Customer Service

If you're looking for information about an aspect of Cool Components service, chances are it'll be on this page. All of the most common questions are answered in some form below, but if you need more specific information, please contact us here : sales at coolcomponents dot co dot uk. 

  1. How to Pay
  2. Currencies
  3. Credit
  4. Late Payment
  5. VAT Registration and Exemption
  6. FAQ

How to Pay for Your Orders

  • Credit Card : We accept most major types of credit and debit cards including Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
  • PayPal : To use PayPal customers need to have an account, and to have funded the account.
  • Amazon Payment : This allows customers to pay using their Amazon account, and the credit cards attached to it.
  • UK Bank Account Transfer : You may pay us via direct transfer between your bank account and ours. To do this, please proceed to checkout and choses the 'Bank Transfer (UK or International)' option. Please send us an e-mail to request our account details. Please include your surname and order number as a reference when you make your Bank Transfer. Please note that transfers typically take 1-2 working days to arrive. Orders where Bank Transfer payment has not been received 10 working days after the order was placed will be cancelled.
  • Foreign Wire Transfer (T/T) : You may transfer payment from your bank outside of the UK to our bank. All charges, made by your bank and our bank must be paid by you. We will add an additional charge to cover our bank's T/T receiving charge for orders from inside the UK. Please chose the 'Bank Transfer (UK or International)' option at checkout. After placing an order please send us an email to request our bank payment details. Please use your order number as a reference for your payment, or we may not be able to identify your funds and process your order.Orders where payment has not been received 15 working days after the order was placed will be cancelled.
  • Purchase Order : We welcome purchase orders, but we must ask that they are only made for orders over £100 goods value excluding shipping and VAT. We can only accept purchase orders made out in GBP values. Please choose the Purchase Order option at checkout and we will then contact you regarding payment. Discount vouchers are not accepted against purchase order orders.
  • Cheques : We are not able to accept cheques due to processing costs. Cheques sent as payment will be returned.

Currencies

The base currency of our store is GBP, but customers may display prices in EUR or USD. At final payment, all amounts paid must be in GBP. Exchange rates for USD and EUR are regularly updated.

Credit

On occasion, 30 day terms may be offered for corporate or educational customers issuing purchase orders. Please contact us first to confirm acceptance of these terms.

Late Payment Fees

Where credit has been extended, in accordance with the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, as amended and supplemented by the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations 2002 (EC Directive), we reserve the right charge interest at 8% above the late payment period reference interest rate based on the relevant Bank of England base rate on all amounts outstanding for more than 30 days (the Credit Period) from the Tax Date indicated on the invoice; and further to make a statutory compensatory charge on late payments, as follows: for amounts below £1,000 a charge of £40; for amounts between £1,000 and £10,000 a charge of £70; and for amounts above £10,000 a charge of £100. Such charges may be applied and added to the debt. Details of these charges can be found at the UK Department of Trade and Industry's website.

VAT Registration and Exemption 

VAT is charged on all purchases at the current standard UK rate by default. If you're a Non-UK VAT registered business based within the EU economic area you can avoid paying VAT on your purchase with us by contacting us directly having created an account on our website. The process is not automatic. If we can verify that your VAT number is current and valid, we will update your account so that VAT will be removed from your final total before payment. Please do not continue payment if a VAT figure is shown when it should not be. Please instead contact Cool Components to raise a query. Please note that as a VAT exempt customer, it is your responsibility to stop using the VAT number should it become obsolete. To continue using a VAT number that is not current is a criminal offence. Requests to refund VAT on purchases made where no valid VAT number has been entered during the checkout process will not be accepted.

    FAQ

    Can I come and collect my order?
     
    Yes of course. Here's what to do.
    1. Place your order online chosing 'Collection In Person' at checkout
    2. Send us an email at sales at coolcomponents dot co dot uk
    3. The email must state clearly what time you would like to collect at.
    4. We will confirm your collection time by email. The email will contain exact and helpful details about transport to our location etc.
    There are a few conditions :
    • We are not a shop, and do not have a sales counter.
    • If you arrive at a substantially different time to that arranged, or ourside of our office hours, we may not be able to provide you with your goods.
    • We will not be liable for any costs you incur travelling to our premises.
    • We will not be liable for any damage or injury you cause or sustain whilst on our premises.
    • We will not be responsible for your navigation to our premises. Not all postcode / GPS databases provide accurate locations.
    • If you place an order for collection, then subsequently require it to be delivered we will charge you extra for delivery.
    My order has been shipped but has not arrived - what has happened to it?
     
    First we need to look at how you chose to have your order sent. Was it a trackable form of shipping, or a standard form? If it was a trackable form of shipping, please look for the tracking number that will have been sent to you as part of your order dispatch note. Once you have this number you can find out information about your package from the tracking section of the Royal Mail's website. If you did not choose a trackable form of shipping, please ask your work colleagues or neighbours whether your package has been delivered to them by mistake. Quite often, this is what has happened. You can also contact your local depot to check with them. Regretfully, if your package is still missing, we cannot be held responsible if it is not insured.
     
    When will my order be shipped?
     
    Please see our detailed Delivery Information page for cut-off times and more.
    If you have placed your order more than 2-3 working days ago and it has not been shipped, chances are that one or more of the items in it are out of stock. The product's description will clearly indicate that it is out of stock, and there's another indication at checkout, that some of your items are out of stock. Items that are out of stock generally come back into stock in 1-2 weeks, sometimes less. Again, the product description will generally give an estimated date for when the item is due back in stock.
      
    Do you accept purchase orders?
     
    Yes we do - but the purchase order must be for a goods amount of more than £100. You must place the order online by choosing the 'Purchase Order' payment option. In addition, you must send it to us by email or post on headed notepaper with full contact details. We may require you to pay in advance of delivery depending on your institution's status.
     
    Do you accept cheques?
     
    No, we do not accept cheques.
     
    I am a company based in the EU, but outside of the UK - How can I avoid paying VAT?

    Please register as a customer online and then send us your VAT number via email for validity and to enable your account for VAT free purchasing. You may then purchase items using the online system as normal. ***DO NOT*** place an order if VAT is still shown at checkout. We may charge you an administration fee of up to GBP20 to refund any VAT you have mistakenly paid.

    Please note that under EU law, you are required to notify us immediately if your VAT number becomes invalid or goes out of use. We will report purchases made using an invlaid VAT number to your country's police or banking authorities.

    How safe is standard post?
     
    Royal Mail standard post is very good considering its low cost. Packages do get lost however. Every year we send out thousands of orders, and only a very few go missing in the postal system. Despite this we recommend that you choose an insured form of post if you wish to guarantee your order's arrival.
     
    I chose 'Special Delivery Next Day' but my order hasn't arrived - Why?
     
    A couple of things are possible: That your items are not in stock, or that there is a sizeable order backlog, and that we have not managed to send your order on the day you placed it. Also, SD packages posted on Friday are not delivered on Saturday unless an extra charge is paid. We do not collect or pay this extra charge, and so regretfully, RM SD shipments will arrive on Monday if they are posted on Friday. Ironically, it is sometimes faster to chose standard delivery. If you order wasn't sent on a Friday you have a valid reason to complain to the Royal Mail. SD is supposed to be 'guaranteed' after all! Please note, regrettably we will not complain on your behalf. Please see the shipping section of this page for more info.