I have some questions about shipping!
I have a dedicated shipping info page which may well answer your questions. You can view that page HERE

I have some questions about Clearpay!
I have a dedicated info page covering all questions you may have about choosing Clearpay as your payment method. You can view that page HERE

Where are you based?
I am predominantly an online business, without a public/walk-in shop or showroom. But my office is based in Stourbridge, West Midlands and I am happy to have viewings/collections by appointment if you are local at my office. If this is of interest, please get in touch via the contact form.

What do you do with my information?
With a lot of concern these days about the way companies handle your information, it's only right to want to know how I handle your info too. Here at the Home of Tone, I take my customers privacy very seriously and intend to comply to GDPR laws. I won't share your personal information that is provided to me at your time of order. There is basic information that I do require to effectively process your order, which is name, address and a form of contact. After your order has been processed you can opt to have me remove this information if you wish. Just get in touch via the secure contact form and I will endeavor to remove your information from the order. When you place an order through the checkout, you have the choice to checkout as a guest, or create an account. When you create an account, this helps speed up your checkout process next time you place an order which of course does mean that within your account the contact details and shipping address will be stored. This information isn't accessed, shared etc, and again, if you wish to have your account removed do please get in touch and I will do this for you. I will never contact your using your provided contact information for further marketing, I will only use it to contact you if there is a question about your specific order that has been placed. You will only receive marketing information if you have opted in to receive newsletters, or have signed up to our newsletter separately. If you do receive any marketing e-mails from me, which you'd rather not have, either let me know via the contact form and I will manually remove your e-mail address from the list, or you can simply click 'unsubscribe' via the link at the bottom of the newsletter e-mail. I don't store ANY payment information in any way. 

How do I pay?
The hard bit huh?! Well hopefully a stress free checkout makes it a little bit easier on the wallet for you!
We accept payment via card (Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard & AMEX) through Shopify's safe checkout & with PayPal checkout, whether you do or don't have an account with them. Process your card safely via Paypal's very secure checkout or log in to your own PayPal account when prompted and the rest is super easy! Because we use PayPal you can rest assured your details are safe from any bad people out there and we store no paypal payment information.
With either payment method, we also don't keep any details on file at all, to further ensure user safety. 
There is the option to pay via bank transfer, simply select that as the payment method then on the final stage of your order confirmation, the details will be there ready for you to do yo' thing. You can also opt to collect your order which means paying by cash is fine too! The 'old fashioned' way huh.
I now also have an alternative payment method called Clearpay. For more information about paying using Clearpay, please visit my dedicated Clearpay info page HERE

My item is special order/out of stock, when should I expect it to arrive?
There are a range of items we offer that are special order, perhaps a custom spec Jennings Guitar for example!, so with some items being special order or not in stock, we will keep you updated with delivery estimates through every step of the order.
As a rule, most conventional items (not custom build guitars for example) we list are in stock at our distribution warehouses so aim to have your order processed and shipped within 4-5 days. For anything hand made to order, or back ordered, this is dealt with order by order and you'll be kept up to date throughout the process as well as each product description stating stock levels and/or ordering times. From an initial e-mail acknowledging the ordered item to updates along the way where possible. 

We know what it's like to be waiting by your letterbox for your mail order items! So we always aim to dispatch as quickly as we can for you :) 

I've just placed an order but I've changed my mind/made a mistake and want to cancel, what can I do?
Don't worry, I'm here to help. If the order hasn't been dispatched yet and it's an in stock item, we will cancel and refund your order as quickly as we can. Refunds will only be processed via the same method of payment to which you used when placing your order. Very often PayPal will process a refund as an 'echeque', these can take up to 7 working days to clear to your account. All I ask is that you get in touch with me ASAP after changing your mind about an order. Because I may have already dispatched your order or have placed an order for your special made to order items.

If it is a special order item (something I have specifically ordered in for you, or has been specifically made for you), I will need to individually review the situation and asses a sufficient resolve. Under CRA, you only have a right to reject goods that are of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described. So please bare this in mind on your specifically made to order items. Some items I will be happy to keep in stock, so if I consider this to be the case on your item, I will refund and keep the item here for stock and sometimes may have to charge a handling fee if it isn't something I would normally keep in stock. This isn't always possible though, due to the nature of some custom made to order items. If it is a completely custom spec guitar, pickup or harness for example, then I'm afraid this wouldn't be possible due to the nature of the goods. But we want to make sure you're happy, that's No1 and means a lot to me. So will aim to help best we can for the given situation. Please get in touch to discuss this further and I will review the situation/item/order in particular.

