Terms and Conditions

Last updated: 30 June 2026

1. Introduction and Acceptance

Welcome to Cat Chronicles Studio. The present Terms and Conditions (referred to throughout as the "Terms") govern your access to and use of the website located at www.catchroniclesstudio.com (the "Website"), together with every purchase of goods offered for sale through it. The Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you, the visitor or customer (referred to as "you" or the "Customer"), and Stephen Smith, trading as Cat Chronicles Studio (referred to as "we," "us," "our," or the "Studio").

By browsing the Website, creating an order, or completing a purchase, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms in their entirety. Should you disagree with any provision set out below, you are kindly requested to refrain from using the Website or placing an order. Continued use following the publication of any amended version will be treated as acceptance of the revised Terms.

These Terms should be read together with our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Returns Policy, each of which forms part of your agreement with us. Where any conflict arises between a specific policy and these Terms in respect of the subject matter governed by that policy, the specific policy shall prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.

2. Information About Us

In accordance with the disclosure obligations imposed by the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, we provide the following particulars regarding the trader operating the Website:

Trading name: Cat Chronicles Studio.

Proprietor: Stephen Smith, operating as a sole trader.

Registered trading address: 147 Moat Way, Brayton, Selby, North Yorkshire, YO8 9TB, United Kingdom.

Website: www.catchroniclesstudio.com.

Contact email: info@catchroniclesstudio.com. 

Social media: Instagram @cat_chronicles_studio.

Correspondence relating to orders, cancellations, complaints, or any matter arising under these Terms may be addressed to the email or postal address stated above, and we endeavour to respond to all enquiries within a reasonable period.

3. Definitions and Interpretation

For ease of construction, the following expressions carry the meanings assigned to them wherever they appear in these Terms:

Consumer: An individual acting wholly or mainly outside that individual's trade, business, craft, or profession, as defined under section 2(3) of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Contract: The legally binding agreement formed between you and the Studio for the sale and purchase of Goods, concluded in accordance with Section 7 below.

Goods: The framed illustrations, prints, greeting cards, mugs, coasters, bookmarks, beanie hats, tote bags, and any related merchandise or accessories offered for sale through the Website.

Order: A request submitted by you through the Website to purchase one or more items of Goods.

Working Day: Any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, or a public or bank holiday in England and Wales.

Words denoting the singular include the plural and vice versa, references to any statute or statutory provision include that provision as amended, re-enacted, or extended from time to time, and headings are inserted for convenience only and do not affect the interpretation of the clauses to which they relate.

4. Eligibility and Use of the Website

Access to the Website is offered to individuals who are at least eighteen years of age and who possess the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts. Where a purchaser is below the age of majority, the relevant Order must be placed by, or with the express consent and supervision of, a parent or legal guardian who accepts responsibility for the transaction.

You agree to use the Website solely for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of the Website by, any third party. Prohibited conduct includes, without limitation, the following:

Unauthorised access: Attempting to gain access to areas of the Website, server infrastructure, or connected databases that are not made publicly available, whether by hacking, password mining, or any other illegitimate means.

Disruptive activity: Introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs, or other material that is malicious or technologically harmful, or otherwise interfering with the proper functioning of the Website.

Misuse of content: Reproducing, duplicating, copying, scraping, or re-selling any part of the Website or its content in contravention of Section 11 of these Terms.

False information: Submitting inaccurate, incomplete, or fraudulent personal or payment details when placing an Order.

We reserve the right to suspend, restrict, or terminate access to the Website, and to refuse or cancel any Order, where we reasonably suspect a breach of these obligations or any unlawful activity.

5. Products, Descriptions, and Availability

Every item offered through the Studio consists of original artwork and merchandise inspired by the illustrated adventures of our cats. We take considerable care to describe and depict the Goods accurately, including their dimensions, materials, and finish. Notwithstanding such care, the photographs, illustrations, and colour representations displayed on the Website are intended for guidance only, and minor variations in colour, tone, texture, or finish may occur as a consequence of differing screen settings, display calibration, and the handcrafted or print-on-demand nature of certain products.

