Terms & Conditions of Sale

1. Who we are

1.1 We are AB Business Advisory Ltd (trading as Ashvane), a company registered in England & Wales under company number 17211240, registered office: 124-128 City Road, London, England, EC1V 2NX. We trade as Ashvane.

1.2 You can reach us by email at info@abbusinessadvisory.com or by telephone on +44 7849 539538. If you write to us, we will confirm receipt by email.

1.3 We are not currently registered for UK VAT. No VAT is charged on your order and we do not issue VAT invoices. You will receive a full itemised receipt for every payment.

2. These terms

2.1 These are the terms on which we sell products to you. Please read them before placing an order — by placing an order you agree to them.

2.2 If you are buying as a consumer (that is, for purposes wholly or mainly outside a business), you have statutory rights that these terms cannot reduce. Nothing here is intended to exclude or limit those rights, and if any term conflicts with them, your statutory rights win.

2.3 If you are buying for the purposes of a business — including all trade, hospitality and contract orders — section 12 applies to you instead of the consumer-specific provisions, and the cancellation rights in section 8.1 to 8.4 do not apply to you at all.

2.4 We may amend these terms from time to time. The terms that apply to your order are the ones published on this page at the moment you place it. We keep them dated so this is unambiguous, and we will send a copy of them with your order confirmation.

3. Our products

3.1 Every sofa, suite and headboard we sell is hand-built to order, to the leather, seat style and configuration you choose. Nothing is taken off a shelf.

3.2 Leather is a natural material. Top-grain buffalo hide varies in grain, tone and surface character from hide to hide and across a single hide. Healed scars, insect marks, growth lines, and variation in how deeply the colour sits are inherent characteristics of the material and are not defects. Colour will deepen and develop a patina with use and light. Images on this website, and physical swatches, are representative — they are an accurate guide but not an exact colour match to the hide your sofa is cut from.

3.3 Dimensions and tolerances. Dimensions given on product pages are nominal. Because frames are built and upholstered by hand, finished pieces may vary from stated dimensions by up to 3cm in any direction, and by up to 2cm in seat height. Please allow for this when checking access — see section 7.4.

3.4 Firmness and settling. New seat cushions and back cushions firm and settle in the first weeks of use, and hand-tufted leather relaxes slightly around the buttons. This is normal and is not a fault.

3.5 We may make minor changes to a product's specification to reflect changes in materials or to improve it, provided the change does not materially affect the product's appearance, quality or fitness for purpose. If we need to make a material change, we will tell you before production and you may cancel and receive a full refund of everything you have paid.

3.6 Where a product is described on this website as available on enquiry rather than at a stated price, no price is offered and no contract can be formed until we have given you a written quotation and you have accepted it.

4. How the contract is formed

4.1 Our website is an invitation to treat, not an offer. Placing an item in your basket and submitting an order is your offer to buy on these terms.

4.2 Payment of the deposit does not by itself form a contract. It authorises us to take the deposit and gives us the opportunity to check that we can build and deliver what you have specified.

4.3 A contract comes into existence when we send you an order confirmation email that includes your order reference and the specification we have accepted. If we cannot accept your order — for example, because a leather is unavailable, because a price or description was wrong (see 5.5), or because we cannot deliver to your address — we will tell you and refund any payment in full, and no contract will exist.

4.4 Before you can complete the order you will be asked to confirm that you have read and accepted these terms, and — for made-to-order items — to acknowledge specifically that your right to cancel under section 8 is limited once production begins. We record that acknowledgement with your order.

4.5 We will file a copy of these terms with your order and send them to you with your confirmation, so you always have the version that applies to you. Contracts are concluded in English only.

4.6 Each order is a separate contract. If part of a multi-item order cannot be fulfilled, that does not affect the rest.

5. Prices and what is included

5.1 Prices are shown in pounds sterling (GBP) and are the price of the product. Delivery charges are shown separately at checkout and added to your total before you pay.

