Terms and Conditions

Last updated: 30 July 2026 | Applies to in-store, online and trade-account sales

A quick note: These terms explain how shopping with Thrifty Auto Supplies works, whether you visit us in Helensville, order online, or buy through a trade account. They do not take away any rights you have under New Zealand law.

1. About these terms

In these terms, "Thrifty Auto Supplies", "we", "us" and "our" mean the business trading as Thrifty Auto Supplies in Helensville, New Zealand. "You" and "your" mean the person or organisation buying, ordering or using our products.

These terms apply to purchases made in our Helensville store, through our website, and through an approved trade account. They also apply to quotes, special orders and other sales unless we agree different terms with you in writing.

When you place an order, buy goods, use an approved trade account, or ask us to go ahead with a special order, these terms apply. If we agree something different with you in a signed trade account application or written quote, that specific written agreement will apply.

2. Products, descriptions and availability

We take reasonable care to describe and display products accurately. Images are illustrative, and colours, packaging, branding, specifications or minor product details may change without notice. Measurements and technical information may be approximate unless we state otherwise.

With thousands of product lines, stock information can occasionally be out of date. If something is unavailable, listed incorrectly, cannot be paid for successfully, or cannot safely or legally be supplied, we may need to decline or adjust the order. If you have already paid for an item we cannot supply, we will refund it.

An online order is a request to buy from us. An automatic email simply lets you know we received it. Your order is accepted when we confirm it, send it, or let you know it is ready to collect.

3. Choosing the right automotive product

Vehicle parts and accessories can vary by make, model, year, engine, chassis, modification and intended use. Please check that a product is suitable and lawful for your vehicle and purpose before fitting or using it.

We are always happy to help you find the right bit. Please give us complete and accurate vehicle and use information. Our suggestions are based on what you tell us and the information available to us. If there is any doubt, check with a suitably qualified automotive professional before installing or using the product.

Products must be installed, used, stored and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and all applicable laws. Where specialist installation, testing, calibration or certification is required, this must be carried out by an appropriately qualified person.

4. Prices, GST and payment

Unless we clearly state otherwise, prices are in New Zealand dollars and include GST. Delivery charges and any other applicable fees are shown separately before you confirm an online order.

We may change prices at any time, but a change will not affect an order we have already accepted. If a displayed price is an obvious error, we may cancel the affected order and refund any payment rather than supply at the incorrect price.

Retail orders must be paid in full using a payment method we accept. You confirm that you are authorised to use the payment method supplied. Payment processing may be provided by a third party and may be subject to that provider’s terms.

If a payment does not go through or is later reversed, we will get in touch so the amount and any reasonable direct costs can be sorted out.

5. Quotes, special orders and deposits

A quote is valid for the period stated in it. If no period is stated, it is valid for 14 days, subject to stock availability and supplier price changes before acceptance.

We may ask for a deposit or full payment for indent, customised or special-order goods. Because we order these specifically for you, they cannot usually be cancelled or returned for change of mind once we have committed to the supplier or started custom work. Your rights still apply if the goods or our service do not meet New Zealand legal guarantees.

6. Collection and delivery

We sell locally from Helensville and deliver only to addresses within New Zealand unless we agree otherwise in writing. Delivery options, charges and estimates are shown at checkout or agreed with you.

Delivery dates are estimates unless we expressly agree a fixed date. We will use reasonable care to deliver within the agreed time or, if no time is agreed, within a reasonable time. We are responsible for delivery where we arrange the carrier, as required by the Consumer Guarantees Act.

You must provide a complete and accurate address and reasonable delivery instructions. Please tell us promptly if an order is late, missing, damaged or incomplete. We may ask for photographs, packaging or other reasonable information so we can investigate and provide an appropriate remedy.

If you ask for an unattended delivery or nominate a safe place, the courier may leave the parcel there. Please choose a suitable location and make sure your instructions are accurate. Your legal rights still apply.

For collection orders, we may ask for the order details and photo ID. If an order is waiting for a while, we will try to contact you and agree what happens next. Any storage or cancellation cost will be reasonable, discussed with you first, and only charged where lawful.

