Terms and conditions

BGS Terms and Conditions: GeoRecords, GeoReports, Bookshop, Charged enquiries

Our guarantee

British Geological Survey ('BGS') aims to ensure that any publication/record/report ('information') you order is delivered promptly and at an acceptable cost. If you find that your purchase does not match what you have ordered, you will be provided with a full refund for the item(s) if you inform us within 7 days of receiving the item. If the delivery is defective in any way, on return of the item we will send you a replacement within 7 days or again give you a full refund (including postage costs) if a replacement is unavailable. This guarantee does not affect any additional statutory rights you might have. The BGS Enquiries Helpdesk (contact details below) will be happy to assist you if you have queries or difficulties in ordering products/services or have problems with delivery.

Where BGS provides professional advice in the form of written reports or email advice, BGS warrants that the information will conform to any specification agreed with you and will be the best, comprehensive, up-to-date information we can provide. As a public body entrusted with public money, BGS's liability in providing information and professional advice and, consequently, any warranty provided, is limited to ten times the cost payable by the customer or £50,000, whichever is the lesser. Where errors or omissions occur due to any information provided by you, BGS excludes all liability if information is provided which does not meet your requirements.

When providing information specifically to use on computers or IT equipment, BGS accepts no liability for any loss or damage which may be caused by the condition of the disk or file in which the information is provided to you and you are expected to operate suitable anti-virus software before loading it into your computer system. You are further responsible for ensuring that the form of the information you have ordered is compatible with your computer system and any other data with which the information is to be used.

Nothing in these terms and conditions excludes or limits the liability of BGS for death or personal injury arising from its negligence, or for fraud, or for any other liability that, by law, cannot be excluded or limited.

Limitations concerning use of BGS information

The use of information provided by the BGS is at your own risk. Please read any warnings given about the limitations of the information, either on our website or attached to the information.

BGS provides information which may be based on or has come via sources outside BGS: in view of the wide-ranging and disparate sources of information at BGS's disposal, including much material donated to the BGS that is accepted in good faith as being accurate, neither BGS nor our data creators or donors can give any warranty as to the quality or accuracy of the information or its suitability for any use. Therefore, all implied conditions relating to the quality or suitability of the information, and all liabilities arising from the supply of the information are excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law. Where BGS is found to be negligent, any liability or damages will be limited to that provided in Clause 2 above.

When using BGS information, BGS draws customers or recipient's attention to the following considerations that may also affect the quality or accuracy of information supplied:

• Scientific observations are made according to the prevailing understanding of the subject at the time. The quality of such observations may be affected by subsequent advances in knowledge, improved methods of interpretation, and better access to sampling locations.
• Raw data may have been transcribed from analogue to digital format, or may have been acquired by means of automated measuring techniques. Although such processes are subjected to quality control to ensure reliability where possible, some raw data may have been processed without human intervention and may in consequence contain undetected errors.
• Detail clearly defined and accurately depicted on large-scale maps may be lost when small-scale maps are derived from them.
• Although samples and records are maintained with all reasonable care, there may be some deterioration in the long term.
• The most appropriate techniques for copying original records are used, but there may be some loss of detail and dimensional distortion when such records are copied.
• Data may be complied from the disparate sources of information at the BGS's disposal; including material donated to BGS by third parties, and may not have been subject to any verification or other quality control process.
• Data, information and related records, which have been donated to BGS have been produced for a specific purpose, and that may affect the type and completeness of the data recorded and any interpretation. The nature and purpose of data collection, and the age of the resultant material may render it unsuitable for certain applications/uses. You must verify the suitability of the material for their intended usage.
• The data, information and related records supplied by BGS should not be taken as a substitute for specialist interpretations, professional advice and/or detailed site investigations. You must seek professional advice before making technical interpretations on the basis of the materials provided.

If a report or other output is produced for you by BGS on the basis of data you have provided to BGS, or via your own data input into a BGS system, it should not be relied upon as a source of information about other areas or geological features, as the report may omit important details. BGS excludes all liability in such cases.

Availability of information/goods

The index maps provided on the BGS website show where information is available. However, if for some reason, after you have paid for an order and the BGS is unable to provide it (for example, due to data or computing problems), we will inform you and offer an alternative or a full refund i.e. we are unable to guarantee we hold all stock or information as recorded on our website.