If you have purchased goods in person from James' Home of Tone either from my office address, or from a guitar exhibition/show, and you have simply changed your mind then you have no legal rights to return for a refund as per your statutory rights. Again though, drop me a message, because if it's an item I'd be happy to have back on the shelf and it is in as new, re-salable condition then I will consider from there :)


I would like to return my item, how long do I have?
If you have received your order but want to return it, then let's go through the details as there are some different examples of why that is. There are a few reasons this might be, perhaps you have changed your mind, or the item is sadly faulty. So, let's break it down. Most of this is basic Consumer law, so feel free to read the CRA or see below for a run down of some of the relevant points.

Faulty Goods - 
Under the Consumer Rights Act, if it is within 30 days of your date of receiving the item, and the item is faulty, then you are entitled to return the item for a refund of the goods. You are also of course entitled to a repair or replacement, depending on your preference. But if it is over 30 days since your date of receiving the goods, you aren't legally entitled to an automatic refund but I do have to offer a repair or replacement where possible. In either of these cases, please do get in touch first and we can get straight to resolving this for you. I'm a very small business owner/human, and I really care about my customers. That means you won't get treated badly, nor like a how huge business would handle these situations and get passed from person to person in an effort to resolve. You'll only deal with me, and I'll endeavor to resolve as soon as possible for you.

Some brands I stock offer their own product warranty agreements, and those warranties lie with that manufacturer, but as the retailer of the item I will endeavor to help resolve in the most effective way possible. For example, some manufacturers request that the faulty item is returned direct to them for repair/inspection, so if returning the item to the manufacturer isn't possible for you, then please get in touch with me and I will see how I can help in getting the item to them on your behalf. Again, I really care about my customers and even though the warranty lies with the manufacturer in these instances, I'm here to help and you won't be forgotten. Once the item is returned, it will be assessed and the goods will be shipped to the manufacturer for inspection and/or repair/replacement where possible. It is not always possible to provide an ETA for warranty repairs however we endeavor to obtain regular updates from the supplier, and will update you whenever we receive information on your repair. In most cases, goods returned under warranty are repaired rather than replaced. 

The item simply wasn't what you wanted to order/changed your mind - 
If you have simply decided the item isn't for you, and have changed your mind, then you are again entitled under the Consumer Contracts Regulations to cancel your order within 14 days of your date the item was delivered to your address, and a further 14 days to ensure the goods are returned to James' Home of Tone safely. Returning the goods is your responsibility, ensuring they return safely and the return postage costs will need to be covered by you, the consumer. If you chose to have the item signed for/delivered to a neighbor or safe place, this date applies too. I do ask as a matter of goodwill to help a very small business survive, that the item and it's original packaging, are in as new condition ready for re-sale. The Home of Tone really care about each and every product, I understand that you may change your mind after a purchase, but please do respect the goods and keep them in as new condition if this is the case. If the item upon return is deemed unfit for resale, damaged or used incorrectly causing issues, then we are in our rights to decline the return/refund. If you have an item that you'd like to return as you've changed your mind or it isn't quite suited to you, then just simply get in touch with me within 14 days of the date the goods arrived with you, and ensure the goods are returned to us within a further 14 days, I will ensure you are refunded as soon as possible. You will be refunded to cost of the goods only, not the shipping costs.
If it is over 30 days since the date the goods arrived to you, then it is legally past the consumer rights act time-frame for return of a non faulty item. In this case, do feel free to contact me and we will asses the situation. It may well be that I am in a position to have the item back for stock, if of course it is in unused, as new condition but may need to charge a re-stocking fee due to transnational costs and fees I will incur processing this. This is on my discretion so please bare this in mind and be respectful of the situation in light of being over your legal rights under distance selling rules.

Items that are exceptions to the above conditions regarding goods being returned outside of the 30 day period are -
McNelly Pickups that have been used, IE wired up, connected or soldered, to a guitar. Strings that have been strung up to a guitar, or cut. Effects pedals that have been miss-treated, damaged or incorrect power supply used causing damage, Home of Tone Wiring harnesses that have been fitted and/or soldered to a guitar. For any items like this or something you're not sure of, do please get in touch, I'll be happy to advise.

