RETURNS AND REFUNDS POLICY

1. POLICY OVERVIEW

The DOALOT Returns & Refunds Policy is a strategic trust framework designed to balance statutory consumer rights with enterprise development model sustainability. In strict alignment with the Consumer Protection Act (CPA, Act 68 of 2008), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA, Act 25 of 2002), and relevant data protection laws, all transaction checkouts are held securely within a centralized financial vault and are only released once the statutory quality verification and cooling-off windows have fully lapsed.

2. CORE RETURN SECTORS & CATEGORIZATION

Returns, exchanges, and cancellations are managed across three primary operational streams:

• 2.1 Physical Workstation Payloads & Trade Packages: Governed by an intensive quality control layer processed directly through our centralized Kempton Park Warehouse Hub.
• 2.2 Short-Term Hospitality Cancellations (DOALOT Stay): Managed via tiered automated cancellation windows to protect asset hosts from short-notice income losses.
• 2.3 Digital Access Gates & Accelerator Portals (DOALOT Lift): Strictly non-refundable once administrative data ingestion, profile routing, or statutory verification missions have officially commenced.

3. THE "COOLING-OFF" RIGHT & STRICT PUBLIC HEALTH EXEMPTIONS

• 3.1 ECTA Section 44 Compliance (General Individual Retail Purchasing): Per Section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA), consumers retain an absolute 7-day "Cooling-Off" period applicable strictly to general individual retail items, minor electronic accessories, and standard consumer brand combos purchased via the online store. You may cancel a standard transaction for standard returnable retail goods without reason and without penalty within 7 days of order receipt.
• 3.2 Surcharges & Return Cost Execution: The consumer is solely responsible for the direct courier or transport costs required to return change-of-mind retail goods to our central repository, and a standard flat-rate restocking fee or administrative surcharge may be applied to the final store credit payout.
• 3.3 Heavy-Freight Turnkey Workstation Exception: Because our premium unbranded Start-Up Packages (Gauteng Townships) undergo high-volume equipment allocation, multi-wholesaler stock consolidation, and custom physical component testing at our Kempton Park regional node over at least a one-month timeline, these industrial payloads are explicitly exempt from standard retail change-of-mind return cycles once unboxed, turned on, or deployed to a field location.
• 3.4 Statutory Bulk Combo & Reseller Bale Exemptions: In strict accordance with wholesale trading frameworks, regional public health laws, and sanitary codes, the following product categories are explicitly marked as Non-Returnable on their description pages and are entirely exempt from standard retail change-of-mind return cycles:
  • Commercial Reseller Bales & Bulk Kits: Any multi-pack trader bundles, bulk inventory combo packs, or raw material stock arrays sold in factory-sealed high-volume formats.
  • Everyday Consumption Lines: Foodstuffs, baking ingredients, groceries, bulk pantry bundles, beverages, livestock feeds, and cosmetic skin hygiene liquids.
  • Intimate Apparel: Underwear, socks, stockings, aprons, and operator headwear lines.

4. STATUTORY QUALITY WARRANTIES (CPA SECTION 56) & FIREWALLS

• 4.1 The 6-Month Quality Guarantee: In strict compliance with Section 56 of the CPA, all physical goods, machinery, toolsets, and touchscreen equipment carry a mandatory 6-month statutory quality warranty. If an asset arrives damaged or experiences a manufacturing material failure within 6 months (excluding normal wear and tear or user abuse), the consumer is entitled to a repair, replacement, or a full refund.
• 4.2 Centralized Inspection & The Anonymous Collection Loop: To protect wholesale supply chains and ensure technical accuracy, walk-in public returns or direct drop-offs at our Kempton Park warehouse hub are completely prohibited. All verified warranty collections will be managed exclusively via a door-to-door courier loop dispatched through our verified transport networks across our five main Gauteng operating sectors: Ekurhuleni | Johannesburg | Tshwane | Sedibeng | West Rand.
• 4.3 Compliance Enforcement: Any supplier or multi-vendor policy stating "No Refunds" or "Final Sale" on genuinely defective or damaged goods is a direct violation of the CPA and results in immediate platform suspension and escrow freezes.

5. DOALOT STAY HOSPITALITY CANCELLATION TIERS

To protect local hospitality asset operators, short-term booking cancellations are governed by the following strict schedule:

• 30+ Days Notice: 90% Refund (10% Platform Administration Fee deduction).
• 14–29 Days Notice: 50% Refund (50% Cancellation Fee Lock).
• Less than 14 Days Notice: 0% Refund (100% Forfeiture Matrix).
• Statutory Exception: In strict compliance with Section 17(5) of the CPA, no cancellation penalty applies if the guest is documented as completely unable to honor the booking due to sudden hospitalization or death.

6. PROCESSING AND DISBURSEMENT TIMELINES

• 6.1 The 14-Day Escrow Payout Window: To preserve the stability of the refund pool and insulate our regional logistics node from transaction chargeback risks, funds are held inside our secure repository for 14 business days post-delivery or post-checkout before being cleared for final supplier disbursement.
• 6.2 Operational Clearing Channels: Validated refunds are processed back to the original payment channel within 3-5 business days of administrative sign-off, subject to standard banking clearing times. High return rates due to "Defective Goods" log an automatic negative deduction on a supplier’s internal performance indicators.