Customers should note the following conditions/restrictions in respect of availability of particular goods/services:

• Applicable to GeoRecords
  Confidential Boreholes
  Some of the records held in BGS's National Geoscience Data Centre (NGDC) were donated by individuals or industry under conditions of strict confidentiality. For most of these confidential records, BGS will be able to advise you that the records exist (and their location will therefore be displayed on the index maps on this website) but we will not be able to provide you with a copy immediately. You will, however, be able to place a request for the record and BGS will make every effort to release this or advise you who to contact to request a release of the record. If you obtain permission to gain access from the owner, on confirmation of written permission from the owner, BGS will provide you with a copy, although there may be some associated cost recovery charges.
  Protect-managed Boreholes
  For boreholes that are classed as protect management, which means that the aggregation of this dataset is confidential under national security, the geological data and geographical location can be used to inform science but the geographical location cannot be explicitly published.
   
• Applicable to GeoReports
  Locations defined by address: if you ask us to locate your report using an address, we will do so using the Ordnance Survey's AddressPoint database to find the grid reference of your property. You should be aware that a small percentage of grid reference locations within this database have some uncertainty as to their exact position. We therefore recommend you to double-check the location of your GeoReport by using the map included in the Report, and by using other more detailed maps if you can. If you are in any doubt as to the accuracy of the location, please contact us.
   
• Applicable to Bookshop
  Professional users are advised that our most recent mapping is now only updated and available digitally without production of a printed product. Our latest digital mapping is accessible via the GeoIndex, and may differ significantly from the older printed versions. All items are sold subject to stock levels. Some publications are only stocked in small quantities and stocks are continually changing. If items that you order are out of stock we will inform you and offer an alternative item or a full refund. We cannot guarantee to re-stock items where they are fully sold out.
   

Prices, payment and VAT

Payment is only accepted in pounds Sterling. It may be made by credit or debit card (not by charge card, e.g. Amex), International Money Order, or Bankers' Draft. Electronic Fund Transfers, such as BACS (Bank Automated Clearing System) are also possible. Please contact us for details.

For information on how we process your personal information, please refer to the GDPR section of terms.

Our minimum invoice value is £100 (ex. VAT) when a credit card is not used. Payment for goods below this value can be accepted by card (as detailed above).

BGS reserves the right to refuse to supply goods to purchasers that have previously defaulted on payment, or we will request pre-payment before supply of goods. Please note that customers wishing to pay by invoice (non-credit card transactions) may be credit checked for the purpose of setting up an invoice account and, if not wholly satisfied, BGS reserves the right to require payment by credit or debit card, rather than by invoice.

Value Added Tax (VAT) will be charged in accordance with current law/regulations.

• Applicable to Bookshop
  Prices quoted in printed catalogues and internet pages are liable to change without prior notice. Value Added Tax (VAT) is not currently charged on sales of books, guides or maps to the UK, EU or elsewhere. Other items may be liable to VAT and are indicated in catalogues, etc. At present UK VAT is charged, where applicable, on all items to be delivered to EU addresses, including purchases by EU VAT-registered customers.

Delivery

• Applicable to GeoRecords
  Records ordered through this BGS website will be despatched using your preferred delivery method, options being: prints/photocopies by standard post, or digital files (secure PDF format) by email (if file size allows) or via the BGS Document Delivery Service/Citrix ShareFile. Records will normally be despatched within 5 working days from receipt of the order.
   
• Applicable to Bookshop
  Goods will be despatched by the most cost-effective means (which may be the Royal Mail or a courier) and normally within five working days of placing your order. Delivery charges are liable to change without notice. Postage and packing costs are calculated according to the quantity, size or total cost of items ordered and the destination. Whatever, you will only be charged the amount quoted.
   
• Applicable to GeoReports
  Reports will be despatched by email as secure PDF files or via a postal method in paper format according to customer requirements. Standard reports will be despatched within one to two working days from receipt of order and payment. For bespoke reports, which require manual input, please allow up to twenty working days from confirmation that BGS has received all the necessary information. Delivery charges are included in the price of the report and the customer will only be charged the amount quoted.
   
• Applicable to Charged enquiries
  Information will be prepared as soon as possible after receipt of payment. Our response time will vary depending on the nature of your enquiry, your requirements and the availability of staff with the relevant expertise but we will provide an indication as to the likely turnaround time before you pay. Information will usually be delivered by email or via the BGS Document Delivery Service/Citrix ShareFile where files are too large to send as an email attachment.
   

In addition to the quoted despatch times, please allow five days for delivery in the UK, seven days in the EU and anything up to 30 days elsewhere. If your order is not received within this time please contact us immediately. Special delivery arrangements are available, however, please enquire before placing your order.

Lost, damaged or incorrectly supplied goods

BGS will take all reasonable steps to replace items damaged in transit or those that have been supplied in error. Where this is not possible, a full refund will be made (please see Availability above).

