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CATERCARE CATERING EQUIPMENT LTD SERVICE & REPAIR TERMS & CONDITIONS
Updated 18/09/2026
IMPORTANT PLEASE READ
Thank you for choosing CaterCare Catering Equipment Ltd. These Terms and Conditions apply primarily to business-to-business commercial call-outs, diagnostic attendances, service visits, repairs, parts, installations and related engineering works provided by CaterCare Catering Equipment Ltd (“the Company”).
By requesting attendance, accepting a quotation, issuing a purchase order, authorising an engineer to proceed, permitting work to commence, or otherwise instructing the Company, the customer agrees to these Terms & Conditions.
Where a separate written maintenance contract, project agreement, sales agreement or other specific written agreement applies, its specific terms take precedence only where they conflict with these Terms.
1. Acceptance & Application
1.1 These Terms apply to all Services unless the Company expressly agrees otherwise in writing.
1.2 Acceptance may be given by email, telephone instruction, purchase order, electronic approval, signed job sheet, permitting work to proceed or any other clear instruction to proceed.
1.3 The customer is responsible for ensuring that anyone instructing the Company on its behalf has appropriate authority.
1.4 Customer purchase-order, procurement or other terms shall not override these Terms unless expressly accepted in writing by the Company.
1.5 The quotation, order confirmation and these Terms together form the agreement for the relevant Services.
2. Charging, Engineer Time & Estimates
2.1 Unless expressly stated in writing as a “Fixed Price Quotation”, all Services are carried out on a time-and-materials basis.
2.2 Any estimated labour time, attendance duration or cost is an estimate only and is not a fixed price or maximum charge unless expressly agreed in writing.
2.3 The final invoice will be based upon the reasonable actual chargeable time, parts, materials and applicable costs incurred.
2.4 Chargeable time may include diagnosis, dismantling, testing, fault tracing, obtaining technical information, sourcing parts, repair, adjustment, reassembly, commissioning, safety procedures, isolation, reinstatement, site induction, waiting for access or authority, completing records and other time reasonably required to carry out the authorised work safely and competently.
2.5 The Company regularly uses authorised subcontract engineers and specialist service partners. The customer acknowledges that the Company cannot always predict or control precisely how long an individual competent engineer may reasonably require to diagnose or repair Equipment.
2.6 The Company may rely upon the attending engineer’s job sheet, worksheet, electronic time record, report and other reasonable evidence when determining chargeable time.
2.7 The fact that an engineer takes longer than an estimate, previous attendance, customer expectation or another engineer might have taken does not itself make the time unreasonable or non-chargeable.
2.8 If the customer requires a maximum spend or maximum number of chargeable hours, this must be expressly agreed by the Company in writing. A purchase-order value or internal customer limit does not create a cap unless expressly accepted by the Company.
2.9 Diagnostic attendance remains chargeable whether or not a fault is found, reproduced or repaired, whether further work is declined, or whether the cause proves to be external to the Equipment.
2.10 Reasonable parking, toll, congestion-zone, low-emission-zone, permit, delivery, collection, travel or specialist-access costs may be charged unless expressly included.
3. Authority to Proceed & Additional Work
3.1 Instructing the Company to diagnose or repair Equipment authorises the engineer to undertake reasonable diagnostic, dismantling, testing, repair and recommissioning procedures.
3.2 The engineer is not required to obtain separate permission for every reasonable step or charging increment within the authorised scope.
3.3 Additional time or parts may become necessary due to seized, corroded, scaled, damaged, modified, inaccessible or deteriorated components, previous repairs, site conditions, safety requirements or further defects.
3.4 Where work becomes materially different from the authorised scope or a material additional cost becomes apparent, further approval will be sought where reasonably practicable.
3.5 An engineer is not required to stop immediately where doing so would be unsafe, impractical, risk damage or prevent the Equipment being left in a safe condition. Reasonable time required to make safe or complete necessary testing remains chargeable.
