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Terms & Conditions

JOHNSoN DESIGN PARTNERSHIP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Please take the time to read and understand these Terms and Conditions

Any reference to: ‘Stage’ or ‘Stages’ or ‘Stage A’ or ‘Stage B’ or ‘Stage C’ or ‘Stage D’ below refers to the said Stage or Stages and related fee payments as outlined in the written Proposal agreement between the Parties which constitutes an indivisible part of the contract between the Parties in tandem with these Terms and Conditions.

  1. This Agreement is made between JOHNSoN DESIGN PARTNERSHIP LTD (‘JDP’) whose registered office is at Johnson House, Station Lane (off Hollybush Road) Bridgnorth, Shropshire WV16 5DP (the “Architect”) and the purchaser/s of JDP’s services named in a written Proposal agreement signed by to said purchaser/s.
  2. Any reference in this Agreement to a party shall mean either the Architect, the Purchaser/s or the Guarantor, and any such reference to parties shall (as the case may be) mean all or any two of them.
  3. References in this Agreement to the parties shall include their respective heir’s successors in title permitted assigns and personal representatives.
  4. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors.
  5. The expressions “Architect” and “Purchaser” shall include their respective successors and permitted assigns.
  6. “Day” shall mean a period of 24 hours ending at 12 midnight but shall not include any Public Holidays.
  7. “Calendar Month” shall mean a period of 30 Days if the period commences in April, June, September or November, of 28 Days (but in a leap year 29 Days) if the period commences in February and of 31 Days if the period commences in January, March, May, July, August, October or December.
  8. “Month” shall mean Calendar Month.
  9. “Year” shall mean any period of 12 consecutive Months.
  10. “Business Day” shall mean any Day on which banks in Shropshire generally are open for    business.
  11. “Business Hours” shall mean 09.00 to 17.00 inclusive on any Business Day.
  12. Wherever in this Agreement a period of time is referred to, the Day upon which that period commences shall be the Day after the Day from which the period is expressed to run, or the Day after the Day upon which the event occurs which causes the period to start running.
  13. References to dates which do not fall on a Business Day shall be construed as references to the immediately subsequent Business Day.
  14. References to the date/s and/or time/s when an act is to be performed in this agreement shall be incorporated as a Term or Terms of this agreement. In the absence of a written agreement to vary such date/s and/or times by the parties, a failure to comply with the said Term or Terms as to the aforesaid date/s and/or time/s by either party shall entitle the other party to treat such failure or failures as a breach of the agreement entitling that party to terminate the agreement forthwith.
  15. Any fees remaining outstanding after the due date shall attract interest at 8% over the Bank of England base rate at the time of such fees becoming due.
  16. Any undertaking by either party not to do any act or thing shall be deemed to include an undertaking not to permit or suffer the doing of that act or thing.
  17. The headings in this Agreement are for descriptive purposes only and shall not control or alter the meaning of this Agreement as set forth in the text thereof, and do not in any way limit or amplify the terms of this Agreement.
  18. Words importing the singular number shall include the plural and vice versa and words importing the masculine shall include the feminine and neuter and vice versa.
  19. In the event of an inconsistency between the various provisions of this Agreement (including any documents incorporated herein by reference) the inconsistency shall be resolved by giving such provisions and documents the following order of precedence:

(a)     the written Proposal agreement signed by the Purchaser/s;

(b)     the Terms and Conditions of this Agreement.