For our returns address, please contact james@homeoftone.co.uk and I will let you know straight away!

If you could pop your order number, or a reference with the parcel so we can trace who the return is from, that would be super helpful!

Who are you dealer for?
I am really proud to work alongside so many great names in the guitar world. Seeing these highly respected brand names sitting in my store makes it all feel incredibly worth while. So, who do the Home of Tone represent?!
McNelly Pickups - UK Distributor,
UK Dealer for -
Millimetric Instruments, Jennings Guitars, Diamond Bottlenecks, Elixir Strings, DR Strings, MXR Cables, Evidence Audio, Loaded for bear audio, Dunlop, CruzTools, D&A, Gravity Guitar Picks, Korg, Mother Mary Co, RightOn!, Ground Control Audio, TateFX, RedbeardFX, Yellowcake Pedals, Switchcraft, CRL, CTS, Oak, WD Music, AllParts & many more!
This list is continuing to grow, with weekly talks with new brands taking place meaning the Home of Tone's family will continue to grow stronger!



McNelly Pickups FAQ's

My Pickups are special order, how long will they take to arrive?
Although I carry an increasing amount of stock of McNelly Pickups here in the UK, there will be certain variations & cover options that will require ordering from the workshop in Canada. These are made to order and shipped directly to me, before being inspected, re-packaged and sent on to you to enjoy. The current estimated wait on special order McNelly Pickups is around 10 weeks. It's both mine and McNelly's aim to fulfill pickup orders as quickly as possible and between ourselves continually work hard to get them in your hands and into your guitars as soon as we can.
McNelly dispatch their orders to me via a very prompt and accurate UPS courier, meaning once dispatched, I have a good idea on what date they will arrive here at the Home of Tone. Further helping provide accurate delivery estimates. I will update you accordingly with the information I receive, and you will receive a shipping confirmation when it leaves the Home of Tone on route to you.
If you're in the UK, then you won't incur any additional customs, VAT or Import duty fees on special order pickups. All of that is handled by myself, rest assured the price you have paid at the checkout for your pickup, is the final price paid. For EU customers though please see the International orders info page HERE in regards to taxes post-Brexit.


Thanks for reading! Any further questions about my store or shipping info, just drop us an e-mail via james@homeoftone.co.uk or via our contact form visible at the bottom of the site!


Cookie information
They're tasty aren't they? I like chocolate chip, or those rainbow ones from the sub sandwich place. mmmm. But those internet cookies aren't to be worried about and here is how we handle them - 

What are cookies?
A cookie is a small amount of information that’s downloaded to your computer or device when you visit certain websites. We use a number of different cookies on the Shopify website, including strictly necessary, performance, advertising, and social media or content cookies. Cookies make your browsing experience better by allowing the website to remember your actions and preferences (such as login and region selection). This means you don’t have to re-enter this information each time you return to the site or browse from one page to another. Cookies also provide information on how people use the website, for instance whether it’s their first time visiting or if they are a frequent visitor. Read more about cookies (and other similar tracking technologies) and how we use the data collected through these technologies, in our Privacy Policy.

What cookies do we use and why?
Some cookies are necessary to allow you to browse our website, use its features, and access secure areas. The use of these cookies is essential for the website to work. For example, we use user-input cookies for the duration of a session to keep track of a user’s input when filling in forms that span several pages.

We also use functional cookies to remember choices you’ve made or information you’ve provided, such as your username, language, or the region you are in. This allows us to tailor your website experience specifically to your preferences. For example, authentication cookies are functional cookies that are used for the duration of a session (or persistent, if you agree to the “remember me” function) to allow users to authenticate themselves on subsequent visits or to gain access to authorized content across pages. The functional cookies we use include:

  • User-centric security cookies to detect authentication abuses for a limited persistent duration, like repeated failed login attempts. These cookies are set for the specific task of increasing the security of the service.

  • Multimedia content player session cookies (flash cookies) are used for the duration of a session to store technical data needed to play back video or audio content (e.g. image quality, network link speed, and buffering parameters).

  • Load balancing session cookies are used for the duration of the session to identify the same server in the pool in order for the load balancer to redirect user requests appropriately.

  • User interface customization persistent cookies are used to store a user’s preference regarding a service across web pages.

