Cancellation, Return & Refund Policy

Last updated: [DD Month YYYY]

0. Summary — Please Read Before Ordering

Once an order is placed and confirmed on [website URL], it cannot be cancelled, and no refund will be issued, under any circumstances, save for the narrow exceptions expressly set out in Sections 5 and 6 below, which exist because Indian consumer-protection law does not permit even an express agreement to fully exclude a buyer’s remedy where the seller is genuinely at fault (non-delivery, transit loss, or a manufacturing defect). Please review your order carefully — including design, size, colour, finish, and shipping address — before completing payment, as this policy applies from the moment your order is confirmed.

1. Why We Operate a No-Cancellation, No-Refund Policy

The vast majority of our products are handcrafted, and a significant proportion are made-to-order or custom-commissioned specifically for the customer who ordered them. Once production begins, materials are committed and artisan labour is expended on a piece that, in most cases, cannot be resold to another customer or returned to raw-material inventory. Even Ready-Stock Items involve real costs — quality inspection, specialised fragile-item packing, and, for international orders, customs documentation — that are incurred the moment an order is confirmed. This policy reflects that commercial reality and is disclosed to you clearly before you complete your purchase.

2. Order Lifecycle and When This Policy Applies

This policy applies from the moment your order is confirmed (i.e., payment, or the agreed advance/token payment for a Custom Order, has been received and acknowledged by us), through production (where applicable), packing, Dispatch, transit, and delivery. It continues to apply after delivery, subject only to the narrow exceptions and time limits in Section 5.

3. No Cancellation After Order Placement

Once your order is confirmed, it cannot be cancelled for any reason, including but not limited to:

• Change of mind or no longer wanting the item;
• Having ordered the wrong design, size, colour, material, or finish;
• A change in your personal, financial, or logistical circumstances;
• Dissatisfaction with the 15-day minimum processing time or, for Custom Orders, the applicable production timeline, both of which are disclosed to you before you order;
• Finding the same or a similar product available elsewhere at a lower price;
• A delay in customs clearance or an unexpected import duty on an international order.

This applies equally to Ready-Stock Items and Custom Orders, and equally to domestic and international orders.

4. No Refund in Any Case (General Rule)

No refund, in whole or in part, will be issued for any order once confirmed, including where you simply no longer want the item, where a made-to-order piece takes the disclosed production time, where an international shipment incurs customs duty you did not expect, or where delivery is delayed by factors outside our reasonable control (courier, customs, or force majeure delay, as described in our Shipping & Delivery Policy and our Terms and Conditions). Advance or token payments made toward Custom Orders are likewise non-refundable once production has commenced, and any balance payment due before Dispatch remains payable regardless of any subsequent change of mind.

5. The Narrow Exceptions Required by Law

Indian consumer-protection law (the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020) does not permit a seller to contractually exclude a buyer’s remedy in cases where the seller is genuinely at fault. Accordingly, and only in the following three situations, a remedy is available to you:

1. Non-delivery: your order was fully paid for but never dispatched, or was dispatched but never delivered to you or a customs/courier facility due to our failure (not your refusal to accept, incorrect address supplied by you, or your failure to pay customs duty, all of which remain excluded under Section 4).
2. Loss or destruction in transit: the shipment is confirmed lost or destroyed by the courier/freight partner while in transit, before reaching you, and this is not the result of a customs seizure caused by your failure to comply with import rules (see our International Shipping, Customs & Export Compliance Policy).
3. Genuine manufacturing defect: the item you received has a defect in materials or workmanship attributable to us — for example, a structural crack present before shipping that is not the result of transit handling, or a piece materially different in kind from what was ordered (not merely a natural handmade variation in colour, texture, or minor dimension, which is expressly excluded — see our Disclaimer, and the worked examples in Section 8 below).

