Refund policy

Scottish Parliament Online Shop Cancellations, Returns and Exchanges Policy

Please read our Cancellations, Returns & Exchanges Policy, which details how to return unwanted or unsuitable items for a refund or exchange.

1. Your right to cancel the order

You have a right to change your mind (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013). If you are a consumer (i.e. you are not a business and you are not purchasing products from us for purposes which are wholly or mainly in connection with any business you may have or trade you run), for most products bought online you have a legal right to change your mind within 14 days and receive a refund without giving any reason. We call this the ‘Cooling off period’. This right to cancel the order is in addition to your other statutory rights as a consumer and our standard returns and exchanges policy below.

Your right to change your mind does not apply to some products. Your cancellation right does not apply to any products which are specified as non-returnable, namely: perishable food and drink items, and products sealed for health protection or hygiene purposes (e.g. soaps, earrings), once these have been unsealed after you receive them.

You generally have 14 days to change your mind. The Cooling off period will end after 14 calendar days from the day after the products are delivered to you or to a third party you have identified to receive the delivery on your behalf. If, however, you ordered more than one item in a single order and we ship those items to you in separate deliveries, the Cooling off period will end on the 14th day starting from the day after you, or a third party you have identified to receive the delivery on your behalf, received the last of the items in that order.

How to calculate the Cooling off period. Weekends, bank holidays, and public holidays are counted when you calculate the 14 calendar days. Here is an example:

• You place an order on 1 April.
• We send you a dispatch confirmation email on 3 April. This is the date when the contract between us is formed
• Your products are delivered on 7 April.

The Cooling off period starts on 8 April and ends on 21 April (i.e. it ends 14 calendar days starting from the day after delivery).

Cancellation before we accept your order. You are also entitled to change your mind at any time, and for any reason, before you receive a dispatch confirmation email from us. If you do this, no contract will be formed between you and us for the products in question. We will not dispatch the products, and you will receive a full refund. 

2. Exercising your right to cancel

To cancel an order as outlined above, you must take the steps below.

Tell us you want to cancel the order. To cancel the order, please let us know by calling us on +44 (0)131 348 6350, or by emailing us at shop@parliament.scot. Please provide a clear statement of your decision to cancel, in addition to your name, home address, details of the order, your order number and, where available, your phone number and email address.

Send the products back to us. If you want to cancel the order for any reason after the products have been dispatched to you, you must return them to us. You must either return the products in person to the Scottish Parliament Shop at Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP (Monday to Saturday only during opening hours and when the Scottish Parliament building is open to the public), or post them back to us at the address above. You must do this no later than 28 calendar days after you informed us that you wish to cancel the order. Again, weekends, bank holidays and public holidays are counted when you calculate the 28 days. The deadline is met if you post the products before the 28 days have expired.

Cost of returning the products. You must pay the cost of returning the products unless the products are faulty or mis-described, in which case we will pay them. We are not obliged to give you a refund until we receive the products back from you or we receive evidence from you that you have sent them back to us. We strongly recommend that you send the products using a secure or trackable method – i.e. Recorded/Special Delivery – and that you retain your proof of postage. 

3. Processing your cancellation

What we will do. If you have cancelled the order as set out above and we have received the products back from you, or you have provided us with evidence that you have sent the products back to us, within 28 days of you cancelling the order, we will reimburse all payments received from you in respect of the products, including delivery charges (the charges you paid to have the products delivered to you) up to the value of the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us. As stated above, you must pay the cost of returning the products to us unless they are faulty or misdescribed.

Deductions for damage. We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any products supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you (for example, if you have handled the products beyond the sort of handling that might reasonably be allowed in a shop).

How you will be reimbursed. We will refund you using the same means of payment that you used for the original transaction without undue delay, and not later than:

• within 14 days from the day we receive the products back from you, or
• (if earlier) 14 days after the day you provide evidence that you have returned the products, or
• If no products dispatched, 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to cancel the order.

Please note that the above are our processing times and do not include the time it takes for your bank to issue funds to your account.

You will not incur any fees as a result of the refund. 

4. Returning damaged or faulty items

Damaged or faulty items can be returned within a specified time. If you receive a damaged or faulty item please contact us by email at shop@parliament.scot or by phone on +44 (0)131 348 6350 and tell us your order number and the nature of the damage or fault so that we can arrange the return of your items.

You must return damaged or faulty items to us as soon as possible, and no later than 28 days after you received the item. The deadline is met if you post the products before the 28 days have expired. We will pay the delivery costs for returning damaged or faulty items.

5. Standard returns and exchange

Exchange of products. You may return or exchange products according to our policy below. This is in addition to the cancellation process and does not affect your statutory rights as a consumer. Please note that unwanted items must be returned undamaged, in a re-saleable condition, and in their original packaging with any labels still attached.