3.6 One fault may conceal another. Repairing or replacing one component does not guarantee that no further progressive, intermittent, consequential or latent faults exist.
3.7 Where Equipment is found to be beyond economical repair, unsafe, obsolete or unsuitable for further repair, all reasonable labour, diagnostic time, parts and costs incurred up to that point remain payable.
4. Parts, Availability & Supplier Information
4.1 Parts quotations are based upon supplier or manufacturer information and prices available at the time.
4.2 Prices, availability and part identification may change before ordering.
4.3 The Company is not responsible for supplier or manufacturer errors, incorrect catalogue information, discontinued or superseded parts, shortages, back orders or delays outside its reasonable control.
4.4 Reasonable carriage, restocking, handling or abortive costs caused by incorrect supplier information or parts may be chargeable where the Company is not at fault.
4.5 Where an original component is obsolete or unavailable, the Company may recommend a suitable approved, superseded, equivalent or compatible replacement.
4.6 Special-order, programmed, bespoke or non-returnable parts may require advance payment and may not be cancellable once ordered.
5. Subcontract Engineers & Service Partners
5.1 The Company may use employees, authorised subcontract engineers, specialist contractors, manufacturers or service partners to carry out any part of the Services.
5.2 By instructing the Company, the customer accepts that the attending engineer may be a subcontractor rather than a direct employee.
5.3 Where the Company arranges the attendance, the customer’s contract for those Services remains with the Company and the customer remains liable for the Company’s charges as invoiced.
5.4 The customer shall not, without prior written consent, directly instruct, engage, solicit or contract with an engineer, subcontractor or service partner introduced by the Company in connection with Company-arranged work for the purpose of circumventing the Company.
5.5 Any unauthorised direct arrangement does not make the Company responsible for that separate work and does not affect charges already due to the Company.
6. Site Access, No-Access Attendances & Cancellation
6.1 The customer must provide safe, reasonable and timely access to the premises and Equipment and ensure relevant personnel know of the engineer’s attendance.
6.2 The customer must ensure the Equipment is reasonably accessible and that any necessary permits, inductions, responsible site representatives and site services are available.
6.3 If an engineer attends but cannot work because access is unavailable, the Equipment cannot be accessed, the site is unready, the Equipment is in use, no suitable representative is available, or for another customer-controlled reason, the attendance is chargeable.
6.4 Waiting time and reasonable abortive, travel, parking, subcontractor and return-attendance costs may be charged.
6.5 A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is required to cancel or postpone a booked engineer attendance unless otherwise agreed.
6.6 Where less than 24 hours’ notice is provided, the Company may charge reasonable costs already incurred, including reserved or abortive subcontract engineer time.
7. Site Services & External Causes
7.1 The Company is not responsible for faults arising from electricity, gas, water, drainage, pressure, ventilation, extraction, network, data or other site services not supplied by the Company.
7.2 This includes voltage irregularities, surges, phase loss, incorrect protection or isolation, gas-pressure issues, water-quality issues, blocked drains and inadequate ventilation.
7.3 The customer is responsible for providing suitable and compliant site services unless the Company expressly agrees to provide or alter them.
8. Pre-Existing, Latent & Fragile Conditions
8.1 Equipment may deteriorate through age, heat, corrosion, grease, limescale, chemicals, wear, environment or previous repair.
8.2 The Company is not responsible for unavoidable failure or breakage of a component already weakened, seized, brittle, corroded, perished, scaled, heat-damaged or otherwise deteriorated where reasonable care and skill was exercised.
8.3 Pre-existing, intermittent, latent or progressive faults may become apparent during or after isolation, power cycling, dismantling, testing or repair.
8.4 The fact that the Company was the last party to work upon Equipment does not itself establish that the Company caused a subsequent fault.