Packaging may differ from any image shown, and slight variations between individual items are an inherent characteristic of artistic and printed goods rather than a defect. All Goods are subject to availability. Where an item becomes unavailable after an Order has been submitted, we will notify you promptly and offer either a suitable alternative, a delayed fulfilment, or a full refund of any sum already paid in respect of the unavailable item.

We retain the right to amend, withdraw, or discontinue any product, and to revise the range of Goods offered, at our discretion and without incurring liability to you, provided that any Order already accepted shall continue to be governed by the terms in force at the time of acceptance.

6. Pricing, Payment, and Currency

Prices for the Goods are expressed in pounds sterling (GBP, £) and are displayed on the relevant product page. The Studio is not registered for value added tax, and accordingly no VAT is charged on, or included within, the price of any item, unless and until the Studio becomes VAT registered, while delivery charges are calculated and presented separately during the checkout process before you confirm your Order.

Although every effort is made to ensure that pricing is accurate, errors may occasionally occur. Where we discover a genuine mistake in the price of Goods you have ordered, we will contact you as soon as reasonably practicable to inform you of the correct price and to ask whether you wish to proceed at that price or cancel the Order. Should we be unable to reach you, the Order will be treated as cancelled and any payment taken will be refunded in full.

Payment is collected at the point of purchase through the secure payment facilities integrated within our Squarespace platform and its associated payment processors. By submitting payment details, you warrant that you are duly authorised to use the chosen payment method and that sufficient funds or credit are available to meet the cost of the Order. Title to the Goods does not pass to you until full payment, including any applicable delivery charges, has been received and cleared.

7. Order Process and Formation of Contract

The presentation of Goods on the Website constitutes an invitation to treat rather than a binding offer of sale. When you place an Order, you make an offer to purchase the selected Goods subject to these Terms.

Following submission, you will receive an automated acknowledgement confirming that your Order has been received. Such acknowledgement records the details of your Order but does not, in itself, constitute acceptance. A binding Contract comes into existence only when we issue a dispatch confirmation indicating that the Goods have been sent, or when we otherwise expressly accept the Order, whichever occurs first.

We reserve the right to decline or cancel any Order prior to dispatch for legitimate reasons, including but not limited to unavailability of stock, an identified pricing or description error, a failure of payment authorisation, suspected fraudulent activity, or an inability to deliver to the address provided. Where an Order is declined after payment has been taken, a full refund will be processed without undue delay.

8. Delivery and Shipping

Delivery options, estimated timescales, and associated charges are presented at checkout and may vary according to the destination, the dispatch method selected, and the nature of the Goods ordered. We dispatch to addresses within the United Kingdom and to European Union member states, and additional destinations may be made available from time to time at our discretion.

Estimated delivery periods are provided in good faith and represent our reasonable expectation rather than a guaranteed date, save where a specific delivery date has been agreed in writing. Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, where no period is agreed, we will deliver the Goods without undue delay and, in any event, within thirty days of the day on which the Contract is concluded.

Customers ordering for delivery outside the United Kingdom should be aware that import duties, customs charges, or local taxes may be levied by the destination country. Responsibility for any such charges rests with the Customer, who is advised to consult the relevant local authority before placing an Order. Should delivery be delayed by an event outside our reasonable control, the provisions of Section 15 (Force Majeure) shall apply, and we will contact you to arrange an extended delivery period.

9. Risk and Ownership

Responsibility for the Goods, including the risk of loss or damage, passes to you upon delivery to the address specified in your Order, or upon collection by you or a carrier nominated by you. Legal ownership of the Goods passes to you only once we have received payment in full and the Goods have been delivered. Until both conditions are satisfied, the Goods remain our property.

Where delivery has been attempted but could not be completed owing to your absence or the provision of an incorrect address, and the Goods are subsequently returned to us, we may charge the reasonable cost of redelivery before re-dispatching the Order.