5.2 The price you are quoted is the final landed price. We import as the declared importer of record and settle all UK import duties and import taxes before your sofa reaches you. There is nothing further for you to pay to any courier, customs agent or authority on delivery.

5.3 As we are not VAT-registered, no UK VAT is charged on your order and none is shown separately. The figure you see is simply the price. Import taxes we pay on our own landed cost are a business cost we absorb and are not charged on to you.

5.4 "From" prices shown on collection pages are the lowest price at which that model is available. Your final price depends on the size, leather, seat style, stud work, legs and any other options you choose, and is shown in full before you pay.

5.5 Pricing errors. We try hard to price correctly, but errors happen. If we discover an error in the price of what you ordered before we send your order confirmation, we will contact you to ask whether you want to proceed at the correct price or cancel. If the correct price is obviously wrong and you could reasonably have recognised it as a mispricing, we may cancel and refund you in full even after confirmation. We will never charge you more than the price you confirmed without your agreement.

5.6 We may run promotions and discount codes. Unless a promotion says otherwise, only one code may be used per order, codes have no cash value, cannot be applied retrospectively to an existing order, and may be withdrawn at any time before you place an order.

5.7 Prices may change, but a change never affects an order we have already confirmed.

6. Payment

6.1 Deposit. You pay a 30% deposit when you order. This commissions your build: it pays for hide selection, cutting and frame construction, which begin before your sofa is finished. Once we begin production your deposit is non-refundable — see section 8.2, which explains exactly when that point is reached and how we tell you.

6.2 Balance, and your authority for us to collect it. The remaining 70% is due when your sofa is completed and ready to dispatch.

When you pay your deposit, your card is securely stored by Stripe and you authorise us to charge the balance to that same card automatically, without you needing to do anything further. So that this is entirely predictable:

• The balance amount is fixed at the time of your order and stated in your order confirmation. It never changes.
• We email you at least three days before we take it, telling you the exact amount and the exact date.
• We only do this once your sofa is finished — never during production.
• You can opt out at any time. Reply to that email, or contact us before the charge date, and we will send you a secure payment link instead (card or UK bank transfer) and delete the stored card. Choosing to pay another way never delays your order.
• If your bank declines the automatic charge, nothing further is attempted on your card. We send you a payment link automatically and your sofa waits until it is paid.

You may withdraw this authority at any point before the balance is taken. Withdrawing it does not cancel your order or affect the deposit — it simply means you pay the balance manually instead.

6.3 All card payments are processed by Stripe on Stripe's own secure hosted pages. We never see, transmit or store your card details; the stored card is held by Stripe under their security standards, not by us. Payment may also be available through other methods offered at checkout, including instalment options provided by third parties; those are subject to the third party's own terms and eligibility checks, and are agreements between you and that provider, not with us.

6.4 If the balance is not paid within 14 days of our request, we may contact you to agree an alternative arrangement. If it remains unpaid 30 days after the request, we may treat the contract as at an end and retain the deposit to the extent of the costs we have actually and reasonably incurred in making your sofa, refunding any excess. We will not retain more than our genuine loss.

6.5 We do not charge interest to consumers on late balance payments. For business customers, section 12.4 applies.

6.6 Title and risk. The product remains ours until we have received payment in full. Risk passes to you on delivery.

7. Delivery

7.1 Where we deliver. We deliver to United Kingdom (mainland). We do not currently offer online checkout for addresses outside the UK. If you are outside the UK, contact us and we will quote separately, stating clearly what taxes and duties apply to your country before you commit.

7.2 Lead time. Made-to-order pieces take approximately 8–10 weeks from your deposit to delivery, covering hand-building, international freight, customs clearance and final-mile delivery. This period is longer than the 30-day default in regulation 42 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, and by placing your order you agree this longer delivery period. We confirm your estimated delivery window in your order confirmation and update you at each stage.

