How to Order

barclaycard logo
Paying by Credit Card

You may pay securely using the world-trusted Barclaycard site. After you have selected the items and added them to the shopping basket, select the option PAY BY EPDQ. You will be taken to the Barclaycard secure website where you can pay using your credit card. You can pay with most credit or debit cards on this site including Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Maestro and Electron. Payments will appear on your statement under the name Paradox, which is our parent company.

Paypal logo
Paying by Paypal

After you have selected the items and added them to the shopping basket, select the option PAY BY PAYPAL. You will be taken to the Paypal secure website where you can pay using your Paypal account. Even if you do not have a Paypal account you may select the option to pay by credit or debit card.

chequebook
Paying by other methods

You may pay by cheque. After choosing your goods simply select the PAY BY CHEQUE option. You will then be given instructions on where to send your cheque. Please note that if you choose to pay by cheque we will not send your order until your cheque has been cleared through the bank (usually four working days after we receive it.)

You may pay over the phone. Please complete the order online, and choose the PAY BY CHEQUE option. You can then phone us and we will manually take your credit card details over the telephone. You can phone Monday-Saturday 9am-9pm.

Pay on invoice. If you are ordering for a school, an institution such as a museum, or for a government agency you may pay on invoice. See the details below.

You may pay by bank transfer. After completing the order online, choose the PAY BY CHEQUE option. You will need to contact us for bank transfer details. Please note that bank transfers are not usually immediate and can take four days or more before we receive your payment.

orders
School, Institution and Corporate Orders

We can supply goods to schools and educational establishments to be paid on invoice, but to do so we must have an official order on your letterhead or appropriate order stationery. We will accept this sent by email or fax. When you place your order choose the PAY BY CHEQUE option. We will despatch your goods when we have received your official order. Corporate clients, who want to be supplied on credit, will be required to complete a trade account application before this is allowed. Please note that if we supply goods on credit you will be required to pay within 30 days by cheque, credit card or bank transfer.

Gone wrong
What happens if the payment goes wrong?

If your payment attempt fails for any reason, for example if you accidentally enter the number wrongly, then we see that failed payment on our system and will normally contact you to help you complete your order.

UK
Delivery times to the UK

You may choose either ECONOMY DELIVERY or FAST DELIVERY

ECONOMY DELIVERY We usually despatch your goods within 1-2 working days of receiving your order. We keep about 95% of all items in stock, but if there is likely to be a delay we will contact you. Goods are sent by Royal Mail or carrier. If you put a date required we will do our best to ensure that goods sent by Economy delivery get there on time, but please note if an early delivery date is crucial we suggest you use the FAST DELIVERY option. We despatch to any part of the UK by Economy delivery, but the price varies. Please note that there are extra charges for some parts of Scotland and for offshore locations.

FAST DELIVERY We despatch by Royal Mail Special Delivery or by carrier and will usually despatch the goods the next day (Monday to Friday) after receiving your order. We usually despatch orders received by 12 noon the same day, but if you place the order later in the day you will need to phone us to see if we can still arrange delivery. Fast delivery items are always sent on a next day basis, but note that we cannot offer a guaranteed next day delivery because no carrier provides this. If you have special requirements such as needing delivery before 9am you must phone us as we will need to make special arrangements with our carrier, and you will be charged extra. Please note that there are extra charges for some parts of Scotland and for offshore locations. If an order is absolutely critical you are advised to contact us to ensure we have stock and can meet your deadline. If you order Saturday or Sunday goods will not be sent out until Monday as we do not have staff to process orders and carriers do not run a regular service at weekends. Please be sensible and allow as much time as possible. We will do our best, but we have not yet learned how to work miracles. You are reminded that you will need to sign for packages on delivery, and if there is nobody available to sign it can delay delivery.

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Taking Delivery

Please ensure that the carrier can make delivery to the address you have given. If there is no one at home, then it may not be possible to deliver. You can give a different delivery address such as your place of work when submitting your order. You may find a neighbour who will help. Usually if a delivery fails, the item will be delivered again the next day, or a card will be left giving contact details of how to rearrange the delivery.

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Returning Items

We hope that everything you ordered reaches you in good condition and that you will be pleased with your purchase.

