1. Scope
1.1 This policy applies to every purchase made at shop.proudlysa.co.za. Your contract of sale is with Proudly SA Online Store (Pty) Ltd, and this policy is ours, not the vendor's.
1.2 A vendor may not impose any term that reduces a right given here or by law. If a vendor tries to, tell us and we will deal with it and honour your right ourselves.
1.3 Two separate rights are described below and they do not replace each other. You may change your mind within seven days for any reason, and separately you may return faulty goods for six months.
2. Your rights at a glance
Changed your mind
- How long you have: 7 days from delivery
- Where the right comes from: section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002
- Condition of the goods: unused and complete, with packaging
- Who pays return shipping: you do
- What you get back: everything you paid, including the original delivery charge
- Excluded categories: a few, listed in clause 4
Goods faulty, damaged or wrong
- How long you have: 6 months from delivery
- Where the right comes from: sections 55 and 56 of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008
- Condition of the goods: as received. Use does not affect the right.
- Who pays return shipping: we do
- What you get back: a repair, a replacement or a full refund, whichever you choose
- Excluded categories: none
3. Changing your mind within seven days
3.1 Section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act gives you seven days from the date you receive the goods to cancel, without giving a reason and without penalty.
3.2 Tell us within those seven days, by email to [email protected], with your order number and the items you want to return. We will reply within 2 business days with a return authorisation number and the address to send the goods to.
3.3 Send the goods back within 14 days of receiving that number, unused, complete and with their packaging. Write the authorisation number on the outside of the parcel. Use a trackable service and keep the proof of posting.
3.4 You pay the direct cost of returning the goods. That is the only charge the Act allows us to pass to you.
3.5 We refund everything you paid us, including the original delivery charge. Where you return part of an order, we refund the price of those items and the delivery attributable to them.
3.6 If the goods come back used, incomplete or damaged, we may reduce the refund to reflect the loss in value. We will tell you the amount and why before we process it, and you may ask for the goods back instead, at your cost.
4. What is excluded from the seven-day right
4.1 Section 42(2) of the Act excludes a small number of categories from the seven-day right. Those we sell are:
- Goods made to your specification or personalised: engraved, monogrammed, made to measure or built to order.
- Goods that deteriorate or expire quickly: food, beverages, fresh produce, plants.
- Goods that cannot be returned by their nature once the seal is broken: cosmetics, skincare, personal care, intimate apparel, supplements, sexual wellness products. Sealed and unopened, they can be returned.
- Software, audio and video unsealed by you, including downloads once accessed.
- Newspapers, magazines and periodicals.
- Services already fully performed with your agreement.
4.2 Nothing else is excluded. Clothing and footwear can be returned under clause 3, and if they do not fit that is a valid reason.
4.3 An excluded category is excluded only from the seven-day right. If the goods are faulty, damaged or not what you ordered, clause 5 applies to them in full.
5. Faulty, damaged or incorrect goods
5.1 Sections 55 and 56 of the Consumer Protection Act give you six months from delivery to return goods that are unsafe, defective, not of good quality, not durable, or not what was described. You choose whether you want a repair, a replacement or a full refund. We may not choose for you.
5.2 This applies to every category we sell, including everything listed in clause 4, and whether or not the packaging has been opened.
5.3 We pay every cost of returning goods under this clause, and we arrange the collection or send you a prepaid label. You are never out of pocket.
5.4 We refund the price and the original delivery charge in full.
5.5 We ask you to report transit damage within 48 hours of delivery and any other fault as soon as you find it, and to send photographs, because it helps us investigate and take the matter up with the courier or the vendor. Reporting later does not affect your six-month right.
5.6 If a repair fails, or the same fault returns within three months of the repair, section 56(3) entitles you to a replacement or a refund, and we will not offer a further repair.
6. Warranty
6.1 Every item carries the six-month statutory warranty described in clause 5. It cannot be signed away, shortened or excluded.
6.2 Many items also carry a manufacturer's warranty that runs for longer. That is in addition to your statutory right, not instead of it. We will help you claim under it if you prefer.