10. Right to Cancel, Returns, and Refunds

The Studio offers a returns arrangement that meets, and in certain respects exceeds, the protections conferred by United Kingdom consumer legislation. Your rights fall into two distinct categories: the statutory right to cancel a distance contract, and the Studio's own goodwill returns policy. Nothing in this Section affects your separate statutory rights in respect of faulty Goods, which are addressed at Section 12.

Statutory cancellation right (cooling-off period): Under regulations 29 and 30 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, a Consumer purchasing at a distance is entitled to cancel the Contract within fourteen days, beginning on the day after the day on which the Goods come into the physical possession of the Consumer or a person identified by the Consumer to take possession of them. Where an Order comprises multiple items delivered separately, the period runs from receipt of the last item. No reason need be given to exercise this right.

Exercising the cancellation right: To cancel within the statutory period, you must inform us of your decision by a clear statement sent to info@catchroniclesstudio.com or by post to the address in Section 2. You may use the model cancellation form available on request, although its use is not obligatory. Following a valid cancellation, you must return the Goods without undue delay and in any event within fourteen days of notifying us. The direct cost of returning the Goods is borne by you unless the Goods are faulty or were sent in error.

Refunds following statutory cancellation: Upon a valid cancellation, we will reimburse all payments received from you, including the standard cost of outbound delivery, although we are not obliged to refund any supplementary cost arising from your choice of an enhanced or expedited delivery method. Reimbursement will be made using the same means of payment used for the original transaction, within fourteen days of the day on which the Goods are received back by us, or, if earlier, within fourteen days of the day on which you supply evidence of having returned the Goods. We may withhold reimbursement until one of those events has occurred, and we may make a deduction to reflect any diminution in the value of the Goods caused by handling beyond what is necessary to establish their nature, characteristics, and functioning.

Studio goodwill returns policy (28 days): As a gesture extending beyond the statutory minimum, the Studio accepts returns of unwanted Goods for a period of twenty-eight days from the date of receipt, provided that the Goods are unused, undamaged, in a resaleable condition, and returned with their original packaging where applicable. Goods returned under this extended arrangement must be accompanied by proof of purchase. The cost of return postage under the goodwill policy is the responsibility of the Customer, and we recommend the use of a tracked service, since the risk of loss in transit rests with you until the Goods are received by us.

Exclusions from the right to cancel: Pursuant to regulation 28 of the 2013 Regulations, the statutory cancellation right does not apply to certain categories of Goods, including the following:

Personalised or bespoke items: Goods made to your specifications or clearly personalised, such as illustrations commissioned to individual requirements or merchandise bearing a custom name, message, or design, are exempt from the cooling-off period, save where the item proves to be faulty or not as described.

Goods liable to deteriorate: Items that, by their nature, are liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly are excluded, although such items do not ordinarily form part of the Studio's range.

Sealed goods unsuitable for return: Sealed Goods that are not suitable for return on grounds of health protection or hygiene, once unsealed after delivery, fall outside the cancellation right.

Digital downloads: Where any digital content is supplied in a non-tangible medium, the right to cancel is lost once supply has begun with your prior express consent and acknowledgement that the right would thereby be forfeited.

11. Faulty, Damaged, or Misdescribed Goods

Your statutory rights as a Consumer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 sit alongside, and are unaffected by, the returns arrangements described above. Pursuant to sections 9, 10, and 11 of that Act, the Goods supplied must be of satisfactory quality, fit for any particular purpose made known to us, and as described on the Website.

Where Goods are faulty, damaged on arrival, or otherwise do not conform to the Contract, you are entitled to the following remedies:

Short-term right to reject: Under section 22 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you may reject non-conforming Goods and obtain a full refund within thirty days of the later of delivery, transfer of ownership, or, where relevant, installation.

Repair or replacement: Should the thirty-day period have elapsed, section 23 entitles you to request a repair or a replacement, which we will provide within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, and at our own cost.

