Refund policy

Last updated: 10 August 2026

1. Starting a return or reporting a problem

Please contact us before sending an item so that we can identify your order and provide the correct return instructions. Email info@seruvia.co.za and include, where available:

• Your full name and order number
• The item concerned and the reason for your request
• The remedy you are requesting
• Clear photographs or a short video where damage, a defect or an incorrect item is involved
• Reasonable proof that the item was purchased from Seruvia

We will acknowledge and assess the request within a reasonable time. Contacting us first helps prevent a return from being lost or sent to the wrong address, but an administrative return number will not be used to remove a valid statutory right.

2. Online cooling-off rights

ECTA cooling-off period

Where section 44 of ECTA applies, a consumer may cancel an online transaction for goods, without reason and without penalty, within 7 days after receiving the goods. The consumer must notify Seruvia of the cancellation within that period.

• The only charge that may be imposed is the direct cost of returning the goods.
• Any payment covered by the cancellation will be refunded within 30 days from the date of cancellation, as required by ECTA.
• The consumer should take reasonable care of the goods and return all components, accessories and packaging that were supplied.

ECTA contains exclusions from this cooling-off right, including certain personalised goods, goods that are likely to deteriorate or expire rapidly, and goods that by reason of their nature cannot be returned. Whether an exclusion applies will be assessed according to the product and the law.

Transactions resulting from direct marketing

If a transaction resulted from direct marketing as defined in the CPA, the consumer may rescind it without reason or penalty by written or otherwise recorded notice within 5 business days after the later of the date the agreement was concluded or the goods were delivered. Any refund will be handled within the period required by section 16 of the CPA.

3. Hygiene, oral-contact and personal-care products

Because many Seruvia products make direct contact with the mouth, teeth, tongue, skin or body, opened or used products cannot ordinarily be accepted for a voluntary change-of-mind return. This includes, for example:

• Toothbrushes, brush heads, mouthpieces, water-flosser nozzles and tongue scrapers
• Whitening strips, whitening pens, toothpaste and other consumable oral-care products
• Beauty or self-care products with a broken hygiene seal, or products that have been opened, sampled or used

An opened or used hygiene item may also fall within an ECTA exclusion where, by reason of its nature, it cannot lawfully or safely be returned. We assess this fairly and case by case.

Important: The hygiene rule does not remove your rights if a product is defective, unsafe, incorrectly supplied, not as described or otherwise returnable under applicable law. Please contact us even if the item had to be opened to discover the problem.

4. Defective, unsafe or poor-quality goods

Under sections 55 and 56 of the CPA, goods must be reasonably suitable for their ordinary purpose, of good quality, in good working order, free of defects and usable and durable for a reasonable period, having regard to all relevant circumstances.

If goods fail to meet these standards, the consumer may return them within 6 months after delivery, without penalty and at Seruvia’s risk and expense. Subject to the CPA, the consumer may direct Seruvia to:

• Repair the goods;
• Replace the goods; or
• Refund the price paid for the goods.

Seruvia may conduct a fair inspection or test to establish the nature and cause of the reported problem. An inspection is not a basis for delaying or denying a valid statutory remedy.

If Seruvia repairs an item and, within 3 months after that repair, the original problem is not remedied or a further failure, defect or unsafe feature appears, Seruvia will replace the item or refund the price paid, as required by the CPA.

After the initial 6-month period, any longer express, supplier or manufacturer warranty will continue according to its terms, and any other rights available in law remain unaffected.

5. What is not a product defect

A product will not qualify as defective merely because of a problem caused after delivery by circumstances such as:

• Misuse, abuse, negligence, accidental damage or improper storage
• Failure to follow the supplied instructions, warnings, care directions or charging requirements
• Normal wear and tear or the normal depletion of a consumable product
• Unauthorised alteration, dismantling, repair or modification
• Incompatible accessories, unsuitable power supplies or external events such as a power surge, where these caused the damage
• A characteristic, limitation or cosmetic variation that was accurately disclosed before purchase and expressly accepted by the customer

Seruvia will consider the facts and the cause of the problem rather than applying these exclusions automatically.

6. Incorrect, incomplete, damaged or misdescribed orders

If an order arrives damaged, incomplete, contains the wrong item or does not match its advertised description, please notify us as soon as reasonably possible—preferably within 48 hours of delivery. Quick notice helps us preserve courier evidence and resolve the matter faster.

Please keep the item and delivery packaging while the claim is being assessed. Where reasonably possible, send photographs of the parcel, shipping label, internal packaging and affected product.

The 48-hour request is an evidence and service guideline. A claim will not be rejected solely because notice was given later if the consumer still has a right under the CPA, ECTA or another applicable law.

Where Seruvia supplied an incorrect, damaged, incomplete or legally non-conforming order, we will arrange the appropriate collection or return at our expense and provide the remedy required by law.

7. Other statutory returns under the CPA

The CPA provides additional return rights in certain circumstances. These may include goods that:

• The consumer did not have a reasonable opportunity to examine before delivery and that do not match the type or quality reasonably contemplated;
• Were mixed with goods of a different description and rejected on delivery; or
• Are unsuitable for a particular purpose that the consumer specifically communicated to Seruvia before purchase, where the requirements of the CPA are met.

These rights are subject to the conditions and time periods in section 20 of the CPA, including a 10-business-day period in the circumstances covered by that section. Any lawful charge for use, consumption, depletion or necessary restoration will be determined strictly in accordance with the CPA.