8.5 Further parts or work required due to pre-existing deterioration remain chargeable unless otherwise agreed.
9. Cleaning, Scale, Grease, Pests & Poor Condition
9.1 The customer is responsible for routine operator cleaning, filter cleaning, descaling and manufacturer-required user maintenance.
9.2 Faults arising from inadequate cleaning, blocked filters, grease, carbon, debris, limescale, unsuitable water, incorrect chemicals or dosing, blocked drains, foreign objects, pests, vermin or unsuitable environmental conditions are chargeable and are not workmanship recalls.
9.3 The Company or engineer may refuse, suspend or abort work where Equipment or the surrounding area is excessively dirty, greasy, contaminated, infested, unsafe, unhygienic, damaged or otherwise unsuitable for safe work.
9.4 The Company is not obliged to clean or decontaminate Equipment as part of a normal service or repair attendance.
9.5 Additional attendance, cleaning, protective-equipment, waiting or return-visit costs caused by the condition of the Equipment or site may be charged.
10. Unsafe Equipment & Safety Action
10.1 The Company and its engineers may refuse to operate, repair or leave operational any Equipment reasonably considered unsafe or unlawful.
10.2 The engineer may isolate, disconnect, label, make safe or otherwise render unsafe Equipment inoperative where reasonably necessary.
10.3 The customer must not remove warning notices, defeat safety devices or recommission Equipment contrary to safety advice.
10.4 The Company is not responsible merely because proper safety action results in loss of use.
11. Gas, Refrigeration & Regulated Work
11.1 Gas, refrigeration and other regulated work will only be undertaken by appropriately competent or certified persons where legally required.
11.2 A gas appliance service, repair or inspection covers only the agreed scope. It does not certify the whole gas installation, ventilation, extraction, interlock, flue or premises unless expressly included.
11.3 Where an unsafe gas situation is identified, the engineer may issue warnings, label, isolate or disconnect Equipment or supplies as required by law or recognised industry safety procedures.
11.4 The customer must not use or reconnect affected Equipment contrary to a safety warning.
11.5 Refrigerant, nitrogen, leak-detection materials, recovery, disposal and associated environmental work are chargeable unless expressly included.
11.6 Low refrigerant charge commonly indicates leakage. Adding refrigerant does not guarantee that the refrigerant will be retained or that performance will continue.
11.7 Leak detection, pressure testing or vacuum testing reflects the condition detectable at that time and cannot guarantee that no other leak or future failure exists.
12. Warranty, Workmanship & Recalls
12.1 Unless expressly stated otherwise in writing, the Company warrants its repair workmanship for 30 calendar days from completion of the relevant repair.
12.2 Manufacturer or supplier warranties applying to parts are separate.
12.3 A return visit is only a non-chargeable workmanship recall where the reported fault is found to arise directly from defective Company workmanship within the applicable warranty period.
12.4 A return visit is not automatically a free recall merely because it concerns the same appliance or occurs shortly after a previous attendance.
12.5 A return attendance is chargeable where the issue is a new, different, intermittent, progressive or latent fault, another component has failed, the original repair remains satisfactory, or the issue results from misuse, operator error, cleaning, limescale, grease, filters, drainage, chemicals, water quality, external services, site conditions, accidental damage or third-party interference.
12.6 Any alleged workmanship defect must be reported to the Company in writing within the applicable warranty period and the Company must be given a reasonable opportunity to inspect it.
12.7 If the customer or another contractor dismantles, alters or repairs the relevant work before the Company has had a reasonable opportunity to inspect it, the Company may be unable to accept the matter as a warranty recall unless urgent safety intervention was reasonably necessary.
12.8 Work undertaken by another contractor without the Company’s prior written authority is not reimbursable merely because the customer alleges it relates to previous Company work.
12.9 Where a part supplied and fitted by the Company proves defective within its manufacturer or supplier warranty, the part will be dealt with subject to that warranty.