Price reduction or final right to reject: Where a repair or replacement proves impossible, is not carried out within a reasonable time, or fails to remedy the defect, sections 20 and 24 entitle you to a price reduction or to reject the Goods and receive a refund, which may be reduced to reflect any use you have had of the Goods after the first six months.

To claim any of the foregoing remedies, please contact us promptly with your Order reference and, where possible, photographic evidence of the defect or damage. Reasonable return postage costs incurred in returning faulty Goods will be reimbursed. We may inspect returned Goods to verify the reported fault before issuing a remedy, and any refund due will be processed without undue delay once the claim is confirmed.

12. Intellectual Property and Copyright Policy

All artwork, illustrations, designs, characters, drawings, photographs, text, graphics, logos, layout, and the overall look and feel of the Website and the Goods are the original creative works of Cat Chronicles Studio, and are protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, by the law of registered and unregistered design rights, by trade mark law, and by applicable international intellectual property conventions. Ownership of, and all rights subsisting in, such works are reserved to the Studio or its licensors.

Purchase of a physical item confers upon you ownership of that tangible article alone. No purchase, download, or use of the Website transfers any copyright, design right, or other intellectual property interest, nor does it grant any licence to reproduce, copy, distribute, publicly display, modify, commercially exploit, or create derivative works from the underlying artwork or designs.

The following acts are expressly prohibited without our prior written consent:

Commercial reproduction: Reproducing, printing, or manufacturing any illustration, design, or merchandise bearing our artwork for sale, resale, or any commercial purpose.

Digital copying: Downloading, screen-capturing, scraping, or otherwise extracting images, designs, or content from the Website for redistribution or republication on any platform.

Derivative use: Adapting, altering, or incorporating our artwork into other works, products, or branding, whether in whole or in part.

Trade mark misuse: Using the name "Cat Chronicles Studio," any associated logo, or any confusingly similar mark in a manner liable to cause confusion as to origin or endorsement.

Limited personal, non-commercial use is permitted, such as viewing the Website, sharing a product link, or displaying a purchased print within your own home. Where you believe that any content published on the Website infringes a copyright or other right that you own, you are invited to notify us in writing at info@catchroniclesstudio.com, providing identification of the work concerned, the location of the allegedly infringing material, and your contact details, whereupon we will investigate and respond appropriately. Infringement of our intellectual property may result in civil proceedings for damages, an account of profits, injunctive relief, and recovery of legal costs.

13. Limitation of Liability

Nothing in these Terms operates to exclude or limit our liability in any respect where it would be unlawful to do so. In particular, we do not exclude or limit liability for death or personal injury arising from our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, for any breach of the statutory rights conferred by the Consumer Rights Act 2015, or for any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Subject to the foregoing, and given that the Goods are sold for private domestic and personal use, we will not be liable for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity, nor for any indirect or consequential loss that was not reasonably foreseeable to both parties at the time the Contract was formed. Our total liability arising under or in connection with any Contract, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, shall not exceed the total price paid by you for the Goods that are the subject of the relevant claim, save to the extent that any mandatory provision of law requires otherwise.

We accept no responsibility for the temporary unavailability of the Website, for interruptions caused by maintenance, technical faults, or factors beyond our control, or for any loss arising from your reliance on information published on the Website that is general in nature.

14. Privacy, Data Protection, and Cookies

Your privacy is treated with the seriousness it warrants. The collection, use, storage, and disclosure of your personal data are governed by the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018, and, where the Studio supplies Goods to customers within the European Union, by Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the EU GDPR). Full particulars of the categories of data we process, the lawful bases on which we rely, the retention periods we apply, and the rights available to you as a data subject are set out in our Privacy Policy.

The Website employs cookies and similar technologies, including analytics provided through Squarespace and Google Analytics, in order to operate the store, to remember your preferences, and to understand how visitors interact with the site. Detailed information regarding the cookies in use, their purpose, their duration, and the means by which you may grant or withdraw consent is contained in our Cookie Policy. By continuing to use the Website and adjusting your cookie settings accordingly, you consent to the processing of cookie data as described therein.

