Online Business Account (OBA) terms and conditions
- Introduction
- Definitions
- Customer obligations
- Liability
- Online business account access
- Termination of online business account
- Documentation
- Products available through the online business account
- Unconfirmed sales order policy
- Archiving of customer data
- Variations
- General
1. Introduction
1.1 These OBA specific terms apply to use of your online business account.
1.2 If these OBA specific terms contradict the general terms or the operational terms, these OBA specific terms will apply.
2. Definitions
2.1 You may not be familiar with some of the words or phrases we use in this agreement so they are explained in the following section or in the Royal Mail general terms and conditions:
| agreement | these OBA specific terms, the Royal Mail Website Access Terms and Conditions, the Royal Mail general terms and conditions and any specific terms and conditions of other Royal Mail products you use in conjunction with the online system, except any provisions relating to “posting cheques” which will be replaced under this agreement by the provision of a confirmed sales order which we will use to verify and check all mail. |
| authorised users | any super user, your employees, third party or mailing agent which has been granted permission by you to access your online business account through the online system. |
| confirmed sales order | the document that is generated when you confirm an order on your online business account, or where there is a system or internet provider failure, the order number provided by us on the paperwork we email or fax to you or, if this facility is not available, the order number provided by us on your on your headed paper. This paperwork must be presented with the mailing, |
| continuity process | the process described in clauses 5.2 and 5.3. |
| continuity sales order | an order you place in accordance with the continuity process following an event. |
| customer registration | the application you complete prior to us granting you approval to be provided with an online business account. |
| event | any event which causes the online system and/or your online business account to be unavailable, |
| online system | the entire Royal Mail computer operating system by which your online business account is accessed. |
| super user | the person(s) set out as the super user on the customer registration or as set out on your online business account. |
| you/your | the person or organisation specified in the customer registration for an online business account |
3. Customer obligations
You must comply with all the terms of this agreement at all times and ensure that all authorised users comply with all the terms of this agreement at all times.
4. Liability
We accept no liability for any use of the online business account or the online system and accept no liability for any transactions or data changes that have been instigated by you or your authorised users on your online business account. By accessing your online business account you accept full liability for any use of your online business account, and you also accept full liability for any use or access to your online business account which you have granted to any authorised user. You also accept full liability for all transactions and data changes that have been instigated by you or any authorised user.
5. Online Business Account access
5.1 We reserve the right to revoke your access or authorised user access to the online business account where we deem it appropriate without notice. You have the ability to add or revoke the access of authorised users from your online business account at any time subject to system availability.
5.2 Following, and for the duration of, an event, you must place orders for Royal Mail products by using the OBA Emergency process set out in clause 5.3.
5.3 You must:
5.3.1 Follow the instructions for the OBA Emergency form which is available from www.royalmail.com/obaemergency
5.3.2 complete the OBA Emergency form and follow the instructions.
5.3.3 ensure a copy of the OBA Emergency sales order summary that you print and a copy of the email receipt that you receive from the OBA continuity email address, accompanies your mail when you hand it over to us; and
5.3.3 once the system is back up and running, you must stop using this method and start using your Online Business Account again as normal.
6. Termination of Online Business Account
6.1 We have the right to end your online business account at any time without warning. You have the ability to end your online business account at any time subject to system availability.
6.2 As a result of ending your online business account it will be deemed that any contractual agreement for an online business account has been terminated. You should contact a member of your account team or the Royal Mail Sales Centre on 03457 950 950 to discuss further postings.
7. Documentation
7.1 For customer collections, you must make sure that:
7.1.2 each posting of sorted products comes with a customer collection receipt at each handover and at least one paper copy of a confirmed sales order that working day; and
7.1.3 for all other products, each handover should come with a customer collection receipt or a paper copy of a confirmed sales order, with at least one paper copy of a confirmed sales order each working day.
7.2 If you or your agent is handing over a posting at a Post Office® branch or Royal Mail acceptance point, you or your agent must:
7.2.1 ensure that all items and all associated documentation are handed over personally to an authorised member of staff and that no items or documentation are left at the Post Office or Royal Mail acceptance point without such personal handover taking place;
7.2.2 present the documentation required at handover at the same time as handing over that posting, but the documentation must not be placed in the mail bag and must be handed over separately to the posting.
7.3 For all postings being handed over at a Post Office® branch or Royal Mail acceptance point, each handover must come with:
7.3.1 a paper copy of a confirmed sales order (or, if there is a system or internet provider failure, the order number provided by us and presented with the handover on your headed paper; or
7.3.2 where the additional terms allow, an original posting cheque.
7.4 You must make sure that each posting comes with any other documentation in line with the additional terms. You must give us some documentation with every handover.
7.5 If you or your agent is handing over a number of postings or combining postings, you or your agent must provide a paper copy of a confirmed sales order for each account on the final handover for that posting of each working day.
7.6 References in this clause 7 to a confirmed sales order will, for the duration of an event, be deemed to be to a continuity sales order.
8. Products available through the Online Business Account
8.1 You may only use your online business account to order Royal Mail products that have been assigned to your online business account and where you have contracted with us for the provision of these products.
8.2 On your online business account there may be descriptors against the order codes which are different from the option descriptions in the user guide and the specific terms for some products.
9. Unconfirmed sales order policy
9.1 Where an order has been raised and not confirmed, we reserve the right to either:
(a) delete such sales orders without notification; or
(b) acting faithfully and using our judgement, correct and/complete certain details and then we will process that sales order without further recourse to you.
9.2 Where a continuity sales order is placed and we believe it contains errors and/or omissions, we may at our sole discretion either:
(a) contact you in order to confirm certain details with you and then we will process that continuity sales order; or
(b) acting faithfully and using our judgement, correct and/complete certain details and then we will process that continuity sales order without further recourse to you.
10. Archiving of customer data
We reserve the right to archive customer data, sales orders, invoices and any other customer data at any time after it was created. Such customer data will be deleted in accordance with our retention policy. As a result, it is your responsibility to keep records for your own internal accounting and company requirements.
11. Variations
We may vary these OBA specific terms at any time by giving you not less than one month’s written notice.
12. General
These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales. All disputes arising out of this agreement are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts. If any of these terms or conditions are deemed invalid or unenforceable for any reason (including, but not limited to the exclusions and limitations set out above), the invalid or unenforceable provision will be severed from these terms and conditions and the remaining provisions will continue to apply.