If items are received damaged, incorrect or incomplete, please contact us within 24 hours of receipt, and keep packing materials. If the goods are damaged when received we will pay return carriage should we need them returned, but please do not return them untl instructed.

Under the Distance Selling Regulations (unless you are a business customer) you are also allowed to return goods if you decide you do not want them. You must notify us within seven working days of taking delivery. We will give you instructions on how to return the goods. You are required to take care of them whilst in your possession. We will not refund the return carriage. Certain items may not be returned. Further details are given in our Terms and Conditions below.

world
Overseas Orders

We will accept orders for delivery to some overseas locations, but because of the additional work that we have to do, it is probably only worth placing an order if it is large, and you cannot obtain the goods in your own country. Carriage to some countries is also extremely expensive.
Extra work we have to do for overseas orders:

  • Package in special export grade boxes
  • Fill in forms including customs declarations
  • Check out delivery charges and methods
  • Account for tax separately
  • Check out customers credentials to prevent scams
  • Pay for additional insurance

As our main market is for UK orders, we do not have the infrastructure to process overseas orders at a competitive price, but we do recognise that there are some genuine customers who are based abroad and still want to buy from us.

Conditions of supply overseas

  • We will only deliver to the cardholder's address.
  • We will not deliver to Post Office Boxes.
  • We will not allow you to have your goods picked up by your own carrier.
  • You must pay before despatch

If we are not satisfied that your order is genuine, then we reserve the right to refuse to supply you. We are sorry to have to be strict, but there are unfortunately a few dishonest people in cyberspace who make things more difficult for the rest. If you want to claim VAT exemption you must supply proof of your VAT registration. You are responsible for any incoming taxes and customs fees.

Delivery Charges

Our delivery charge includes an additional administration chargeto cover the extra paperwork and administration. Delivery is at the standard rate, and may not be very fast.

How to place an order

If your country is listed here: Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, then you can place an order directly on the website. You must select the delivery rate for your country (which should be the only option available to you for delivery anyway). You can then proceed to the checkout and make payment.

When we get your order we will check the delivery charges and other details. We may make adjustments for tax, and we may find a less expensive delivery method. We will then email a revised invoice and make a refund if appropriate.

If your country is not listed in the paragraph above, then email us, and we can probably add it.

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How We Calculate Carriage

The calculation for carriage charges is based on size and weight. To see the total charge for carriage go to your shopping basket. Charges for carriage include the cost of packaging materials and administration. All orders over £100 are sent carriage free, but this excludes fast delivery.

The cost of carriage can be checked by adding items to the shopping basket and choosing either economy or fast delivery. We try to keep carriage as class to actual cost, including packaging materials, but if you think the system is calculating the cost too high, then you are invited to contact us and we will check it manually.

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Other Useful Information

1. All our prices are subject to VAT. The prices shown on our website include VAT where applicable. A VAT invoice will be provided.

2. Some items may be delivered direct from the manufacturer.

3. We maintain resonable stock levels of most items. If you have an urgent deadline, then please phone before placing the order, so that we can ensure we can meet your requirement.

4. We want you to be happy with our service, and we will do our best to help you, so if you have a difficulty please contact us.

5. Please note that credit card charges will usually have the merchant name Paradox, which is our parent company trading name.

6. We don't accept American Express credit cards because they have expensive joining fees and we don't get enough cards to make it worthwhile.

Click here to download Terms and Conditions of Trading.

The Victorian School

Terms and Conditions of Trading

Please read these terms carefully, and print and keep a copy of them for your reference.

About Us

This website is owned and operated by Stephen and Irene Clark trading as Paradox and Victorian School. Our address is Higher Marsh Farm, Dunster, Minehead TA24 6PH

If you need to contact us, please e-mail us at admin@VictorianSchool.co.ukor call us on 01643 822035.

Our VAT number is 728990386

Making a contract with us

When you place an order with us, you are making an offer to buy goods.  We will send you an e-mail to confirm that we have received your order.

In the unlikely event that the goods are no longer available, or that we have made a pricing mistake, we will advise you of this.

We reserve the right to decline any order without giving any reason. If this happens we will make a full refund at the earliest opportunity.

We will notify you by email when we have accepted your order and we are ready to despatch the goods.