7.3 Lead times are estimates given in good faith, not guarantees of a specific date. If delivery is going to be materially later than the window we gave you, we will tell you as soon as we know. If a delay caused by us is substantial, you may treat the delivery period as essential by telling us so in writing; if we then fail to deliver within a further reasonable period you specify, you may cancel and receive a full refund of everything you have paid.

7.4 Access is your responsibility. Please measure your doorways, hallways, stairwells, lifts and turning space against the dimensions on the product page, allowing for the tolerance in 3.3, before you order. If you are unsure, email us your measurements and photographs before ordering and we will advise.

7.5 What delivery includes. Delivery of sofas and suites is a two-person service to your room of choice, including unpacking, fitting the legs, positioning, and removing and recycling all packaging unless you ask us to leave it. Our delivery partner contacts you by telephone to book a day, and gives you an AM or PM slot with a call around an hour before arrival. Deliveries run Monday to Friday. Smaller items may be sent by standard courier without that service.

7.6 Failed and re-attempted delivery. If nobody is available at the address at the agreed time, or the item cannot be taken in because of access, a re-delivery charge of £75 applies to each further attempt. If, after a failed attempt, we cannot arrange re-delivery within 30 days, we may treat the contract as at an end under 6.4.

7.7 On arrival. Please inspect your sofa before signing the delivery note. Keep the signed delivery note — it is your proof of purchase and your guarantee record. If anything is damaged or wrong, tell the delivery team, note it on the delivery note, and email us photographs the same day. This helps us resolve things quickly; it does not limit your rights under section 9 if you notice a problem later.

7.8 We are not responsible for delay or non-delivery caused by an event outside our control (section 13), or by you failing to give us adequate delivery instructions or access.

8. Your right to cancel

This is the section that differs most from ordinary online shopping, so it is set out at length. It applies to consumers; business customers should read section 12.

8.1 Cancelling before production begins — always free

Whatever you have ordered, you may cancel at any time before we begin production of your item, for any reason or none, and we will refund everything you have paid including your deposit, in full and without deduction. Simply email info@abbusinessadvisory.com with your order reference. We will confirm your cancellation and refund within 14 days, using the same payment method you used.

We tell you in writing when your order enters production, so you always know where the line falls. If you ask us to hold your order before production, we will.

8.2 Once production begins, your deposit is non-refundable

When we begin production your 30% deposit becomes non-refundable. From that moment your hides have been selected and cut to your specification and your frame has been started; that work cannot be undone, reused or sold to anyone else, and the deposit is what pays for it.

We do not leave you to guess when this happens. We email you on the day your order enters production, and until you receive that email you can still cancel free of charge under 8.1. If you are not ready to commit, tell us and we will hold your order rather than start.

If you cancel after production begins, you owe nothing further — we will not pursue you for the balance. You simply do not get the deposit back.

This clause does not apply where you are ending the contract because of something we have done wrong, or where the goods are faulty or not as described. Sections 8.5 and 9 cover those, and your legal rights in them are unaffected.

8.3 The 14-day right to cancel, and why made-to-order furniture is different

Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, consumers buying at a distance normally have 14 days from receiving the goods to cancel without giving a reason.

However, regulation 28(1)(b) of those Regulations removes that right for the supply of goods that are made to the consumer's specifications, or are clearly personalised. Our made-to-order pieces fall within that exemption: your leather, size, seat style, stud work, orientation and legs are selected by you, the hides are cut for your order alone, and the piece cannot be resold as stock.

So, for a made-to-order item, once production has begun you no longer have the 14-day right to cancel and change your mind. You are asked to acknowledge this specifically at checkout before you can complete your order, and we repeat it in your order confirmation.

8.4 Items you can still cancel within 14 days

The exemption above is limited to goods genuinely made to your specification. It does not apply, and you keep the full 14-day right to change your mind, where you have bought:

• an item at a fixed standard specification where you made no configuration choices;
• a leather swatch, sample or other stock item;
• a gift card (see 8.6).

