us, we will send you an e-mail confirming receipt of your order and containing the details of your order. Your order represents an offer to us to purchase a product which is accepted by us when we charge for and despatch the order to you. Any products on the same order which we have not charged for or despatched do not form part of that contract.

Pricing and Availability

If you have paid by cheque and we owe you a full or partial refund, we will send a refund cheque for the correct amount.

We do not charge for orders until they are ready to ship, except for personalized stationery orders which are charged on receipt of order and gold-stamping orders which are charged when we are ready to begin the blocking.

All offers are subject to availability. Prices shown are correct at the time of publication. Prices shown in GBP (£) include 17.5% VAT. We reserve the right to change prices without notice

Despite our best efforts, from time to time a small number of the items in our catalogue may be mispriced. Rest assured, however, that we verify prices as part of our dispatch procedures.

If an item's correct price is lower than our stated price, we charge the lower amount and send you the item.

If a product's correct price is higher than our stated price, we will cancel your order and notify you of that cancellation.

Confirming availability and price

As we process your order, we will inform you by e-mail if any items you order turn out to be unavailable.

Security

Smythson uses 128-bit SSL encryption technology to ensure that any information you transmit during the ordering process is secure. Our servers are secured to protect all personal information including credit card numbers, your address and any products you may order.

Delivery

All deliveries are made from the Smythson head office in the United Kingdom

Deliveries are made by courier and require a signature on delivery, for this reason, it is not possible to deliver to a PO Box address. Customs or handling charges that may be levied in the destination country are beyond our control and Smythson are unable to accept any responsibility for these.

All orders including items with personalized stamping or personalized stationery require longer for delivery. For details see below.

United Kingdom

Please allow eight working days for your order to reach you within the UK. UK orders are posted by Royal Mail recorded delivery or by courier and require a signature on delivery.


European Union

Orders are posted via airmail or courier and may require a signature on delivery. Please allow up to 17 days for orders to arrive**.


Rest of World

Orders are posted via airmail or courier and may require a signature on delivery. Please allow up to 17 days for orders to arrive**.



**Customs or handling charges that may be levied in the destination country are beyond our control and we are unable to accept any responsibility for these.


Orders placed in US Dollars

*Orders sent airmail should arrive within 17 days. Large or heavy items require a street address rather than a PO box and a signature on delivery will be requested.

† Orders sent by courier should arrive within 10 days. We require  a street address rather than a PO box and a signature will be required on delivery. Smythson will cover tax or duties payable on courier orders paid for in US dollars.

Customs or handling charges that may be levied in any other destination country are beyond our control and we are unable to accept any responsibility for these.

Personalized Stamping

Please allow 7-10 additional working days for orders including gold-, silver- and blind-stamped items.

Personalized Engraving

Please allow 7-10 additional working days for orders including diamond-engraved pens and pencils.

Personalized Stationery

Orders for personalized bespoke stationery items are put into production only upon receipt of full payment.

From receipt of payment turnaround times vary from 3 to 5 weeks dependant upon the product(s) ordered.
If a proof is required, the quoted production time is based upon you returning the signed proofs within 48 hours. Extension of this time could delay your order. Smythson will endeavour to meet all delivery dates, barring unforeseen circumstances.

Smythson & CITES

The ‘Washington’ Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, more commonly known as CITES, aims to protect certain plants and animals by regulating and monitoring their international trade to prevent it reaching unsustainable levels. The Convention entered into force in 1975, and the UK became a Party in 1976. There are more than 168 Parties to the Convention. The CITES Secretariat is administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

How CITES works

CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of selected species to certain controls. All import, export, re-export and introduction from the sea of species covered by the Convention has to be authorized through a licensing system. Each Party to the Convention must designate one or more Management Authorities in charge of administering that licensing system and one or more Scientific Authorities to advise them on the effects of trade on the status of the species.
The species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the degree of protection they need.

Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.

Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.

Appendix III contains species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade. Changes to Appendix III follow a distinct procedure from changes to Appendices I and II, as each party’s is entitled to make unilateral amendments to it.

Smythson

Smythson only produces merchandise using skins from sustainable sources we do not use animals listed in appendix I of the convention. In the case of animals listed in appendix II of the Cites convention skins are imported into the EU accompanied by an export certificate issued by the government of the country of origin.

The convention provides a framework for legislation and process in the countries that are a party. Hence the actual rules and legislation vary from country to country.

The Smythson website only sells merchandise made from CITES listed animals within the United Kingdom and European Union. We do not ship to any other country under any circumstances.

Guarantee and Returns

We take pride in the quality of our products, and our policy is to ensure that all products supplied are delivered in perfect condition. If for any reason the product does not meet your expectations, please return it with proof of purchase within 30 days and we will arrange for an immediate exchange or refund. We regret that we are unable to offer refunds on diaries or items that have been personalized. This policy does not affect your statutory rights.