8. Voluntary change-of-mind requests

Outside a cooling-off period or another right provided by law, Seruvia does not guarantee a return or refund simply because a customer has changed their mind, selected the wrong product or no longer wants the item.

We may consider a voluntary return at our discretion if the request is made promptly and the product is unopened, unused, unaltered, in resalable condition and complete with its original seals, packaging, accessories, manuals and promotional items. If approved:

• The customer is responsible for the return cost and for choosing a trackable, adequately insured service.
• Original delivery charges are not refundable unless Seruvia agrees otherwise or the law requires it.
• A refund or exchange will be processed only after the returned item has been received and inspected.
• No fee will be deducted unless it is fair, disclosed and permitted by law.

Approval of one voluntary return does not create an obligation to approve another request in different circumstances.

9. Return shipping and responsibility

• Defective, unsafe, incorrect, misdescribed or qualifying CPA returns: Seruvia will arrange or pay the reasonable return cost where required by law. The return is at Seruvia’s risk and expense where the CPA so provides.
• ECTA cooling-off returns: The customer pays only the direct cost of returning the goods.
• Approved voluntary returns: The customer pays the return cost and bears the return-transit risk until the parcel is delivered to Seruvia.

Please do not send a parcel to an address shown on an old label or to a courier collection point. We will provide the correct return details after receiving your request.

10. Inspection and returned-item condition

All returns may be checked to confirm the item, condition, components and reported problem. The customer should return everything originally supplied with the affected product, where reasonably possible.

Seruvia may decline a non-statutory return, or make a deduction permitted by law, where an item is missing, damaged, used beyond what was reasonably necessary, altered, contaminated or returned in a materially different condition. No inspection outcome will override a remedy that the consumer is entitled to by law.

11. Refunds

Approved refunds will ordinarily be made to the original payment method. If that is not reasonably possible, Seruvia will agree a secure alternative with the customer. We may require reasonable verification before paying a refund to a different account.

• ECTA cooling-off refunds will be made within the statutory 30-day period.
• CPA direct-marketing refunds will be made within the period prescribed by section 16 of the CPA.
• Other approved refunds will be initiated within a reasonable time after approval and, where a return is required, after receipt or collection of the item.

After Seruvia has initiated a refund, a bank, card issuer or payment provider may take additional time to reflect it. We will provide available processing confirmation on request.

Delivery charges, transaction costs or other amounts will be refunded whenever applicable law requires it. For a voluntary return outside statutory rights, those charges are not refundable unless Seruvia agrees otherwise.

12. Exchanges and replacements

Exchanges and replacements are subject to availability. If the same item is unavailable, Seruvia will not substitute a different product without the customer’s agreement. We will instead discuss an appropriate alternative, store credit or refund, subject to the remedy the customer is entitled to by law.

For a voluntary exchange, the customer must pay any agreed price difference and applicable delivery cost. If the replacement costs less, the agreed difference will be refunded or credited.

13. Promotions, bundles, gifts and sale items

If a customer cancels or voluntarily returns an entire promotional transaction, all bundle components and qualifying gifts must also be returned. If the customer keeps part of a promotion, any refund may be recalculated to the price that would reasonably have applied to the retained items, to the extent permitted by law.

A defect affecting one bundle component will be dealt with appropriately and will not automatically require the return of unrelated components unless this is reasonably necessary to provide the selected lawful remedy.

Sale, clearance and promotional products retain all statutory rights. A fault or condition clearly disclosed before purchase and expressly accepted by the customer will not later be treated as an undisclosed defect, but other statutory protections remain in place.

Gift cards and vouchers are not exchangeable for cash except where required by law. Applicable statutory rights concerning prepaid value remain unaffected.

14. Order cancellations and refused deliveries

Contact us immediately if you wish to cancel before dispatch. If the parcel has already been packed, dispatched or handed to a courier, the applicable return process and lawful return costs may apply.

Refusing delivery does not automatically complete a cancellation. Please notify Seruvia in writing so the parcel can be traced and the correct cancellation or return process can be applied.

15. Fraud, misuse and abusive return activity

Seruvia may verify a claim and may decline a request that does not qualify under this policy or the law. We may also take reasonable steps where there is credible evidence of fraud, a deliberately false claim, product substitution, tampering, theft, chargeback abuse or repeated misuse of a voluntary return benefit.

This clause will never be used to obstruct a genuine complaint or a valid statutory right. Account restrictions will be proportionate and will not affect remedies already owed under law.

16. Liability and non-excludable rights

Customers should use, charge, store and care for products in accordance with the supplied instructions and warnings. Seruvia is not responsible for loss caused solely by misuse, unauthorised alteration, accidental damage or failure to follow clear instructions, to the extent permitted by law.

Nothing in this policy excludes liability for gross negligence, unsafe or defective goods, prohibited conduct, or any other liability or consumer remedy that may not lawfully be excluded or limited under the CPA or other applicable law.

17. Complaints and dispute resolution

Please first allow us an opportunity to resolve the matter directly and in good faith.

If a complaint remains unresolved, an eligible consumer may approach the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) or lodge a complaint through the National Consumer Commission (NCC). Consumers may also use any other competent consumer authority or remedy available in law.

18. Changes to this policy

Seruvia may update this policy to reflect changes in law, products or operations. The version published on our website at the time a request is made will be considered, but no later amendment will retrospectively remove a statutory right or remedy that has already arisen.

Official legal references: Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 and Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002.