Page updated on 6th June 2024.

These Terms and Conditions should be read alongside, and in addition to, our Privacy Policy and our Cookies Policy.

Where to find information about us and our products

• Tolani Ltd trading as “Bonding Before Birth ”.
• Our registered office is at 30 Stuart Street, Luton, LU1 2SW.
• Our telephone number is 01582967710 and you can email us at book@Bondingbeforebirth.co.uk
• You can find everything you need to know about us, and the services / products that we offer on our website which sets out the key information and applicable prices.

What to expect from a Bonding Before Birth ultrasound scan

All Bonding Before Birth scans are performed by a qualified sonographer.
All Bonding Before Birth pregnancy scans include a basic well-being scan to check baby’s health and development. Bonding Before Birth scans are non-diagnostic and are only designed to look for obvious abnormalities. Bonding Before Birth well-being checks are not a suitable replacement for scans offered by the NHS. Bonding Before Birth customers are expected to attend all NHS appointments and scans. Bonding Before Birth customers are expected to notify the sonographer before they start the scan about any known health issue regarding their pregnancy. All Bonding Before Birth customers are expected to bring their NHS maternity notes with them, as we may need your notes to refer you to your local NHS if we find a problem. If we find an abnormality or suspect that there may be a problem with your pregnancy, we will inform you of our findings in an open and honest way, then we will refer you to your local NHS for treatment and or further investigations.

Not all abnormalities are visible on ultrasound and of the abnormalities that are visible some are very difficult to detect. Bonding Before Birth will perform a basic wellbeing check as part of all pregnancy scans and will endeavour to detect obvious abnormalities however Bonding Before Birth cannot be held liable for any abnormalities that are not detected.

Under 18

If you are younger than 18 years of age a responsible adult must accompany you to your appointment. A responsible adult is defined as a person who is of or over the age of 18 years and is your parent, stepparent, legal guardian, grandparent, or a person who is acting in place of your parent and who could reasonably be expected to exercise responsible supervision of you. At Bonding Before Birth we cannot offer appointments to anyone under the age of 16.

Gender

We have an extremely high gender accuracy at Bonding Before Birth however customers should be aware that identifying a baby’s gender with ultrasound is never 100% accurate.
If you do not wish to find out the gender of your baby we won’t tell you, we will tell you to look away if think the gender might be seen on the screen however customers should be aware that although we will make every effort to keep the gender a secret we cannot control the baby and if they move suddenly, their gender may be visible on the screen. This is very unlikely to happen and it is unlikely that you would be able to correctly interpret the images but please be aware that there is a small possibility that you may accidentally see the gender.

Risks and benefits from ultrasound scans

Are there risks from ultrasounds scans? At present there is very little scientific information available with which to assess the impact of exposure to ultrasound, particularly on the unborn child. However, antenatal ultrasound scans have been used for many years without apparent ill-effect. Subtle effects have been reported in studies of brain development in small animals, and some studies in humans indicate changes in neurological functions following in utero exposures. While this data is not considered to provide clear evidence of a specific hazard, the possibility of subtle long-term effects cannot be ruled out. As well as this, the evidence on the effects of fetal ultrasound in humans mainly date from some time ago and used different techniques and lower exposures than are used today. There is little direct evidence on the safety of modern techniques, but no ill effects have been reported.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) advises that people should not hesitate to continue using ultrasound for diagnostic and other medical purposes, including in pregnancy. Such use has an established track record of safety and is regulated.

• This information was gathered from Public Health England (PHE) for more information please visit their website at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/ultrasound-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-the-impact-of-exposure
• You can also find information at the British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS), please visit their website at: www.bmus.org/for-patients.

We do not have your full medical history.

We ask you to provide certain information when booking. You understand and accept however that we do not have your complete medical history and therefore cannot provide medical advice relating to any diagnosis or advise you on any diagnostic results. As such, the detection rate of abnormalities may be reduced. It is therefore imperative that you access all antenatal services made available to you by the NHS as the identification of abnormalities is their primary aim and intent. You also understand that your scan is not suitable to be considered as the sole diagnostic assessment of your pregnancy and is not exhaustive to all genetic scenarios. Not all abnormalities are screened for; a copy of our fetal abnormality policy which summarises the abnormalities that are screened for is available on request in each clinic.

We only accept bookings and/or order when we’ve reviewed them

We will contact you to confirm that we have received your booking. Sometimes we reject bookings, for example, due to staff shortages, unforeseen circumstances, or (in the case of a product) because a product is unexpectedly out of stock, because you are located outside the UK or because the service or product was mispriced by us. When this happens, we let you know as soon as possible.