In addition to your 30-day returns guarantee, under the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000, customers in the European Union are entitled to a right to cancel the contract within a period of 7 working days, beginning with the day after the day on which the item is delivered. This applies to all of our products.

To cancel the contract, please pack the relevant item securely and send it to us [with the delivery slip] so that we receive it within 7 working days after the day of the date that the item was delivered to you.

Please note that you will be responsible for the costs of returning the goods to us.

As soon as we receive notice of your cancellation of this order, we will refund the relevant part of the purchase price for that item.

Measurements are approximate to the nearest half centimetre or quarter inch.

Personalized Stationery

For personalized stationery orders,  full payment will be taken on placement of the order.

CHANGES TO THE ORDER
In some circumstances Smythson will issue a proof for your approval prior to the printing of your stationery. Once a proof has been approved any amendments to your order that require a new proof will incur a minimum charge of £25 or $50.
Smythson will not accept any responsibility for errors on proofs that have been signed as correct.

CANCELLATIONS
Cancellation will incur the cost of all work completed to the date of notice of cancellation. This may include preparation of proofs or artwork and all hand finishes; hand engraving, bordering, gilding, deckling, and envelope tissue lining.

REFUNDS
Personalized bespoke stationery is made to order. That’s why we regret that we are unable to offer refunds or exchanges.
However, if we have made an error in fulfilling your order, we shall promptly correct or replace the items supplied to you. This policy does not affect your statutory rights. Complaints regarding personalized bespoke stationery items must be made in writing within 30 days of delivery or they will not be considered.

Privacy Policy

1.         Smythson’s Privacy Policy

1.1        By sending your details to us, you acknowledge that you have read the following and agree that Smythson may use information about you supplied in your application to participate in the Investment Readiness Programme or which is subsequently supplied to us in order to consider your application and for more general administrative and operational purposes.

1.2        Smythson will use any personal information collected from this web site (www.smythson.com) in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Further details on the Data Protection Act can be found at The Information Commissioner’s Office web site ( www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk ). Smythson has taken, and will continue to take, appropriate measures to keep secure any personal information given by users of this site.

1.3        Although Smythson takes appropriate measures to ensure the security of information in its possession, you acknowledge that the Internet is an open network and the transmission of information over the Internet is not controlled by Smythson. You have certain rights under applicable law including the right to access or correct information. You acknowledge that information given by you is supplied voluntarily.

2.         What information do we collect and why?

2.1               The information collected on this site includes:

(a)                Names and Addresses;

(b)                Users' IP address, which is automatically logged by our web server. IP addresses are used to observe users' interest in this web site;

(c)        Cookies, which are very small text files saved to your computer.  Cookies are used to track user navigation around a web site.  Cookies are means of identifying your computer to our server, they do not identify individuals, only the computer used.

2.2        Smythson will only use information collected for the purpose of contacting you.  Smythson may also use the information provided to contact you regarding other Smythson products and programmes which it believes may be of interest to you.

2.3        Smythson will not disclose any personal information to third parties, or use the information in any other way without prior consent.

3.         Your rights

3.1        You have the right to access your information held by Smythson and where necessary, to have it amended. You can also request not to receive marketing information from Smythson.

3.2        For more details, please contact us: at enquiries@smythson.com. Alternatively, you can call 44 (0) 20 7318 1515 or fax us on 44 (0) 207 318 1500 or write to us at 40 New Bond Street. London, W1S 2DE.

4.         Links to other web sites

4.1       This web site contains links to other sites which are completely unrelated to Smythson. This privacy statement does not apply to these sites nor are Smythson responsible for the content and practices of these web sites.

Losses

We will not be responsible for any business loss (including loss of profits, revenue, contracts, anticipated savings, data, goodwill or wasted expenditure) or any other indirect or consequential loss that is not reasonably foreseeable to both you and us when you commenced using the website or when a contract for the sale of goods by us to you was formed. We do not limit in any way our liability by law for death or personal injury caused from our negligence or breach of duty or caused by our gross negligence or wilful misconduct.

Alteration of Service or Amendments to the Conditions

We reserve the right to make changes to our website, policies, and these terms and conditions at any time. You will be subject to the terms and conditions in force at the time that you use the website or that you order goods from us, unless any change to those policies or these conditions is required to be made by law or government authority (in which case it will apply to orders previously placed by you). If any of these conditions is deemed invalid, void, or for any reason unenforceable, that condition will be deemed severable and will not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining condition.

Events beyond our reasonable control

We will not be held responsible for any delay or failure to comply with our obligations under these conditions if the delay or failure arises from any cause which is beyond our reasonable control. This condition does not affect your statutory rights.

Waiver

If you breach these conditions and we take no action, we will still be entitled to use our rights and remedies in any other situation where you breach these conditions.

Governing law and jurisdiction

These conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England, and you agree to submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.