Delivery and Returns Policy

Delivery and Returns Policy

1. Delivery

Irrespective of the delivery method you choose, we always take responsibility up to the point of delivery, i.e., if your parcel goes missing or the contents are damaged, we will replace the affected items at no cost to you.

Please note that the time taken to ship an item usually takes within 2-5 working days” means that it will take us 2-5 working days to get the product to the customer after dispatching.

We currently offer two methods of delivery:

• Courier. These are door-to-door services within the South African borders. International delivery times as well as fees may differ depending on the location and weight of the order.

The delivery address must be a physical address and cannot be a post office box. Someone will need to be available at the address to receive the delivery. Deliveries are made during business hours from Monday to Friday.

We currently offer three courier options, which are:

Priority courier. In main centres, this will reach you the next business day after we ship your order.

Standard courier. In main centres, this will reach you within 1- 2 business days after we ship your order.

Economy courier. In main centres, this will reach you within 1 – 3 business days after we ship your order.

Main centres include properties within a 50km radius of the major cities in South Africa. If you are not in a main centre, it may take a few more days. We do not deliver by courier to plots, farms, mines, military bases, major chain stores, power stations, game reserves, lodges, airports or harbours. In addition to this, should your delivery address fall into one of the previously mentioned categories you will be liable for the extra costs incurred in delivering or returning the parcel.

• Collection. You can also collect your parcel from our office at in the Westlake Business Park. For directions to our office call 011 312 7582.

Our office hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am – 5pm, and we are open for collections. We are not open on weekends or public holidays and we do not charge for delivery if you choose to collect.

Returns

We want you to be happy with your purchase. If you are not completely satisfied, you can return the product to us and we will either refund/replace it, or credit your account, subject to the below terms. This Policy applies to products bought from Xarra Books. Please note that eBooks are dealt with separately in section 5 below.

This Policy forms part of the Xarra Books Terms and Conditions, so words defined in the Terms and Conditions have the same meaning in this Policy, unless the context indicates otherwise. Therefore, nothing in this Policy is intended to limit your statutory rights in any way.

Preparing your products for a return

To ensure your request is processed as quickly as possible you are responsible for the following when returning your products;

• package your products safely and securely for protection during transit;
• clearly mark your return reference number on the outside of the parcel; and
• include all accessories and parts that were sold with the product.

Failure to adhere to any of these requirements could delay the processing of your request or result in its decline altogether.

2. Unwanted products

You can return an unwanted product to us at no charge, provided:

• it is undamaged and unused, with the original labels and stickers still attached;
• it is not missing any accessories or parts;
• you log a return on the Website within 30 days of delivery to you or collection by you of the unwanted product. After 30 days, you can only return a product if it is defective: and
• it is not one of the products listed below.

Changed your mind?

Where you have changed your mind and would like a credit for a product, you can return it – provided the product is not:

• a digital product such as an eBook, electronic voucher, or other digital download;
• an audio or video recording that has been unsealed;
• a newspaper, periodical or magazine;
• a product which has been personalised for you or made to your specifications; or

We will collect the product from you at no charge. Once we have inspected the product and validated your return, we will credit your account with the purchase price of the product within 10 days of the return (or refund you if that is your preference).

Not what you ordered?

If we accidentally deliver the wrong product to you, or if the product is not as described on the Website, please notify us and we will collect the product from you at no charge. If the product is missing any accessories or parts, you will need to follow the process set out in section 2 below. Once we have inspected the product and validated your return, we will at your choice deliver the correct product to you as soon as possible (if the correct product is available); or credit your account with the purchase price of the product within 10 days of the return (or refund you if that is your preference).

3. Products damaged on delivery.

Should a product be damaged or missing any parts or accessories at the time of delivery / collection, please notify us within 7 days of such delivery / collection by logging a return on the Website.

We will arrange to collect the product from you at no charge. Once we have inspected the product and validated your return, we will at your choice replace the product as soon as possible (if we have the same product in stock to use as a replacement) or credit your account with the purchase price of the product (or refund you if that is your preference).

4. Defective products

We do our best to ensure that the products we deliver to you are of a high quality, and in good order and without defects.

What is a defect? A defect is a material imperfection in the manufacture of a product or any characteristic of a product, which makes the product less acceptable than one would reasonably be entitled to expect in the circumstances.

