Frequently Asked Questions

Q Who are Hammond Hill Limited?

A Hammond Hill was established in 1970 by Patrick Hill & Stan Hammond. The business is now run by Simon and Christopher Hill (with an occasional appearance from their wives Lynda & Karen). We sell high quality carpets, flooring and furniture at low prices without compromising on quality or service. Our business is made up of the following divisions – Retail, Commercial, New Build and Internet. For carpets and flooring and depending on your requirements, we can provide a professional fitting and installation service.

Q Who is Simon Hill?

A Simon is the Managing Director and joined the business way back in 1981. He is married to Lynda and has a young daughter. Simon looks after the day to day running of the shop and oversees all other aspects of the business. Simon's hair is far greyer than Chris'. You can speak to Simon on 01384 372908 or email him at simon.hill@hammondhill.co.uk

Q Who is Chris Hill?

A Chris is the Sales Director and has been involved with the business since 1986. He is married to Karen and has two daughters. Chris looks after marketing, commercial / corporate sales and the internet business. You can contact Chris on 01384 372908 or email him at chris.hill@hammondhill.co.uk

Q Why should I buy from Hammond Hill?

A We have been in business since 1970.
We are not just an internet company.
We are a family business with traditional values.
We have a national network of carpet fitters.
We supply quality branded flooring and furniture at low prices.
We offer a planning and estimating service.
We deliver on our own vehicles using our own staff.
Our staff are well trained, knowledgeable and undergo continued professional development.

We could go on and on with this list but in a nutshell, you're dealing with a bricks and mortar business, with over 42 years experience who offer a complete, reliable package.

Q Who does your deliveries?

A Most deliveries are carried out by our own staff on our own vehicles. Our delivery drivers are experienced, trustworthy and reliable. Our normal service is to ground floor only unless you have previously made arrangements with us and we have noted this on your order confirmation. If you need your delivery sooner than our in-house team can deliver, we can arrange for a courier to deliver your goods. In this case delivery is to the kerbside only although if you're nice and make them a coffee it often works miracles.

Q Can I get a timed delivery?

A When we arrange your delivery we will let you know whether it will be morning or afternoon. If you call a few days before your delivery is due we can give you a time slot within a two hour period. At your request, we can ask the driver to call you when they're 30 minutes or 1 hour away.

Q How much do you charge for delivery?

A Our delivery charge varies depending on where you live and is calculated at the checkout. Simply choose the item/s you would like to purchase, enter your delivery address and you will see the delivery charge.

Q I'd like a delivery update

A All of our deliveries are arranged by our Distribution Department. As soon as your goods have been received they will contact you to book in delivery. Should you require a delivery update you can email our transport manager Kevin at kevin@hammondhill.co.uk

Q Is your website secure?

A We take internet security very seriously. We won't go into exact details, but we use industry leading encryption to secure your payment and even general email enquiries are password protected. We never pass or sell your details to any other company. Since launching our website back in 1999, we have not had a single reported incident of credit card fraud.

Q I've found the same item cheaper!

A You'll be pleased to know that this doesn't happen very often. We regularly check our competitors sites to make sure that our customers are getting the best deal. If you find the same product, advertised on another website at a cheaper price, please let us know. We'll do our best to beat it whilst still offering you unrivalled levels of service and delivery.

Q Do you accept insurance mandates?

A We do not accept insurance mandates from Independent Inspections. This is because to be a member of the scheme you have to pay an annual fee and give a 15% discount on the mandate value.
For example, you bring in a mandate that says you can spend £1000. We have to (as all companies do), give Independent Inspections 15% (£150) of this as a sort of commission so the mandate is only worth £850 to us. What a lot of companies do once they know you have a mandate is sell you a cheaper carpet at an over-inflated price. This is why it says on your mandate that you must show it to the retailer as soon as you enter the store; it gives them a chance to stick their prices up.
Try negotiating a deal with a local shop and then tell them you have a mandate. See how quickly they back out of it because you haven’t given them a chance to artificially inflate their prices.
If you have a mandate my advice to you is exercise your legal right and ask for a cash settlement. You’re then free to shop where you want.

Q What if I have a problem?

A Whether you live 5 miles or 500 miles away, we treat every customer the same. If you have a problem with your flooring or furniture we will either ask the manufacturer to inspect your item or our Customer Services will arrange to visit you. All of the products sold on our website come with a full manufacturers guarantee.

Q Do you sell seconds?

