01
The one-day window
Any claim — a damaged item, a wrong item, or something missing from the parcel — must be raised within 24 hours of the courier's recorded delivery time, which is the time shown in your tracking.
After that window the order is treated as delivered complete and in good condition, and no refund, replacement or return can be offered.
The window is short for a reason: a candle is fragile, and the only way to tell transit damage from damage that happened later is to hear about it at once.
02
Proof we need: an unboxing video
Record one continuous, unedited video that starts BEFORE the outer courier packaging is cut or opened. It must show the shipping label with your order number, show the tape and seals still intact, and carry on without a cut until every item is out of the box and the damage or error is clearly visible.
Photographs on their own are not accepted, and neither is a video that begins after the parcel is already open. This is the courier's requirement as much as ours — without it they will not honour a transit-damage claim, and we cannot either.
Send the video to hello@candlealchemist.com with your order number. Large files can be shared as a Google Drive or WhatsApp link.
03
What happens when a claim is accepted
We will replace the item like-for-like where stock allows, dispatched within 1–2 business days. If we cannot replace it, we refund in full — including any shipping and cash-on-delivery fee you paid.
You do not need to send the damaged item back. We may ask you to dispose of it safely, or to hold it for a few days in case the courier wants to collect it for their own claim.
Refunds are issued to the original payment method within 24 hours of the claim being accepted. Your bank then takes a further 5–7 working days to post the credit; UPI refunds are usually faster. Cash-on-delivery orders are refunded by bank transfer, and we will ask for account details in writing.
04
What is not covered
Change of mind, not liking a fragrance or colour, or ordering the wrong size. Candles are made to order and cannot be resold once they have left the studio, so these are not returnable or refundable.
Natural variation between pieces — colour, surface finish, and the exact placement of botanicals differ from candle to candle. That is the nature of hand-pouring, not a fault.
A wax surface that has softened or looks uneven after a hot journey. This almost always recovers after one full burn; see the Shipping Policy.
Any claim raised after the 24-hour window, or without a qualifying unboxing video.
Candles that have been lit, and gift sets or hampers that have been partly used.
05
Cancellations
You may cancel an order at any time before it is dispatched for a full refund, including shipping. Write to us as soon as possible — we usually dispatch within a working day.
Once a parcel has left the studio the order can no longer be cancelled, and refusing delivery does not entitle you to a refund.
06
Your statutory rights
Nothing on this page removes any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 in respect of goods that are defective when delivered.
The one-day window and the unboxing video are how we verify that damage happened in transit. They do not shorten any period the law gives you to report a manufacturing defect.