7. Risk and ownership

For consumer purchases, risk passes to you when the goods are delivered to you or a person you authorise, or collected by you. For business purchases where you arrange your own carrier, risk passes when the goods are handed to that carrier.

Ownership of goods does not pass until we receive full payment for those goods. Until then, you must keep them identifiable, properly stored and insured, and must not grant another person an interest in them. This ownership term does not reduce your rights as a consumer.

8. Consumer guarantees and faulty goods

If you buy goods as a consumer, you have rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 and the Fair Trading Act 1986. Goods must meet the guarantees required by law, including being of acceptable quality, matching their description, and being fit for a purpose you made known to us where you relied on our help.

If something is faulty, not fit for purpose, not as described, or does not arrive as it should, please get in touch. We will work with you to put it right. Depending on the circumstances and what the law requires, that may mean a repair, replacement, refund or other remedy.

Our separate Returns Policy explains the practical steps for returns, including online returns by post. It is available through the Returns Policy link on our website and forms part of these terms. If these terms and the Returns Policy say different things about a return, the Returns Policy will apply, always subject to your rights under New Zealand law.

Please keep your proof of purchase and give us enough information to understand the issue. We may need to inspect or test the product. Where the law requires it, we will also cover reasonable return costs. Legal guarantees may not cover a problem caused by misuse, accidental damage, incorrect installation, unauthorised modification, normal wear and tear, or a fault pointed out before purchase.

9. Change-of-mind returns

We understand that sometimes the wrong item is picked or plans change. Our Returns Policy explains when we can offer an exchange or store credit, what condition the item needs to be in, how special-order items are handled, and who pays return postage. Please check that policy or contact us and we will talk you through it.

The Returns Policy does not limit any remedy you are entitled to under New Zealand law.

10. Manufacturer warranties

Some products include a manufacturer or supplier warranty. Any such warranty is additional to, and does not replace, rights you may have under New Zealand law. Warranty conditions may require correct installation, maintenance records or other reasonable evidence.

Unless required by law or agreed by us in writing, a product warranty does not cover labour, removal, refitting, diagnostic, towing, travel or vehicle downtime costs. This exclusion does not apply where those costs are recoverable under the Consumer Guarantees Act or other applicable law.

11. Safety, recalls and restricted products

Follow all safety warnings and manufacturer instructions. Stop using a product if you believe it may be unsafe and contact us promptly.

We may contact you about a safety notice, product recall or required corrective action. You agree to follow reasonable recall instructions. We may refuse to sell age-restricted, dangerous or regulated products where legal requirements are not met.

12. Trade accounts and business purchases

Trade accounts are subject to approval. We may set or review a credit limit and may ask for payment in advance if an account is overdue or circumstances change. Please keep your business and contact details current and let us know who is authorised to order on the account.

Invoices are due on the date shown on the invoice or statement. If something does not look right, please let us know promptly so we can work through it with you. Any amount that is not disputed should still be paid on time.

If an amount remains overdue, we may pause further credit supply and charge default interest at 1.5% per month, calculated daily from the due date until payment. If we have to use a collection service or lawyer, reasonable costs actually incurred may also be added, subject to any limits under the law. We would prefer to avoid that, so please contact us early if there is a payment problem.

If you acquire goods in trade for business purposes, you agree that the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 does not apply, provided it is fair and reasonable for us to rely on that agreement. To the fullest extent permitted by section 5D of the Fair Trading Act 1986, and only where both parties are in trade and it is fair and reasonable, the parties also contract out of sections 9, 12A, 13 and 14(1) of that Act. This contracting-out clause does not apply to a consumer purchase.

For business purchases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability arising from a supply is limited to the price paid for the affected goods. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of production, loss of contracts, or business interruption. These limits do not apply to fraud, wilful misconduct, or liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

13. Security interest for trade credit

This section only applies to goods supplied on credit for business purposes. Until those goods are paid for, you grant us a security interest under the Personal Property Securities Act 1999 in the goods and their identifiable proceeds.

