Legal

Returns, Refunds & Cancellation Policy

Last updated 4 September 2026

Effective date: 4 September 2026
Last updated: 4 September 2026

This policy explains how cancellations, returns, refunds, missing items, damaged goods, unsuitable substitutions and product-safety issues are handled by PepperClub.

It should be read together with the PepperClub Customer Terms & Conditions of Sale, Delivery Policy, Substitution Policy, Food & Allergen Information Notice, and any applicable Promotional Terms.

Nothing in this policy limits or excludes your statutory consumer rights.

1. About PepperClub

PepperClub is operated by:

PepperClub Ltd
Company number: 17072549
Registered in England and Wales
Registered office: 48 Radcliffe Drive, Derby, England, DE22 3LA

Customer support: support@pepperclub.co.uk

PepperClub is an online grocery retailer and dark-store operation. Our premises are not a public retail shop or walk-in returns counter.

Quick guide

Can I cancel my order before delivery?

Usually yes, if picking has not started.

Once picking has started, cancellation may be limited, particularly for fresh, chilled, frozen and other perishable goods.

Can I return food because I changed my mind?

It depends on the product.

Certain goods, including goods liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly, may be excluded from the statutory distance-selling change-of-mind cancellation right.

Frozen, chilled and other temperature-sensitive foods will also generally not be accepted back merely because you changed your mind where we cannot verify that the required storage conditions have been maintained.

This does not affect your rights if the product is faulty, unsafe, damaged, incorrect or not as described.

Something arrived damaged or unsafe. What should I do?

Contact support@pepperclub.co.uk as soon as possible.

If you believe food may be unsafe, do not eat or use it.

We may ask for a photograph, packaging details, use-by/best-before information or batch information where this reasonably helps us investigate.

Something is missing from my order

Contact us as soon as reasonably possible, ideally within 24 hours.

The 24-hour request helps us investigate efficiently. It does not remove your statutory rights.

How will I receive my refund?

Approved refunds are normally returned to the original payment method through Stripe.

We normally initiate approved refunds promptly. Your bank, card provider, Apple Pay/Google Pay funding source or other payment provider may take additional time to display the refund.

2. Cancelling an order before picking starts

You may normally cancel your whole order before PepperClub begins picking it.

Where cancellation is available, you may use:

  • the PepperClub app;
  • your website/account controls, where available;
  • customer support email; or
  • another cancellation method we make available.

If a valid cancellation request reaches an official PepperClub cancellation channel before picking begins, we will use the time the request was received rather than the time a member of staff happened to read it.

If the whole order is successfully cancelled before picking starts, we will refund:

  • the product amount;
  • any delivery charge;
  • any applicable bag/packaging charge; and
  • any other refundable amount paid for that cancelled order.

3. Once picking has started

Once PepperClub has started picking or preparing the order, we may be unable to accept a voluntary cancellation or amendment.

This is particularly relevant to:

  • fresh produce;
  • chilled products;
  • frozen products;
  • other perishable foods; and
  • products that have already been prepared specifically for your order.

Where the order has not yet been dispatched and cancellation can reasonably be accommodated without causing waste, safety problems or material operational loss, PepperClub may agree to cancel all or part of the order.

This is discretionary and is not a promise that every post-picking cancellation will be accepted.

Your statutory cancellation rights, where they apply, remain unaffected.

4. Change-of-mind rights for eligible distance-sale goods

For many goods bought online, consumers have a statutory right to cancel without giving a reason.

Where that right applies, you will normally have 14 days beginning the day after you receive the goods to tell us that you wish to cancel.

After notifying us, you will normally have a further 14 days to return the eligible goods.

Different rules and exemptions apply to some products, especially food and other perishable goods.

5. Goods that may be excluded from change-of-mind cancellation

The statutory change-of-mind right does not apply to certain categories where the relevant legal conditions are met.

These may include:

  • goods liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly;
  • certain sealed goods that are not suitable for return for health-protection or hygiene reasons once unsealed;
  • goods that become inseparably mixed with other items after delivery; and
  • other statutory exempt categories.