If the goods are not available, we will not supply you with substitute goods.  We may contact you to suggest other goods that might meet your requirements, but if you choose to order those they will form a new and separate contract.

We will make a full refund of any goods that we cannot supply within a reasonable time. We will do our best to contact you to inform you of any delay.

How to place order

The instructions on how to place an order are given on our website. In the event that you make a mistake in your order you should contact us as soon as possible by email or telephone.

Delivery

The delivery charges are calculated when you place an order on our website and can be seen by going to the shopping cart page. If the goods fall outside of standard delivery, for example to countries overseas, then we will quote a price for delivery.

Goods are usually sent out by within 1-2 working days of receipt of order (and payment if applicable), and delivery will follow usually two to five working days after that. We do offer a fast delivery option, where we will send out goods the same working day or the next working day, depending on the time we receive the order, and that is sent by an overnight carrier. Customers are advised to discuss their options if they need very fast delivery. We will always do our best to meet deadlines.

If the goods are lost or damaged in transit, please let us know promptly.

Cancellation and returns

This policy does not apply to the following goods, which are exempt from the right to cancel: goods which are sent out on hire. These are subject to separate hire conditions.

You can cancel your contract at any time up to 7 working days after the day of delivery.  To do this, please e-mail us or write to us. If you do not contact us within 7 days you forfeit your right to cancellation. You must not return goods until you have sent us this notice and we have provided you with return instructions.

You do not have to give any reason for cancellation.  However, a brief explanation will help us to improve the service we offer to customers in the future.

Goods that are returned should be sent back with the returns document that we supply, so that the item can be identified and your refund processed promptly.

If you cancel, you must return the goods to us at your own expense.  You must ensure that the goods are packaged adequately to protect against damage.

If you fail to return the goods, we will collect them, and we will charge you the direct cost of collection.  If you fail to take reasonable care of the goods before they are returned to us, and this results in damage or deterioration, we will charge you for the reduction in value.

This cancellation policy does not affect your legal rights — for example, if goods are faulty or misdescribed.

The rights of business customers does not include the automatic right to return goods.

Faulty goods

If there is a problem with the goods, please contact us.  We will deal with the matter in accordance with your legal rights.

Security
All credit card information is processed on secure servers. We process payments through Barclays epdq and Paypal. You can check for secure pages by the padlock symbol and by the web address which begins https:\\

Data Privacy
We do not share your data with anyone else except where it is essential in the processing of your order or if required to do so by UK Governing Law. Cookies are used on our site to enable the shopping function. From time to time we may send you email notification of new Special Offers. Whenever we do this you will have the opportunity to request to be removed from our mailing list.

Severability
If it should be determined that any condition within this agreement is deemed unlawful this shall not affect the remaining conditions.

Website Terms and Conditions

The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:

The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.

Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.

This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics.

Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.

All trade marks reproduced in this website which are not the property of, or licensed to, the operator are acknowledged on the website.

Unauthorised use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence.

From time to time this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).

Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Terms & Conditions of Hire

Booking/Hire Fees

Full payment is required at the time of booking unless the supply is being made to a recognised school, institution or account holder.

Children under the age of 18 may not hire costumes without their parents’ consent.

Hire Period

The hire period is from the date of delivery until the return date shown on the hire contract.

If, for any reason, it is not possible to return the goods on the correct return date you should contact us immediately. We may be able to extend the period of hire for a small additional fee. Unauthorised extension to the hire period will result in penalties set out below.

Once the items have been delivered to the hirer they are the hirer’s responsibility/risk until we receives them back.

Hires are usually sent out be overnight carrier and will be delivered the day before you require the goods, or earlier at our discretion. You must provide a delivery address at which you can accept delivery of the goods during the normal working day. They will normally have to be signed for.

Cancellations/Non-Collection

Deposits and hire fees are not refundable on cancellation or non-collection. (At the managements discretion this term may be waived in extreme circumstances.)

Late Returns

An item is deemed late if it is not despatched on or before the return date noted on the hire contract / booking form. You must use a method of carriage that gets the goods back to us in a reasonable time. We will advise on this if you are in doubt.

