These Terms and Conditions govern services supplied under the GDN – Global Damage Network brand, operated by GLOBAL DISCOUNT NETWORK LTD (Company No. 14692956), registered office: 20 Rubens Walk, Corby, England, NN18 0SQ, email: admin@globaldamagenetwork.co.uk (“GDN”, “we”, “us” or “our”). By booking or purchasing a GDN service, the customer agrees to the applicable terms, subject always to any statutory rights that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted.

1. GDN Services

GDN provides independent vehicle Body & Paint inspection and assessment services. Services may include Initial Damage Inspection, Repair Method Assessment, Paint & Body Audit, Final Quality Inspection and an Independent Vehicle Condition & Repair Report. The precise scope is determined by the service booked and the purpose of the inspection agreed with the customer.

2. Nature and Scope of Inspection

Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, GDN inspections are visual and non-invasive. We inspect only those areas and components that are reasonably accessible and observable at the time of inspection. Depending on the service, the inspection may consider panel condition, visible damage, panel material and shape, damage size and depth, visible deformation or material stretch, body lines, panel alignment, paint condition, repair accessibility, evidence of previous repairs and visible defects in completed repair work. Components will not be dismantled unless expressly agreed in writing.

3. Hidden or Inaccessible Defects

GDN cannot guarantee identification of defects or damage that are concealed, not reasonably visible, require dismantling, require mechanical or electronic diagnosis, or require equipment or testing outside the booked service. Findings reflect the condition and evidence reasonably observable at the date and time of inspection. Additional damage discovered later, including during dismantling or repair, may alter the repair method, labour requirement or earlier conclusions.

4. Repair or Replace Assessment

Where the booked service includes repair-method assessment, GDN may recommend REPAIR, REPLACE or further examination, as appropriate. Factors may include panel material, damage location and severity, depth of deformation, material stretch, body lines, accessibility, previous repairs, alignment and the repair quality reasonably achievable. Any recommendation is an independent technical opinion based on the evidence available at the time of inspection.

5. Labour Assessment

Any labour-time assessment is not based solely on the apparent size of a defect. GDN may consider material, size, depth, deformation, material stretch, body line, location, accessibility, complexity and previous repairs. Any stated labour time is a professional assessment and not a guarantee that every repairer or technician will complete the work in exactly that period. Actual repair time may vary due to workshop processes, equipment, technician experience and additional damage discovered after dismantling.

6. Previous Repairs / PPR

GDN may identify visible evidence consistent with previous repair work, including differences in finish, filler, deformation, poor alignment, refinishing or other observable indicators. GDN will not state the nature, date, person responsible for, or full extent of a previous repair as fact where those matters cannot reasonably be established from the available evidence. Reports will, where practicable, distinguish observed facts from technical opinion.

7. Final Quality Inspection

A Final Quality Inspection is intended to assess the visible quality of completed Body & Paint work. It may consider paint finish, colour consistency, orange peel, paint runs, inclusions, overspray, sanding marks, holograms, surface finish, panel alignment and body-line continuity. Findings may be classified as PASS, ADVISORY or FAIL where appropriate. A Body & Paint FAIL does not, by itself, mean that the vehicle is mechanically unsafe or unroadworthy.

8. Mechanical Safety and Roadworthiness

Unless expressly included within a separately agreed service, GDN services under these Terms focus on Body & Paint condition. They do not constitute an MOT, a comprehensive mechanical inspection, electronic diagnostics, or a complete roadworthiness or structural-safety assessment. The absence of a GDN observation must not be treated as confirmation that a vehicle is mechanically safe or roadworthy.

9. Booking

The customer must provide accurate and sufficient information for the service, including contact details, vehicle location, vehicle details and registration number where required, the nature of the concern and the purpose of the inspection. A booking is confirmed when GDN accepts the request and issues confirmation and/or the relevant invoice. GDN may decline a request before a booking is confirmed.

10. Prices and Travel

Published prices relate to the stated service and may be changed for future bookings. Inspection prices do not include additional travel costs. Standard listed prices apply to inspections within a 40-mile radius of Northampton. Additional travel charges may apply outside this area and will be communicated before the service is confirmed. Any additional work or cost will be communicated and, where required, agreed before it is charged.

11. Payment

Unless GDN confirms different terms in writing, 50% of the service price is payable upon confirmation of the booking against invoice and the remaining 50% is payable upon completion of the service against the final invoice. Where a service includes a report, GDN may withhold release of the final report until all sums properly due have been paid in full.

12. Cancellation and Rescheduling

As GDN’s commercial booking policy, customers should give at least 24 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule an appointment. For cancellations made with less than 24 hours’ notice, GDN may, to the extent permitted by law, retain all or part of the deposit to reflect reserved time and reasonable costs incurred. This policy does not restrict any mandatory statutory cancellation rights. Certain consumers entering into distance contracts will generally have a statutory 14-day cancellation period under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. Where a consumer expressly requests that services begin during that period and subsequently cancels, a proportionate amount may be payable for services supplied up to cancellation where the applicable statutory requirements have been satisfied.

