Refund policy
# Returns & Refunds
We want you to be happy with your purchase. This policy explains what happens if your order is delayed, lost, damaged, faulty, incorrect, or if you simply change your mind.
Gauge18 currently delivers to Great Britain only (England, Scotland and Wales).
Nothing in this policy excludes, restricts or otherwise affects your statutory consumer rights.
---
## Delayed or Lost Orders
If your order has not arrived within the estimated delivery time, please contact us at:
info@gauge18.com
Please include your order number.
We may ask you to allow a reasonable period for the carrier to complete delivery while we investigate the shipment.
Royal Mail applies its own timeframes before a parcel can be treated as lost for the purpose of a postal compensation claim. These currently include:
- Royal Mail Tracked 48 : Royal Mail may treat an item as lost for compensation purposes once it has not been delivered by the due date + 7 working days.
- Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: different claim and delivery rules apply depending on the service used.
These are Royal Mail's claims timeframes and do not limit your statutory rights against Gauge18.
Unless a different delivery period has been agreed, consumer law generally requires goods to be delivered without undue delay and normally within 30 days of the contract being made.
If an order is confirmed as lost, or if we are otherwise required to do so under consumer law, we will arrange an appropriate replacement or refund.
---
# Change-of-Mind Returns
## Statutory Cancellation Rights
For most eligible online purchases, you normally have the right to notify us that you wish to cancel your order within 14 days after receiving the goods, without giving a reason.
After notifying us that you wish to cancel, you normally have a further 14 days to return the goods.
These statutory cancellation rights are separate from our voluntary 30-day returns policy.
Nothing in this policy limits your statutory consumer rights.
To notify us of a cancellation or return, email:
info@gauge18.com
Please include your order number and the email address used to place your order.
---
## Our 30-Day Voluntary Returns Policy
In addition to your statutory rights, Gauge18 offers a voluntary 30-day return period from delivery of the last item in your order for eligible items.
For change-of-mind returns, body jewellery must remain in its original, unopened and intact hygiene-sealed packaging.
This voluntary policy is additional to your statutory rights and does not replace or restrict them.
---
# Hygiene-Sealed Body Jewellery
For health and hygiene protection, our body jewellery is supplied in sealed hygiene packaging.
The clear packaging allows you to inspect the jewellery, including its colour, design and size markings where visible, without opening the hygiene seal.
Where body jewellery is sealed for health protection or hygiene reasons, a change-of-mind return may not be accepted once the hygiene seal has been broken or removed, where the legal hygiene exception applies.
Therefore:
- jewellery returned for a change of mind must remain inside its original, unopened and intact hygiene-sealed packaging;
- please check the size, colour, design and product specifications before breaking the seal;
- jewellery whose hygiene seal has been opened, broken or tampered with cannot normally be returned for a change of mind.
The hygiene restriction applies only to change-of-mind returns.
It does not exclude or restrict your statutory rights if goods are faulty, damaged, incorrect, unsafe or not as described.
---
# Returning an Eligible Item
Before returning an item, please contact:
info@gauge18.com
Please provide:
- your order number;
- the email address used for the order; and
- the item or items you wish to return.
Returned items should be securely packaged to prevent damage during transit.
For change-of-mind returns, you are responsible for the direct cost of returning the goods unless:
- we agree otherwise; or
- consumer law requires us to pay the return cost.
We recommend obtaining and retaining proof of postage until your return has been processed.
Please do not return jewellery without sufficient information for us to identify the order.
---
# Refunds for Change-of-Mind Returns
Once an eligible return has been received, we will inspect it and process any refund due without undue delay.
Where the statutory right to cancel applies, any refund due will be made without undue delay and no later than 14 days after we receive the returned goods or evidence that they have been sent back, where applicable.
For eligible statutory cancellations, we will refund:
- the price paid for the returned goods; and
- the cost of the least expensive standard delivery method that we offered when the order was placed.
If you selected a more expensive or expedited delivery method, the additional delivery cost is not normally refundable beyond the cost of our standard delivery option.
Where permitted by law, we may withhold a refund until:
- we have received the goods back; or
- you provide evidence that you have returned them,
whichever occurs first.
Refunds will normally be made using the original payment method.
For returns made only under our voluntary 30-day change-of-mind policy, original delivery charges are not normally refundable unless:
- we expressly agree otherwise;
- consumer law requires a refund; or
- the goods were faulty, damaged, incorrect or not as described.
Nothing in this section affects your statutory consumer rights.
---
# Exchanges
We accept exchanges for eligible unopened, hygiene-sealed jewellery under our voluntary returns policy, subject to availability.
For change-of-mind exchanges:
- you are responsible for the cost of returning the original item;
- additional postage for sending an exchange item may apply;
- if the replacement item costs more, you will need to pay the difference;
- if the replacement item costs less, we will refund the difference.
Different rules apply where:
- we sent the wrong item;
- the item is faulty;
- the item is damaged; or
- consumer law requires us to bear the relevant costs.
---
# Faulty, Damaged or Incorrect Goods
Your rights relating to faulty, damaged, incorrect or misdescribed goods are separate from our voluntary change-of-mind returns policy.
Goods must be:
- of satisfactory quality;
- fit for purpose; and
- as described.
Consumer law provides statutory remedies where goods do not conform to the contract, including a short-term right to reject qualifying goods and further remedies where appropriate.
Nothing in this policy excludes or restricts those rights.
If you believe an item is faulty, damaged, incorrect or not as described, please contact:
info@gauge18.com
Please include:
- your order number;
- a description of the problem; and
- where useful, clear photographs showing the issue.
We will provide the remedy required by consumer law.
Where we are legally responsible for faulty, damaged, incorrect or non-conforming goods, Gauge18 will bear reasonable return costs where required by law.
Please contact us before returning faulty goods so that we can advise you on the appropriate return method.
Damage caused by misuse, accidental damage, improper handling, normal wear and tear or use contrary to applicable product instructions is not considered a manufacturing fault, except where consumer law provides otherwise.
---
# Damaged Deliveries
If your parcel arrives with visible external damage, please take photographs of the packaging before opening it where reasonably possible.
Please then inspect the contents and contact us promptly at:
info@gauge18.com
if anything is missing or damaged.
Please include:
- your order number;
- photographs of the external packaging where available;
- photographs of the damaged item; and
- a brief description of the problem.
You are not required to refuse or leave a parcel unopened in order to preserve your statutory consumer rights.
Where goods are damaged while the risk remains with Gauge18, we will provide the appropriate remedy required by consumer law.
---
# Incorrect Items
If you receive an item that is different from what you ordered, please contact us as soon as reasonably possible at:
info@gauge18.com
Please provide your order number and, where useful, photographs of the item received.
Where Gauge18 has supplied the wrong item, we will arrange the appropriate replacement, refund or other remedy and will bear reasonable return costs where required.
---
# Return Address
Please contact us before returning goods so that we can provide or confirm the correct return instructions.
Please do not send returns without including enough information for us to identify your order.
---
# Contact Us
If you have questions about a return, refund, exchange, damaged order or faulty product, please contact:
Email: info@gauge18.com