You authorise us to register and maintain a financing statement if reasonably needed and agree to provide the information required for registration. We will deal with any security interest in good faith and in accordance with the law.

14. Website use

You may use our website for lawful personal or business purchasing and information. You must not interfere with the website, attempt unauthorised access, introduce malicious code, scrape content at unreasonable volume, or use our content or trademarks without permission except as allowed by law.

We may correct website errors, update content, or temporarily suspend access for maintenance, security or events outside our reasonable control. Links to third-party websites are provided for convenience; we do not control or endorse their content.

15. Electronic communications

We may send order updates, invoices, trade-account notices and other useful information electronically to the contact details you provide. Electronic acceptance and records may be used to form and record agreements as permitted by New Zealand law.

16. Privacy

We collect and use personal information as reasonably necessary to process orders and payments, deliver goods, manage customer and trade accounts, assess credit applications, prevent fraud, provide support, meet legal obligations and improve our services.

For a trade or credit application, we may verify information and obtain or disclose relevant credit information with credit reporters, referees, debt-recovery providers and professional advisers, where authorised by you and permitted by the Privacy Act 2020.

We may share information with service providers such as payment processors, website hosts, couriers and IT providers where needed for these purposes. We take reasonable safeguards and keep information only as long as reasonably required. You may ask to access or correct your personal information by contacting us through the details on our website. Any separate privacy statement published on our website also applies.

We will send marketing messages only where permitted by law. You may unsubscribe using the link or instructions in the message, but we may still send transactional or service messages about your orders or account.

17. Liability for retail customers

We do not exclude or limit any liability or remedy that cannot legally be excluded or limited, including rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act.

Subject to that statement, we are not responsible for loss caused by your failure to follow instructions, incorrect or unsafe installation, use of an unsuitable product after we warned you or where you did not provide accurate information, unauthorised alteration, or an event outside our reasonable control.

18. Events outside reasonable control

Neither party is responsible for delay or failure caused by an event outside its reasonable control, such as natural disaster, severe weather, epidemic, strike, transport disruption, supplier failure, power or network outage, government action or civil emergency. This does not remove your right to a refund or other remedy where the law requires one. We will keep you reasonably informed and resume performance as soon as reasonably practicable.

19. Cancelling orders and suspending supply

If you need to cancel an order before it has been sent or made ready for collection, please contact us as soon as you can. We will help where reasonably possible. Special-order commitments and non-recoverable costs may apply as explained in section 5 and our Returns Policy.

Occasionally we may need to cancel an order or pause supply - for example, if payment is not received, important information is incorrect, the goods are unavailable, or supply would be unsafe or unlawful. We will contact you where reasonably possible. If we cancel for a reason that is not your fault, we will refund any payment for goods not supplied.

20. Complaints and disputes

Please contact us first through the contact details on our website or visit our Helensville store. Tell us what happened, provide proof of purchase where available, and explain the outcome you are seeking. We will try to resolve the matter promptly and fairly.

Nothing in these terms prevents either party from using the Disputes Tribunal, making a complaint to a regulator, or exercising any other legal right.

21. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time by publishing the revised version on our website. The terms in force when we accept an order apply to that order. For an ongoing trade account, changes apply from the date notified or published, but will not retrospectively change an accepted order or accrued right. If a change materially disadvantages a trade customer, we will give reasonable notice where practicable.

22. General

If any part of these terms is unlawful or unenforceable, that part is treated as modified to the minimum extent necessary or removed, and the rest continues to apply.

A delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver of that right. You may not transfer your rights or obligations under these terms without our written consent, except where the law allows. We may transfer our rights and obligations as part of a genuine sale or reorganisation of our business, provided this does not reduce your legal rights.

These terms are governed by New Zealand law. The New Zealand courts have non-exclusive jurisdiction, subject to any right you have to bring a claim in another forum under applicable law.

23. Contacting us

We are happy to help. Email shop@thriftyautosupplies.co.nz, call 09 420 7127, use the contact form on our website, or visit us at 48 Mill Road, Helensville, Auckland 0800. If your question is about an order or invoice, please include its number so we can find it quickly.