12.10 Unless the relevant manufacturer or supplier warranty includes labour, or the Company expressly agrees otherwise, labour and attendance required to diagnose, remove, return, replace, refit, test or recommission a defective warranted part may remain chargeable.
12.11 Warranty or recall cover applies only to the specific repair or component concerned and does not constitute a warranty of the Equipment as a whole.
12.12 Acceptance of a request to return to site does not mean that the Company has accepted the attendance as a free recall.
13. Customer-Supplied Parts & Third-Party Work
13.1 The Company is not obliged to fit customer-supplied or third-party parts and may refuse them.
13.2 If the Company agrees to fit such a part, it does not warrant the part’s quality, suitability, compatibility or durability unless expressly agreed.
13.3 Labour remains chargeable if such a part proves incorrect, unsuitable or defective.
13.4 The Company is not responsible for faults caused by misuse, unauthorised modification, incorrect operation or third-party interference.
14. Removed Parts & Disposal
14.1 Unless the customer requests otherwise in writing before repair, removed, defective or replaced parts may be disposed of, recycled, exchanged or returned to a supplier.
14.2 A customer wishing to retain a removed component must request this in writing before removal and obtain the Company’s acknowledgement.
14.3 Once a part has entered a waste, recycling, exchange or supplier-return process, the Company has no obligation to recover it.
14.4 Manufacturer warranty, exchange or core-return parts may not be available for customer retention.
15. Installation, Connection & Site Readiness
15.1 Installation, connection and commissioning are limited to the scope expressly stated in the quotation.
15.2 Unless expressly included, the customer must provide suitable pre-installed electrical, gas, water, drainage, ventilation, extraction and other required services.
15.3 Final connection and commissioning are conditional upon safe, suitable and compliant services being available.
15.4 The customer is responsible for suitable dimensions, access routes, doors, lifts, stairs, floor loading and positioning unless the Company expressly undertook responsibility for surveying them.
15.5 Builder’s work, electrical distribution alterations, gas pipework alterations, plumbing, drainage, extraction alterations, lifting equipment, packaging removal, old-appliance disposal and making good are excluded unless expressly included.
15.6 If the premises, access, services or site are unsafe, unsuitable, unhygienic or unready, the engineer may refuse, suspend or abort installation.
15.7 Where the preventing condition is not the Company’s responsibility, reasonable attendance, labour, waiting, delivery, subcontractor, manufacturer, storage, abortive and return-visit costs remain chargeable.
16. Old Equipment, Removal & Disposal
16.1 Supply or installation of replacement Equipment does not include removal from site or disposal of the existing appliance unless expressly agreed in writing.
16.2 Where safe and reasonably practicable, the old appliance may be disconnected and left at a suitable location on the customer’s premises for collection or disposal by others.
16.3 Agreed removal may carry additional waste, lifting, access, handling and transport charges.
17. Food, Stock & Business Continuity
17.1 The customer remains responsible for monitoring, protecting, removing and safely storing food, beverages, medicines, stock and other contents.
17.2 Unless expressly agreed, the Company does not provide temporary, hire or replacement Equipment while an appliance awaits diagnosis, parts or repair.
17.3 The customer remains responsible for its own business-continuity arrangements and alternative facilities.
17.4 To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company is not responsible for food spoilage, loss of stock, loss of profit, business interruption or similar indirect or consequential losses arising from Equipment failure, reasonable isolation, parts delay or circumstances outside the Company’s reasonable control.
18. Photographs, Records & Data
18.1 The Company and its engineers may take reasonable photographs, videos, test readings and written or electronic records of Equipment, faults, parts, site conditions and completed work for diagnosis, technical support, safety, warranty, evidence and record-keeping.
18.2 Such information may where reasonably necessary be shared with authorised subcontractors, manufacturers, suppliers, insurers or professional advisers, subject to applicable data-protection law.
18.3 The customer is responsible for backing up important programmes, recipes, settings and data before work where Equipment contains electronic controls or stored information.