For PepperClub, this means many fresh and perishable grocery products may not be returnable merely because you have changed your mind.

6. Fresh, chilled and frozen food

6.1 Fresh and rapidly perishable goods

Fresh fruit, vegetables and other goods liable to deteriorate or expire rapidly will generally not be accepted as change-of-mind returns where the statutory exemption applies.

6.2 Chilled food

Chilled food will generally not be accepted back merely because you changed your mind after delivery where we cannot verify that the correct cold chain and storage conditions have been maintained.

6.3 Frozen food

Frozen products will generally not be accepted as change-of-mind returns after delivery where PepperClub cannot verify that they have remained continuously stored under appropriate frozen conditions.

6.4 Your quality and safety rights remain

These restrictions concern change-of-mind returns.

They do not affect your rights if food is:

  • faulty;
  • unsafe;
  • damaged;
  • spoiled when supplied;
  • incorrectly supplied;
  • not as described; or
  • otherwise not in conformity with the contract.

7. Ambient and non-perishable products

Some non-perishable products may remain eligible for statutory distance-selling cancellation.

Examples could include certain:

  • long-life ambient goods;
  • household products;
  • utensils;
  • non-food items; or
  • other durable products.

Whether a particular item is eligible depends on the product and applicable law.

Where an eligible product is returned because you changed your mind, you may inspect and handle it only to the extent reasonably necessary to establish its nature, characteristics and functioning, similar to what you could reasonably do in a shop.

If handling goes beyond what is reasonably necessary and reduces the value of the goods, the law may permit an appropriate deduction from the refund.

8. Hygiene-sensitive sealed products

Where PepperClub sells a sealed product that is not suitable for return for health-protection or hygiene reasons, the statutory cancellation right may cease once the seal is broken, where the legal requirements for that exemption are met.

We will not apply this exemption more broadly than the law permits.

9. How to return an eligible non-perishable product

Please contact support@pepperclub.co.uk before returning an item.

Depending on the product and circumstances, we may arrange or instruct you to:

  • return it through a PepperClub delivery collection;
  • send it using an appropriate postal/courier method;
  • return it by prior arrangement to PepperClub; or
  • use another reasonable return method.

Do not arrive at the PepperClub dark store expecting a walk-in retail returns service.

Physical returns to our premises are accepted only by prior arrangement.

10. Return costs for change-of-mind returns

For an eligible statutory change-of-mind return, the customer will normally be responsible for the reasonable direct cost of returning the goods where the law permits this and the required information has been provided.

PepperClub will pay or reimburse reasonable return costs where:

  • the item is faulty;
  • the wrong item was supplied;
  • PepperClub has otherwise breached the contract; or
  • the law requires PepperClub to bear the cost.

We may choose to collect a product ourselves.

11. Faulty, damaged, unsafe, incorrect or not-as-described goods

Products supplied by PepperClub must meet applicable consumer-law standards.

If a product is:

  • faulty;
  • unsafe;
  • damaged;
  • leaking;
  • not of satisfactory quality;
  • not fit for a relevant purpose;
  • not as described;
  • incorrectly supplied; or
  • otherwise not in conformity with the contract,

please contact us.

Depending on the product, circumstances and your statutory rights, the appropriate remedy may include:

  • a refund;
  • replacement;
  • partial refund;
  • price reduction; or
  • another statutory remedy.

PepperClub will not use this policy to exclude or reduce a remedy that consumer law requires.

12. Low-value grocery complaints

Where a low-value grocery product is clearly damaged, spoiled, incorrect or otherwise eligible for a refund, PepperClub may issue the refund without requiring physical collection of the product.

This helps avoid unnecessary journeys and food handling.

We may still request reasonable evidence where necessary.