Shopify is dedicated to user experience and we use many tools to help us improve our website and our commerce platform. To this end, we use reporting and analytics cookies to collect information about how you use our website or our merchants’ storefronts, and how often. These cookies only gather information for statistical purposes and only use pseudonymous cookie identifiers that do not directly identify you. The performance cookies we use include:

  • First party analytics cookies - We use these cookies to estimate the number of unique visitors, to improve our websites and our merchants’ websites, and to detect the most searched for words in search engines that lead to a webpage. These cookies are not used to target you with online marketing. We use these cookies to learn how our websites and our merchants’ websites are performing and make relevant improvements to improve your browsing experience.

  • Third party analytics cookies - We also use Google Analytics and other third-party analytics providers listed below to help measure how users interact with our website content. These cookies “remember” what our users have done on previous pages and how they’ve interacted with the website. For more information on Google Analytics, visit Google’s information page. For instructions on how opt out of Google Analytics, see below.

Advertising cookies are used on our website to tailor marketing to you and your interests and provide you with a more personalized service in the future. These cookies remember that you visited our website and we may share this information with third-parties, such as advertisers. Although these cookies can track your device’s visits to our website and other sites, they typically cannot personally identify you. Without these cookies, the advertisements that you see may be less relevant and interesting to you. Read more about how companies use cookies to conduct targeted or retargeted advertising here. We do not set advertising cookies through our merchants’ storefronts ourselves, though merchants may choose to do so independently.

Finally, Social and Content cookies are placed by many social media plugins (for example the Facebook ’like’ button), and other tools meant to provide or improve the content on a website (for example services that allow the playing of video files, or that create comments sections). We integrate these modules into our platform to improve the experience of browsing and interacting with our websites. Please note that some of these third party services place cookies that are also used for things like behavioural advertising, analytics, and/or market research.


How long will cookies remain on my computer or mobile device?
The length of time that a cookie remains on your computer or mobile device depends on whether it is a “persistent” or “session” cookie. Session cookies last until you stop browsing and persistent cookies last until they expire or are deleted. Most of the cookies we use are persistent and will expire between 30 minutes and two years from the date they are downloaded to your device. See the section below on how to control cookies for more information on removing them before they expire.

How to control cookies?
You can control and manage cookies in various ways. Please keep in mind that removing or blocking cookies can negatively impact your user experience and parts of our website may no longer be fully accessible.

Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can choose whether or not to accept cookies through your browser controls, often found in your browser’s “Tools” or “Preferences” menu. For more information on how to modify your browser settings or how to block, manage or filter cookies can be found in your browser’s help file or through such sites as: www.allaboutcookies.org.

Many of the third party advertising and other tracking services listed above offer you the opportunity to opt out of their tracking systems. You can read more about the information they collect and how to opt out through the privacy policy links listed above.

Shopify webstore data processing

1. Definitions

(a) “Data Protection Legislation” means European Directives 95/46/EC and 2002/58/EC, and any legislation and/or regulation implementing or made pursuant to them, or which amends or replaces any of them (including the General Data Protection Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2016/679);

(b) “Data Processor”, “Data Subject”, “Processor”, “Processing”, “Subprocessor”, and “Supervisory Authority” shall be interpreted in accordance with applicable Data Protection Legislation;

(c) “Personal Data” as used in this Addendum means information relating to an identifiable or identified Data Subject who visits or engages in transactions through your store (a “Customer”), which Shopify Processes as a Data Processor in the course of providing you with the Services. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, Personal Data does not include information that Shopify processes in the context of services that it provides directly to a consumer, such as through its consumer-facing applications like Frenzy or its consumer-facing services like Shopify Pay; and

(d) All other capitalized terms in this Addendum shall have the same definition as in the Agreement.

2. Data Protection

2.1. Where a Data Subject is located in the European Economic Area, that Data Subject’s Personal Data will be processed by Shopify’s Irish affiliate, Shopify International Ltd. As part of providing the Services, this Personal Data may be transferred to other regions, including to Canada and the United States. Such transfers will be completed in compliance with relevant Data Protection Legislation.