6. How to Raise a Claim Under Section 5

Claims under Section 5 must be reported to us within [48 hours] of delivery (or, for non-delivery, within a reasonable time after the estimated delivery window has passed), by email or WhatsApp to [support email / support phone], with the following evidence:

• Your order number;
• A written description of the issue;
• Clear photographs from multiple angles, and, where possible, an unboxing video showing the packaging and item together;
• For transit-damage claims, photographs of the outer packaging as received, before you removed the item.

Claims made after this window, or without supporting evidence, will not be accepted, as the evidentiary window exists to fairly distinguish a genuine transit/manufacturing issue from post-delivery handling. We will acknowledge your claim within [48 hours] and communicate our decision within [7] business days of receiving all necessary evidence.

7. Remedy for Exception Cases — Repair or Replacement First, Refund Only as Last Resort

Where a claim under Section 5 is verified and accepted, our remedy will be, in order of priority:

1. Repair of the item, where the defect is capable of being repaired without materially affecting its quality; or if not reasonably possible,
2. Replacement with an equivalent item (for Ready-Stock Items) or production of a fresh piece (for Custom Orders, which may take the applicable production timeline again); or, only where neither repair nor replacement is reasonably possible,
3. A refund, limited to the amount actually paid for the affected item (and its original shipping charge, where applicable), issued to your original payment method within [15] business days of the claim being accepted. Bank/card issuer processing to reflect the credit in your account may take a further [5–10] business days, depending on your bank, and is outside our control.

This graduated remedy reflects our position that, other than in the three narrow situations in Section 5, no refund is available under this policy, and even within those situations, repair or replacement is our preferred and default remedy.

8. Worked Examples — What Is (and Is Not) a Defect

• Not a defect (excluded): the stone colour of your statue is a slightly different shade of beige than shown in the product photo, due to natural variation in the quarried material.
• Not a defect (excluded): your custom temple is 1–2 cm different in height from the specification, within normal handcraft tolerance.
• Not a defect (excluded): a hairline surface mark consistent with hand-finishing of natural stone, not affecting structural integrity.
• Defect (Section 5 applies): a visible structural crack running through a load-bearing part of the statue, present in the unboxing video, not attributable to handling after delivery.
• Defect (Section 5 applies): you ordered a specific deity/design and received an entirely different one.
• Non-delivery (Section 5 applies): tracking shows the shipment was lost by the courier and never reached a delivery facility near you.

9. Items and Situations Never Eligible for Any Remedy

The following are never eligible for cancellation, return, refund, repair, or replacement, even within the Section 5 exceptions, because they fall outside the definition of a manufacturing defect:

• Natural variation in colour, texture, grain, finish, or minor dimension inherent to handmade work (see our Disclaimer);
• Damage caused after delivery by mishandling, incorrect storage, or use inconsistent with the product’s nature;
• Damage arising from installation by you or a third party (for example, improper mounting of a heavy piece);
• Items where the customs duty payable in your country was higher than expected;
• Colours, pigments, or consumable items once opened or used;
• Custom-order specifications that you approved in writing before production began, even if you later change your mind about them;
• Gradual, natural changes in appearance over time (for example, patina development on certain metals, or minor colour mellowing of natural pigments with light exposure).

10. Partial-Order Defects

Where an order contains multiple items and only one is affected by a Section 5 exception, the remedy in Section 7 applies only to the affected item; the remainder of the order is unaffected and remains governed by Sections 3 and 4.

11. If You Disagree With Our Decision

If we decline a claim under Section 5 and you believe this is incorrect, you may escalate the matter to our Grievance Officer under our Grievance Redressal Policy, providing any further evidence you have. If the matter remains unresolved, Indian-resident consumers may approach the consumer forums listed in that policy; this policy does not affect any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 that cannot lawfully be excluded by agreement.

12. Relationship to Statutory Rights

Nothing in this policy is intended to, or does, exclude any right or remedy available to you under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 that cannot lawfully be excluded by agreement. This policy is drafted to operate as restrictively as Indian law permits, and no more restrictively than that.

13. Contact

For any question about this policy before you order, or to raise a claim under Section 5, contact:
Email: [support email]
Phone/WhatsApp: [support phone number, with +91 country code for international customers]