Sometimes we run late

We make every effort to see you on time for your appointment. However sometimes there are things that are out of our control that will make us run late. These include if we have fitted in an emergency. If we have had to give someone bad news. If we have babies that are not in the correct position and so we need to send people for a walk and then bring them back in later.

We require booking deposits

All appointments require a booking deposit to secure your booking request. Deposits made at the time of booking to hold your appointment are non-refundable save as set out within these terms and conditions. If you do not cancel within the permitted timeframe, or if you fail to turn up for your appointment you forfeit your deposit.

Refunds

Once you have paid for your scan in full and had your scan it is not refundable. If your product is goods (rather than digital content or services), you will own it once we have received payment in full.

If your order is for a gift voucher

Gift vouchers are valid either for the period specified on the gift voucher or, where no period is specified, indefinitely.
Gift vouchers may be redeemed only for treatments or products which we provide and cannot be redeemed partly or wholly for cash.

Rescheduling your appointment

You can reschedule your appointment for any reason however you must give no less than 48 hours’ notice.
Click on the cancel/change button on your conformation e-mail and follow the prompts to reschedule your appointment.

We’re not responsible for delays outside our control

If the supply of your services or product is delayed by an event outside our control, we contact you as soon as possible to let you know and do what we can to reduce the delay.

Products can vary slightly from their pictures

If we supply products to you, please note that a product’s true colour may not exactly match that shown on your device or its packaging may be slightly different.

Ultrasound image quality and limitations

The quality of ultrasound images can be affected by many factors.
The position of the baby can have a huge effect on what images we are able to obtain and the quality of those images. We will try techniques to encourage the baby to move if they are not in the correct position but there is no guarantee that the baby will move.
Maternal weight is another big factor that effects ultrasound images quality. The more tissue the ultrasound must travel through the more degraded the ultrasound images will be. Customers who are overweight or obese should expect poorer quality images because of how ultrasound images are made.

Rescans

Sometimes it can be difficult to obtain ultrasound images due to the baby’s position. If the sonographer decides that the images that they were able to obtain were not of sufficient quality a free rescan will be considered at the sonographer’s discretion.
If we still are unable to obtain 4D images we will offer to downgrade your scan to a reassurance scan and give you a refund for the difference. If you choose this option, you will not receive any 4D images but will receive the black and white 2D images and report.
If you are unhappy with your images please tell us at the time of your scan and before we have sent you your 4D images. We are unable to downgrade your scan and provide any partial refund after we have sent you your 4D images.
Please note that customers will not be offered a rescan if the well-being check cannot be completed. Rescans will only be offered if we cannot determine the gender on a gender scan or if we cannot get 4D images for any 4D scan (this doesn’t include the sneak peek in 4D that is part of the gender scan). Rescans will not be offered for any reason for early /dating, growth and presentation or quick reassurance scans.
Please note that customers will not be offered a rescan if the well-being check cannot be completed due to poor image quality caused by increased BMI or fetal position.

Late to your appointment

If you are late to your appointment even if you ring ahead to inform us that you are running late, we may not be able to see you. If you are late to your appointment, you have forfeited your booking deposit and this will not be refunded.
If you wish to reschedule your appointment you will be required to pay a new booking fee. The reason we may not be able to see you if you are late is that we will have other appointments booked after your appointment and if you are late this may make us late for all the appointments following your appointment, so in the interest of fairness to all of our customers, we will not be able to see you if you turn up late to your appointment.

If you bought online, or over the telephone you have a legal right to change your mind.

For products or services bought online or over the telephone you have a legal right to change your mind within 14 days but at least 48hrs before your scheduled appointment to receive a full refund of your booking deposit. If you do not cancel or reschedule at least 48hrs before your scheduled appointment we do not refund your booking deposit as we will need this to cover the costs incurred due to the cancellation or rescheduling of your appointment at late notice.

You can’t change your mind about an order for:

• digital products, after we have emailed them to you;
• services, once these have been completed;
• goods that are made to your specifications or are clearly personalised.

To let us know you want to cancel email us at book@bondingbeforebirth.co.uk.
If you wish to return a product (save for items that are made to your specifications or personalised), you have to return it within 14 days of your telling us you have changed your mind. Returns are at your own cost.
You can return the item to our premises or send the product back to us. If you do this you should keep a receipt or other evidence from the delivery service that proves you have sent it and when you sent it. If you don’t do this and we don’t receive the goods at all or within a reasonable time we won’t refund you the price.
If your product is a service, digital content or goods that haven’t been delivered or that we’re collecting from you, we refund you as soon as possible and within 14 days of you telling us you’ve changed your mind.

You have rights if there is something wrong with your product

If you think there is something wrong with your product, you should contact us. We honour our legal duty to provide you with products that are as described to you on our website and that meet all the requirements imposed by law.