For those items the 14-day period runs from the day you (or someone you nominate) take physical possession. To cancel, email us within the period — you may use the model cancellation form in Schedule 3 of the Regulations, but you do not have to; a clear statement is enough. You must then return the item within 14 days of telling us. You bear the direct cost of returning it, which for large furniture is substantial and can exceed £150; you may ask us to quote for collection instead. You may inspect an item as you would in a shop, but if you handle it beyond that and reduce its value, we may deduct that reduction from your refund. We refund within 14 days of receiving the item back, or of your proof of return, whichever is sooner.

8.5 Cancelling for reasons other than changing your mind

Sections 8.2 and 8.3 apply only where you are changing your mind. They do not affect your right to end the contract where we are at fault, and in those cases the deposit is refunded: we have told you about a material change to your product that you do not accept (3.5); we have made a material error in the price (5.5); delivery is substantially delayed by us and we miss a further reasonable deadline you set (7.3); or you have a legal right to end the contract because of something we have done wrong.

8.6 If we cancel

We may end the contract if you do not pay the balance when due (6.4), or if you do not, after reasonable attempts, allow us to deliver (7.6). We may also cancel before production if a material we cannot substitute becomes unavailable. Where we end the contract and you are not at fault, we refund everything you have paid, including the deposit.

8.7 Gift cards

Gift cards may be cancelled within 14 days of purchase provided they have not been redeemed. Once redeemed against a made-to-order piece, the terms of that order apply.

8.8 Faulty goods are not a cancellation matter

If your item is faulty, damaged or not as described, section 9 applies. Those rights are entirely separate from, and unaffected by, everything in this section 8.

9. If something is wrong with your order

9.1 We are under a legal duty to supply goods that conform to this contract. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, as described, and match any sample or model you were shown. Nothing in these terms affects those rights.

9.2 In summary, and without limiting your rights:

• Within 30 days of delivery — if the item is faulty, you have the short-term right to reject it for a full refund.
• Up to six months — you can require us to repair or replace it. If that fails, or is not possible, you can claim a refund. A fault appearing in this period is presumed to have been there at delivery unless we can show otherwise.
• Up to six years (five in Scotland) — you may still have a claim if the item did not conform at the time of delivery, though after six months it is for you to show that.

9.3 To make a claim, email info@abbusinessadvisory.com with your order reference, a description of the problem and photographs. We will respond within 5 working days. Where an inspection is needed we will arrange it at our cost. Where we accept a fault, we cover the cost of collection, repair, replacement or refund — you will not be charged for putting right something that is our fault.

9.4 The natural characteristics of leather described in 3.2, and the settling described in 3.4, are not faults. Damage caused by misuse, accident, neglect, unsuitable cleaning products, prolonged direct sunlight or heat, or by failure to follow the care guidance we supply, is not a fault either.

9.5 In addition to your statutory rights, every piece carries our 10-year frame guarantee and 2-year manufacturing guarantee. These are voluntary commercial guarantees given on top of your legal rights, not instead of them.

10. Care of your sofa

10.1 We supply care guidance with every delivery. Keeping leather out of prolonged direct sunlight and away from direct heat sources, dusting it, and conditioning it as we recommend will materially extend its life.

10.2 Guarantee cover under section 9.5 assumes normal domestic use and reasonable care. Commercial and contract use is covered only where we have agreed it in writing as part of a trade order.

11. Our liability to you

11.1 We do not exclude or limit our liability in any way where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, for breach of the terms implied by sections 9 to 11 and 13 to 16 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and under section 2(3) of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

11.2 If we fail to comply with these terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breach or our failure to use reasonable care and skill. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen, or if at the time the contract was made both you and we knew it might happen.

11.3 We are not liable for loss or damage that was not foreseeable when the contract was made, or that was caused by an event outside our control (section 13).

11.4 We are not liable for damage to your property during delivery except where it is caused by our negligence or that of our delivery partner. Please make sure the route is clear and that fragile items are moved before the team arrives.