  1. This Agreement shall commence upon the date of the Purchaser/s signature/s agreeing to the Architect’s written Proposal agreement.
  2. In consideration of the mutual exchange and disclosure of any Confidential Information, each party undertakes in relation to the other party’s Confidential Information:

(a)     to maintain the same in confidence and to use it only for the purposes of this Agreement and for no other purpose and in particular, but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, not to make any commercial use thereof or use the same for the benefit of itself or of any third party other than pursuant to this Agreement or a further agreement with the other party;

(b)     not to copy reproduce or reduce to writing any part thereof except as may be reasonably necessary for the aforesaid purposes and that any copies reproductions or reductions to writing so made shall be the property of the disclosing party;

(c)     not to disclose the same whether to its employees or to third parties except in confidence to such of its employees or directors who need to know the same for the aforesaid purposes and provided that (i) such employees and directors are obliged by their contracts of employment or service not to disclose the same, and (ii) the receiving party shall enforce such obligations at its expense and at the request of the disclosing party in so far as breach thereof relates to the disclosing party’s Confidential Information;

(d)     to be responsible for the performance of sub-clauses (a), (b) and (c) above on the part of its employees or directors to whom the same is disclosed pursuant to sub-clause (c) above;

(e)     to apply thereto no lesser security measures and degree of care than those which the receiving party applies to its own confidential or proprietary information]; and

(f)     to treat the Confidential Information at all times in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

(g)     In performance of this Agreement, each party and its employees and agents may have access to confidential information owned or controlled by the other party relating (inter alia) to equipment, apparatus, programs, software and specifications, drawings and other documents. All such information so acquired by the receiving party or its employees or agents under this Agreement or in contemplation thereof shall be and shall remain the disclosing party’s exclusive property unless and until the relevant Stage payment allowing the Purchaser/s to acquire the Confidential Information has been made under the written Proposal agreed by the Parties.  The receiving party shall use a reasonable degree of care, which in any event shall not be less than the same degree of care which the receiving party uses to protect its own confidential information, to keep and have its employees and agents keep, any and all such information confidential. The receiving party shall not copy, publish or disclose such information to others, or authorise its employees, or agents, or anyone else to copy, publish or disclose it to others, without the disclosing party’s prior written approval, and shall return such information to the disclosing party at its request should the relevant Stage payment not be forthcoming at the specified time.

  1. Nothing in Clause 21 shall be construed to limit each party’s use or dissemination of information that:

(1)     was in the lawful possession of the receiving party at the time of disclosure by the disclosing party without an obligation to keep it confidential;

(2)     was in the public domain at the time of receipt or disclosure or subsequently becomes so;

(3)     is not identified in writing as being proprietary or confidential;

(4)     was originally considered proprietary under this Clause but which subsequently becomes part of the public knowledge or literature through no fault of the receiving party;

(5)     is developed by or for the receiving party at any time independently of the information disclosed to it by the disclosing party;

(6)     has been or hereafter may be rightfully acquired from third parties without obligation to keep confidential.

(7)   is required to be disclosed by law or is disclosed to insurers or professional advisors.

For the avoidance of doubt, JDP may keep one copy of any information and/or Confidential Information for its own file.

  1. Each party agrees to keep the existence and nature of this Agreement and the provisions terms and conditions thereof confidential and not to use the same or the name of the other party in any publicity, advertisement or other disclosure with regard to this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party.
  2. The Architect shall retain copyright in the work produced by him in connection with this project and asserts his right to be identified as the author of such design or designs as may comprise the project.
  3. Title to any designs, drawings, Computer Aided Drawings or any other document (‘the documents’) created by JDP shall remain with JDP and shall not pass to the Purchaser/s in the form of a licence from the Architect to use such documents until the relevant Stage payment in the written Proposal agreement is received by JDP. Any such licence granted by the Architect to the Purchaser shall permit the Purchaser to use such designs, drawings, plans and software, as may be supplied by the Architect, solely in connection with the project and for the use of contractors on that specific project. Use of the said designs, drawings, plans or software in connection with any extension of the said project and/or for any additional construction, building, extension or any other project or by another architect or designer instead of JDP is specifically excluded in the absence of an additional licence from JDP.
  4. Should any fees due under this agreement remain unpaid for a period of 7 days the Architect is entitled to suspend the use of any and all licence/s granted in pursuance of the paragraph above.
  5. Each party hereto warrants and represents to each of the others that it has full authority, power and capacity to enter into this Agreement and that all necessary actions have been taken to enable it lawfully to enter into this Agreement. Each Party warrants that they are not currently subject to: (a) a winding-up order; (b) bankruptcy proceedings or have been made bankrupt (c) an Individual Voluntary Arrangement; or (d) a Creditors’ Voluntary Arrangement.
  6. Neither JDP nor any of its employees, agents or sub-contractors shall be considered in breach of this Contract or under any liability whatsoever to the Purchaser/s for non-performance, part performance, defective performance or delay in the performance of any services supplied or to be supplied or work carried out or to be carried out by the Party its employee’s agents or sub-contractors hereunder, which is directly or indirectly caused by or is a result of any circumstance beyond its reasonable control provided that notwithstanding, and without prejudice to the generality of, the foregoing, the following shall in all cases be deemed to be circumstances beyond the relevant party’s reasonable control:

