Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of These Terms

These Terms of Service form an agreement between you and Rfg Trades Inc., a company operating a bond warehouse desk for computer integrated systems design from 13007 Hyland Siderd, ESSEX - N8M 2X6, Canada (CA). By using this website or by asking the desk to open a bond note, run a grade sheet or hold a release window, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the website or the services.

If you are acting for a company, you confirm that you have authority to bind that company to these terms. If you are acting for yourself, you confirm that you are old enough to enter a contract. The same rules apply either way, and the desk will ask for the name of the party responsible before any note is opened.

These terms should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which is available at the address shown in the footer of every page. The Privacy Policy explains how information is handled, while these terms explain what the desk will do and what it expects in return.

2. Definitions

In these terms, the desk means the bond warehouse desk operated by Rfg Trades Inc. at the Essex warehouse. A bond note means the written instrument that names the authority, the goods and the condition for release. A grade sheet means the record of a condition inspection carried out against a signed standard. A consignee letter means the document that names the party entitled to collect a release.

A release window means the fixed period on a working day during which held goods may be collected. A sitting means a meeting at the warehouse between the client, a carrier and the desk to resolve a contested record. The developer means RFG Trades, the party that maintains the public web presence of Rfg Trades Inc. The word including does not limit the words around it.

Goods means the components, equipment or materials that are the subject of a note. The client means the party who asks the desk to act and who is responsible for the fees. A carrier means the party who collects goods on behalf of a consignee.

3. The Services We Provide

Rfg Trades Inc. provides six bonded trades from the Essex desk: bond note bays, grade sheet runs, consignee letter desks, release windows, duty review rounds and warehouse sittings. Each trade is described in more detail on the services page. The desk performs these trades within the scope agreed with the client and does not undertake work outside that scope without a written instruction.

The services are administrative and inspection services. The desk is not a common carrier, it does not transport goods, and it does not insure goods. Where the desk holds goods on a rack pending a release, the goods remain the property of the client or of the party named in the note, and the desk is acting as a custodian of records and of the goods for the period of the hold.

The desk may decline a request that it cannot perform correctly, for example a request to release goods without a valid note or a request to grade a component against a standard that has not been agreed. A refusal is not a judgement about the client and it is always explained in writing.

4. Eligibility and Authority

The desk works with businesses and professionals. Before opening a note, the desk will ask for the legal name of the client, a contact person, an address for service and any registration detail needed to move goods through a bonded route. The desk may also ask for evidence that the person giving instructions is authorised to do so.

Where the client is a subcontractor or a nominated agent, the desk will check the bond note to confirm that the client is entitled to act. If the note does not support the instruction, the desk will ask for the note to be reopened rather than act on an informal request. This protects the client as much as the desk, because a release that cannot be traced is a release that will be challenged.

The desk does not knowingly trade with parties subject to sanctions or with parties whose identity cannot be established. If a check raises a doubt, the desk will pause the work and ask for clarification before proceeding.

5. Bookings and Release Windows

A booking request may be made by email to trades@rfgtrades.autos, by telephone on +16603128674 or through the contact page. The desk will confirm a booking in writing and will state the window, the note reference and the conditions that must be met before the window opens. A booking is not final until it is confirmed in writing.

Release windows are fixed periods and they are not a queue. A carrier who arrives late will be rebooked into the next available window and no goods will be released outside a scheduled window except in an emergency approved by the desk. The desk reserves the right to close a window early if the records for that window are incomplete, and will tell the client promptly.

The client is responsible for ensuring that the consignee letter matches the bond note before the window. If the desk finds a mismatch, it will hold the goods and request a corrected letter. A hold caused by an incomplete record is not a breach of these terms by the desk.

6. Bond Notes

The bond note is the central record of the desk. It names the party who may authorise a release, the goods covered, the value declared and the condition of release, and it is written in plain words so that it can be read at the gate without a telephone call to the office. The client must supply accurate information for the note and must tell the desk immediately if any of that information changes.

When a change is needed, the desk does not overwrite the original. It adds a dated line beneath the first marking and signs the change so that the note keeps a visible history. A reopened note replaces the earlier arrangement for the period stated in the new line, and the client will receive a copy of the reopened note.

The desk may refuse to release goods if the note is unsigned, if the authority cannot be verified or if the declared value appears inconsistent with the goods. A refusal is recorded on the note with a short reason so that the client can see what must be corrected.

7. Grade Sheets

The grade sheet records the condition of goods against a standard agreed with the client. The standard is read before the goods are inspected, and the sheet records the standard, the observation and the finding in that order. The desk will agree the depth of the inspection before the first sheet is written so that the grade means the same thing throughout the project.

