Elite Plaques — Returns, Refunds & Dispute Resolution Policy

Version 1.0 | Effective: August 2026 Jurisdiction: Republic of South Africa

1. Our Commitment

At Elite Plaques, we take pride in crafting customised plaques that celebrate your achievement as a funded trader. Each plaque is made to order based on the certificate and personal details you supply, so it reflects your unique payout or funding milestone.

Because every plaque is manufactured to your specification, all sales are final and no refunds, returns, or exchanges will be offered for change of mind. This Policy explains your rights, our obligations, and how disputes (including chargebacks) are handled. By completing your purchase, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to this Policy in full.

Nothing in this Policy limits any right you have under South African law that cannot lawfully be excluded by agreement (see clause 9).

2. Certificate Submission Requirement

⚠️ Production cannot begin until we receive your valid certificate file. Submitting an incorrect, low-resolution, or fraudulent certificate may result in order delays or cancellation.

When you place an order, you must upload your funded trader or payout certificate ("Certificate") via the upload portal on our website. The following rules apply:

• Your Certificate must be a clear, legible, and authentic document issued by your prop firm.
• If you fail to upload your Certificate within 7 calendar days of placing your order, we reserve the right to cancel your order and retain a processing fee of up to 15% of the order value to cover design and administrative costs already incurred.
• If you provide incorrect or fraudulent documentation, your order will be cancelled immediately and no refund will be issued.

3. Follow-Up Communications & Customer Responsibility

3.1 Reminder Emails

If you have not completed a required step (uploading your Certificate, confirming customisation details, or approving a design proof) within the stated timeframe, Elite Plaques will send up to two (2) reminder emails to the address provided at checkout.

Once a reminder email has been sent to your registered address, Elite Plaques is not liable for any delay, cancellation cost, or loss of order resulting from your failure to respond.

3.2 Proof of Communication

We retain records of all emails sent to customers, including timestamps and delivery status. These may be used as evidence in any dispute or chargeback, including those filed with your bank or payment provider.

3.3 Accuracy of Contact Details

You are responsible for ensuring that the email address and contact details supplied at checkout are correct and that our emails are not being filtered to spam. Non-receipt of reminder emails due to incorrect details or spam filtering does not entitle you to a refund.

3.4 Order Confirmation as Approval

By completing checkout, you confirm that:

• All customisation details submitted are accurate and complete.
• You have reviewed your order summary before payment.
• You understand the personalised, made-to-order nature of the product and that it cannot be resold.
• You accept this Policy in full, including the chargeback and dispute provisions.

4. No Refunds for Change of Mind — Personalised Goods

Because each plaque is manufactured specifically for you using the certificate and details you provide, it has no resale value to Elite Plaques or any other customer. Accordingly:

• We do not offer refunds, returns, or exchanges for change of mind, incorrect self-selected details, or because production has already commenced.
• This applies regardless of how far production has progressed at the time you request a cancellation.

This exclusion reflects the position under South African law for custom-manufactured goods, set out in clause 9 below.

5. When a Remedy Is Still Available

Even though the product is personalised, we will still provide a repair, replacement, or refund (Elite Plaques' choice, as permitted by law) in the following limited circumstances:

• The plaque arrives with a genuine manufacturing defect — not caused by shipping, customer handling, or external factors.
• There is an engraving or customisation error that is solely and demonstrably our mistake (e.g. we engraved the wrong name despite you submitting correct details at checkout).

Claims must be submitted within 7 calendar days of delivery. This time limit is for our standard resolution process and does not reduce any longer statutory period that may apply to defective goods under the Consumer Protection Act (see clause 9.3).

6. How to Request a Remedy

To lodge a valid claim under clause 5, you must:

1. Email eliteplaquessa@gmail.com with your order number and a detailed description of the issue.
2. Attach clear photographs of the plaque from multiple angles showing the defect or error.
3. Attach relevant supporting documents (e.g. certificate upload confirmation, order confirmation, correspondence).
4. Allow up to 3 business days for our team to review and respond.

Claims submitted without the required documentation may be delayed while we request the missing information.