(i)     Acts of God, explosion, flood, lightning, tempest, fire or accident;

(ii)    war, hostilities (whether war be declared or not), invasion, act of foreign enemies;

(iii)   rebellion, revolution, terrorism, insurrection, military or usurped power or civil war;

(iv)    riot, civil commotion or disorder;

(v)     acts, restrictions, regulations, by-laws, refusals to grant any licenses or permissions, prohibitions or measures of any kind on the part of any governmental authority;

(vi)    import or export regulations or embargoes;

(vii)   strikes, lock-outs or other industrial actions or trade disputes of whatever nature (whether involving employees of the JDP or a third party);

(viii)  defaults of suppliers or sub-contractors;

(ix)         incompleteness or inaccuracy of any technical information which it is the responsibility of the Purchaser to provide; or

(x)     any failure, default, delay in performance, or any act or omission of any nature whatsoever on the part of the Purchaser, or its employees, agents, suppliers or sub-contractors.

  1. In the event of force majeure causing a delay in the time for completion of the Contract or performance of a portion of the Contract the period of time for completion or performance, as the case may be, will be extended by a period equal to the delay provided that in the event the delay continues for a period in excess of 120 consecutive days either party shall have the right to terminate the Contract. In the event of such termination, JDP shall be entitled to be paid for all work performed prior to the date of termination and for any unavoidable commitments entered into by JDP prior to the date of such termination.
  2. JDP will use reasonable skill and care in the provision of its services. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the Agreement and these Terms and Conditions, JDP shall not be construed as owing any greater duty than the use of reasonable skill and care in accordance with the normal standards of its profession.
  3.  Both parties shall provide timely decisions to enable the proper performance of their respective obligations under this agreement.
  4. The Purchaser shall be responsible for the performance of work or services by any third party including contractors on this project and shall ensure that they co-operate with the Architect in connection with any issue requiring his services. Any and all requests for a survey or tests of soil, foundations, party walls, boundaries, drains, trees, or any other structure, object or liquid ancillary to the design provided by JDP shall be sent to JDP in writing specifying the survey or tests required, no liability shall be attached to JDP for the non-performance or negligent performance of the said survey or test/s.
  5. In connection with construction works the Purchaser shall not hold the Architect responsible for either health and safety nor the carrying out and completion of such works, all of which shall remain the responsibility of the Principal Contractors and/or other contractors.
  6.    The Purchaser shall provide any evidence required by the Architect for the resolution of any dispute which may arise between the Purchaser and any third party in connection with the project and shall indemnify the Architect for any additional costs or expenses incurred by him in the resolution of such a dispute.
  7. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as establishing or implying any partnership or joint venture between the parties hereto, and nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to constitute either of the parties hereto as the agent of the other party or authorise either party, (i) to incur any expenses on behalf of the other party, (ii) to enter into any engagement or make any representation or warranty on behalf of the other party, (iii) to pledge the credit of, or otherwise bind or oblige the other party, or (iv) to commit the other party in any way whatsoever, without in each case obtaining the other party’s prior written consent.
  8. If any term or provision in this Agreement shall be held to be illegal or unenforceable, in whole or in part, under any enactment or rule of law, such term or provision or part shall to that extent be deemed not to form part of this Agreement but the validity and enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected.
  9. If the Architect has to perform additional work and/or is involved in any extra expense for reasons which are not within his control he shall be entitled to additional fees on a pro-rata basis.
  10. The following activities do not form part of this agreement:

(a)     Listed building or conservation area consents;

(b)     Grant aided works;

(c)     Historic building research and archaeological records;

(d)     Interior design services;

(e)     Submission of plans for approval or negotiations in connection with grants, funders, landlords, freeholders or tenants etc;

(f)     Environmental studies;

(g)     Exceptional negotiations with planning or statutory authorities;

(h)     Reviews or revisions of plans to comply with requirements of planning or statutory authorities, freeholders or leaseholders or contractors;

(i)     Dispute resolution services on behalf of the client in connection with any adjudication;

(j)     Investigations in connection with any damage or destruction caused by third parties;

(k)     Additional works caused by the insolvency of any other party involved in the project;

(l)     Assessment in connection with any claim or counter claim by any third party;

(m)    Any further involvement with the project at post-completion stage

(n)  Any advice concerning Community Infrastructure Levy and s.106 Agreements. Such advice should be sought from a legal professional and/or an accountant.

  1. Our right to cancel. In addition to its other rights JDP reserve the right to cancel this agreement with immediate effect and no liability whatsoever shall be attached to such cancellation. We may cancel the agreement for a number of reasons including:

(i)     If JDP’s fees remain outstanding beyond their due date.

(ii)    If the purchaser wishes to proceed with works clearly in breach of statutory consents.

(iii)    If the purchaser extends the works beyond that anticipated at inception.

(iv)    Where, after a technical survey has been carried out, it is apparent that the work as shown in our quotation cannot be carried out for safety or other technical reasons;

(v)    Where, after a technical survey has been carried out, we find it necessary to recommend design changes for safety or other technical reasons which you do not want to agree to, either because they will cost more, or for any other reason.

  1. Your right to cancel

(i)     The Purchaser/s has the right to cancel this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

(ii)    The cancellation period will expire after 14 days from the day on which the agreement is entered into.

(iii)   To exercise the right to cancel, the Purchaser/s must inform JDP of their decision to cancel this contract by a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post, fax or e-mail to the contact details provided on my letterhead.). To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for to send the communication concerning the exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired.

(iv)    If the Purchaser/s cancels this agreement, JDP will reimburse to you all payments received from you.

(v)     JDP will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which they were informed about the decision to cancel this agreement.

(vi)    JDP will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as used for the initial transaction unless the Purchaser/s has expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, the Purchaser/s will not incur any fees as a result of the reimbursement. If the Purchaser/s requested JDP to begin the performance of services during the cancellation period, the Purchaser/s shall pay JDP an amount which is in proportion to what has been performed until they communicated to JDP their cancellation from this agreement, in comparison with the full coverage of the agreement.

