1. Purpose and scope
This policy applies to products purchased through Toastee, including products sold through Toastee storefronts and products created using Toastee Studio.
Toastee sells both Standard Products and Custom Products. Different return and cancellation rules may apply depending on the type of product purchased.
Nothing in this policy removes or restricts any right or remedy that a customer has under the Consumer Protection Act, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, or any other applicable South African law.
2. Standard Products and Custom Products
A “Standard Product” is a product offered through the Toastee catalogue or a Toastee creator or brand storefront that is not materially created or altered according to an individual customer’s specifications.
A product does not become a Custom Product merely because it is printed, manufactured or fulfilled after the customer places an order, or because the customer selects a standard size, colour or other ordinary product variation.
A “Custom Product” is a product that is created, personalised or materially altered according to the customer’s specifications.
Custom Products include, for example, products created through Toastee Studio using customer-selected or customer-supplied text, photographs, logos, artwork, uploaded images, individually generated AI artwork, custom positioning, custom print configurations or other personalised design choices.
3. Custom Products
Custom Products are made specifically for the customer and are not eligible for change-of-mind returns, refunds or voluntary size exchanges.
The ordinary seven-day online cooling-off right does not apply where goods are made to the customer’s specifications or are clearly personalised, as provided for by applicable law.
This means that a customer cannot return a correctly manufactured Custom Product merely because:
- they changed their mind;
- they selected the incorrect garment, size, colour, design or print configuration;
- they made a spelling or design error;
- they no longer like the design;
- uploaded or generated artwork does not look as expected but was produced substantially in accordance with the design submitted or approved by the customer;
- the product was intended as a gift and the recipient does not want it; or
- the product is no longer required for an event or particular purpose.
This exclusion does not affect the customer’s rights where the Custom Product is defective, damaged, unsafe, materially misdescribed, incorrectly manufactured, or does not substantially correspond with the order submitted to Toastee.
If Toastee makes an error in producing the Custom Product, the matter will be handled under section 7 of this policy.
4. Customer responsibility for Studio designs
Before completing a Toastee Studio order, the customer is responsible for reviewing the product configuration and design carefully.
This includes checking, where applicable:
- garment type;
- garment colour;
- size;
- spelling and wording;
- artwork and photographs;
- image quality;
- design position and scale;
- selected garment views;
- print areas;
- print configuration; and
- any other customisation selected by the customer.
The design and previews presented in Toastee Studio are intended to assist the customer in reviewing the product before ordering.
Screen displays and digital previews cannot reproduce every characteristic of a physical garment or printing process exactly. Reasonable differences in colour, positioning, scale, fabric appearance and print appearance may occur as part of normal production.
A minor production variation that does not materially affect the product or cause it to differ materially from the submitted design will not by itself make the product defective.
However, where the product supplied materially differs from the customer’s submitted order because of an error by Toastee, the customer may contact us for assessment and an appropriate remedy.
5. Seven-day online cooling-off right for Standard Products
Where section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act applies, a customer may cancel an eligible online transaction for a Standard Product without giving a reason within seven days after receiving the goods.
Products sold through Toastee may be printed or manufactured after an order is received. This alone does not make a Standard Product personalised or made to an individual customer’s specifications.
The seven-day cooling-off right does not apply to Custom Products that are made to the customer’s specifications or are clearly personalised.
To exercise an applicable cooling-off right, email hello@toastee.co.za within seven days after receiving the product, provide the order number and identify the products concerned, and wait for return instructions.
Where the statutory cooling-off right applies, the customer is responsible for the direct cost of returning the goods.
A qualifying refund will be processed in accordance with applicable law.
Products returned under this section should be kept unworn, unwashed, undamaged and in their original condition, with packaging or tags where applicable, and should be handled only as reasonably necessary to inspect them.
6. Change of mind and voluntary size exchanges for Standard Products
Outside an applicable statutory cooling-off period, Toastee does not generally accept returns or provide refunds merely because the customer changed their mind, no longer wants the product, selected the wrong colour or design, ordered it for an event that has passed, or because a gift recipient does not want it.
For Standard Products only, Toastee offers a voluntary size-exchange process where the requested replacement size is available.
Custom Products are excluded from the voluntary size-exchange process.
For an eligible Standard Product size exchange:
- Contact hello@toastee.co.za as soon as possible after delivery and preferably within seven days.
- Tell us which product or products you want to exchange.
- Confirm the replacement size required.
- We will provide a payment link for the exchange courier fee.
- The total courier fee is R120, covering return of the original product and delivery of the replacement.
- After payment, we will provide a Courier Guy locker code.
- Deposit the product at the specified Courier Guy locker using that code.
- Once the product is received and passes inspection, we will dispatch the replacement.
A product submitted for a voluntary exchange must be unworn, unwashed, undamaged, unaltered and free from stains, make-up, deodorant marks, odours, smoke, perfume and pet hair, and must include packaging or tags where applicable.
We may decline a voluntary exchange if the product is not in a condition suitable for resale.
Exchanges are subject to garment and replacement-size availability.