13. Photographs and supporting information

To help us investigate a problem, we may reasonably ask for information such as:

  • photographs;
  • a short video;
  • packaging details;
  • product name and size;
  • use-by or best-before date;
  • batch or lot information;
  • barcode;
  • description of the issue; or
  • relevant delivery details.

These requests are intended to help us investigate efficiently.

A photograph is not an absolute condition of a statutory consumer right.

We will consider other reasonable evidence where appropriate.

14. Food-safety complaints

If you believe a product may be unsafe:

Do not consume or use it.

Contact PepperClub as soon as reasonably possible.

Depending on the issue, we may ask you to:

  • keep the product temporarily;
  • retain the packaging;
  • refrigerate or isolate it safely where appropriate;
  • provide batch/date information;
  • provide photographs;
  • dispose of the product safely; or
  • make it available for collection.

PepperClub may collect a product where this is reasonably necessary for:

  • food-safety investigation;
  • contamination investigation;
  • a foreign-object complaint;
  • a supplier or manufacturer investigation;
  • a product recall; or
  • another serious quality or safety issue.

Physical collection is not required for every refund.

15. Reporting fresh-produce problems

For fresh fruit, vegetables and similar produce, please contact us as soon as reasonably possible and normally within 24 hours of delivery where practical.

This helps us assess condition, picking and delivery circumstances while the information is fresh.

Natural variation in shape, size, ripeness, colour or appearance is not necessarily a defect.

However, fresh produce must still meet applicable consumer-law standards.

The 24-hour period is an operational reporting request, not a contractual deadline that removes your statutory rights.

16. Chilled and frozen temperature concerns

If a chilled or frozen product appears to have been supplied at an unsafe or inappropriate temperature, contact us immediately where reasonably possible and preferably within 24 hours.

Do not consume food that you reasonably believe may be unsafe.

We may investigate:

  • delivery temperature-control records;
  • route information;
  • vehicle/refrigeration issues;
  • other affected products; and
  • the condition of the product at handover.

The requested reporting period does not remove your statutory rights.

17. Missing products

If an item appears to be missing, contact PepperClub as soon as reasonably possible and preferably within 24 hours of delivery.

We may check:

  • picking records;
  • packing records;
  • substitution decisions;
  • removed/out-of-stock products;
  • delivery records;
  • refunds already initiated; and
  • other relevant order information.

If a paid-for item is confirmed as missing and has not already been refunded, we will refund the appropriate amount.

The 24-hour request does not remove statutory consumer rights.

18. Wrong products

If you receive a product you did not order and it was not an accepted substitution, please report it as soon as reasonably possible, preferably within 24 hours where practical.

Depending on the circumstances, we may:

  • refund the incorrect item;
  • arrange a replacement;
  • ask for return/collection where appropriate; or
  • provide another suitable remedy.

19. Damaged or leaking products

Please report damaged or leaking products as soon as reasonably possible and normally within 24 hours.

If the damage may affect food safety, contact us immediately where reasonably possible and do not consume the affected product.

The reporting request helps investigation and does not remove statutory rights.

20. Faults discovered later

A 24-hour reporting request does not apply as an artificial cut-off to a non-perishable fault that could not reasonably have been identified within that period.

If a fault develops or becomes apparent later, contact us when you discover it.

Your remedy will depend on the product, the nature of the fault, how long you have had the goods and your statutory consumer rights.

21. Substituted products

Where PepperClub chooses a substitute for an unavailable item:

  • you may reject the substitute at the door where practical;
  • PepperClub will refund the appropriate amount for a rejected substitute;
  • if you discover shortly after delivery that the substitute is unsuitable, contact support promptly; and
  • allergen or material dietary concerns will be treated seriously rather than as an ordinary change-of-mind complaint.

If a substituted product has been opened, used or consumed and the only issue is that you later changed your mind, PepperClub will not normally provide a discretionary refund.

This does not affect your rights where the substitute was unsafe, faulty, materially misdescribed or otherwise not in conformity with the contract.

Always check the physical label of a substituted food before consuming it, particularly for allergens and dietary requirements.