  1. This agreement is subject to the law of England and Wales and the parties hereto submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
  2. No action or proceedings for any breach of this Agreement whether in contract or in tort or in delict or in negligence or for breach of statutory duty or otherwise, shall be commenced against JDP after the expiry of 6 years from the date that JDP finishes for the Purchase.
  3. JDP shall have no liability for any use by any party of any of the material prepared or provided by JDP for any purpose other than that for which the material was prepared or provided by JDP.
  4. JDP’s liability shall be limited to that proportion of loss which it would be just and equitable to require JDP to pay having regard to the extent of JDP’s responsibility for the same and on the basis that those other contractors, consultants and suppliers who were engaged in connection with the project shall be deemed to have provided contractual undertakings on terms no less onerous than this Agreement to the Purchaser in respect of the performance of their services and shall be deemed to have paid to the Purchaser such proportion as it would be just and equitable for them to pay having regard to the extent of their responsibility.
  5. Nothing in this Agreement shall confer or purport to confer on any third party any benefit or the right to enforce any term of this Agreement pursuant to the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
  6. Save in respect of personal injury or death, the Purchaser shall look only to JDP (and not to any of JDP’s personnel) for redress if the Purchaser considers that there has been any breach of this Agreement. The Purchaser agrees not to pursue any claims in contract, tort, or statute (including negligence) against any of JDP’s personnel as a result of carrying out its obligations under or in connection with this Agreement at any time and whether named expressly in this Agreement or not. For the avoidance of doubt, “personnel” shall include, but not be limited to, directors and officers of JDP.
  7. Set off is not permitted.
  8. Where JDP is requested to provide Warranties or enter into other Third Party Agreements and the terms of these documents have not already been agreed, JDP is prepared to negotiate the terms of such documents and the additional fee, if any, that should be paid to JDP for entering into them. The Purchaser shall not withhold payment of fees, pending agreement to such documents.
  9. The liability of JDP under or in connection with this Agreement whether in contract or in tort, in negligence, for breach of statutory duty or otherwise in respect of any claim or series of claims shall not exceed the amount, if any, recoverable by JDP by way of indemnity against the claim or claims in question under professional indemnity insurance taken out by JDP and in force at the time that the claims or (if earlier) circumstances are notified to the insurers in question.

 

STATEMENT ON RECORDINGS OF CLIENT MEETINGS

Client requirements are important to us and these are usually formulated into positive agreements during meetings at our offices, often involving the use of scale models.

In order to preserve a visual record of such meetings and agreements as to the finer details of any scheme and for the benefit of all parties, we have installed digital recording in our upstairs (audio only) and downstairs (video) office suites.

Should you not wish your meeting to be recorded, please let us know in advance. Otherwise recordings will be preserved and copies made available upon request at a nominal cost for software and labor.

Copyright in any such recordings and any associated intellectual property rights used or embodied in our recording systems, including supplier products or any part thereof shall remain the sole property of Johnson Design Partnership Limited (‘JDP’) save if JDP supply any digital or CD/DVD copy of such a recording to a client it shall be under license from JDP for the said digital or CD/DVD to be used only in connection with the specific project under discussion and/or agreed in the meeting with JDP representatives, such licensing not extending to use or showing in connection with any other purpose or project or at any place without the specific written authorisation from a Director of JDP, consent to which shall not be unreasonably withheld.

Johnson Design Partnership Limited are registered under the Data Protection Act.

 

MODERN SLAVERY ACT STATEMENT

 

This statement is made pursuant to s.54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and sets out the steps that Johnson Design Partnership Ltd has taken and is continuing to take to ensure that modern slavery or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain.

 

Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour. Johnson Design Partnership Ltd has a zero tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity and transparency in all business dealings and to putting effective systems and controls in place to safeguard against any form of modern slavery taking place within the business or our supply chain.

 

Our business

We are an Architectural practice based in Shropshire, U.K. The work that we do includes projects  from the following sectors healthcare, education, residential, commercial and industrial. Our work is predominantly based in the UK and Europe. We work with a number of consultants, contractors and suppliers within the construction industry.

 

Our high risk areas

Risks within the supply chain that have been identified include independent consultants and contractors that we work alongside, in particular construction contractors. We aim to reduce the risk by requiring detailed information at tender stage and operating under RIBA agreements/contracts where legal obligations are made clear.

 

Our policies

We operate a number of internal policies to ensure that we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner. These include:

 

  1. Recruitment policy. We operate a robust recruitment policy, including conducting eligibility to work in the UK checks for all employees to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals being forced to work against their will.
  2. Whistleblowing policy. We operate a whistleblowing policy so that all employees know that they can raise concerns about how colleagues are being treated, or practices within our business or supply chain, without fear of reprisals.
  3. Code of business conduct.  This code explains the manner in which we behave as an organisation and how we expect our employees and suppliers to act.

