Refund policy

The Cèic Company — Refund, Delivery & Complaints Policy

At The Cèic Company, every cake and bake — shortbread, traybakes, and all other products — is handmade in small batches to our own family recipes. We want you to love them, but we also want to be upfront about what to expect and how we handle complaints and deliveries. This policy does not affect your statutory rights under UK consumer law.

Our Bakes

Our recipes are made our own way, and may differ in texture, sweetness, or finish compared to products from larger commercial producers. Some of our bakes are also [free from — specify, e.g. dairy/gluten], which can affect taste and texture compared to bakes made with standard ingredients. Any such differences are intentional and true to our recipes — they are not a fault.

Because taste and texture are personal preferences, we're not able to offer an automatic refund simply because a product wasn't to your liking, as long as it was made correctly and matches its description. Instead, we offer a fair review process (see below). This is standard practice across independent, handmade bakeries.

Genuine Faults — Full Refund, Repair or Replacement

We will always put things right if there's a genuine, visible problem with your order, including:

The product is spoiled, contaminated, or damaged on receipt
The wrong item was sent
An allergen or dietary requirement was not met as described
The product does not match its listing or description

In these cases, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you are entitled to a repair, replacement, or refund, and we will resolve this promptly once you've contacted us with the details below. This right applies regardless of any goodwill offer described elsewhere in this policy.

Taste & Texture Complaints — Our Review Process

If your complaint relates to taste or texture rather than a clear, visible fault, we ask that the remaining product is sent back to us by post for review before any resolution is offered. This allows us to properly assess the product rather than make a decision based on a description or photo alone.

Contact us within 48 hours of purchase with a photo of the product and your proof of purchase (receipt, order confirmation, or the market/date and location purchased)
If a return is agreed, we will provide our postal address and, where appropriate, ask you to cover return postage
We will taste-test and assess the returned product against our own quality standard
If the product is found unfit for sale, we will offer you a full refund, a replacement item, or a credit voucher for a future purchase, whichever you would prefer
If the product is found fit for sale (i.e. made correctly and consistent with our recipe), no refund will be given. Instead, as a gesture of goodwill, we will offer you a credit voucher or a replacement item

When We Are Unable to Offer a Refund, Replacement or Voucher

We are not able to offer a refund, replacement, or goodwill voucher where:

More than a small amount of the product has already been consumed — this is taken as confirmation the product was edible and acceptable
The complaint is made more than 48 hours after purchase or collection
No photo evidence is provided, or the remaining product is not returned to us when requested
The product has been stored or handled incorrectly after purchase (e.g. left unsealed, exposed to heat or moisture)

This does not apply to genuine faults covered under "Genuine Faults" above, where your statutory rights remain unaffected.

How to Raise something with Us

To help us investigate fairly and quickly, please contact us within 48 hours of purchase with:

A clear photo of the product and any issue
Your proof of purchase (receipt, order confirmation, or the market/date and location purchased)
A description of the problem

We assess every complaint individually and in good faith, and will let you know if a postal return is needed as part of that assessment.

Allergen & Dietary Information

All our cakes and bakes are made in a kitchen that also handles other allergens. Although we make everything gluten free and nut free, we at the moment cannot guarantee a completely allergen-free environment across any of our products despite taking utmost care to avoid cross-contamination. We bake everything in a separate kitchen, but there is always a risk and we want to be upfront about that. Please contact us before purchasing if you have a severe allergy.

Return Postage

Where a taste-test return is agreed, the product should be sent to the postal address we provide, securely packaged. We recommend using a tracked service, as we cannot be responsible for items lost in transit. If the product is found unfit for sale, we will reimburse reasonable return postage costs along with your refund.

Returns for Change of Mind

Due to the perishable nature of our products, we are not able to accept returns or offer a refund simply because you've changed your mind after purchase. This is in line with the exemption for perishable goods under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 and does not affect your rights in relation to genuine faults, as set out above.

Cancellations Before Dispatch

To be eligible for a refund on cancellation, you must cancel your order before the goods have been shipped to you. Once approved, your refund will be processed back to your original method of payment within a reasonable number of days.

Late or Missing Refunds

If you haven't received a refund yet, please first check your bank account again, then contact your card provider or bank, as it can take some time for a refund to be officially posted. If you've done this and still haven't received your refund, please contact us at admin@theceiccompany.co.uk.

Delivery

Our delivery partners do their best to make all deliveries on the day you request. However, very occasionally events outside of our control occur and deliveries are delayed. We therefore recommend allowing an extra day when ordering for a special occasion.

Should your order be delayed:

We will do our best to ensure delivery is made per the postage email you receive. We usually post everything our using Royal Mail 48 Hours tracked following an order being placed and baked to order (this has a 3 day turnaround time during weekdays. We do not bake on the weekend at present).
If delivery is still more than one day late, we will refund your delivery charge in full
If you chose an express delivery service and that delivery has not been attempted within the promised timeframe, we will refund the premium you paid for that service

A Note on Fairness

We're a small, family-run business, and every complaint is read and responded to personally. We take all feedback seriously and want to resolve genuine issues quickly and fairly. At the same time, this policy exists to protect that fairness for all our customers, and we reserve the right to decline requests that fall outside it — except where doing so would conflict with your statutory rights.