22. Promotional discounts and refunds

If a discount was allocated across several products, the refund for an individual returned or missing product will normally be based on the actual amount paid for that product after the applicable discount, rather than the undiscounted shelf price.

We will not calculate promotional refunds in a way that unlawfully reduces your statutory entitlement.

Where the Promotional Terms provide a different lawful allocation method, that method may apply.

23. Minimum order after refunds or stock shortages

If your order met the £25 minimum order value when placed but later falls below £25 because PepperClub:

  • removes unavailable items;
  • refunds missing items;
  • removes rejected substitutes; or
  • refunds faulty or damaged goods,

we will not retrospectively impose a minimum-order penalty.

24. Delivery charges on partial refunds

Where only one or some products in a successfully delivered order are refunded, the original delivery charge will normally remain payable.

We will refund all or part of the delivery charge where:

  • PepperClub failed to provide the contracted delivery service;
  • the whole qualifying order is validly cancelled and the law requires a delivery-cost refund;
  • the circumstances make retaining it unfair; or
  • applicable consumer law otherwise requires it.

25. Whole-order cancellation by PepperClub

If PepperClub cancels the entire order before delivery after payment has been taken, we will normally refund:

  • all cancelled product charges;
  • the delivery charge;
  • the bag/packaging charge; and
  • other amounts paid for services not provided.

26. Delivery failure caused by PepperClub

If PepperClub is responsible for a failed delivery and the whole order is ultimately cancelled, we will refund the appropriate:

  • product amount;
  • delivery charge;
  • bag/packaging charge; and
  • other refundable order charges.

27. Delivery failure caused by the customer

Where delivery and a reasonable redelivery attempt ultimately fail because of matters within the customer's reasonable control, we will refund the appropriate value of undelivered goods.

PepperClub may retain an applicable delivery or previously agreed redelivery charge where:

  • the charge was properly disclosed;
  • PepperClub attempted to provide the delivery service;
  • retaining the charge is fair in the circumstances; and
  • the law permits it.

This will be assessed reasonably and will not be applied where failure was caused by PepperClub or circumstances for which the customer should not fairly be responsible.

28. Major problems affecting an order

If a serious incident affects a substantial part of an order, PepperClub may refund or cancel the entire order rather than processing numerous individual-item refunds.

Examples may include:

  • material refrigeration failure;
  • significant contamination concern;
  • widespread picking/packing error;
  • vehicle incident affecting product safety; or
  • a substantial product-safety issue.

We will choose an appropriate remedy based on safety, consumer rights and the circumstances.

29. Refund method

Approved refunds are normally returned to the original payment method through Stripe.

This may include payments originally made using:

  • debit or credit card;
  • Apple Pay; or
  • Google Pay,

where processed through Stripe.

PepperClub does not normally issue cash refunds for online orders.

30. Optional account credit or goodwill

PepperClub may sometimes offer:

  • account credit;
  • voucher credit; or
  • another goodwill benefit.

Where you are legally entitled to a monetary refund, we will not force you to accept store/account credit instead of that refund.

A goodwill credit may be offered in addition to, or by genuine customer agreement instead of, a discretionary remedy where lawful.

31. How long refunds take

PepperClub normally initiates an approved refund promptly.

Once we have submitted the refund, your bank, card issuer, wallet provider or payment provider may take additional time to display the funds.

For statutory distance-sale cancellations, PepperClub will make reimbursement within the period required by law.

Where the law permits us to wait until eligible returned goods have been received or evidence of return has been supplied, that rule may apply.

32. Standard delivery cost on statutory cancellation

Where you validly cancel an eligible distance-sale contract and the law requires the original standard delivery cost to be reimbursed, PepperClub will refund the amount required by law.

If you chose a more expensive delivery option than the least expensive standard option offered, the additional premium may not be refundable where the law permits.

33. Bag and packaging charges

Where the whole order is cancelled by PepperClub before delivery, applicable mandatory bag/packaging charges for that cancelled order will also be refunded.