19. Payment & Overdue Accounts
19.1 Payment is due within the period stated on the Company’s quotation, invoice, payment request or approved account terms.
19.2 New customers and customers without approved credit accounts may be required to pay in advance.
19.3 The customer must raise genuine invoice queries promptly.
19.4 The customer may not withhold undisputed sums because of a separate or unrelated dispute.
19.5 The Company may suspend further Services, parts ordering or credit facilities while overdue undisputed sums remain unpaid.
19.6 The Company reserves its statutory rights to interest, fixed compensation and reasonable recovery costs under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 where applicable.
20. Retention of Title & Equipment Held by CaterCare
20.1 Goods and parts supplied by the Company remain the Company’s property until paid for in full, to the extent permitted by law.
20.2 Risk in goods passes upon delivery or installation unless otherwise agreed.
20.3 Where the Company holds customer-owned Equipment off site for repair or inspection, the customer must collect or accept return within 14 calendar days after notification that it is ready or that no further work will be undertaken.
20.4 Reasonable storage, handling and insurance charges may apply after that period.
20.5 To the extent legally permitted, the Company may retain possession of Equipment upon which it has worked until relevant inspection, repair, parts, storage and associated charges have been paid.
21. Liability
21.1 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
21.2 Subject to clause 21.1 and to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, revenue, business, production, opportunity, goodwill or business interruption.
21.3 The customer is responsible for taking reasonable steps to minimise loss.
21.4 Subject to clause 21.1 and where legally reasonable and enforceable, the Company’s aggregate liability arising from a particular job shall not exceed the total amount paid or payable to the Company for the Services giving rise to the claim.
21.5 The Company does not become responsible for a fault merely because it attended, inspected, isolated, tested or previously repaired the Equipment. Causation must be established on the facts.
22. Quotations, VAT & Order Confirmation
22.1 Unless another period is stated, quotations are valid for 30 calendar days.
22.2 After expiry the Company may requote using current labour, parts, carriage, subcontractor, supplier, tax and other applicable costs.
22.3 Unless expressly stated otherwise, all prices exclude VAT.
22.4 Supplier or manufacturer prices and availability may change without notice.
22.5 An estimate is not a fixed price. The final charge for time-and-materials work is based upon reasonable actual chargeable time, parts and costs properly incurred.
23. Service & Maintenance Contracts
23.1 Where the customer has a separate CaterCare planned preventative maintenance or service contract, that contract’s specific inclusions, exclusions, visit entitlement, breakdown-labour entitlement, parts provisions and term shall apply.
23.2 These Terms may supplement that contract where they do not conflict.
23.3 Where there is a conflict, the express written maintenance-contract terms take precedence for that particular matter.
24. General
24.1 The Company may suspend or refuse work where conditions are unsafe, unlawful or unsuitable.
24.2 The Company is not liable for delay or failure caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control.
24.3 If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in force.
24.4 Failure or delay by the Company in enforcing a right does not waive that right.
24.5 These Terms apply prospectively and do not retrospectively replace terms governing previously accepted or completed work.
24.6 These Terms are intended principally for customers acting for business purposes. Nothing in them restricts any mandatory statutory rights applying where a customer legally contracts as a consumer.
25. Governing Law, Questions & Contact Details
25.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales and, subject to any mandatory rule to the contrary, the courts of England and Wales shall have jurisdiction.
25.2 If you have any questions or concerns about these Terms, please contact us before authorising work.
All queries should be sent to:
CaterCare Catering Equipment Ltd
Unit 1 Nimbus Park,
Porz Avenue,
Dunstable, Beds,
LU5 5WZ
Alternatively, you can call us at 01582 862000 or email us at enquiries@catercare.com.
— END OF CATERCARE CATERING EQUIPMENT LTD SERVICE & REPAIR TERMS & CONDITIONS —
Updated 18/09/2026