If an order is incomplete or damaged in transit, or has been incorrectly supplied, you should retain the goods together with all packaging and documents, and notify the BGS immediately. You should do this by letter, fax or email within 7 days of receiving the goods: beyond this period we cannot guarantee that replacements will be available. You then have the choice of having a replacement item or a full refund. Please ensure you quote any customer order numbers and include your full name and address in any communications.

Please do not return any faulty or incorrect goods unless asked to do so. We will give you instructions on how, or whether, to return these items, and may ask you to supply appropriate documents.

Cancelling an order

Customers should note the following conditions/restrictions in respect of cancelling orders/delivery of particular goods/services:

• Applicable to Bookshop
  Within the terms of the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000, you have a seven working day cancellation period, which begins the day after the date of delivery of the goods to your address and expires seven working days later. You may cancel by letter, fax, telephone or email. All of the necessary information (name address, indication of items ordered) must be included to ensure we can give you the correct refund. This refund will be made within 30 days of our receipt of your notification of cancellation. Goods should be returned to us on cancellation of the order, in their original undamaged and unused condition. We recommend that you use a recorded delivery service to ensure that returned goods arrive promptly and undamaged. We will not pay the return postage of a cancelled order. If the goods are not returned to us, we will arrange to collect them, but reserve the right to deduct the cost of collection from your refund.
   
• Applicable to GeoReports
  BGS offers no right to cancel after an order has been accepted: The products/services offered for sale from the BGS GeoReports Service are bespoke site-specific reports: they are reports produced to your specification/s, and there is therefore no right to cancel orders for these products.
   
• Applicable to GeoRecords
  If notified in advance of BGS processing a GeoRecords request, orders can be cancelled. However, if an order has already been processed, the staff time used to fulfil the customer order up to the time of cancellation will be charged on a cost-recovery basis.
   
• Applicable to charged enquiries
  BGS offers no right to cancel after an order has been accepted and the work has started on researching and preparing a response to a charged enquiry. If a response has been started, the staff time already used at the point of cancellation will be charged on a cost-recovery basis.
   

Complaints

BGS takes all complaints seriously and will investigate the circumstances in each case. BGS hopes that in the vast majority of cases, problems can be resolved verbally by simply contacting BGS via our Enquiries Service. If, however, you are not satisfied that a complaint has been resolved or handled to your satisfaction, you may wish to make a more formal complaint. Our complaints procedure is provided on our website www.bgs.ac.uk/about-bgs/contact-us/customer-feedback

If you have other enquiries or problems

If you have any queries about BGS publications or services, or if you have any problems with products or our service please contact the BGS Enquiries Helpdesk (contact details below). Your comments are always welcome.

Legal issues

In any disputes over such things as the description or supply of goods, payment, ownership, the contract will be deemed to have been made within England and will therefore be subject to the laws of England and Wales.

BGS regrets that we are only able to handle enquiries and conduct business matters in English.

• Applicable to GeoRecords
  The historical records held by the BGS date back to the 18th Century. During the intervening period the meaning of some words and/or descriptive terms has changed. In rare instances some historic records contain words once used commonly that might now cause offence. BGS policy is to provide the records in their original state without amendment or excision of content. This policy is consistent with that of The National Archives.

General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

Please see our privacy policy

Copyright

The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) unless otherwise stated and/or agreed in writing with the commissioning authority under whose auspices the relevant work was carried out.

Permission to reproduce BGS materials

Other than where expressly stated, no part of the materials supplied through BGS services may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the prior permission of UKRI, through the British Geological Survey.

• Applicable to GeoRecords
  Where GeoRecords information is being purchased by you as a consultant in order for you to advise your client we consider that they are personal to you and created specifically for you. Whereas BGS has no objection to you passing extracts from the information to your client, we do require you to acknowledge BGS as the source of information 'Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI, [YEAR]. All rights reserved'. Please note that this permission does not extend to the provision of the full information or report, as supplied by BGS, to your client; or permit you to set up a general bureau service to multiple clients in relation to extracts taken from the information.
   
• Applicable to GeoReports
  You may not copy or adapt this publication, or provide it to a third party, without first obtaining the permission of UKRI but if you are a consultant purchasing this report solely for the purpose of providing advice to your own individual client you may incorporate it unaltered into your report to that client without further permission, provided you give full acknowledgment of the source.
   

Terms of Use

Please refer to our website: www.bgs.ac.uk/help/terms_of_use.html

Contact details for all enquiries

BGS Enquiries Service
British Geological Survey
Keyworth
Nottingham
NG12 5GG

Tel: +44 (0)115 936 3100 (Mon – Fri 8:30am – 4:30pm UK local time) (except bank holidays)
Email: enquiries@bgs.ac.uk
Website: www.bgs.ac.uk

The British Geological Survey (BGS) is the world's longest established national geological survey and the UK's premier centre for earth science information and expertise.