15. Force Majeure

We shall not be in breach of these Terms, nor liable for any delay in performing or failure to perform any of our obligations, where such delay or failure results from an event, circumstance, or cause beyond our reasonable control. Such events include, without limitation, acts of God, fire, flood, severe weather, epidemic or pandemic, war, civil unrest, terrorism, industrial action, failure of utility services or transport networks, interruption of supply chains, and the acts, omissions, or default of carriers or third-party service providers.

In the event of a force majeure occurrence, we will notify you as soon as reasonably practicable, and our obligations will be suspended for the duration of the event, with any affected delivery period extended accordingly. Where the disruption persists for a continuous period exceeding thirty days, either party may cancel the affected Order, in which case any sums paid for undelivered Goods will be refunded in full.

16. Complaints and Dispute Resolution

We are committed to dealing fairly and promptly with any concern you may raise. Should you be dissatisfied with any aspect of the Goods or the service provided, you are encouraged to contact us in the first instance at info@catchroniclesstudio.com, setting out the nature of your complaint and your Order reference, so that we may seek to resolve the matter amicably.

Most complaints are settled satisfactorily through direct communication. Where a dispute cannot be resolved between us, you retain the right to pursue the matter through the courts as described in Section 19. Alternative dispute resolution offers a further avenue, although we are not presently obliged by law, by contract, or by membership of any trade association to submit to a particular ADR scheme. Where, having exhausted our internal complaints procedure, a dispute remains unresolved, we will inform you of any competent ADR entity to which you may turn.

For the avoidance of doubt, the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution platform was permanently discontinued on 20 July 2025 and is no longer operational. Consequently, no link to that platform is provided, and references to it elsewhere should be disregarded. Customers resident in the European Union may instead contact their national consumer centre or the European Consumer Centres Network for cross-border assistance.

17. General Provisions

Severability: Should any provision of these Terms be held by a competent authority to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision shall be severed, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Waiver: A failure or delay by us in exercising any right or remedy under these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that or any other right or remedy, nor shall any single or partial exercise preclude further exercise.

Assignment: You may not assign, transfer, or sub-contract any of your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign or transfer our rights and obligations to a third party, provided that such assignment does not adversely affect your rights under these Terms.

Entire agreement: These Terms, together with the documents expressly referred to within them, represent the whole agreement between the parties in relation to their subject matter and supersede any prior arrangement, understanding, or representation, save for any representation made fraudulently.

Third-party rights: A person who is not a party to the Contract has no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any of these Terms, although the statutory rights of any Consumer remain unaffected.

18. Variation of the Terms

We reserve the right to revise and amend these Terms at any time in order to reflect changes in legislation, in our business practices, in the range of Goods offered, or in the operation of the Website. The version published on the Website at the time you place an Order will govern the resulting Contract. Any material amendment will be posted on this page with an updated revision date, and your continued use of the Website following publication signifies acceptance of the amended Terms. You are therefore encouraged to review this page periodically.

19. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms, each Contract formed under them, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with their subject matter or formation, including non-contractual disputes or claims, are governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales shall have jurisdiction to settle any such dispute or claim.

Where you are a Consumer resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may alternatively bring proceedings in the courts of the part of the United Kingdom in which you reside, and the mandatory consumer-protection provisions of your country of residence remain available to you. Customers resident within the European Union likewise retain the benefit of any mandatory protection afforded by the law of their habitual residence, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 (Rome I).

20. Contact

Questions, comments, cancellation notices, and complaints relating to these Terms or to any Order may be directed to:

Cat Chronicles Studio 147 Moat Way, Brayton, Selby, North Yorkshire, YO8 9TB, United Kingdom 

Email: info@catchroniclesstudio.com 

Website: www.catchroniclesstudio.com 

Instagram: @cat_chronicles_studio.