Preface
We believe in helping people achieve freedom and purpose in navigating the world around them. We do this by helping people to become adventurers, and providing them with the tools they need to go and face the unknown, have the journey of a lifetime, and explore the natural beauty of the world around us.
We believe that a contract or policy should be simple, and easy to understand, so that you can get back to adventuring, and we can focus on making beautiful and functional products.
This policy is designed to be as clear as possible, and explain the purpose of it in an upfront and honest manner.
If you have any questions, concerns, feedback, or want to talk to us please do not hesitate to contact us.
1 - Custom Work & Design
1.1 - What Constitutes a Custom Design
Not every change to a standard design requires a custom design process, and this policy does not apply to every request.
Minor customisations can generally be accommodated within a standard cabinetry quote. For example, if all you need is an extra opening to run some cables through, this policy is not relevant to you.
This policy applies where your build involves:
- a completely new design; or
- a significant change to an existing design; or
- multiple minor customisations that, in aggregate, make it difficult for us to reliably predict how they will interact with each other.
If you are unsure whether your request falls under this policy, please ask us and we will let you know.
1.2 - Why Custom Work Cannot Be Quoted Upfront
Custom work, such as bespoke cabinetry, cannot be fully quoted until a design has been completed.
We do this because:
- the final scope, materials, and labour required for a custom build are not known until the design is finalised; and
- a quote given before design work has taken place would be a guess, not a genuine price; and
- we want to give you an accurate and fair price, not one that changes significantly once work has started; and
- committing to a fixed price before the design exists exposes us to the risk of underquoting the work, and we are unable to absorb that risk on your behalf.
Why can't you re-use these designs for future customers and make the money back elsewhere?
We cannot guarantee that another customer will ever want the same design as you, so there is no reliable way to recover that cost down the track. Designing a build so that it could be re-used by future customers is also a more involved process than designing a one-off, adding complexity and time that you would ultimately be paying for. For these reasons, we design and charge for each custom build on its own merits.
1.3 - Design Labour
Before we can quote your custom work, we need to design it. This design work takes labour, and that labour needs to be charged for.
1.3.1 - When Design Labour is Charged
Design Labour applies to all custom work that requires a design to be completed before it can be quoted.
This payment is due in full before design work begins.
1.3.2 - Amount of Design Labour
The Design Labour charge is 40 hours, charged at our standard hourly rate.
1.4 - Completion of the Design
1.4.1 - Unused Hours Applied to Your Order
If the design is completed using fewer than 40 hours, and you choose to proceed with your order, the value of the unused hours will be deducted from your final invoice.
1.4.2 - Unused Hours Refunded if You Do Not Proceed
If the design is completed and you decide not to proceed, the value of any unused hours will be refunded to you.
If you cancel once the design is complete, you forfeit the amount paid for the hours used to complete the design.
1.4.2 - Unused Hours Refunded if You Do Not Proceed
If the design is completed and you decide not to proceed, the value of any unused hours will be refunded to you.
If you cancel once the design is complete, you forfeit the amount paid for the hours used to complete the design.
1.5 - If the Design Needs More Than 40 Hours
If at any point during the 40 hours we believe the design will take longer than 40 hours to finalise, we will contact you and let you know.
At that point you may choose to:
- continue, and be charged for the additional hours required; or
- cancel, and receive a refund of any unused hours from the original 40.
Why do we do this?
We don't want to spend your money without your knowledge or consent. If a design is going to take longer than expected, we want you to make an informed decision about whether to continue, rather than being presented with a bigger bill after the fact.
1.6 - Cancellation During the Design Phase
Cancellation during the design phase is governed by this policy, not by section 1.5 of our Payment Terms. Once the design is complete, no further Administration Fee applies to the design work itself, only the treatment of unused hours as described in '1.4.2 - Unused Hours Refunded if You Do Not Proceed' above.
1.7 - Feasibility, Scope Changes & Communication
1.7.1 - No Guarantee of Feasibility
Accepting a design request does not guarantee that the request, as initially scoped, is achievable.
Some requirements only reveal their true complexity, or their conflicts with other requirements, once we are working through the design in detail. Agreeing to design your build is an agreement to do the work in good faith, not a guarantee that every element of the original scope can be delivered.
