Returns Policy

Coffee is a fresh food and it's important to understand the consequences of a fresh product over time.

Most people think that if a pack of fresh roasted coffee is still sealed and unopened, it is identical in quality to when it was originally sent by us to you - unfortunately that's not the case.

Fresh coffee degrades quickly, even inside the sealed packaging.

The reality is that nothing can retard or halt the oxydization process of coffee - it's is extremely volatile when fresh (emitting huge levels of carbon dioxide, or off-gassing) and this is why fresh roasted coffee is stored in a special type of packaging - 3-layer metal-filmed bags that are heat sealed with a 1-way valve.

It's not the same as other food ingredients. Fresh roasted coffee has volatile compounds that degrade over time. It's these volatile compounds that are the essence of what makes coffee attractive - aroma, body, crema, sweetness, flavor, etc.

The reason we mention all of this is because nobody wants to buy stale coffee - everyone wants the packs that have come straight off the roaster because for a very simple reason that it's at a peak.

Our mycuppa.com.au business is built upon this freshness promise.

We don't roast coffee and then leave it on warehouse shelves for days, weeks, months. We roast, pack and then send coffee daily, 5 days a week.

Our Resolution Centre

mycuppa.com.au has a fully-featured Resolution Centre built-in.

You can access this from your account profile Main Menu once you are logged into mycuppa.com.au via the Resolution Centre tab.

Within the Resolution Centre, you are able to Create a New Dispute.

Disputes are tracked by our team and responses are logged.

A dispute does not mean we are at loggerheads, or that we disagree, it's just the terminology used by the functions within the Resolution Centre.

You are also welcome to use the Contact Us page to reach us and we welcome that as a preferred initial method.

Returns Merchandise Authorisation (RMA)

After making contact with us, we will endeavour to understand the nature of the issue and we may ask questions and even request photos.

Whilst it may seem strange to ask for photos, it's an entirely reasonable and necessary step to assist our experts to identify the cause of a problem. It can also help guide or influence the types of options that are available to resolve.

Our primary objective is always centred around quality and not wasting yours or our valuable time. Its important that we know how an incident occurred and what can be done to prevent it in the future, or what type of corrective actions can be undertaken.

Sometimes, it's not always a straight forward issue. An example is freight damage - nobody is happy when that occurs, so it's vital that expectations are managed - see also the section on Freight Insurance.

Once we have undertaken an investigation or evaluation of the issues, possible options for resolution and agreed to a plan, it's only when we have issued a formal RMA that you are permitted to initiate the return of an item.

As you can appreciate, there are many different circumstances and conditions that may apply to an incident or issue. Similarly, there are mostly multiple options or solutions that can be offered or undertaken.

Generally, our products are not re-sellable. That means in simple terms that most of the time when an issue has occurred, the product is written-off, e.g. we have no intention of re-selling it once it's more than a couple of days old. As mentioned above, we deal with fresh food products - not general merchandise, therefore it really can't be resold later at a discount - nobody wants stale coffee and we take our reputation for quality and freshness seriously.

Once you have been issues an RMA from us, this will ensure your return experience is handled professionally.

WHAT can be returned?

We make a mistake

If we have made a error with your order - such as sending you the wrong coffee, or an insufficient quantity, please contact us and we will offer options to resolve this at our cost.

In the situation whereby a product is defective, e.g. the packaging of the product (not the carton it is shipped in) fails, please contact us and report the incident. We will work with you to resolve it satisfactorily. This does not include damage as a result of excessive pressure or force applied during transit. An example of this is when a freight company may throw cartons, or stack heavy items that cause the seal on a bag to "blow" in some places.

Some packs of chai and drinking chocolate are delicate and can pop during transit. Please continue reading to understand the limitation of freight damage.

You order the wrong products

Please understand that coffee is a fresh food and returning a product that is up to 2 weeks old is something that is difficult for both you and us to deal with.

We strive to ship fresh roasted coffee. That means, a product that was roasted this morning or yesterday. Something that is 2 weeks old is not fresh and outside of our quality policy. We can't put that product back in stock and re-send out to another customer - it's not fair on that receiving customer as the peak or optimal window for enjoyment may have passed.

Please also keep in mind that freight is not a cheap or free service. If you have placed an order and unfortunately made a mistake, please contact us to discuss options.

Taste

Our products are sealed in special packaging. It's done this way to preserve quality and freshness. If you don't like the taste of a product after opening and sampling, it's not able to be returned as it will have been exposed to oxygen and potentially other contaminants.

Taste is a highly subjective perception and it varies amongst individuals. What one person may enjoy, another may not and so on.....

Freight Damage

Everybody knows these days that freight companies do not handle goods with care. In fact, the modern freight parcel hubs use mechanical tipping of large cages with up to 300kg of parcels for sorting.

Parcels are also "thrown about" my couriers and delivery agents in their depots and vehicles - sometimes, they stack heavy objects on delicate items and the concept of "fragile" no longer exists.

