Clear terms, no surprises.

1. Who we are

Vutela Trading Enterprise (Pty) Ltd (company registration 2021/395611/07), trading as Vutela Trading Enterprise, is an electrical and construction company based in Mthatha Eastern Cape, registered as a home builder with the NHBRC (registration 4000025845). "We" and "us" means the company; "you" means the customer who asks for a quotation or accepts one.

2. Quotations

• Quotations are free and are valid for 30 days. After that, prices may change because material prices change.
• A quotation covers only the work and materials listed on it. Anything else is extra work (see point 5).
• We price from a site visit and the information you give us. If, once work starts, we find something that could not be seen before (for example rotten roof timbers, old or unsafe wiring, or poor ground), we stop, show you, and agree the extra cost with you before we carry on.

3. Accepting a quotation

You accept a quotation by signing it, by pressing Accept on the online quotation link we send you, or by confirming in writing (WhatsApp or email is fine). Accepting a quotation means you agree to these terms.

4. Deposit and payment

• A deposit of 50% is payable before work starts. It is used to buy materials for your job.
• Large projects such as new homes are paid in stages, as set out in the quotation. The balance is due when the work is complete.
• Invoices are payable within 7 days. Please pay by EFT and use the invoice number as the reference.
• Protect yourself from fraud: our banking details are printed on our quotations and invoices and will not change by email or message. If you receive "new" banking details, call us on a number you trust before paying anything.

5. Changes and extra work

If you want changes or additions, we tell you the cost and the effect on the timeline first and only go ahead once you agree in writing. Agreed changes are added to your invoice.

6. Materials

• Materials we supply remain ours until the account is paid in full.
• If you supply your own materials, our guarantee covers our workmanship but not the materials themselves. Their warranty stays with the shop or the maker.
• Leftover materials that you paid for are yours to keep.

7. Your part

• Give us safe access to the site during working hours, with water and electricity where the job needs them, and keep children and pets away from the work area.
• For building work, approved municipal plans and any permissions from the landowner or traditional authority are your responsibility, unless the quotation says we will arrange them.

8. Timelines

Start and finish dates are our best estimate. Weather, load-shedding, late delivery of materials, changes you ask for, or late payments can cause delays. We will keep you informed and will not leave a job without telling you why and when we will be back.

9. Standards and certificates

• Electrical work is done to the SANS 10142-1 wiring code. Where the law requires an electrical Certificate of Compliance (CoC), we provide it when the work is complete.
• New homes are enrolled with the NHBRC before building starts, as the law requires of registered home builders.

10. Responsibility for damage

We take care of your property and fix or pay for damage that we cause. We are not responsible for faults that were already there, for work done by other people, or for damage caused by lightning, power surges or misuse. Nothing in these terms limits your rights under South African law.

11. Photos of our work

We may photograph completed work for our website and social media. We never show your name, address or personal belongings. If you prefer that we don't, just tell us.

12. Complaints

Please contact us first on phone 083 694 6968, WhatsApp, email vutelam5@gmail.com. We aim to resolve every complaint quickly and fairly. If we cannot agree, you may go to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud or the National Consumer Commission, and for new homes, the NHBRC.

13. The law that applies

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

A return job is when we come back to put right a fault in our own work. Return jobs under guarantee are free: no call-out fee, no labour charge, and no charge for replacement parts we supplied.

Appliances and fittings (for example geysers, light fittings and stoves) also carry the maker's own warranty, which we pass on to you. On new homes, defects that do not meet the NHBRC technical requirements must be reported within 3 months of moving in.

How to log a return job

1. Contact us on phone 083 694 6968, WhatsApp, email vutelam5@gmail.com. Give your name, the invoice number if you have it, and a short description. Photos help.
2. We will contact you within 2 working days to arrange a visit.
3. We inspect the fault and, if it is covered, fix it at no cost to you.

Electrical emergency? If you see sparks or smoke, smell burning, or a socket is hot, switch off the main switch on your distribution board and call us immediately. Do not wait for a reply to a message.

What the guarantee does not cover

• Damage from lightning, power surges, flooding or fire. Please claim these from your household insurance.
• Misuse, overloading, accidental damage, or normal wear and tear.
• Work that has been changed or repaired by someone else after we finished.
• Materials that you supplied yourself.
• Fine hairline cracks in new plaster from normal drying and settling. These are not structural defects, though we are happy to advise.

If we inspect and find that the fault is not covered, we will tell you what caused it and what a repair will cost before doing any work. You decide whether we go ahead.

If you cancel before work starts

We refund your deposit, less only the cost of materials already bought specially for your job that the supplier will not take back. Those materials are then yours, and we hand them over. Where a supplier charges a restocking fee for returning materials, that fee is deducted. We show you the slips.

If you cancel after work has started

You pay for the work done up to that day and for the materials used or bought for the job. If you have paid more than that, we refund the difference.

Cooling-off period

If you agreed to the work because we approached you directly (direct marketing), you may cancel in writing within 5 business days without giving a reason and receive a full refund, as the Consumer Protection Act allows. If we started work within that time at your request, you pay for the work already done.

If our work is faulty

We first fix it free of charge as a return job (see Return jobs and guarantee). If we cannot repair it properly, we refund the part of the price that relates to the faulty work, or the full price where the whole job is affected.

Overpayments

If you pay too much by mistake, we refund it or, if you prefer, keep it as credit on your account.

How refunds are paid

Refunds are paid by EFT into the account you paid from, within 14 days of agreeing the amount, with a statement showing how it was worked out.

We respect your privacy and follow the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

• What we collect: your name, phone number, email address, the job address and details of the work, from the quote form on this website, WhatsApp, phone calls and our paperwork.
• Why: to reply to you, quote, do the work, invoice, and look after any return jobs.
• Who sees it: only our team. We never sell your details or use them for unrelated marketing. We share them only where the law requires (for example with SARS, the NHBRC or for a Certificate of Compliance).
• How long: as long as tax and building records must be kept, normally 5 years, after which they are deleted.
• Your rights: you may ask to see, correct or delete your details by contacting us on phone 083 694 6968, WhatsApp, email vutelam5@gmail.com. You may also complain to the Information Regulator.