1.7.2 - Changes to Scope During Design
Design is a collaborative process, and we expect your input and feedback as it progresses.
If you change or add to the scope of your request while we are designing your build, this may increase the number of hours required to complete the design. Where this occurs, it will be treated the same as any other increase in scope under '1.5 - If the Design Needs More Than 40 Hours' above.
1.7.3 - Conflicting Features
We may, part way through the design process, advise you that not every requested feature can be delivered together. Some features may physically conflict with one another, or the constraints of your vehicle, such that one must be given up for the design to work.
Where this happens, you will need to decide which features are your priority. If none of the affected features are negotiable, you may choose to cancel in accordance with '1.6 - Cancellation During the Design Phase' above.
1.7.4 - Miscommunication
We will endeavour to communicate with you as clearly and effectively as possible throughout the design process. That said, miscommunication can happen from time to time, as it can in any collaborative process.
Miscommunication alone is not, in general, sufficient grounds for a refund of any Design Labour that has already been charged.
1.8 - Intellectual Property in the Design
The design remains the intellectual property of Odyssey.
A design, by its nature, contains proprietary information, including dimensions and measurements, some of which are obtained from expensive 3D scans of a vehicle. This information represents a significant investment on our part, independent of the Design Labour charged to you.
If you wish to keep a copy of the design information, please contact us to discuss this. Any agreement that departs from this section must be made in writing.
2 - Examples
Example 1: Design completed under 40 hours, order proceeds
Sarah commissions a custom kitchen fit-out. She pays for 40 hours of Design Labour upfront at our standard hourly rate. The design is completed in 32 hours. Sarah approves the design and proceeds with her order. The value of the 8 unused hours is deducted from her final invoice.
Example 2: Design completed under 40 hours, customer does not proceed
Tom commissions a custom van cabinetry build. He pays for 40 hours of Design Labour upfront. The design takes 25 hours to complete. Once Tom sees the finished design and the quote it produces, he decides the cost is more than he wants to spend, and tells us he does not wish to continue. Tom forfeits the amount paid for the 25 hours used to complete the design, and we refund the value of the remaining 15 hours.
Example 3: Design runs over 40 hours, customer chooses to continue
Priya commissions a complex custom design with many non-standard features. At the 20-hour mark, we realise the design will need roughly 55 hours in total to finalise. We contact Priya, explain the reason for the extra time, and ask how she would like to proceed. Priya agrees to the additional 15 hours. We complete the design at 55 hours, and she is charged for the extra 15 hours in addition to her original 40. She proceeds with her order, so no hours remain to be deducted or refunded.
Example 4: Design runs over 40 hours, customer chooses to cancel
John commissions a custom cabinetry layout. At the 30-hour mark, we advise him that the design will need more time than the 40 hours already paid for. John decides not to continue. He is not charged for any additional hours beyond the original 40, and the value of the 10 hours that were not used is refunded to him.
Example 5: Design runs over 40 hours, customer continues, but the additional hours are not all used
Liam commissions a custom cabinetry build with an unusual layout. At the 30-hour mark, we advise him that the design will need approximately 48 hours in total to finalise. Liam agrees to the additional hours and we continue. As it turns out, the remaining work only takes another 4 hours, and the design is completed at 44 hours rather than the estimated 48. Liam proceeds with his order. The value of the 4 hours quoted but not used is deducted from his final invoice.
Example 6: Requested features conflict with each other
Kate requests a custom build with a custom fridge, a wider aisle that runs the full length of the vehicle, a custom folding slide-out desk, and an extra drawer in place of a hatch. At the 25-hour mark, we advise her that all of these features cannot fit within the available space without compromising the strength of the box. Kate is not willing to compromise on the fridge she has chosen, but agrees to give up the folding feature on the slide-out desk and to keep the hatch instead of replacing it with a drawer, so that the design can proceed.
Example 7: Customer changes scope during design
Ben commissions a custom cabinetry design for his van. At the 15-hour mark, partway through the design process, Ben decides he would also like to add a fold-out desk that was not part of his original request. This addition increases the estimated time to complete the design. We advise Ben of the additional hours required in accordance with '1.5 - If the Design Needs More Than 40 Hours', and he agrees to proceed.