Our suppliers 

We conduct due diligence on all suppliers before allowing them to tender on projects.

 

We require them to conform to the following:

 

  • They have taken steps to eradicate modern slavery within their business
  • They hold their own suppliers to account over modern slavery
  • (For UK based suppliers) They pay their employees at least the national minimum wage / national living wage (as appropriate)
  • (For international suppliers) They pay their employees any prevailing minimum wage applicable within their country of operations
  • We may terminate the contract at any time should any instances of modern slavery come to light] i.e. during site inspections etc

 

Training

We conduct training for our employees so that they understand the signs of modern slavery and what to do if they suspect that it is taking place within our supply chain.

 

Our performance indicators

We will know the effectiveness of the steps that we are taking to ensure that slavery and/or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain if:

 

  • No reports are received from employees, the public, or law enforcement agencies to indicate that modern slavery practices have been identified.
32 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reviews
"

We love this house and it is a testament to your skills that it works so well for us. I am hoping that you will be able to help us again when (if) we succeed in buying the run down (and badly designed) bungalow we want – I will be in touch soon, I hope

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Richard and Jenn
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We engaged Johnson Design 4 years ago at the start of a big renovation and new build project. Matt Spinks has always taken our ideas or vague notions of an idea and turned them into something innovative which is both attractive and practical. We were delighted with the final plans which went straight through planning permission, even though part of the project was a Grade 2 listed renovation. As a project manager Matt has also been first rate and thoroughly supportive. We would not hesitate to recommend Johnson Design.

"
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Lynda Hall
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We looked at a couple of different Architect Practices whilst deciding on which to use for our house renovation, and immediately warmed to the team at Johnson Design Partnership Ltd. They were smart, professional, and following a visit to the property issued us with a comprehensive plan… We were both very impressed at the understanding and the detail that had gone in to finding out exactly what we wanted… Johnson Design Partnership handled the tender process with the Building contractors and again we were very happy with the choice that we made…. There was nothing left to chance and the whole team were a pleasure to work with… We really are very pleased with how the house was transformed throughout the five months that the builders were deconstructing it and then reconstructing it, and the end results are amazing, we love our home, and would and have recommended Johnson Design Partnership to friends and family alike

"
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Faye Lee, Telford
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Many thanks to Johnson Design for delivering exactly what we wanted: A bright, flexible, modern space which brings the garden and the lovely views of the upper Corvedale into our home, without losing anything of the character and warmth of our historic stone farmhouse. The family home of nearly 30 years has been greatly enhanced, giving a perfect blend of old and new, and the perfect venue for entertaining and family get-togethers. The extension was the proud focus for our wedding celebration and garden party for more than 100 guests over the Bank Holiday weekend, and bought in more admiring comments than we could count!

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Mr and Mrs Coad - Much Wenlock
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A good Architectural practice, producing aesthetically modern buildings. Keen and enthusiastic, a pleasure to work with.

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David Candlin, Director of Estates for North Shropshire College, Walford and North Shropshire College
"

Our project was not the biggest in the whole grand scheme of things but Vic approached the design brief with enthusiasm and Matt guided us through the process, as project manager with patience and good advice. We were pleased that Johnsons Design Partnership are prepared to work on smaller projects as well as the bigger more flamboyant ones. We are really happy with the finished result.

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Diane Malyon
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A key element of our business ethos is to provide our clients with access to the very best expertise and specialists in their field, always looking after their interests. Partnering with like-minded companies, such as Johnson Design Partnership, ensures we fulfil this ethos.

"
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Sean Byrne, CEO at The Del Bosque Group, Sean Byrne, CEO at The Del Bosque Group
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It’s a refreshing change to have such good service these days. I really have no idea how your prices compare to other practices, but on the face of they look absolutely fine and look perfectly fair & reasonable, and if I’m honest, pleasantly surprising.

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Steve Woods