6.3 The statutory warranty does not cover damage you caused, ordinary wear, or use contrary to the instructions.
7. How a return works
7.1 Every return needs an authorisation number so that we and the vendor can track it. Ask for one before you send anything back.
- You tell us: email [email protected] with your order number, the items and the reason. Attach photographs for a fault or damage. Any time within the applicable period.
- We authorise: we issue a return authorisation number, tell you where to send the goods and, for faults, arrange the collection. Within 2 business days, or 1 business day for a fault or damage.
- You return the goods: to the vendor's address given in the authorisation. Mark the number on the parcel. Within 14 days of the authorisation.
- The goods are checked: the vendor checks them and reports to us. We hold the deadline and follow it up if the vendor does not. Within 3 business days from arrival.
- We decide and pay: we approve or explain, and start the refund, replacement or repair. Within 2 business days from the check.
7.2 Returns go to the vendor who supplied the goods, not to our office. The authorisation gives you that address. We remain responsible to you throughout and you deal only with us.
7.3 If the vendor does not check the goods within the time above, we decide the matter ourselves in your favour and settle with the vendor separately. You do not wait for them.
8. Refunds
8.1 We refund to the method you paid with.
8.2 We start the refund within 2 business days of approving it. Your bank or card issuer then takes its own time, usually 3 to 10 business days for a card and 2 to 5 for an electronic transfer.
8.3 Every refund reaches you within 30 days of the day you cancelled, as section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act requires. If anything threatens that deadline we pay you by electronic transfer instead.
8.4 We email you when the goods arrive back, when they have been checked, and when the refund is on its way.
8.5 Where an order contained goods from several vendors, each return is handled separately and you are refunded as each one completes. You do not wait for the slowest.
9. Cancelling before dispatch
9.1 You may cancel any order before it is dispatched. Email [email protected] with your order number. Orders can be dispatched within one working day, so tell us as soon as you can.
9.2 We refund in full within 10 business days and charge nothing.
9.3 If it has already gone, refuse the delivery or accept it and use clause 3. Either way we treat it as a cancellation and clause 3.5 applies to the refund.
9.4 We may cancel an order if the goods are unavailable, if payment fails, if there was an obvious pricing error, or if we suspect fraud. We tell you immediately, refund you in full within 10 business days and charge nothing.
10. Exchanges
10.1 We do not exchange directly. Return the item under clause 3 or clause 5 and place a new order, which ships immediately rather than waiting for the return to complete.
10.2 Where goods are faulty or wrong, we will usually send the replacement straight away without waiting for the original to come back.
11. Lost or delayed parcels
11.1 The goods stay at our risk until they reach you or the collection point you chose.
11.2 If your parcel has not arrived within a reasonable time of the estimate in the Delivery and Shipping Policy, contact us at [email protected]. We trace it with the courier and tell you what we find.
11.3 If it is lost, we resend it or refund you in full within 10 business days, whichever you prefer. You carry no part of the cost.
12. Complaints
- Contact us: the e-commerce team, at [email protected]. You hear from us within 2 business days.
- Escalate: the Head of E-Commerce. Put ESCALATION and your order number in the subject line. You hear from us within 5 business days.
- Formal complaint: in writing, setting out what happened and what you want. You hear from us within 10 business days.
12.1 If we cannot resolve it you may refer the matter to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombudsman on 0860 000 272 or at [email protected], or to the National Consumer Commission on 012 428 7000 or at [email protected]. Both services are free.
12.2 You do not have to exhaust our process first, and nothing here affects your right to take the matter to court.
13. Fair use
13.1 We may investigate a return we believe is dishonest, such as goods swapped for something else or worn and returned as faulty.
13.2 We will put our reasons to you in writing and give you the chance to respond before we refuse a return or restrict an account. We will not refuse a return simply because you have made several.
14. Contact
- Returns and refunds: [email protected]
- Telephone: +27 11 327 7778
- Business hours: Monday to Thursday 08:30 to 17:00, Friday 08:30 to 15:45 (SAST)
- Physical address: 23 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg, 2196
- Where to send goods: to the vendor address given in your return authorisation, never to the office address above.