Your legal rights are summarised below. These are subject to certain exceptions. For detailed information please visit the Citizens Advice website www.citizensadvice.org.uk.

Summary of your key legal rights

If your product is goods, for example, mementos, gifts, photograph frames, gender reveal cannons etc, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says goods must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality. During the expected lifespan of your product your legal rights entitle you to the following:

• Up to 30 days: if your goods are faulty, then you can get a refund.
• Up to six months: if your goods can’t be repaired or replaced, then you’re entitled to a full refund, in most cases.
• Up to six years: if your goods do not last a reasonable length of time you may be entitled to some money back.

If your product is digital content, for example online copies of photographs, videos of scans, recordings of heartbeats etc, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says digital content must be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality:

• If your digital content is faulty, you’re entitled to a repair or a replacement.
• If the fault can’t be fixed, or if it hasn’t been fixed within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience, you can get some or all of your money back.
• If you can show the fault has damaged your device and we haven’t used reasonable care and skill, you may be entitled to a repair or compensation

If your product is services, for example a scan, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says:

• You can ask us to repeat or fix a service if it’s not carried out with reasonable care and skill, or get some money back if we can’t fix it.
• If a price hasn’t been agreed upfront, what you’re asked to pay must be reasonable.
• If a time hasn’t been agreed upfront, it must be carried out within a reasonable time.

We can change products and these terms

Changes we can always make. We can always change a product:

• to reflect changes in relevant laws and regulatory requirements
• to make minor technical adjustments and improvements, for example to address a security threat. These are changes that don’t affect your use of the product; 
• to update digital content, provided that the digital content always matches the description of it that we provided to you before you bought it.

Threatening or harassing behaviour

You must treat staff with respect at all times. Any threatening or harassing behaviour will not be tolerated. Bonding Before Birth reserves the right to withdraw its services or refuse to provide future services to any customer in the event that they themselves or the people accompanying them are in any way threatening or harassing Bonding Before Birth staff or other customers.

We can end our contract with you

We can end our contract with you for a product and claim any compensation due to us if:

• you don’t make any payment to us when it’s due;
• you don’t, within a reasonable time of us asking for it, provide us with information, cooperation or access that we need to provide the product, for example, information from your maternity notes;
• you don’t, within a reasonable time, either allow us to deliver the product to you or collect it from us.

We don’t compensate you for all losses caused by us or our products

We’re responsible for losses you suffer caused by us breaking this contract unless the loss is:

• Unexpected. It was not obvious that it would happen and nothing you said to us before we accepted your order meant we should have expected it (so, in the law, the loss was unforeseeable).
• Caused by a delaying event outside our control.
•  Avoidable. Something you could have avoided by taking reasonable action. For example, damage to your own digital content or device, which was caused by digital content we supplied and which you could have avoided by following our advice to apply a free update or by correctly following the installation instructions or having the minimum system requirements advised by us.

Wheelchair access

The Bonding Before Birth clinic in Orpington is on the ground floor but there is a step up into the front door of the clinic. There is a narrow walkway between the waiting room and scan room that may not fit all types of wheelchairs. The toilet is not wheelchair accessible.

Consent

Please be aware that by placing an order and attending our premises you are giving implied consent to have the scan or blood test you have turned up for. Please ask staff for more information about the scan or blood test if you do not understand what you are consenting to. You can withdraw you consent to any scan or blood test at any time.

We use your personal data as set out in our Privacy Notice

https://bondingbeforebirth.co.uk/privacy-policy/

Our privacy policy can also be found in our privacy policy brochure found in the reception of our clinic.

We do not allow any personal photography to be carried out in our clinics.

Complaints

You have several options for resolving disputes with us
Our complaints policy. We will do our best to resolve any problems you have with us or our products
Resolving disputes without going to court. Alternative dispute resolution is an optional process where an independent body considers the facts of a dispute and seeks to resolve it, without you having to go to court.
You can go to court. These terms are governed by English law and wherever you live you can bring claims against us in the English courts. If you live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can also bring claims against us in the courts of the country you live in. We can claim against you in the courts of the country you live in.

Other important terms apply to our contract

We have the right to transfer our contract with you, so that a different organisation is responsible for supplying your services or product. We’ll tell you in writing if this happens and we’ll ensure that the transfer won’t affect your rights under the contract.
Nobody else has any rights under this contract. This contract is between you and us. Nobody else can enforce it and neither of us will need to ask anybody else to sign-off on ending or changing it.

If a court invalidates some of this contract, the rest of it will still apply. If a court or other authority decides that some of these terms are unlawful, the rest will continue to apply.
Even if we delay in enforcing this contract, we can still enforce it later. We might not immediately chase you for not doing something (like paying) or for doing something you’re not allowed to, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it later.