Therefore, you must understand that there is always an element of risk present with freight parcels. We have operated online businesses for 9 years, sending over 250,000 customer orders and statistically, around 0.5% of parcels sustain some type of damage.

We pack all orders in brand new cartons in our warehouse. We use a big range of carton sizes to suit the physical dimensions of the contents, e.g. we choose carton sizes that allow the items inside to travel safely.

Freight Transit Insurance - not provided by default

All our parcels that we send are not insured for transit, unless you contact us beforehand and pay for this additional service.

That is, if your parcel sustains some type of damage in transit, it is not possible to request a refund or exchange - it's not our policy, it's simply because our freight companies will not allow us to make this claim unless the consignment had insurance prior to being collected by the freight company.

If you are concerned about the risks of transit damage, please contact us before ordering to arrange appropriate levels of transit coverage PRIOR to placing the order.

Transit cover is $2.20 per $100 of coverage. That is, if your order is worth $92, then you can ask us to apply insurance for your consignment and it will cost $2.20 (incl. GST).

WHEN do items need to be returned by?
Roasted coffee is a fresh food that begins to degrade soon after roasting - even inside the sealed packaging.

The first step is to contact us to discuss the matter.

Once we have clarified the issue, explored options, etc. we will endeavour to reach an amicable outcome.

In the event we have both agreed that an item is to be returned, we will issue a formal RMA and ask for this to be sent within 2 business days of agreement.

The longer a product sits around in an unwanted state, the less likely of it being able to be used, therefore it may be scrapped - time is of the essence.

WHERE do items need to be returned to?
The first step is to reach out and contact us via the Contact Us page, or call our office.

We need to firstly understand the issue and discuss options.

Our system has a comprehensive Resolution Centre and RMA module that tracks all events associated with the returns lifecycle.

Once approval is granted by us for you to return an item - we issue you an RMA, we will provide the appropriate details in the RMA advice.

HOW do customers return items?
Items cannot be returned to us without a valid RMA that has been issued by our system.

We kindly ask that you contact us in the first instance when there is a matter to be resolved. We will then discuss a range of options that may be easier than undertaking the hassles associated with arranging for a parcel to be sent back to us.

If an approved RMA has been issued by us, please ensure the item is packed well in a carton so as to ensure it can arrive in a reasonable condition.

Satchels are not allowed. We do not use satchels to send customer orders as our products are at risk of damage, e.g. coffee beans crushed. Powder and chai containers damaged, etc.

SHIPPING for returns?
The first step is to contact us to clarify the matter.

We will discuss a range of options and attempt to identify the reason or cause of a return, if required.

If we have requested that you return an item to us, we will issue a RMA from our system. This is a tracking function to ensure the full lifecycle of a customer return is managed professionally - whereby you can view all communication relating to the event.

The issue of who pays for the return freight will depend upon the circumstances relating to the RMA - details of which will be agreed upfront before the return is initiated.

Under some conditions, we may elect to issue a partial refund of the original purchase price as a method to cover return freight - only when we have agreed to do so.

In the circumstances whereby the customer has made an error, e.g. ordered whole beans instead of ground coffee, and then requests for us to grind the coffee and return the ground coffee to the customer, then the customer will pay the return freight to us as well as the freight costs for re-sending of the corrected item.

CREDIT for returns?
The first step is to make contact with us - preferably via the Contact Us page on our website.

Our initial response is to understand the nature of the return - is it a defective product, was there a mistake made, etc. We do this to ensure our quality standards are maintained.

We will then openly discuss the matter with you - initially via email to ensure a record is kept and then if it becomes apparent that a RMA needs to be raised, our RMA function within the mycuppa.com.au store operates as a central facility to track the entire stages until completion.

Depending upon the circumstances, we may discuss options. Our primary approach is to minimize both yours and our time - it's valuable.

In some cases, it's far more efficient to process a store credit that can be used for any future purchase, or in some instances we may process a full or partial refund against your original purchase transaction, e.g. we enter the refund amount against your credit card or paypal transaction.

If we ship your order and you do NOT collect your parcel from the shipping provider's collection facility and your order is returned to us, we reserve the right to deny a refund, however, each case will be assessed individually.

If you refuse to collect an item from a shipping provider's collection facility (Parcel Outlet, LPO, Service Station, PO Box, Parcel Locker, Newsagency, etc), regardless of the situation as to whether you were home or not, a customer refusing to collect a parcel and subsequently allowing that parcel to sit for extended periods before returning to us will trigger an abandonment condition - any non-perishable items such as cleaning products or accessories will be refunded less the 20% re-stocking fee, however, fresh roasted coffee that returns to us more than 7 days after it was dispatched will be destroyed and no refund provided. We are sellers of fresh roasted coffee.

Packing materials?
If you have opened a pack of coffee, tea, drinking chocolate or chai, then it cannot be returned to us.

For accessories such as barista tools, etc. we appreciate if you are able to return the item, once authorised by us to do so, in the original packaging.

We strive to buy the best online coffee bean sales experience we can, so if you have any questions, please let us know.