Nearly all education furniture is made to order – products are not stocked by either ESPO or the manufacturers
Delivery times for education furniture fluctuate throughout the year
During the quiet months (orders placed October to May) manufacture and delivery usually takes 4-6 weeks, but may be less depending on the manufacturer and the product.
Order volumes start to rapidly increase in June, and peak in July with the majority of deliveries required for the start of September. Therefore manufacturing and delivery times may extend by several weeks during this period and it can take many weeks for the queue of orders to work through the system.
Help us to help you - Checklist for ordering:
Beat the rush - and be flexible with delivery dates. Place your order earlier and take delivery before the end of the summer term so you can go on holiday knowing your furniture is ready and waiting for you when you return.
Check your order details - ensure you are ordering the correct heights, sizes and colours. Products are made to order to your specifications and suppliers will charge if you’ve made mistakes that they need to rectify. This will also cause delays in the arrival of your delivery. We can provide colour swatches and in some cases samples of products if the size or colour is particularly critical.
Include contact details - Please include a site contact name and mobile phone number on every furniture order. This allows us and suppliers to contact you to resolve any queries quickly and arrange deliveries.
School closures - let us know on every furniture order when you will be closed or if you are open during the summer to receive deliveries. Please also ensure that someone will be available when advised as suppliers may charge for redelivery if they arrive and no-one is there.
Keep hold of your old furniture - don’t discard your old furniture before the new furniture has arrived and been checked!
Prepare to receive the delivery - most education furniture deliveries are to the nearest point undercover only, so you will need staff available to move the furniture to its required location. Also please ensure enough time is allowed for the supplier to be able to unload as they are unlikely to be able to return to complete the delivery the next day.
Check your deliveries - once delivery has been made please ensure you check your goods on the day of delivery. Manufacturers will only accept damage claims if notified within 48 hours of delivery.
Returns - furniture is made to order and is therefore generally non-returnable (where supplied as ordered). Suppliers who do agree to collect will charge a restocking and collection fee which may represent a significant proportion of the original order value. If it is necessary to return anything please contact the Directs team, on 0116 265 7901 option 1, ASAP after delivery, andat the latest within 48 hours, who can advise on any applicable charges.
If you have any questions regarding the furniture in our catalogue prior to placing your order, please contact the Catalogue Admin team on 0116 265 7901 option 2, who will be happy to help.
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