Credit & Returns Policy
ULLAGE
All items sold by Austwide include a 3% ullage. This means that the price quoted to customers includes an assumption that 3% of the total order may be damaged or faulty. The reason for this is quite simply that we are dealing in the distribution of low priced items but with a high turnover.
We therefore only accept credit claims that are in excess of 3% of the total value of the invoice on which the faulty/damaged goods were delivered. Naturally, Austwide will always take responsibility for crediting any faulty goods as a result of a design fault or total loss, however we will not take responsibility for "ones and two's" that became faulty during distribution, merchandising, sale or return.
All claims in excess of 3% of the invoice value (net of GST) will be approved;
a) if contrary to Austwide's picking procedure, it has evidence that the stock was not supplied
b) if goods are damaged or faulty upon delivery and have been checked and verified or approved by an Austwide representative.
All customers have a duty to mitigate Austwide's loss in all circumstances. This means that if a product, although damaged or faulty, can be rendered saleable by removing a faulty part, then the amount of the credit will be adjusted to reflect this. An example of this may be a set of four vases that are sold nested into each other, and one of the four vases is broken or damaged, a credit will only be issued for the damaged part of the set as the remaining stock is still sellable.
GROUNDS FOR WHICH GOODS CAN BE RETURNED FOR CREDIT
Due to the difficulty in investigating claims "after the fact", all credit claims for short or missing stock on delivery must be notified to Austwide in writing within 14 days of the delivery date. The reason for this is that any counter claim Austwide may have against a third party i.e. freight company must be communicated within 21 days. The following are a list of circumstances where goods can be returned for credit.
Damaged Goods / Faulty Goods
Upon delivery of any consignment of goods from Austwide Consumer Products, retailers should check that the pallet or carton has been delivered intact. In the case of a pallet, this means that the black plastic shrink wrap should be intact and unbroken on arrival at the premises. If the black plastic shrink wrap has been broken or tampered with prior to arrival at the premises, this fact should be noted on the consignment note and signed accordingly. Once all items on the pallet have been checked and in the event that goods are either damaged or not in an sellable condition Austwide will, after confirmation by an Austwide representative and in accordance with the ullage clause mentioned above, credit the goods accordingly.
Goods Invoiced but Not Received
In the event that goods have been invoiced but not received, goods will be credited after a thorough investigation by our Credits & Returns Officer.
Oversupply
In the event that goods have been oversupplied, a credit note will be issued for any stock in excess of the ordered amount.
Recall
In the event that Austwide voluntarily recalls a product for either a safety or legal issue, a credit note will be issued for any unsold stock returned from consumers as a result of the recall. It is imperitive in the circumstances that all returned goods are carefully documented to assist in the recall process.
Incorrectly Supplied
In the event that a quantity or price has been incorrectly keyed by an Austwide employee, a credit note will be issued to the extent of the Austwide error.
Goods Cannot Be Returned for Credit
a) On a sale or return basis (unless previously negotiated with Management)
b) If customers decide they no longer want the goods
c) If customers are overstocked
d) Goods cannot be exchanged
e) If they have customers price tickets or labels attached
HOW TO RETURN GOODS TO AUSTWIDE
If all of the guidelines mentioned above have been adhered to, goods can be returned by submitting an equiry email online including all relevant order details and a representative of Austwide will contact you.