The following will NOT be regarded as defects and will not entitle you to a return under this section 3:

• faults resulting from normal wear and tear.
• damage arising from negligence, user abuse or incorrect usage of the product.
• damage arising from a failure to adequately care for the product.
• damage arising from unauthorized alterations to the product.
• where the specifications of a product, although accurately described on the Website and generally fit for its intended purpose, do not suit you; and
• in relation to Unboxed Deals or used products, signs of handling and/or repackaging.

Standard Warranty

If you have received a product which turns out to be defective or otherwise of poor quality (save for direct warranty products which are discussed below), please notify us as soon as reasonably possible after you have become aware of the defect or poor quality, but in any event within 6 months after delivery / collection of the product (except in the case of an extended supplier warranty, which is set out below).

You can do so by logging a return on the Website, and we will arrange to collect the product from you at no charge. Once we have inspected the product and validated your return, we will at your choice replace the product (if we have the same product in stock to use as a replacement) or credit your account with the purchase price of the product (or refund you if that is your preference). If the replacement takes longer than 21 days, we will get in touch with you to see if you would rather receive a credit / refund.

Where there is no extended supplier warranty period, unfortunately we cannot facilitate returns that fall outside of the 6-month period.

Where you request a replacement of an Unboxed Deal, or used product and a replacement is not possible, we will see if we have a replacement Unboxed Deal or used product in stock (which is the same product, of the same nature and type, as the one sold), but if we do not, we will credit / refund you. A product in perfect condition is not the same product as an Unboxed Deal or used product. Therefore, Unboxed Deals, and used products are discounted, compared to products in perfect condition.

Extended Supplier Warranty (stipulated on product page)

A product may have a supplier warranty that extends beyond the 6-month Standard Warranty. If such a product turns out to be defective more than 6 months after delivery / collection (save for direct warranty products which are discussed below), please notify us as soon as reasonably possible after you become aware of the defect, but in any event within the extended supplier warranty period after delivery / collection of the product.

You can do so by logging a return on the Website, and we will facilitate your return of the product to the supplier at no charge. Unfortunately, we cannot facilitate returns that fall outside of the extended supplier warranty period.

Please note that any extended supplier warranty is subject to whatever terms and conditions the supplier or manufacturer may impose. These are usually stated on the product packaging. It is your responsibility to make yourself aware of any such terms and conditions.

It is also important to note that it will be in the supplier or manufacturer’s discretion of the type of remedy they may offer you. Xarra Books is under no obligation to provide you with credit/ replacement, as your remedy lies with the supplier or manufacturer. However, since we want your experience to be as good as possible, if the supplier or manufacturer has offered you a replacement within the applicable extended supplier warranty and it takes longer than 21 days, we will get in touch with you to see if you would rather receive a credit / refund directly from us.

PLEASE NOTE: Unboxed Deals and used products do not have extended supplier warranties and this will be made clear on the product description.

5. Gift Vouchers & Coupons

There are two types of Coupons: A Coupon with a fixed amount of a discount, e.g., R100 off (“Fixed Coupon”), and a Coupon with a percentage discount, e.g., 10% off (“Percentage Coupon”).

Where you have used a Fixed Coupon to pay for an order, and you or Xarra Books later cancels your order (or part thereof) prior to delivery of the relevant product(s), or you log a return of one or more products for a credit in accordance with the Returns Policy, the value of the Fixed Coupon will be deducted off the purchase price of the cancelled or returned product(s) (as applicable), and we will credit your account for the balance, if any (or refund you if that is your preference). We will also provide you with a replacement Fixed Coupon of the same value as the original Fixed Coupon used. Xarra Books may in its sole discretion impose restrictions on the use of the replacement Fixed Coupon.  For any subsequent cancellations or returns arising out of the same order, we will credit your account as normal with the value of the returned product (or refund you if that is your preference).

Where you have used a Percentage Coupon  to pay for an order, and you or Xarra Books later cancels your order (or part thereof) prior to delivery of the relevant product(s), or you log a return of one or more products for a credit in accordance with the Returns Policy, the value of the discount received using the Percentage Coupon will be deducted off the purchase price of the cancelled or returned product(s) (as applicable), and we will credit your account for the balance, if any (or refund you if that is your preference). We will also provide you with a replacement Fixed Coupon of the same value as the discount received using the original Percentage Coupon. Xarra Books may in its sole discretion impose restrictions on the use of the replacement Fixed Coupon. For any subsequent cancellations or returns arising out of the same order, we will credit your account as normal with the value of the returned product (or refund you if that is your preference).

Wherever you have used a Gift Voucher to purchase a product that you later return for a refund in accordance with the Policy, we cannot refund you in cash for that portion of the purchase price which you paid using the Gift Voucher, but we will credit your account.