7. Situations Not Covered

We will not provide a refund, replacement, or repair where:

• The error resulted from incorrect information you provided at checkout.
• There are minor variations in colour, finish, or material appearance arising from differences between your screen and the physical manufacturing process.
• You've had a change of mind after placing the order, regardless of production stage.
• The damage occurred in transit and you declined insured shipping at checkout — see clause 8.
• You failed to upload your Certificate within the stated deadline after a reminder email was sent.
• You approved a digital proof and the finished plaque matches that proof.
• The delay was caused by your own failure to respond to our communications within the stated timeframes.

8. Shipping & Insurance

Elite Plaques offers insured shipping at checkout, and we recommend selecting it to protect your order against loss or damage in transit.

• If you select insured shipping, in-transit damage or loss claims must be lodged with the courier; we will provide order documentation to support your claim.
• If you decline insured shipping, Elite Plaques bears no responsibility for loss, damage, or delay caused by the courier.
• Delivery timelines are estimates only. Delays caused by the courier, customs, load-shedding, or other events outside our control are not grounds for a refund.

9. Your Rights Under South African Law

9.1 Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA)

The CPA gives South African consumers a 5-business-day cooling-off right for transactions arising from direct marketing (section 16). Elite Plaques orders are placed by you on our website at your own initiative, not as a result of direct marketing, so this right does not typically apply to a standard purchase.

9.2 Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECT Act)

For online purchases, the ECT Act ordinarily gives consumers a 7-day cooling-off right (section 44). However, section 42(2) of the ECT Act excludes goods manufactured to the consumer's specification from this cooling-off right. Because every Elite Plaques product is custom-engraved with your name, certificate details, and personalisation choices, our plaques fall within this exclusion — which is why we operate a no-refund policy for change of mind.

9.3 Statutory Warranty Against Defects

Nothing in this Policy limits your rights under section 55 and section 56 of the CPA, which imply a warranty that goods are reasonably suitable, of good quality, and free of defects, and give consumers the right to a repair, replacement, or refund for defective goods within 6 months of delivery. Clause 5 of this Policy is how we give effect to that right in practice — if a defect is genuinely ours, we will remedy it even outside the 7-day window referenced above, subject to the statutory 6-month period.

9.4 General

This Policy does not exclude, limit, or waive any right you hold under the CPA, the ECT Act, or any other South African law that cannot lawfully be excluded by agreement. If any clause of this Policy conflicts with those laws, the law prevails to the extent of the conflict. This summary is provided for information only and is not legal advice — if you're unsure of your rights, consult an attorney or the National Consumer Commission.

10. Chargeback & Payment Dispute Policy

⚠️ Initiating a chargeback without first contacting Elite Plaques to resolve the issue may delay resolution and will be contested using the evidence described below.

10.1 Before You Dispute

Before initiating a chargeback or dispute with your card issuer or payment provider, please:

1. Contact eliteplaquessa@gmail.com describing the issue.
2. Allow us 3 business days to respond and propose a resolution.
3. Keep a copy of all correspondence.

10.2 Our Response to Chargebacks

If a customer initiates a chargeback, Elite Plaques will submit a dispute response to the relevant payment processor, which may include:

• Your order confirmation and checkout acceptance of this Policy.
• Timestamped Certificate upload records.
• All email correspondence, including reminder emails.
• Courier tracking and proof of delivery.
• Photographs of the finished product before dispatch.
• Any digital proof approvals you provided.

10.3 Fraudulent Chargebacks

Knowingly submitting a false or misleading chargeback claim may result in the chargeback being contested and reversed, the customer being barred from future orders, and referral to the relevant authorities where fraudulent intent is apparent.

11. Data Retention (POPIA)

In line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), Elite Plaques retains the following records for as long as reasonably necessary to resolve disputes and meet legal obligations, and no longer than needed for those purposes:

• Order confirmation and accepted terms.
• Certificate upload records (file name, upload timestamp).
• Customer communications and support tickets.
• Reminder email delivery records.
• Shipping and delivery confirmations.
• Pre-dispatch product photographs.

This data may be shared with payment processors, couriers, or legal authorities where required by law, or as needed to resolve a dispute or chargeback.

12. Contact Us

For questions, claims, or concerns about this Policy:

Email: eliteplaquessa@gmail.com Response time: up to 3 business days

Please contact us before initiating any third-party dispute process — we're committed to resolving issues fairly and quickly.