11.5 Subject to 11.1, and for consumers, our total liability arising out of or in connection with a contract is limited to the total price you paid under it, except in respect of physical damage to your property caused by our negligence.

12. Business and trade customers

12.1 This section applies where you buy for the purposes of a business, including hospitality, contract and reseller orders. Where it applies, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 do not, and you have no right to cancel under section 8.1 to 8.4 other than as expressly agreed in writing between us.

12.2 A trade order is formed on our written quotation and your written acceptance of it. Our quotation is valid for 30 days unless it says otherwise. These terms and our quotation are the entire agreement between us, and you confirm you have not relied on any statement not set out in them.

12.3 Where we agree a bespoke specification, dimension or finish for you, it is your responsibility to check and approve the specification in writing before production. We are not liable for a piece built correctly to an approved specification that does not suit your site.

12.4 Invoices are payable in accordance with the terms on the quotation. Interest on late payment accrues under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

12.5 Subject to 11.1, our total liability to a business customer is limited to the price paid under the relevant contract, and we are not liable for loss of profit, loss of business, loss of goodwill or any indirect or consequential loss.

12.6 Goods supplied for commercial use carry the guarantees in section 9.5 only where we have confirmed contract-grade cover in writing.

13. Events outside our control

13.1 Neither of us is liable for failure or delay in performing an obligation caused by an event beyond our reasonable control — including war, civil unrest, terrorism, epidemic, fire, flood, extreme weather, earthquake, industrial action, failure of public infrastructure or telecommunications, port closure, customs or border disruption, government action, or shortage of a raw material we could not reasonably foresee.

13.2 If such an event affects your order, we will tell you promptly, and the time for performance is extended for the duration of the event. If the delay exceeds 8 weeks, either of us may cancel the affected order; we will refund everything you have paid, less the value of anything already delivered to you.

14. Complaints

14.1 If something has gone wrong, tell us and we will try to put it right. Email info@abbusinessadvisory.com with your order reference and what has happened, or write to us at the address in section 1.

14.2 Our procedure:

• We acknowledge every complaint within 5 working days.
• We investigate and give you a substantive written response within 28 days. If we need longer — for example because an inspection is required — we tell you why and when to expect an answer.
• If you are not satisfied with the response, ask for it to be reviewed by a director, who will reply within a further 14 days. That is our final written response.

14.3 We are not currently a member of an alternative dispute resolution scheme, so if we cannot resolve your complaint between us we will not be proposing ADR. You remain free to take the matter to court under section 15, and you can get free, independent advice on your rights from Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133 or citizensadvice.org.uk), which also refers matters to Trading Standards.

14.4 If you paid by card and we have not resolved a legitimate complaint, you may also be able to ask your card issuer to raise a chargeback. We would rather you gave us the chance to fix it first.

15. Governing law and jurisdiction

15.1 These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales.

15.2 You and we both agree to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. If you are a consumer resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also bring proceedings in the courts of your own jurisdiction, and you retain the benefit of any mandatory consumer protections of the law where you live.

16. General

16.1 Transferring the contract. We may transfer our rights and obligations to another organisation, and will tell you in writing if we do; this will not affect your rights. You may transfer your guarantee to someone who acquires the product from you, provided you tell us and pass on the delivery note.

16.2 Third parties. This contract is between you and us. No one else has any right to enforce its terms.

16.3 Severability. If a court finds any part of these terms unlawful or unenforceable, the rest continues in force.

16.4 No waiver. If we delay in enforcing a term, that does not prevent us from enforcing it later.

16.5 Notices. Notices to you are sent to the email address on your order; notices to us should go to info@abbusinessadvisory.com. Email notices are treated as received on the working day after sending.

16.6 Your data. How we handle your personal information is set out in our Privacy Policy, and our use of cookies in our Cookie Policy.

See also: Delivery & Returns · Guarantee · Payment & Security