If we are responsible for the return, we will arrange collection on the due date or shortly afterwards. You will not be penalised if we are later arranging for the goods to be picked up. We must be able to gain access to pick up the goods during the working day.

Schools and similar institutions are reminded that you must still arrange the return on the due date even if the school is on holiday.

In exceptional circumstances, such as particularly bad weather, we may, at our own discretion, waive the fee.

Unauthorised late returns will be charged at the daily rate plus 20%. Please remember that if you are late returning goods we may have to disappoint another customer.

Packaging

Most of our hire goods are sent out in professional quality flight cases. You must return the goods in these cases, and you must ensure they are secured for return. We usually supply instructions on how to secure the cases, but if in doubt please consult us. If you do not return the flight case we will charge you for a replacement case, and these can be very expensive.

Please remember that flight cases can be quite heavy and you may need assistance to move them. Very often the contents of the flight cases are packed in their own containers inside, so sometimes it is easier to unpack and remove the contents before moving the flight case for storage. Some flight cases are intended to be lifted by two people.

Deposit

For hire by individuals a deposit is required, in addition to the hire fee, to cover costs in the event of loss or damage to hired items. We do not take a deposit when hiring to schools, institutions or account holders, but if the goods are returned damaged, or they are lost we will raise an invoice for the cost.

The deposit does not cover the full replacement cost of the items. We reserve the right to charge up to the full replacement cost of any item that is lost or damaged while in the possession of the hirer.

We will not charge for fair wear and tear.

Please note that you must ensure all parts of the item or costume are returned. If something does go astray, for example someone accidentally takes an item home, then you should contact us for advice.

Fitness For Purpose

We make no representation as to the size, physical fit or historical or other accuracy of any item or accessory supplied on hire. The contract is purely in regard of the supply of the specified items for the agreed period. The customer must satisfy him/herself prior to the hiring as to the fitness or otherwise of any item for their intended purpose. Acceptance of the item(s) at the commencement of the hire period implies that the item is complete and undamaged unless any faults or defects are notified to us immediately on receipt.

Loss or damage not notified to us until the end of the hire period will be considered as having occurred within the hire period and the deposit in whole/or part will be forfeit.

We reserve the right to supply a suitable alternative in the event of loss or damage to the booked items occurring between the booking being made and the hire date. We will however notify to this effect as soon as possible.

 

Changes to these terms

These terms were last changed on 12 March 2011.  Previous versions of our standard terms and conditions can be viewed here

These terms apply to your order.  We may change our terms and conditions at any time, so please do not assume that the same terms will apply to future orders.

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Sizes

How to measure for a costume

It is very important that you measure carefully to avoid disappointment. We have provided a size chart in both imperial and metric measurements, together with an illustration of how to take the measurements.

Metric sizes (cm) below
Age
Height/size
Chest
Waist
18m-2yrs
86cm
53cm
50cm
2-3yrs
98cm
56cm
52cm
3-5yrs
116cm
63cm
55cm
5-7yrs
128cm
66cm
58cm
7-9yrs
140cm
72cm
62cm
9-11yrs
152cm
81cm
67cm
12-14yrs
164cm
81cm
67cm
15-16yrs
164cm
87cm
67cm
Adult lady
Up to 164cm (Dress 16)
Up to 97cm
Up to 97cm
Adult man
Up to 183cm
Up to 107cm
Up to 107cm


size chart

 

Imperial sizes (inches) below
Age
Height/size
Chest
Waist
18m-2yrs
34"
21"
20"
2-3yrs
39"
23"
21"
3-5yrs
46"
25"
22"
5-7yrs
50"
26"
23"
7-9yrs
55"
28"
24"
9-11yrs
61"
30"
26"
12-14yrs
65"
32"
27"
15-16yrs
65"
34"
27"
Adult lady
Up to 65" (Dress 16)
Up to 38"
Up to 30"
Adult man
Up to 72"
Up to 46"
Up to 42"



All our goods are covered by the Distance Selling Regulations. Our shopping cart system and payment gateway use secure systems, but if you are worried about paying over the Internet you can contact us and we will take your card details manually.

We are a small family business, and we try to give a fast and efficient service. We recieve many comments from satisfied customers, but if you think there is anything we could do better then we will be pleased to hear from you.