How long you have to return products. If you change your mind about products you have bought from us, and subject to the conditions set out below, you have 28 days from the date on the dispatch confirmation email to return full-price items to us for a refund or exchange.  You may return products by post or to the Scottish Parliament Shop as outlined below. Sale items cannot be returned or exchanged.

The following products cannot be returned: perishable food and drink items; and products sealed for health protection or hygiene purposes (e.g. soaps, earrings), once these have been unsealed.

Some conditions apply to your right to return or exchange products. Unless an item is damaged or faulty or you are exercising your right to cancel the order, unwanted items must be returned undamaged, in a re-saleable condition, and in their original packaging with any tabs still attached.

How to return products by post. Please call us on +44 (0)131 348 6350 or email us at shop@parliament.scot so that we can arrange the return of your product.

How to return products to our shop. From Monday to Friday, during opening hours and when the Scottish Parliament building is open to the public, you may also return items purchased from the online shop to our onsite shop at Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP. To do so, you must bring along either the dispatch note from your parcel or the dispatch confirmation email you received when it was shipped to you. Please note that our onsite shop is only able to issue returns on the original method of payment or perform exchanges (subject to stock availability).

How we will process your refund. This section does not apply to refunds due where you have cancelled the order (see paragraph 1 on cancellations, above for further information). If you return an item for any other reason, we will inspect the item to assess whether it is in an acceptable condition. We will send you an email within a reasonable period to let you know that we have received your returned item, and whether your refund has been approved or rejected. Most returns will be processed in approximately 2–3 weeks although, on occasion, some returns may take up to 28 days to be processed. If your refund is approved, credit will automatically be applied to your original method of payment within 28 days. Please note that this is our processing time and does not include any time it may take for your bank to issue funds to your account.

What to do if your refund is late. Depending on your bank, it may take up to two billing cycles for the credit to appear on your credit card statement. If you haven’t received a refund yet, first check your bank account again then contact your credit card company or bank. It may take some time before your refund is officially posted. If you have done all this and have still not received your refund, please contact us by phone on +44 (0)131 348 6350 or by email at shop@parliament.scot. Please note that we are unable to issue refunds to expired bank cards.

Our delivery charges are generally non-refundable. Our delivery charges will only be refunded in the following circumstances:

(a) if you have cancelled the order, we will refund charges you paid to have the item delivered to you, but not the costs you incur in sending the products back to us (see above: Your right to cancel the order and Exercising your right to cancel); or

(b) if you are returning a faulty item, we will give you a full refund for that item, including our cost in sending it to you and the delivery costs you paid to send it back to us (see Returning damaged or faulty items).

So if you wish to return a product that is not faulty after the Cooling off period, the delivery charge will not be refunded. We are not responsible for delivery fees by the Post Office or other third parties for redirecting an item, or for lost returns.

Your right to exchange products. Please note that unwanted items must be returned undamaged, in a re-saleable condition, and in their original packaging with any tabs still attached.

How long you have to exchange products. The period for exchanges is 28 days from the date on the dispatch confirmation email for full-price items; sale items cannot be exchanged. This right of exchange is provided in addition to the cancellation right set out above and does not affect your statutory rights as a consumer.

How to exchange products. If you wish to exchange an item you have bought online, you may either bring it in person to the Scottish Parliament Shop at Holyrood, EH99 1SP (Monday to Friday only during opening hours and when the Scottish Parliament building is open to the public), or contact us by phone on +44 (0)131 348 6350 or by email at shop@parliament.scot to make the arrangements. Please tell us which item(s) you would like in exchange. Once you have brought the item back to us or we have received it in the post, and we have assessed that they are in suitable condition, we will process the exchange. If the cost of exchange item is more than the cost of the item you are returning, you will have to pay the difference; if it is less, we will refund you the difference in line with our standard refunds policy. Please note that we will not pay the delivery cost you incur for returning the item you wish to exchange.

Returning gifts. If you have received a gift from our product line and you are not happy with it, you are more than welcome to return it to us in exchange for another item. Please contact us directly by email on shop@parliament.scot or by telephone on +44 (0)131 348 6350 to arrange this. Alternatively, feel free to exchange the item at our onsite shop at Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP (Monday to Friday during shop opening hours and when the Scottish Parliament building is open to the public). If you have a receipt, dispatch note, or dispatch confirmation email, please bring this with you.

Some conditions apply to returns of gifts. The same conditions apply to returning a gift as apply to returning or exchanging products (see above). In addition, we can only accept the return of gift items that have not been discontinued and are still part of our product stock. The value of the gift item will be the value of that product at the time of exchange. If you wish to exchange it for an item of greater value, you will have to pay the difference. 

6. Promotional offers

Discount codes. We may from time to time issue you with discount codes that may reduce the price of specified products. Please note that discounts are valid online only and can be redeemed only by entering the given code at the checkout page. Unless otherwise specified, codes are restricted to one use per customer and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Discounts do not apply to the cost of shipping.