6. eBooks Code Returns

eBooks are treated differently to other products when it comes to returns, given their digital nature and the fact that technical knowledge of eBooks process may be required to assist you if the eBook or its Link, does not work. Once you purchase an eBook, we will only allow you to return it if it is defective.

Any defect in an eBook or its Link shall be dealt with as follows:

• Should you experience any problems in using the Link to access the eBook in accessing, opening, or reading the eBook, or if the eBook is defective in some other way (missing pages, incorrect book, does not work etc), please report the problem to us as soon as reasonably possible after you become aware of the problem, but in any event within 6 months of purchase. This will create a support request for you.
• We will then investigate the possible cause/s of the problem and how to rectify them. We may need to liaise with the relevant service providers to assess and rectify the problem or to issue you with a new Link so that you can get a replacement eBook of the same title as the case may be.
• If the eBook is defective, we will at your choice replace it (if such replacement is possible) or credit your account with the purchase price of the eBook (or refund you if that is your preference).

7. Bundles

There are two types of bundles: a bundle consisting of products that either we or you (as provided on our website) have combined together in a single bundle (“Bundle Deal”); or a bundle compiled by our supplier and supplied to us as a single unit (“Pre-packed Bundle“). All returns relating to bundles are subject to the terms of this Policy as read with the following provisions:

• Bundle Deal– You may return a Bundle Deal as a whole or any of its component products individually to us. If you qualify for a credit in respect of any component product, we will credit your account with the actual purchase price (after applying any applicable saving or discount) you paid for such a product as displayed in your order history.
• Pre-packed Bundle– Unless otherwise indicated by us, your return of a Pre-packed Bundle will only be accepted if you return all its component products to us. Failure to do so may result in us declining the return of a Pre-packed Bundle.

8. Charges and refunds

If you return a defective product (excluding eBooks) to us, but you fail to return all the accessories and parts that were sold with that product, we are entitled to (subject to applicable law) refuse the return, or only to replace the item that you did return; or to estimate the value of the missing accessories and parts and to credit or refund you in respect of the returned item only.

If you return a product (excluding eBooks) that does not comply with this Policy, you may be liable to reimburse Xarra Books for the cost of collecting the product from you and the cost of having the product returned to you.

Under no circumstances will the donations you make on our Website, or any goodwill credit you may receive from us, be refunded.

Please note that we only refund to the payment method that you originally used – i.e. payment by credit card will be refunded to the same credit card, payment by Instant EFT or COD (cash on delivery) will be refunded to your nominated bank account, and payment by Discovery Miles or eBucks will be refunded to your Discovery Miles or eBucks account.

9. Sale or Return

Sale or return is an arrangement by which a retailer pays only for goods sold, returning those that are unsold to the wholesaler or supplier. Sale or return agreements allow the retailer to return unsold stock, thus eliminating write-offs.

DELIVERY

Free of charge (if above our small order threshold*) to all bookshops throughout South Africa. On a customer’s request goods can be sent by express dispatch (or overnight to South Africa) at a nominal additional charge.

SMALL ORDER SURCHARGE

A surcharge is added where orders total less than our small order threshold after discount, to offset the increased freight and handling costs*. Where an order is placed and the total value of the order is below the threshold, and the titles cannot be supplied at the time of the order, the surcharge will be charged when the backorder can be supplied. Small orders are expensive to process and dispatch, we have bestseller lists we can give you to make additions to your orders and avoid this charge.

RETURNS

All books are supplied on full sale or return, but items can only be returned after a period of 8 weeks and before 12 weeks from the invoice date. Books may only be returned with an authorised returns label available from Xarra Books Customer Service (details of quantity, author/ title, price, and relevant invoice number(s) should be faxed or emailed). Full credit will only be issued on books that arrive at our warehouse in mint condition, and that have been supplied by Xarra Books. Books which are returned to Xarra Books that were not originally supplied, are outside the time limits, unauthorised returns or books received damaged, will be returned to customer(s) at their expense plus a R 100.00 handling charge.

CLAIMS

Claims for shortage of supply or mis bound/ damaged titles must be submitted within 14 days of the invoice date. Damaged titles should be returned by normal parcel post or our nominated carrier with a copy of the original invoice, whereupon a replacement copy will be supplied, or the account credited (including return postage). All packages returned to Xarra Books must be sent by recorded delivery, no credit will be given for titles that are not received by us, and freight charges will not be credited if titles are not sent by our nominated carrier.