If only one or some items are refunded but the bags/packaging were still used to deliver the remainder of the order, the bag/packaging charge will normally remain payable.

This is subject to any statutory right requiring a different outcome.

34. Refund abuse and fraudulent claims

PepperClub may reasonably investigate patterns of refund, missing-item or damaged-item claims where there is a genuine basis to suspect:

  • fraud;
  • deliberate false claims;
  • account manipulation;
  • abuse of promotional benefits; or
  • other dishonest conduct.

We may request reasonable supporting information before deciding a suspicious claim.

Where fraud is established, we may:

  • refuse a fraudulent claim;
  • reverse promotional or account credit obtained by fraud or obvious error;
  • restrict or suspend the account; or
  • take another lawful protective step.

We will not refuse a genuine statutory claim merely because a customer has previously made complaints or requested refunds.

35. Product recalls and withdrawals

If a product you purchased is subject to a safety recall or withdrawal, PepperClub may contact you using the information associated with your order.

Product-safety and recall messages are service/safety communications, not marketing, and may be sent even if you have opted out of promotional communications.

Depending on the recall instructions, we may:

  • refund the product;
  • replace it where appropriate;
  • arrange collection;
  • ask you to dispose of it safely; or
  • give you manufacturer/regulatory instructions.

Where returning a recalled product would create additional safety risk or is unnecessary, PepperClub may issue the appropriate remedy without requiring physical return.

36. Exchanges and replacements

PepperClub does not operate a general shop-style exchange programme.

For grocery orders, the usual approach will be to:

  • refund the affected product; or
  • arrange a replacement where practical.

You may then reorder if necessary.

Where consumer law gives you a specific right to repair, replacement or another remedy, that statutory right remains unaffected.

37. Dark-store returns

PepperClub's fulfilment premises are a dark store, not a public retail shop.

Customers must not attend the premises as a walk-in returns counter.

If a physical return to PepperClub's premises is appropriate, it must be agreed with customer support in advance.

This restriction concerns site access and does not prevent you from exercising a legal right to return goods.

38. Our right to inspect returned goods

Where goods are returned, PepperClub may reasonably inspect them to determine:

  • their identity;
  • condition;
  • whether they have been opened or used;
  • whether correct storage appears to have been maintained;
  • whether an exemption from cancellation applies; and
  • what remedy is appropriate.

Inspection will not be used to avoid genuine statutory consumer rights.

39. Refunds where goods were bought as part of a promotion

If returning or refunding goods affects eligibility for a promotion, PepperClub may recalculate the transaction in accordance with the relevant Promotional Terms, provided that doing so is fair, transparent and lawful.

For example, where a promotion gave a fixed discount across several qualifying products, a proportionate amount of that discount may be attributed to the refunded product.

PepperClub will not retrospectively impose an undisclosed penalty.

40. How to contact us

For cancellations, returns, refunds or product problems:

support@pepperclub.co.uk

Please include, where available:

  • your name;
  • order number;
  • affected product;
  • description of the issue; and
  • any reasonably helpful evidence.

Postal correspondence may be sent to:

PepperClub Ltd
48 Radcliffe Drive
Derby
England
DE22 3LA
United Kingdom

Do not send physical products to the registered office or dark store without prior return instructions.

41. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy where:

  • consumer law changes;
  • our product range changes;
  • our fulfilment or returns process changes;
  • new payment or return methods are introduced; or
  • clarification is required.

The policy applicable to an order will normally be the version in force when the order was placed, subject to mandatory legal requirements.

We will not use a later change to remove a right that already applied to a completed or existing consumer transaction.

42. Your statutory rights

Nothing in this policy is intended to exclude, restrict or replace your statutory consumer rights.

If any part of this policy conflicts with a mandatory consumer-law right, the mandatory legal right will apply.

For example, a PepperClub request that you report a fresh-food issue within 24 hours is intended to help us investigate efficiently. It does not mean that a genuine statutory right automatically disappears after 24 hours.