FAQ

After the initial 14 Days 'cooling off' period, all our tuning and maintenance contracts last for a minimum of twelve months. After this you can cancel your tuning contract at any time, with 14 days written notice. This allows us time to finalise your account and return any keys. If you have not received confirmation from ourselves after 14 days then please call to ensure we have received your communication.

Contracts must be cancelled by written communication, with 14 days notice. Unlike other organ builders we do not insist on an unnecessarily long notice period. If you are unhappy with the service you receive we believe you should be free to go elsewhere. The 14 days notice period we operate is to allow us to finalise your account and return any keys.

If for any reason you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from GO-Organ Builders then contact us in the first instance, and we will do our utmost to rectify the situation. In the case of a complaint you should contact Gary Owens directly, either by email- go.organs@gmail.com or by calling him on 01981250216.

This entirely depends on the urgency and severity of the fault, and if we are immediately available to attend to it. We do our utmost to respond to all faults within 7 days. This may not always be possible, but we can always arrange for a sub-contractor to visit. However, other organ builders can charge a lot more, so if a fault is not urgent then we advise you allow us up to 14 days to attend. In the case of urgent faults, we are willing and able to work evenings and weekends if necessary.

A standard tuning visit will begin with checking of the organ for any faults, followed by rectification where possible. We will then begin tuning the instrument. It is normal on larger instruments that we would not tune all divisions in one visit, unless adequate time is allocated. However, all reeds are tuned on every visit. Blowers and humidifiers (where present) will be checked. The console will be cleaned. Where woodworm is present the timber will be treated. Any findings will be reported back to the church.

Tunings are automatically allocated by ourselves, based on how often you wish the instrument to be tuned, and around key events. This information will be detailed within your tuning contract. If the date and time allocated is not convenient please let us know. If you require an additional tuning then please contact us.

We do not require anyone present during the tuning. All that we ask is that, in cases where we do not have our own key, someone is available to grant us access to the church.

Ensure the faults book is left on the console. It is of paramount importance that the building is heated to the temperature normally attained for services. The stability of the tuning relies heavily on the temperature and humidity of the building. Please ensure that any keys are available to the tuner. We also ask that the building is kept as quiet as possible for the duration of the visit. It is worth checking with other groups who use the building if they intend to be present at any time- including cleaning parties, coffee groups...etc. They will not find the sound of an organ being tuned pleasant, and any noise they make can impede our ability to tune the organ.

The faults book is a record of work carried out on the organ and any problems, which should be noted when they arise. Please do not tear pages from the faults book, remove it from the organ or use it for any other purpose. A visiting organist will expect to find a faults book at the console- they may find a fault and be unable to report it if the book is not present. If you require a new faults book, please contact us and we will provide a new one.

Initial phone consultations are free. If it is decided that a site visit should take place, a cost will be calculated and agreed upon beforehand. Costs include mileage (where appropriate), two members of staff and sometimes accomodation. We do our best to keep costs low so assessment costs are deducted from the total of works carried out, excluding general tuning and maintenance. We do not charge for quotes for our existing clients, as long as the assessment is tied in with a tuning visit.

Tuning quotes are provided following an initial assessment. There are a number of factors involved in calculating cost, and we will happy to furnish you with a quote upon request.

In almost all cases the church will be expected to pay VAT on any organ building work. However, there are some exceptions.

(1) Subject to certain conditions, new organs supplied and installed as fittings in new churches are zero-rated.
(2) Subject to certain conditions, new organs supplied and installed as fittings in the course of an approved alteration to the fabric of a listed church are zero-rated.
(3) Work to an existing organ in a listed church in the course of an approved alteration to the fabric of the building may, in certain circumstances be zero-rated.

For the organ to qualify as a 'fitting', it must not be easily moved (i.e. it is built into the church in some way). Zero-rated simply means that the rate of VAT is 0%.