A finding is recorded as pass, hold or return. A pass releases the goods to the next step. A hold keeps the goods on the rack for a second observation, which is normally made by the same inspector a day later. A return documents the specific clause that failed and, where the client permits, includes a photograph.

The grade sheet reflects the condition of the goods at the time of inspection. It is not a warranty of future performance and it does not replace a manufacturer guarantee. If the client later discovers a defect that could not reasonably have been seen during the inspection, the client should tell the desk so that the record can be noted and, where appropriate, a fresh sheet opened.

8. Consignee Letters

The consignee letter names the party entitled to collect a release. The desk drafts the letter from the bond note and keeps a signed copy at the bench beside the note. The client must confirm the details of the letter before the window in which the release is to occur, and any change to the nominated party requires a fresh letter rather than an amendment spoken at the gate.

Where the client nominates a subcontractor or another party to collect, the nomination must be supported by the bond note. The desk will check the letter against the note and will hold the goods if the two do not agree. The desk may also ask the carrier for identification at the door.

A retired letter is kept in the archive rather than destroyed, because a later dispute often turns on what was authorised at a particular moment. The client may ask for a copy of any letter connected to its own notes, and the desk will normally provide it within one working day.

9. Warehouse Sittings

A sitting may be requested when a record has resisted two rounds of written review. The sitting brings the client, the carrier and the desk together at the Essex floor to walk the record in person. Sittings are held during normal desk hours and are scheduled with enough notice for the relevant goods to be available on the rack.

At the sitting the note is read from start to finish, the goods are examined where their condition is in question and a finding is written down and signed by everyone present. If the finding changes the grade, a fresh sheet is opened rather than the earlier one being altered. If the finding changes the release, a new window is set before the parties leave the bench.

The client is responsible for the conduct of the parties it brings to a sitting and for any safety instruction given by the desk. The desk may end a sitting if a participant behaves in a way that threatens the safety of the floor, and the record will show that the sitting ended for that reason.

10. Fees, Duties and Review Rounds

Fees for the services are set out in the written quotation or in the client agreement and, in the absence of such a document, in a schedule supplied by the desk before work begins. Fees are payable in the currency stated on the quotation and within the period stated on the invoice. The desk will not add a charge that has not been agreed in writing or that is required by law.

Duties, surcharges and holding fees are reviewed in weekly rounds. Any new charge is explained to the client in writing before it is billed, and the review round is recorded even when it finds nothing. If a review finds an error in our favour, the record is corrected with a dated line and the client is notified.

If an invoice remains unpaid after the stated period, the desk may hold goods on the rack and may suspend further work until the account is settled. The desk will give notice in writing before taking such a step, and it will not sell or dispose of goods to recover a fee except where the law permits and after a reasonable period of notice.

11. Client Obligations

The client must provide accurate information about the goods, the parties and the standard against which condition is to be measured. The client must tell the desk of any change to a note, a letter or a consignee as soon as the change is known, and must ensure that the person collecting the goods is the person named in the letter.

The client must pay the agreed fees and must cooperate with the desk during a grade sheet run or a sitting. Where the client supplies documents, the client confirms that it is entitled to do so and that the documents do not infringe the rights of a third party. The client must not ask the desk to act in a way that would breach the law or a bonded obligation.

The client is responsible for compliance with the customs, export and import rules of every country through which its goods travel. The desk will assist with the records it holds, but it does not give legal advice and it does not take on the client obligations that belong to the client.

12. Goods, Risk and Condition

Goods held on the rack remain at the risk of the client while they are in the warehouse, except to the extent that loss or damage is caused by the negligence of the desk. The desk stores goods in a secure area, keeps the records that describe them and takes reasonable care in moving them between rack and bench. The desk does not provide insurance and the client should arrange its own cover.

If goods arrive in a condition that differs from the packing list, the desk will record the difference on the grade sheet and notify the client. If goods appear unsafe, leaking or damaged in a way that could affect other goods, the desk may move them to a segregated area and may ask the client to arrange collection. Such a step is taken for the safety of the floor and does not affect the client obligation to pay the agreed fees.

Goods that are not collected within the period stated in the note may attract a holding fee as described in Section 10. Goods that remain uncollected for a long period will be handled as the law and the client agreement require, and the desk will make reasonable efforts to contact the client before taking any step that affects the goods.

