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Terms and conditions

Terms and conditions of online services

These terms and conditions (‘online terms’) apply to all purchases of goods and services from, and all registrations, requests or applications to Belfast City Council, made by you on this website. Belfast City Council is a Local Government Authority and its address is City Hall, Belfast, BT1 5GS. 

Terms

By requesting services, registering applications and purchasing any products or services from Belfast City Council, you are agreeing to be bound by these online terms.

Personal data

Belfast City Council will process all your personal information securely in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 and only use them for dealing with your request.

However, you should be aware that if Belfast City Council is requested to release your details by any regulatory or government authority investigating suspected illegal activities, we are entitled to do so.

Payment and formation of a contract

Payment will take a minimum of two working days to reach the account to which you are making a payment (this includes time for payment to be notified to the Belfast City Council).

Belfast City Council does not accept liability for payment not reaching the intended account due to a customer quoting an incorrect account number.

Belfast City Council will do all that it reasonably can to ensure that all of the information you give when paying for the goods is secure by using an encrypted secure payment mechanism. However, in the absence of negligence on our part, any failure by us to comply with this contract or our Privacy Policy or breach by us of our duties under applicable laws we will not be legally responsible to you for any loss that you may suffer if a third party gains unauthorised access to any information that you give us.

Confirmation of your payment or application will be displayed on your screen after you successfully complete the transaction, once the transaction has been authorised and accepted. We recommend you print out this confirmation, as evidence of your transaction.

Confirmation will also be sent to you by email. We recommend you keep a copy of this email for your records.  At this point a legally binding contract is in place between you and Belfast City Council for the supply of the goods or services. 

Making payment for goods or services using a credit or debit card, your order will be processed by Barclaycard through a 256 bit Transport Layer Security connection (TLS). No credit card data is held by Belfast City Council.

More information about how Barclaycard processes your information is available on the Barclaycard website (link opens in new window).

Pricing

The price you pay is the price displayed on this website at the time you placed your order, where there is a charge for delivery of goods this will be stated and this price will remain valid until the goods and services are supplied or until the order has been cancelled.

Refunds and cancellation policy

  • Upon receipt of your order for goods or online application for a service, Belfast City Council shall send you an acknowledgement invoice by email.
  • If the products which Belfast City Council delivers to you are not what you ordered or are damaged or defective in any way, we will either (at your request) refund you the amount paid for the products (including any postage and packing charge) or replace the products you received with products which conform to the ones you ordered.
  • You will need to return the original item before a refund can be issued or a replacement sent to you. We will also refund the cost of return postage provided you supply a receipt.
  • You have the right to cancel your order for a product up to 14 days after you have received it. If you wish to cancel your order you must contact the Council using the contact details provided in your email confirmation. If you are already in receipt of the goods, you are responsible for arranging and paying for the return of the products to Belfast City Council. We will refund the money you paid for the products (excluding any postage and packing charge) within 14 days of receiving the returned goods. 

Delivery

Items will be delivered to you within the delivery timescales specified as part of the product details. 

Delivery of the goods will take place when they are delivered to the address you gave when ordering the goods. You are responsible for the goods when delivery has taken place.

If for any reason Belfast City Council is unable to deliver your goods within 30 days, we shall contact you and let you know. You will have the option to cancel the contract and receive a full refund of any monies already paid. 

Complaints

If you have a complaint about our online services facility, you can contact us by email, telephone or online.

Making a complaint about our services

If you have completed your purchase and wish to make a complaint, use the correspondence contact details contained within your email confirmation. 

Limitation of liability

Except for any legal responsibility that we cannot exclude in law ( such as death or personal injury) or arising under applicable laws relating to the protection of your personal information, Belfast City Council is not legally responsible for any losses that were not foreseeable to you or us when the contract was formed or that were not caused by any breach on the Council’s part. In addition the Council is not liable for any business losses, lost profits or losses to non-customers.

Your Statutory Rights

Any goods supplied under this contract must be of a satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and match the description listed on the website. Belfast City Council must supply you with goods that comply with your legal rights. 

If any goods supplied under this contract are faulty, you are entitled to a replacement or a refund and you should contact the Council to arrange this using the contact details in your email confirmation.  

All services supplied by the Council to you under this contract must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, for a reasonable price and will be provided within a reasonable time or the time set out on this website. 

If you are not happy with the services provided to you, contact the Council using the contact details in your email confirmation. 

Misuse

Misuse of a credit card or debit card, or use without the authorisation of the legal holder of the credit card or debit card, will be dealt with in the most serious manner and Belfast City Council reserves the right to take legal action against those committing or attempting to commit online fraud.

Indemnity

You agree to indemnify Belfast City Council against all claims, damages and expenses arising out of any breach of these online terms, and any other liability arising out of your use of this website.

Law

These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in all respects in accordance with the law of Northern Ireland, and you and Belfast City Council submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of Northern Ireland.

Additional information

Online service applications

If you make an application online for a service you have 14 days within which you may cancel the order and receive a refund. If you wish to cancel an order, you should use the contact details contained within your email confirmation.  However if the service has already been completed within the 14 days, the Council reserves the right to withhold some of all of the payment for same. 

The applicant

Any applications for licensing, registration or approval must be made by the person legally responsible for the business.

If an application is completed on behalf of a partnership, they must be a partner in the said partnership. If it is completed on behalf of a company, they must be the company secretary, a director of the company or an officer of the company specifically authorised to make this application.

Accuracy of information

The information provided in any online application form must be truthful, accurate and complete. An application may be rejected if it is incomplete, misleading or untruthful and any accompanying fee may not be refunded.

Supporting documentation

Any online applicants will provide, upon the request of Belfast City Council, the original of any scanned or emailed documents which have been attached to an application for the purposes of supporting it.

Such a request shall only be made where sight of the original document is deemed essential by the council. Failure to provide the original documents when requested will result in the application being rejected and any accompanying fee may not be refunded.

Freedom of Information

The council is subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

The council will be responsible for determining at its absolute discretion whether any information provided, obtained or created in connection with this process is exempt from disclosure in accordance with the provisions of the above legislation or is to be disclosed in response to a request for information.

The council may be obliged, under the above mentioned legislation or any regulations or guidelines, to disclose information without consulting the customer or following consultation with you and having taken your views into account.

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