A NO! We never sell seconds, imperfect or discontinued flooring / furniture. Unlike many of our competitors, all of the items we sell on our website are brand new, grade A products, direct from the manufacturer.

Q How do I order?

A You can order via our website, over the phone or in our showroom. If you're unsure about any aspect of ordering, please give us a call on 0844 357 5217.

Q How do I look after my new carpet?

A Vacuuming is the most important thing you can do to keep your carpet clean. You cannot over-vacuum a carpet! Hammond Hill recommend an upright vacuum cleaner with a cylindrical brushing action or a cylinder vacuum cleaner with a power-brush attachment, for cut-pile carpets such as twists, velvets, axminster’s and wiltons. Cylinder cleaners are not suitable for use on cut pile carpets. For loop-pile carpets we recommend a cylinder vacuum cleaner without a brushing action or an upright machine with the brushes turned off. Cylinder cleaners are not suitable for use on cut pile carpets.

Q I have spilt something on my carpet!

A Never rub or over-wet your carpet when trying to remove marks.

Spillages are more easily removed if tackled immediately. Use a blotting/dabbing action or even better, if available, a wet suction vacuum cleaner. Please do not rub as this will cause the pile to burst causing it to appear slightly fluffy and lighter in appearance. Useful items to keep in stock for emergency use are: Woolsafe approved shampoo solution suitable for use on wool rich carpets, available from most supermarkets. Stain removing spray for grease or oil spots, available from Boots Chemists.

Coffee/tea, fruit juice, red wine, port, sherry & blood:
Soak up as much liquid as possible with absorbent tissue, then dab the area with a clean white cloth moistened in a solution of diluted carpet shampoo and warm water or stain removing spray. Blot with paper towels or a clean white cloth or vacuum thoroughly using a wet suction vacuum cleaner and repeat as required. Finally, dab with warm water, applied with a clean cloth, and as before, blot or suck up all remaining moisture until dry. Carefully brush the area in the direction of the pile.

Milk:
Treat as for coffee, tea and fruit juice. An additional application of an oil/grease spot remover will remove any remaining grease. Finally, blot up or wet vacuum all remaining moisture and leave until dry. Carefully brush the area in the direction of the pile.

Grease:
With a blunt knife or spatula, remove as much solid material as possible. Blot up the residue and treat with an oil-grease spot remover, blotting frequently with absorbent cloth.

Tar:
Scrape up solids carefully with a blunt knife, then treat the stain with a proprietary brand of tar remover, following the instructions carefully.

Urine:
Treat as for coffee, tea and fruit juice adding 1 egg cup of white vinegar to 1 pint of shampoo solution.

Ink:
For liquid ink follow the instructions for coffee, tea and fruit juice removal. For ball point ink, moisten with a clean cloth and non coloured methylated spirits, blot carefully and when dry, brush the affected area in the direction of the pile.

Paint (oil based):
Blot excess spillage with absorbent tissue, then clean with a cloth moistened with white spirit. Be careful not to rub the pile or apply too much white spirit. Once the paint is removed, dab the area with diluted carpet shampoo on a clean, white cloth, blot or wet vacuum then follow with an application of clean water. Blot or wet vacuum and leave until dry. Finally, brush the affected area in the direction of the pile.

Paint (emulsion):
Blot excess spillage with absorbent tissue then clean the affected area with cold water until the paint is removed, then treat with diluted shampoo as for oil based paint.

Shoe polish:
Carefully scrape up the solid and clean gently with a dry cleaning fluid. Use a clean, white cloth, moistened with diluted shampoo to rinse the area, blotting with a clean dry cloth or wet vacuum. Allow to dry thoroughly and brush the area in the direction of the pile.

Chewing gum:
Freeze the gum with a proprietary freezing agent, break up when frozen and remove.

For persistent or very large stains it is always advisable to consult a professional carpet cleaner.

Hammond Hill Limited recommend WOOLSAFE approved chemicals and cleaning companies for all wool mixture carpets.

This advice is offered as a service to Customers, and Hammond Hill Limited will not be liable for loss or damage or injury arising out of any action taken based on this advice.

Q What is Shading

A Cut pile carpets sometimes show a shading effect that appears as light and dark patches due to different pile direction. This effect can be exaggerated by such things as room lighting and certain types of traffic across the carpet. Shading is a natural phenomenon which cannot be totally eliminated in the production process and is therefore not considered to be a manufacturing fault. If you are concerned about shading we suggest you look for an alternative type of flooring.