13. Intellectual Property

This website, including its layout, text and styling, is the property of Rfg Trades Inc. and the developer RFG Trades. The bond warehouse desk motif, the written descriptions of the six trades and the text of these pages are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced for commercial use without written permission.

The client keeps ownership of the records the client supplies. The desk acquires no ownership of those records and uses them only to perform the services and to keep the archive described in the Privacy Policy. The desk owns the bond notes, grade sheets and consignee letters it creates, but grants the client a right to receive copies for its own project purposes.

You may link to this website and you may quote a short passage with an attribution to Rfg Trades Inc. You may not present the site as your own, remove a notice of ownership or use the name of the desk in a way that suggests an endorsement you do not have.

14. Acceptable Use of the Website

This website is provided for information and for making contact with the desk. You agree not to interfere with its operation, not to attempt to gain access to areas that are not public, not to introduce malicious code and not to use automated tools to collect its content for a competing service.

The desk may suspend access to the website for maintenance or for security reasons. The desk does not guarantee that the site will be free of interruption, and it will not be liable for a loss caused solely by a temporary outage. This does not limit any right you have that cannot be excluded by law.

Information on the website is provided in good faith and updated when the desk changes a service or a detail. It is not legal advice, customs advice or a quotation, and it should not be relied on as any of those things. A quotation is only binding when it is issued by the desk in writing for a named client.

15. Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by law, Rfg Trades Inc. is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of business opportunity or loss arising from a delay caused by a party outside the desk. The desk is liable for loss caused by its own negligence or by a breach of these terms, and its liability for any single matter is limited to the fees paid for the service to which the matter relates.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for any other liability that cannot be excluded by law. Where a limitation is not permitted in your jurisdiction, the limitation applies to the fullest extent allowed and the rest of these terms remain in force.

The desk keeps records precisely so that disputes can be settled on evidence rather than on memory. If a client believes a loss has occurred, the client should notify the desk promptly and refer to the note, the sheet and the letter that cover the matter.

16. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify Rfg Trades Inc. against claims, losses and reasonable costs arising from your breach of these terms, from inaccurate information you supply to the desk or from your failure to obtain a permission required for the goods. This indemnity does not apply to the extent that the claim arises from the negligence of the desk.

If a third party brings a claim against the desk because of goods you asked us to hold, you will be told promptly and you will be given the opportunity to respond. The desk will not settle a claim in a way that admits your liability without your agreement, unless the law or a court requires it.

The indemnity survives the end of the arrangement for as long as a claim connected to the arrangement can be brought. It is limited to the matter that gave rise to it and it does not create a general obligation to cover the ordinary business risks of the desk.

17. Suspension and Termination

Either party may end the arrangement by written notice once the open notes have been closed and the outstanding fees have been settled. The desk may suspend work immediately if it has a reasonable belief that the goods or the records are connected to unlawful activity, that the identity of the client cannot be verified or that a note has been tampered with. The desk will explain the suspension in writing.

On termination the desk will close the open notes, release the goods to the party named in the letters and bind the records into the archive. Records that must be kept by law will be kept for the required period even after the arrangement ends, as explained in the Privacy Policy.

Clauses that by their nature should survive termination, including the clauses on fees already due, intellectual property, limitation of liability and indemnity, will continue to apply after the arrangement ends.

18. Governing Law and Disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada, and by the federal laws of Canada that apply in that province. The parties agree to the non exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Ontario, though the desk will always try to settle a disagreement at the bench before a claim is filed.

If a dispute arises, the parties will first hold a sitting at the Essex warehouse and attempt to resolve the matter in a signed finding. If that attempt fails, the parties will consider mediation before litigation. Either party may refer a matter to the courts at any time where a limitation period is close to expiring.

Nothing in this section prevents a party from seeking urgent relief from a court where the circumstances require it. The desk prefers an honest conversation to a formal claim, and it has found that most disagreements end when the note, the sheet and the letter are read together on the same table.

19. Changes to These Terms

The desk may update these terms as its services change. A material change will be published on this page with a new date, and the desk will place a notice on the home page for a reasonable period. A change will not apply retroactively to a note that has already been closed, unless the law requires it.

If you continue to use the website or ask the desk to act after an update, you accept the updated terms for any new work. If you do not accept an update, you may end the arrangement once the open notes are closed, and the desk will help you through that process.

The desk keeps earlier versions of these terms and can provide one on request, which is useful where a client needs to know the wording that applied at the time a note was opened.

20. Contact

Questions about these terms may be sent to the desk at any time. The details below reach the same room where the notes are read and the records are bound.

Please include the note reference, if you have one, so that the desk can find the record without asking you twice.