Returns, Refunds & Damaged Goods Policy

At High Tea with Elephants, we take care to select and package our products. If you need to return an item or if your order arrives damaged, please follow the guidelines below.

This policy does not limit any rights you may have under applicable South African consumer law.

1. Change-of-Mind Returns

If you wish to return an item because you have changed your mind, please contact us before sending it back. We will confirm whether the return can be accepted and explain the next steps.

Where a return is permitted:

• You must notify us before dispatching the item.

• Please provide the name of the courier company you intend to use and the tracking details once the parcel has been sent.

• Items should be returned in their original packaging where possible, or securely packaged to protect them during transit.

• Unless applicable law requires otherwise, the cost of returning an item for a change of mind is the customer's responsibility.

• Items must be returned in an appropriate condition, taking into account any inspection reasonably necessary to assess the item.

Certain products, including personalised or made-to-order items, may be excluded from change-of-mind returns where permitted by law. This does not affect your statutory rights in relation to defective, damaged or incorrectly supplied goods.

2. Return Address

Please arrange and confirm your return with us before sending any goods to:

High Tea with Elephants
Shop 22, Kamogelo Tourism Centre
Hoedspruit, Limpopo, 1380
South Africa

3. Breakages, Damage or Defective Goods

If an item arrives broken, damaged or defective, please contact us as soon as reasonably possible so that we can assist.

To help us assess the issue, please provide:

• Your order number and details of the affected item.

• Clear photographs of the damage or defect.

• Photographs of the outer packaging and inner packaging, where relevant.

• Any other information that may help us understand what happened.

We ask customers to report visible damage within 48 hours of delivery where possible. This helps us investigate courier claims promptly. However, this request does not limit any rights you may have under applicable law, including in relation to defects that are not immediately apparent.

Please retain the packaging until the matter has been resolved, as the courier or insurer may require it for an assessment.

4. Delivery and Signing for Goods

Where possible, inspect the parcel for visible damage when it arrives. If the courier asks you to confirm that the goods have been received in good order but you have not been able to inspect them, ask to record that the goods are “unchecked” instead.

If you notice damage, photograph the parcel and packaging before discarding anything, and contact us promptly.

Signing for a delivery does not automatically remove any rights you may have under applicable consumer law.

5. Natural Variations and Handmade Products

Many of our products are made using natural materials or traditional handmade processes. Variations in colour, grain, texture, shape and finish may occur and can form part of the character of the item.

For example:

• Wood, stone and leather may have natural variations in colour, grain or texture.

• Handmade artefacts may display individual characteristics, including irregularities or marks associated with their production.

• Some traditional or artisanal pieces may have visible repair marks or imperfections that are an inherent and disclosed feature of the item.

These characteristics are not necessarily defects. However, a natural variation or handmade feature will not automatically exclude a remedy if the item is materially different from its description, damaged, or otherwise fails to meet the standards required by applicable law.

6. Items Not Covered by a Change-of-Mind Return

A change-of-mind return may not be accepted where an item has been:

• Altered, repaired or modified without our authorisation.

• Damaged through misuse, negligence or inadequate care after delivery.

• Used or handled beyond what is reasonably necessary to inspect it.

These exclusions do not remove any rights that apply where goods are defective or otherwise covered by consumer protection legislation.

7. Refunds for Damaged or Defective Goods

Once we have assessed a reported issue, we will explain the available next steps in accordance with applicable law.

Where a refund is due, it will be processed in accordance with the applicable requirements. For a confirmed breakage or defect, the remedy and any associated return or delivery costs will be handled in line with your legal rights.

Where only some items in a consignment are affected, any remedy will relate to the affected items, as required by the circumstances and applicable law.

Customs duties, taxes or other charges imposed by third parties may be outside our control. Any refund or reimbursement of these charges will be considered in accordance with applicable law and the relevant authority's rules.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions about a return, refund, breakage or defective item, please contact us before sending any goods back.

High Tea with Elephants
Email: info@highteawithelephants.com
Telephone: +27 60 469 3717

We will do our best to resolve the matter fairly and promptly.