The Design Chess Company does not guarantee the availability of any item and reserves the right to discontinue or change the technical specifications of its products at any time without notice.

We reserve to the right to cancel any order before it is shipped. If the need for this occurs, for whatever reason, we will refund the full price paid as soon as possible.

2. WARRANTY

The warranty covers the following:

– Hairline cracks

– Moving of the weights inside the pieces

– Warping of the chess boards

– Adhesive problems

– All the damage caused to the product upon shipping if reported immediately after receiving the product

The warranty does not cover:

– Products being broken by accident or on purpose including, but not limited to, dropping them

– Products getting scratches or other wear caused by excessive use or misuse

– Discoloration caused by exposure to sunlight

– Products that have been modified after purchase

– Losing a product

– Products getting harmed because of wrong methods of cleaning, polishing etc.

– Warping or any other harm to the products caused by exceptional or extreme storage conditions (temperature or exceptionally humid/dry conditions)

In order for the warranty to apply, the products must have been stored properly. The chess pieces and chess boards have to be kept away from the sunlight (including sunlight through a window), in normal and stable room temperature and humidity.

3. WHAT IS NOT CONSIDERED A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT

Our products are handmade. It would be easier and much cheaper to have identical mass production by robots, but that is not what we offer or believe that you want.

The following are some, but not all, examples of what is not considered a defect in the product:

– relatively small lack of symmetry, such as a slightly imperfect round form in carving or in the form of the product

– relatively small differences in the base diagrams, heights, weights, colour tone or any such feature within a set of chess pieces

– relatively small misalignments of chess board squares

– minor differences to the size or weight of the product given on our website

– colour tone differences, including within a set

– changes in colour over time

4. CHANGES IN PRODUCTS OVER TIME

Our products are often made from materials that will undergo certain changes, especially those that are colour-related. Products made from certain woods and textiles, particularly when exposed to sunlight, are liable to this change. This kind of change is not a defect in the product, but a natural process, and is therefore not a reason to classify the product as defective or damaged.

5. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRODUCT IMAGES AND ACTUAL PRODUCTS

Each of our products is handmade and therefore each product is unique. This means that no two products are the same when it comes to colour tone, patterning, or a similar feature of the actual product you buy. It would be impossible for us to have every single unique item photographed separately, so the image you see on the product page is a sample image of the product. Differences in the colour tone, patterning or a similar unique feature doesn’t mean a product is defective; it is proof that it is handmade.

6. DISCOUNTS

Discounts are given from normal unit prices as shown on the Discounts page. The discounts are valid for the time being and may be changed by us at any time.

The general rule is that only one discount per order is applied; the biggest you are eligible to. When meeting the conditions for multiple discounts, only the highest one is applied. For example, if the order meets the conditions for both 5% and 10% discounts, 10% discount is given.

7. SHIPPING

The Design Chess Company will take no responsibility for delayed shipping of a product for whatever reason. The delivery time we provide is always an estimate only. No compensation will be offered for delays in shipping.

The Design Chess Company reserves the right to use a different courier than shown at the website and checkout within the same time frame of delivery. Our principal courier is FedEx Corporation (‘FedEx’).

8. RETURNS AND CANCELLATIONS

The products on our website can be returned to The Design Chess Company in Finland within 14 days after receipt. The company must be contacted before returning anything. The products must be returned in the same condition than they were when the customer received them. Please note that there are exceptions to this rule if the product was specially customized for the customer.

The customer can choose any courier for shipping the items but we strongly recommend an insured and trackable method. The Design Chess Company is not responsible for any damages or lost items during the return. The customer is responsible for packing the products properly.

If an express shipping option with additional cost was chosen, that extra shipping cost will not be refunded.

If you receive a defective or damaged product

If the customer receives a defective or damaged product, The Design Chess Company must be informed of this immediately. Do not send anything back before receiving further instructions from us. We may need photographs or other evidence of the defective products before shipping them back – this is very important. After reviewing the case, we will give instructions on returning them. The Design Chess Company will reimburse the cost of returning the defective products to the customer.

The company will try to fix or replace the defective product to the customer. If the company cannot send the customer a replacement, the order will be cancelled and the a full refund on the items will be given. If the customer chooses not to receive a replacing product, the return costs have to be paid by the customer.

If the customer does not contact the company before returning the items and follow the instructions (on photographing the damaged items or other requests of such nature by the company), the company reserves the right to not give a refund.

Exceptions

Tailor-made and customized products where alterations or modifications (including but not limited to the height, base diagram size, colouring, materials other than offered on our website) have been made according to the wishes of the customer can only be returned if they are defective and the company is not able to fix or replace the product.

Another exception to the standard return policy is the use of the products in TV and film use. If bought for this purpose, the products cannot be returned.

Before returning any products, the customer must contact The Design Chess Company.

Cancelling an order before it is shipped

If the customer decides to cancel his order – completely or partially – before it is shipped, then 9 % is deducted from the price of the cancelled product(s) or services before refund. This compensates the payment gateway fees as well as packing and shipping preparation cost caused to the company.

9. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BUYER

9.1. The buyer is responsible of paying any possible import duties, tariffs, local taxes, customs clearance fees, handling fees by the courier and other such fees related to importing the products. These kind of fees are not included in the price of the product. The products ship from Finland, EU; it is the buyer’s responsibility to check their local import regulations before placing an order.

9.2. It is the buyer’s responsibility to provide all the needed import documents, such as but not limited to copies of an ID or import licences. The company does not take responsibility if the buyer does not provide these documents to the local customs official. If an item is not cleared by customs because of missing import documents and remains therefore undelivered, the company policy regarding refused orders will apply.

9.3. The buyer is responsible of receiving the package and actively contact local FedEx (or other courier) representative to arrange a delivery.

If the buyer refuses a shipped package for any reason, the refused order will be cancelled and to cover the packing, payment gateway, two-way shipping, insurance and other related costs caused to the company, the customer is entitled to a refund of:

70 % * the original amount of order – our company’s actual postal costs both ways

Please note that the actual one-way shipping costs can be up to 100 % higher than what is charged from the customer at checkout. These costs will be verified by documents on request. The refund will be paid when we have been billed by the courier – typically 15-20 and not more than 45 days.

10. COPYRIGHT

All the content on the site is copyrighted by Finnish and international copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to any text, images and videos on the site. Any other use than personal use for purchasing products from our site(s), including but not limited to the reproduction, distribution, display or transmission of the content of this site is strictly prohibited, unless authorised by The Design Chess Company.

11. WARRANTY – WEBSITE

The website of The Design Chess Company is provided without any warranties of any kind, either express or implied, in relation to accuracy or reliability. The Design Chess Company reserves the right to modify the pages or withdraw access to them at any time. The Design Chess Company does not warrant that these pages or the server that makes them available are free of viruses or other harmful components.

12. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

The Design Chess Company shall not be liable for any special or consequential damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use, the materials on this site or the performance of the products.

The products sold by The Design Chess Company are not meant to be used by children, and they are not toys. Our products contain small parts potentially dangerous to children. We don’t take any responsibility for any economical or health damage if the products are left available to or within reach of children.

13. TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

In the event that a product sold by The Design Chess Company is mistakenly listed at an incorrect price, The Design Chess Company reserves the right to refuse or cancel any orders placed for that product listed at the incorrect price. The Design Chess Company reserves the right to refuse or cancel any such orders whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged. If your credit card has already been charged for the purchase and your order is cancelled, The Design Chess Company will issue a credit to your credit card account for the amount of the price paid.

14. TERM, TERMINATION

These Terms and Conditions are applicable to you upon your accessing the site and/or completing the registration or shopping process. These Terms and Conditions, or any part of them, may be modified or terminated by The Design Chess Company without notice at any time, for any reason.

15. MISCELLANOUS

Your use of this site will be governed in all respects by the laws of Finland. You agree that jurisdiction over and involvement in any legal proceeding directly or indirectly arising out of or relating to this site (including but not limited to the purchase of The Design Chess Company products) will be in the Proper District Court (Varsinais-Suomen käräjäoikeus) in Turku, Finland. Any cause of action or claim you may have with respect to the site (including but not limited to the purchase of The Design Chess Company products) must be commenced within 30 days after the claim or cause of action arises. In case of a defective product, the 30-day claim period starts when the product is delivered and expires after this period. If you feel there is a problem with your product, our customer promise is always to try and solve it even after this period. However, replacements or refunds cannot be guaranteed after the 30-day period has expired.

The Design Chess Company’s failure to insist upon or enforce strict performance of any provision of these Terms of Conditions will not be construed a waiver of any provision or right. Neither the course of conduct between the parties nor trade practice will act to modify any of these Terms and Conditions.

16. INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold non-responsible The Design Chess Company, its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors and suppliers from and against all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, resulting from any violation of these terms and conditions or any activity related to your account (including negligent or wrongful conduct) by you or any other person accessing the site using your Internet account.

17. THIRD-PARTY LINKS

In an attempt to provide increased value to our visitors, The Design Chess Company may link to sites operated by third parties. However, even if the third party is affiliated with The Design Chess Company, The Design Chess Company has no control over these linked sites, all of which have separate privacy and data collection practices, independent from The Design Chess Company. These linked sites are only for your convenience and therefore you access them at your own risk. Nonetheless, The Design Chess Company seeks to protect the integrity of its website and the links placed upon it and therefore requests any feedback on not only its own site, but the sites it links to as well (including broken links).

18. PRIVACY POLICY

Read our privacy policy here.

19. THE TRADE NAME AND THE COMPANY

Design Chess is a trade name of The Design Chess Company. The Design Chess Company is a supplementary firm name of ITP International Trading Partners Ltd Oy, a company registered in Finland, business ID 0932324-4. The address of the company: Läntinen Kehätie 22, 31400 Somero, Finland.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS