Online Terms of Sale, Returns & Refunds Policy

At The Fold, we want you to enjoy every bottle you order from our online shop. If your order arrives damaged, a bottle is faulty, or you simply change your mind, we are here to help resolve the issue quickly and in full compliance with UK e-commerce law.

Please review our online policy below for detailed information on how we handle digital orders, returns, and refunds.

1. Damaged, Broken, or Incorrect Deliveries

Because wine is fragile, we take great care in our packaging. However, if your courier delivery arrives damaged, broken, or contains the incorrect bottles, please let us know as soon as possible.

• Notification Window: We ask that you report any damage or delivery errors within 5 days of tracking showing as "delivered". This allows us to raise a claim promptly with our courier partner. Your statutory rights are not affected if you notice a fault later.

• Evidence Required: Please take a photograph of the damaged bottles and the outer shipping packaging before disposing of anything. Keep all packaging materials until your claim is processed.

• Resolution: We will arrange for a swift replacement package to be dispatched at no additional cost to you, or issue a full refund (including standard delivery charges) to your original payment method.

2. Corked or Faulty Wine (Your Statutory Rights)

Under the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015, all goods purchased online must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. We understand that occasionally a bottle may suffer from natural faults such as cork taint (corked wine), extreme oxidation, or unintended secondary fermentation. [1, 2]

• The 30-Day Short-Term Right to Reject: If you open a bottle and discover the wine is genuinely faulty within 30 days of delivery, you are legally entitled to a full refund or a replacement.

• Condition of Bottle: To qualify for a refund or replacement on a faulty bottle, the item must be at least 75% full so that our team or the distributor can verify the fault. Please re-insert the cork or screwcap securely.

• Longer-Term Faults: If a major manufacturing fault becomes apparent after 30 days but within 6 months of delivery, please contact us. We will offer a replacement or, if a replacement is unavailable, a full or partial refund.

• Exclusions: We cannot offer refunds or replacements for wines that are simply not to your personal taste, or where damage occurred due to improper storage (such as exposure to extreme heat or sunlight) after delivery.

3. Change of Mind / Statutory Right to Cancel (Distance Selling)

Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, online consumers have a statutory right to cancel an order for any reason. This serves as your "cooling-off" period. [1]

• Cancellation Window: You have 14 days from the day you (or a third party designated by you) receive physical possession of the wine delivery to notify us of your wish to cancel.

• Return Window: Once you have notified us via email, you have an additional 14 days to safely return the physical bottles to our warehouse.

• Condition of Bottles: All bottles must be unopened and have the labels, capsules, and seals intact and in pristine, resaleable condition.

• Outbound Delivery Refunds: If you cancel your complete online order within this 14-day window, we will refund the full cost of the items plus our standard outbound delivery charge. If you chose an expedited delivery option (e.g., Next-Day or Saturday delivery), we will only refund up to the monetary value of our standard delivery option.

• Return Shipping Costs: You are responsible for paying the direct cost of returning the wine to us. We highly recommend using a tracked, insured courier service, as the goods remain your legal responsibility until they arrive safely back at our warehouse.

4. How to Initiate an Online Return

To cancel an order, start a return, or report a faulty bottle, please follow these steps:

1. Email our digital support team at dan@thefoldwinery.co.uk. Please include your Order Number (e.g., #1001) in the subject line.

2. Provide the name of the specific wine and a brief description of the issue (including photos if items arrived damaged).

3. Our team will provide you with a Return Authorization (RA) number and precise instructions on how to safely pack and ship the bottles back to our Winery.

5. Refund Processing

Once your return is received and inspected by our warehouse team, we will process your refund without undue delay.

• By UK law, we will issue your refund within 14 days of receiving the goods back, or within 14 days of you providing official courier proof that you have posted the items back to us.

• Approved refunds will be credited back automatically to your original method of payment (e.g., credit card, debit card, or PayPal).