RETURN, REFUND & CANCELLATION POLICY

Information about returns, refunds and cancellations at Natural Gems Belgium, including the 14-day EU right of withdrawal and procedures for damaged, incorrect or lost orders.

At Natural Gems Belgium, we want customers to purchase with confidence. Every order is carefully prepared and inspected before dispatch.

This Return, Refund & Cancellation Policy explains your rights and the procedures applicable to cancellations, returns, damaged or incorrect orders and refunds. Nothing in this policy limits any mandatory consumer rights that apply under Belgian, European Union or other applicable consumer protection law.

  1. ORDER CANCELLATION

Orders may be cancelled free of charge before they enter our fulfilment process.

At Natural Gems Belgium, an order is considered to have entered fulfilment once a shipping label has been created and preparation of the shipment has started.

Once fulfilment has started, we may no longer be able to cancel the shipment. Where a statutory right of withdrawal applies, this does not affect the customer’s right to exercise that right after receiving the goods.

  1. EU RIGHT OF WITHDRAWAL – 14 DAYS

If you are a consumer in the European Union, you generally have the statutory right to withdraw from an online purchase within 14 calendar days after receiving the goods, without having to provide a reason.

To exercise this right, you must inform Natural Gems Belgium of your decision to withdraw within the 14-day withdrawal period.

After notifying us of your withdrawal, the goods must be returned without undue delay and no later than 14 days after informing us of your decision to withdraw.

Before returning an item, please contact Natural Gems Belgium so that we can provide the appropriate return instructions.

  1. CONDITIONS FOR RETURNS

During the statutory withdrawal period, you may inspect and handle the product only to the extent necessary to establish its nature, characteristics and functioning, comparable to the way you would reasonably inspect an item in a physical shop.

Returned products should be complete and, where reasonably possible, returned with their original packaging, documentation and accessories.

If a product has been handled beyond what is necessary to establish its nature, characteristics and functioning, you may be responsible for any resulting reduction in value, where permitted by applicable law.

The absence of original packaging does not in itself remove statutory consumer rights, although damage or loss of value caused by unnecessary handling may affect the amount refunded where legally permitted.

  1. RETURN SHIPPING COSTS

When exercising the statutory right of withdrawal because you have changed your mind or no longer wish to keep the purchase, the direct cost of returning the goods is the responsibility of the customer, unless Natural Gems Belgium explicitly agrees otherwise.

Customers should use an appropriate and secure return shipping method. We recommend retaining proof of shipment until the return has been completed.

If the return is required because Natural Gems Belgium supplied an incorrect, defective or damaged product, or because of another issue for which Natural Gems Belgium is responsible, the customer will not be required to bear the necessary return shipping costs.

  1. DAMAGED, DEFECTIVE OR INCORRECT ORDERS

Please inspect your order after delivery and contact Natural Gems Belgium as soon as reasonably possible if an item arrives damaged, is defective, or if you receive an incorrect product.

Providing photographs of the product and packaging may help us investigate transport damage or other delivery issues more quickly.

After reviewing the circumstances, Natural Gems Belgium will provide an appropriate remedy in accordance with applicable consumer law. Depending on the circumstances, this may include replacement, repair where appropriate, or a full or partial refund.

We encourage customers to report visible transport damage promptly. A request to report damage quickly does not limit any mandatory statutory rights or legal guarantee rights available to the customer.

  1. LOST SHIPMENTS

If tracking information indicates an unusual delay or you believe that your shipment has been lost in transit, please contact Natural Gems Belgium.

We will investigate the shipment and, where appropriate, open an investigation with the relevant carrier.

Where a shipment is confirmed as lost and Natural Gems Belgium remains responsible under applicable law, we will provide an appropriate remedy, such as replacement or refund, without passing the carrier’s loss onto the customer.

  1. REFUNDS FOLLOWING WITHDRAWAL

For a valid EU withdrawal, Natural Gems Belgium will reimburse the payments that must be refunded under applicable consumer law, including the cost of the least expensive standard delivery option offered for the original order.

If the customer expressly selected a more expensive delivery method than our standard delivery option, the additional delivery cost does not have to be reimbursed to the extent permitted by law.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the returned goods or until the customer provides evidence that the goods have been sent back, whichever occurs first, where permitted under applicable law.

Refunds are normally made using the same payment method used for the original transaction.

If available, a customer may expressly choose to receive an eligible refund as Natural Gems Belgium Store Credit instead. Store Credit will never be imposed as a replacement for a monetary refund where the customer is legally entitled to reimbursement through the original payment method.

Once a refund has been processed, additional processing time may be required by the payment provider, bank or card issuer before the funds appear in the customer’s account.

  1. EXCHANGES

Natural Gems Belgium generally processes product changes by returning the original item and placing a separate order for the replacement item.

This is particularly appropriate for natural gemstones, carvings and other individual pieces because many Natural Gems Belgium products are unique specimens and an identical replacement may not be available.

  1. EXCEPTIONS TO THE RIGHT OF WITHDRAWAL

Certain products may be excluded from the statutory right of withdrawal where an exception provided by applicable law applies.

This may include, where legally applicable:

  • goods made to the customer’s specifications or clearly personalised;
  • custom-made products produced specifically for an individual customer;
  • sealed goods that are not suitable for return for health protection or hygiene reasons where the seal has been broken after delivery; and
  • other products expressly excluded from the statutory right of withdrawal under applicable legislation.

An exception will only be applied where the relevant legal requirements for that exception are satisfied.

  1. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN UNION

For customers outside the European Union, return and cancellation rights may differ depending on the customer’s country and any mandatory consumer protection laws applicable there.

Natural Gems Belgium accepts eligible returns from international customers in accordance with this policy, subject to any mandatory legal rights that apply.

For a voluntary return that is not caused by an incorrect, defective, damaged or lost shipment, the customer is responsible for the return shipping costs.

Import duties, customs charges, brokerage fees, taxes or similar amounts paid to customs authorities, carriers or other third parties are generally not refundable by Natural Gems Belgium where those amounts were not originally collected by Natural Gems Belgium.

  1. HOW TO REQUEST A RETURN

Before sending a product back, please contact Natural Gems Belgium with your order details and the reason for your request so that we can provide the appropriate return instructions.

Returns should be sent, following our return instructions, to:

Natural Gems Belgium
Nijverseelstraat 92
1745 Opwijk
Belgium

Please do not send an unannounced return before contacting us, as prior notification allows us to identify and process the returned order correctly. This procedural request does not limit any mandatory statutory consumer rights.

  1. CONTACT

If you have questions regarding a cancellation, return, refund, damaged product or shipment, please contact Natural Gems Belgium through our Contact page.

Natural Gems Belgium may update this policy when necessary to reflect changes in our services or applicable legislation. Any update will not reduce statutory rights that already apply to an existing purchase.