Returns and Refunds
Custom printed goods are made to your specification, which changes what a return means. Here is how problems are handled.
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Why Bespoke Goods Are Different
Everything we supply is made to a specification you have approved: your size, your board, your artwork, on a die cut to your own product. It cannot be resold to anyone else.
That means there is no general right to return correctly produced goods because they are no longer wanted. It also means the stages before production — the specification, the flat sample and the proof — matter more than they would for a stock item, which is why we build them into every job.
When We Will Put Something Right
Tell us straight away if any of these apply:
- The goods do not match the specification confirmed on your order.
- The goods do not match the proof you approved.
- There is a manufacturing or print defect — misregistration, banding, poor cutting.
- The quantity delivered falls outside the tolerance stated on your quotation.
- The goods arrived damaged in transit.
What We Cannot Put Right
These are worth stating plainly, because they are the common disappointments:
- An error that was present in the proof you approved. Approving a proof confirms the layout, content and spelling, so check it carefully rather than quickly.
- Colour that differs from what you saw on a screen. Screens emit light and board reflects it, and the two cannot match. Where colour is critical, ask about a printed sample before approving.
- A size that does not fit a product different from the one we sized against. If your cone or cup supplier changes, send us the new one before reordering.
- Ordering more than you turned out to need.
How to Raise a Problem
- Tell us promptly. Transit damage in particular has to be reported quickly for a carrier claim to be possible.
- Send photographs. Include the affected goods, the outer packaging if it is a transit issue, and any batch or label information on the box.
- Keep the goods. Do not dispose of them until we have agreed what happens, as they may need inspecting or returning.
- Tell us what would resolve it. A reprint, a credit or a partial credit are the usual outcomes, and knowing what you need helps us reach it faster.
What Happens Next
We look at the evidence against the approved proof and the order specification. Where the fault is ours, we agree a remedy with you — normally a reprint of the affected quantity, or a credit where a reprint would not arrive in time to be useful.
Timescales and process detail pendingThe period within which problems must be reported, the return process, and how credits or refunds are issued have not been supplied for this site. Rather than invent figures, they are left blank. These must be confirmed and published here before launch, and they should match what is set out in the terms and conditions.
Cancelling an Order
Because production is bespoke, an order can normally be changed or cancelled without cost only before production begins. Once a die has been made or the job is on press, costs have already been incurred. Tell us as early as possible and we will be straightforward about what is and is not recoverable.
Talk to Us
Most problems are resolved faster by a conversation than by an email chain. Call+44 7458 651107 or emailinfo@conesleeves.co.uk with your order reference.
Questions We Are Asked
Can we return printed packaging we no longer need?
Not as a general right, because bespoke goods made to your specification cannot be resold to anyone else. That is why the specification, the sample and the proof stages carry the weight they do.
What counts as a fault we will put right?
Goods that do not match the confirmed specification or the approved proof, a manufacturing or print defect, a quantity outside the stated tolerance, or damage in transit. Any of those should be raised straight away.
What is not treated as a fault?
An error that was present in the proof you approved, colour that differs from a screen, a size that does not fit a product we were not given, and ordering more than you turned out to need.
How quickly do we need to report a problem?
As soon as it is noticed, and transit damage particularly so, because a carrier claim has a short window. The formal reporting period has not been confirmed for publication and will be stated here once it is.
What should we send when reporting a fault?
Photographs of the affected goods, of the outer packaging if it is a transit issue, and any batch or label information printed on the box. Those three usually settle what happened without further exchange.
Should we keep the goods?
Yes, until it is agreed what happens to them. They may need inspecting or returning, and disposing of them early removes the evidence that a claim depends on.
What remedies are available?
Normally a reprint of the affected quantity, or a credit where a reprint would arrive too late to be of use. Tell us which would actually resolve it for you, since that reaches an outcome faster.
Can an order be cancelled once placed?
Without cost, generally only before production begins. Once a die has been cut or the job is on press, costs have been incurred, so tell us as early as possible and we will be straightforward about what is recoverable.
Why does approving a proof matter so much?
Because approval is the point at which responsibility for the content transfers. A misspelling that survives your check will be printed exactly as approved, several thousand times, and cannot be unwound afterwards.
What if the colour is not what we pictured?
A screen emits light and board reflects it, so a difference is expected rather than faulty. Where colour is critical, ask about a printed sample before approving, since that is the only reliable comparison.