2.2. When Shopify Processes Personal Data in the course of providing the Services, Shopify will:

  • 2.2.1. Process the Personal Data as a Data Processor, only for the purpose of providing the Services in accordance with documented instructions from you (provided that such instructions are commensurate with the functionalities of the Services), and as may subsequently be agreed to by you. If Shopify is required by law to Process the Personal Data for any other purpose, Shopify will provide you with prior notice of this requirement, unless Shopify is prohibited by law from providing such notice;

  • 2.2.2. notify you if, in Shopify’s opinion, your instruction for the processing of Personal Data infringes applicable Data Protection Legislation;

  • 2.2.3. notify you promptly, to the extent permitted by law, upon receiving an inquiry or complaint from a Data Subject or Supervisory Authority relating to Shopify’s Processing of the Personal Data;

  • 2.2.4. implement and maintain appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect the Personal Data against unauthorized or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction, damage, theft, alteration or disclosure. These measures shall be appropriate to the harm which might result from any unauthorized or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, damage or theft of Personal Data and appropriate to the nature of the Personal Data which is to be protected;

  • 2.2.5. provide you, upon request, with up-to-date attestations, reports or extracts thereof where available from a source charged with auditing Shopify’s data protection practices (e.g. external auditors, internal audit, data protection auditors), or suitable certifications, to enable you to assess compliance with the terms of this Addendum;

  • 2.2.6. notify you promptly upon becoming aware of and confirming any accidental, unauthorized, or unlawful processing of, disclosure of, or access to the Personal Data;

  • 2.2.7. ensure that its personnel who access the Personal Data are subject to confidentiality obligations that restrict their ability to disclose the Customer Personal Data; and

  • 2.2.8. upon termination of the Agreement, Shopify will promptly initiate its purge process to delete or anonymize the Personal Data. If you request a copy of such Personal Data within 60 days of termination, Shopify will provide you with a copy of such Personal Data.

2.3 In the course of providing the Services,you acknowledge and agree that Shopify may use Subprocessors to Process the Personal Data. Shopify’s use of any specific Subprocessor to process the Personal Data must be in compliance with Data Protection Legislation and must be governed by a contract between Shopify and Subprocessor.

3. Miscellaneous

3.1 In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of the Agreement and this Addendum, the provisions of this Addendum shall prevail. For avoidance of doubt and to the extent allowed by applicable law, any and all liability under this Addendum, including limitations thereof, will be governed by the relevant provisions of the Agreement. You acknowledge and agree that Shopify may amend this Addendum from time to time by posting the relevant amended and restated Addendum on Shopify’s website, available at https://www.shopify.com/legal/dpa and such amendments to the Addendum are effective as of the date of posting. Your continued use of the Services after the amended Addendum is posted to Shopify’s website constitutes your agreement to, and acceptance of, the amended Addendum. If you do not agree to any changes to the Addendum, do not continue to use the Service.

3.2 Save as specifically modified and amended in this Addendum, all of the terms, provisions and requirements contained in the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and govern this Addendum. If any provision of the Addendum is held illegal or unenforceable in a judicial proceeding, such provision shall be severed and shall be inoperative, and the remainder of this Addendum shall remain operative and binding on the parties.

3.3 The terms of this Addendum shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to principles of conflicts of laws. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of Ontario with respect to any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with this Addendum.

Liability
James' Home of Tone shall not be under any liability for damage, loss or expenses resulting from the failure to give advice or information or the giving of
incorrect advice or information (including, without limitation, advice or information given or not given by or through contacting James' Home of Tone) whether or not due to its negligence or that of its employees, agents or subcontractors.

In no event shall any breach of any express or implied terms of the contract between James' Home of Tone and the Customer, or any order accepted by
James' Home of Tone, or any other duty of any kind imposed on James' Home of Tone by law arising out of or in relation to the contract or order, or in respect of any defect in the products, give rise to any liability for punitive damages, loss of revenue, loss of profits or expected future business, damage to
reputation or goodwill, loss of any order or contract or any consequential or indirect loss or damage arising from any cause.

James' Home of Tone's liability (if any) to the Customer for a breach of any express or implied terms of the contract between it and the Customer, or any
order accepted by James' Home of Tone, or any other duty of any kind imposed on James' Home of Tone by law arising out of or in relation to the contract or order, or in respect of any defect in the products, shall be limited to the price paid for the goods.

Nothing in this ‘Liability’ paragraph shall exclude or limit the liability of James' Home of Tone for death or personal injury caused by the negligence of James' Home of Tone or its employees, agents or subcontractors, or for fraud.

If you have further questions, please contact james@homeoftone.co.uk