The R120 exchange fee does not apply where Toastee supplied the incorrect size.
7. Defective, damaged, incorrect or incorrectly manufactured products
Custom Products and Standard Products remain protected by applicable consumer law.
Customers should inspect products after delivery and contact us as soon as reasonably possible if:
- the wrong product was supplied;
- the wrong size or colour was supplied by Toastee;
- the product arrived damaged;
- there is a manufacturing or printing defect;
- a Custom Product was manufactured materially differently from the design or configuration submitted to Toastee; or
- the product is otherwise defective, unsafe or materially different from its description.
Please provide:
- the order number;
- a description of the problem;
- clear photographs of the product;
- photographs of the packaging where relevant; and
- any other information reasonably required to investigate the issue.
Prompt reporting assists us in investigating delivery or production problems, but does not shorten any statutory right available to the customer.
Where goods fail to meet the quality standards required by the Consumer Protection Act, qualifying goods may be returned within six months after delivery, without penalty and at the supplier’s risk and expense. The remedies available under applicable law may include repair, replacement or refund.
Where Toastee supplied the incorrect product, made an error in producing a Custom Product, or a qualifying defect is established, Toastee will cover the reasonable return courier cost and the customer will not be charged the voluntary exchange fee.
8. What is not normally considered a defect
The following will not ordinarily constitute a defect where the product was produced substantially in accordance with the customer’s order:
- a spelling, wording or design error submitted or approved by the customer;
- poor print quality resulting from low-resolution, pixelated, blurry, compressed or otherwise unsuitable artwork supplied or approved by the customer, particularly where Toastee Studio displayed an image-quality or pixelation warning before ordering;
incorrect, incomplete or unsuitable artwork uploaded or selected by the customer;
- dissatisfaction with customer-selected or AI-generated artwork after it was selected for use;
- selecting the wrong garment, size, colour, print location or configuration;
- reasonable differences between colours displayed on a screen and the physical product;
- minor differences in print positioning or scale caused by normal garment and production tolerances;
- characteristics of the garment or fabric that were reasonably disclosed before purchase; or
- damage occurring after delivery because of misuse, incorrect washing, bleaching, alteration, accidents, ordinary wear and tear, or ironing directly over a print.
Nothing in this section excludes a genuine manufacturing defect or a product that materially differs from what the customer ordered.
9. Colour, print position and appearance
Screens, photographs, garment mock-ups and Studio previews are digital representations.
The appearance of colours may vary depending on the customer’s device, screen settings and lighting conditions.
Garments themselves may also have minor manufacturing differences, and printing and garment placement may involve reasonable production tolerances.
These ordinary differences are not necessarily defects.
If the difference is material, exceeds what could reasonably be expected from the manufacturing process, or results from an error by Toastee, contact us for assessment.
10. AI-generated artwork
Where a customer uses an AI feature within Toastee Studio, the customer remains responsible for reviewing the generated artwork before selecting it for use on a product.
A Custom Product will not ordinarily be returnable merely because the customer later dislikes AI-generated artwork that the customer selected or approved for production.
This does not affect the customer’s rights where Toastee produces a product that materially differs from the artwork or configuration submitted with the order, or where the physical product has a qualifying defect.
11. Sale and promotional products
Sale and promotional products remain subject to all statutory rights that apply to them, including rights relating to defects, incorrect supply, material misdescription and any applicable statutory cooling-off period.
A discounted price does not remove rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
If a sale or promotional product is a Custom Product, the Custom Product provisions of this policy continue to apply.
12. Return authorisation
Do not send products to our business address, a courier locker or another return location before contacting Toastee and receiving return instructions.
Unauthorised returns may be delayed, misdirected or incur additional courier costs.
Contact hello@toastee.co.za before returning any product.
13. Refund method and timing
Approved refunds will ordinarily be made using the original payment method.
We aim to initiate approved refunds within five to ten business days after the returned product has been received and assessed.
Banks and payment providers may require additional time before a refund reflects in the customer’s account.
Where applicable legislation prescribes a particular refund period, Toastee will process the refund within that period.
For a cancellation made under the applicable seven-day ECTA cooling-off right, any payment already made must be refunded within the period prescribed by that Act.
Delivery fees will be refunded where required by law or where the complete order was defective, incorrect, cancelled or lost in circumstances for which Toastee is responsible.
14. Incorrect delivery information
Customers are responsible for providing accurate and complete delivery information.
If a parcel is returned, delayed or rerouted because the customer supplied an incorrect or incomplete address, telephone number or other delivery information, the customer may be required to pay the additional courier cost before redelivery.
This does not apply where the failure was caused by Toastee or its courier rather than information supplied by the customer.
15. Lost parcels
If a parcel appears to be lost, contact us with the order number.
We will investigate the delivery with the courier.
Where a parcel is confirmed as lost before accepted delivery, Toastee will provide an appropriate replacement or refund.
16. Contact
Toastee Support
Email: hello@toastee.co.za
Telephone: 078 747 4044
Do not return a product before receiving return instructions from Toastee.