13. Access to the Vehicle

The customer is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is at the agreed location, that the necessary authority or permission exists for GDN to inspect it, that the vehicle is reasonably accessible and that relevant areas are sufficiently clean and visible. Limitations caused by access, weather, lighting, contamination, vehicle position or other circumstances outside GDN’s reasonable control may be recorded in the report and may limit the inspection.

14. Photographs and Inspection Evidence

GDN may take photographs and other relevant records for the purpose of performing the inspection, documenting findings, preparing reports, quality assurance and maintaining appropriate records. Personal data associated with these materials will be handled in accordance with the GDN Privacy Policy. Use of vehicle images for marketing, website content, training or published case studies will be treated separately from use necessary to perform the contracted service and will be subject to applicable data-protection requirements and any consent required.

15. GDN Reports

A GDN report reflects the booked service, the condition of the vehicle at the time of inspection, the areas reasonably accessible, the evidence available and information supplied by the customer. Reports should be read as a whole. Photographs or individual findings should not be presented or interpreted in a way that removes material context, qualifications or limitations.

16. Use of Reports

Unless otherwise agreed, a report is prepared for the customer and for the purpose communicated to GDN at the time of booking. The customer must not alter a report in a manner that changes or misrepresents GDN’s findings. Extracts must not be presented misleadingly or without necessary context. A standard GDN report is not automatically an expert witness report, CPR Part 35 report, valuation report or court report unless GDN expressly agrees in writing to provide such a service.

17. Third-Party Reliance

Unless expressly agreed in writing, a report is prepared for the customer who commissioned it. A third party should not assume that it may rely on the report as though the service had been commissioned for that third party. Except where expressly stated otherwise, no person who is not a party to the contract shall have a right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any term of the contract.

18. Customer Responsibilities

The customer must provide accurate information, communicate the true purpose of the inspection, provide reasonable access to the vehicle, pay invoices in accordance with agreed terms, and inform GDN if a report is sought in connection with an existing dispute or legal proceedings. GDN may consider information provided by the customer or third parties but does not warrant the accuracy of information supplied by others.

19. Standard of Service

GDN will perform its services with reasonable care and skill. For consumer contracts this reflects the statutory standard in section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Information about the trader or service may also become binding in the circumstances described by section 50 of that Act. Service descriptions on the website should therefore be read consistently with these Terms and the specific booking confirmation.

20. Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

Subject to mandatory consumer rights and applicable law, GDN will not be responsible for loss arising solely from defects that could not reasonably have been identified within the scope of the booked service, inaccurate or incomplete information supplied by the customer or a third party, changes to the vehicle after inspection, work carried out by repairers or other third parties, use of a report outside its stated purpose, or decisions made contrary to express limitations or recommendations in the report.

No numerical liability cap is included in this website draft; any such cap should be aligned with GDN’s professional indemnity/public liability arrangements and reviewed before adoption.

21. Consumer Statutory Rights

Nothing in these Terms affects a consumer’s statutory rights. If any provision conflicts with a statutory right that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted, the statutory right will prevail. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 includes rules governing the standard of services, remedies and fairness of consumer contract terms.

22. Complaints

Complaints should be submitted as soon as reasonably possible to admin@globaldamagenetwork.co.uk. Where available, the customer should provide their name, booking or invoice reference, vehicle details, inspection date and a clear description of the issue. GDN will review the complaint and aim to respond within a reasonable period. Statutory rights remain unaffected.

23. Intellectual Property

GDN methodology, report structures, original text, graphics, templates and other original GDN materials may be protected by intellectual-property rights to the extent provided by law. Supplying a report does not transfer ownership of GDN’s methodology, report format or underlying materials. The customer may use the report for the legitimate purpose for which it was supplied, subject to these Terms.

24. Events Outside Our Reasonable Control

GDN will not be responsible for delay or temporary inability to perform caused by events reasonably outside its control, including severe weather, unexpected unavailability of the inspection location, access restrictions or similar circumstances. Where reasonably practicable, GDN will seek to rearrange the service.

25. Changes to These Terms

GDN may update these Terms from time to time for future bookings. The version generally applicable to a booking will be the version accepted when the contract was formed, except where a change is required by law or expressly agreed between the parties.

26. Severability

If a court or competent authority determines that any provision is unlawful, invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be treated accordingly without affecting the remaining provisions, which will continue to apply to the extent permitted by law.

27. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and contracts made under them are governed by the laws of England and Wales. For consumers, this clause does not remove any mandatory legal protections or jurisdictional rights available under applicable law.