Returns, Faults
and Claims Policy

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy is issued by Disc Makers Limited trading as USB Makers Intl and is written primarily for business customers. Consumer rights, where they apply, are explained in section 25. Your contract also includes our Terms and Conditions, and your quotation, order confirmation, agreed specification and approved visual proof may all be relevant to a claim. Where documents conflict, a written variation prevails, then the Order Confirmation, then the Quotation, then the Terms and Conditions.

2. Customised and personalised products

Most USB Makers goods are produced for one customer, through logo printing, laser engraving, full-colour printing, Pantone matching, bespoke shapes and colours, data preloading, bespoke packaging or sourced-to-order production. Once branded with your artwork, goods cannot reasonably be resold, which is why correctly produced customised goods cannot normally be returned for a refund. That does not prevent claims for faults, damage, shortages, incorrect production or goods that do not meet the agreed specification.

3. Change-of-mind returns

Business customers. Change-of-mind returns of correctly produced customised goods are not accepted. Uncustomised stock items are likewise not accepted for change-of-mind returns.

Consumers. USB Makers accepts orders from individual consumers. If you order as a consumer, see section 25 for how the usual distance-selling cancellation right applies, and how it is affected by personalisation. [LEGAL REVIEW REQUIRED: CONSUMER CANCELLATION SECTION]

4. Order changes and cancellations

This policy deals mainly with goods after delivery. Changes and cancellations before delivery are covered by our Terms and Conditions: changes are easiest before proof approval; once production begins or materials, moulds or bespoke packaging are committed, cancellation is normally no longer possible and committed costs may be charged. Production is committed once written proof approval is received and production is scheduled.

5. Checking your delivery

Please check your delivery promptly: carton count against the delivery note, carton condition, and product style, colour, quantity, capacity markings, branding, packaging and accessories against your order. You do not need to test every unit immediately, but early checks make problems easier to put right. Signing a courier note does not by itself prevent a later claim for concealed damage, subject to the contract and applicable law.

6. Transit damage

If cartons or products arrive damaged: photograph the outer cartons, inner packaging and affected goods; note visible damage with the courier where possible; keep the packaging; and contact us promptly with the quantities affected. Do not dispose of damaged goods or packaging until we confirm they are no longer needed — couriers may require inspection. Report visible transit damage within 3 Working Days of delivery.

7. Missing items and shortages

Tell us whether a whole parcel, a carton or an accessory is missing, or the counted quantity is short — each is investigated differently. Include the order number, delivery note, carton count and quantity counted. Report shortages within 5 Working Days of delivery. We supply the exact quantity ordered and do not operate an over- or under-supply tolerance, so any short count is investigated as a shortage.

8. Incorrect goods

If you receive the wrong model, colour, capacity, quantity, packaging or accessory, or another customer's delivery, contact us before distributing or using the goods where practical. We will check the delivery against your order confirmation and approved proof and arrange the correction. Report incorrect goods within 5 Working Days of delivery.

9. Branding and approved-proof discrepancies

Customers are responsible for checking proofs carefully. USB Makers remains responsible for producing the goods materially in accordance with the approved proof and agreed specification, subject to stated manufacturing tolerances.

Customer-approved artwork errors include misspelt wording, an incorrect telephone number, the wrong logo version, an incorrect Pantone reference or a layout error visible on the proof you approved. These are not production faults, although we will always discuss the most economical way to put things right.

USB Makers production errors include branding materially different from the approved proof, the wrong logo, missing branding, branding on the wrong side, incorrect engraving, or size and positioning materially outside agreed tolerances. Where production does not materially match your approved proof, we will provide an appropriate remedy under section 20. Report branding discrepancies within 10 Working Days of delivery.

10. Colour differences and manufacturing tolerances

Some differences are normal characteristics of customised production rather than defects: screen-to-print colour differences, Pantone variation caused by casing material and finish, natural wood grain and cork texture, recycled-material variation, minor print-position or engraving variation, and batch-to-batch variation. Claims are assessed against the approved proof, agreed specification, any physical sample, the agreed tolerances and reasonable expectations for the product type. Reasonable industry tolerances in print position and size apply and are assessed against the approved proof; no fixed figures are published.

11. Faulty products

Faults include, for example: a USB drive not recognised by compatible devices, repeated read or write failures, connector or mechanism failure, damaged casings, a power bank that will not charge, a wireless charger that does not work with a compatible device, cable failure, or a packaging defect preventing intended use. These are not faults: incompatibility with a specific device or port, an unsupported file system, customer reformatting, malware, accidental or user damage, incorrect storage, unauthorised modification, normal wear, or cosmetic differences within tolerance. Faults are investigated before a remedy is agreed; section 19 explains how.

12. USB capacity and performance concerns

If a drive appears to have the wrong capacity or performs poorly, tell us the product model, capacity ordered, number of affected units, the device and operating system used, any error messages (screenshots help), whether the drive was reformatted, and whether a hub or adaptor was used. The usable capacity displayed by a computer is normally lower than the marketed nominal capacity because of formatting and measurement conventions; this difference alone is not a fault. Reported capacity faults are verified with standard industry testing tools against the ordered specification.

13. Data-preloading issues

If preloaded data appears missing, wrong, corrupted, incomplete or incorrectly structured, we compare the affected units against your supplied master data, the approved preload instructions, our production records and retained samples where available. Errors in the supplied source files are the customer's responsibility; loading files materially differently from the agreed instructions is ours. Keep your own copies of all source files — we cannot be responsible for the only copy of a file. Master data files are retained for 30 days after despatch for exactly this purpose, then deleted.

14. Power banks, chargers and battery safety

For other electronic issues — a product that will not charge or hold charge, connector failure, wireless-charging compatibility or indicator-light behaviour — report the issue with the details in section 16 and we will confirm whether the unit should be tested, collected or replaced. Where a battery product does need to come back, we arrange a compliant dangerous-goods courier service and provide the packing instructions.

15. How to report a problem

1. Stop distributing or using affected products where continued use may worsen the issue or create a safety concern.
2. Contact us by telephone on 0800 130 3366, by email to customer-services@usbmakers.com, or through our contact form.
3. Provide your order or quotation number.
4. Describe the issue clearly.
5. State the quantity delivered and the quantity affected.
6. Attach photographs, video, screenshots or test results where relevant.
7. Keep the goods and packaging as received.
8. Wait for our return, collection or testing instructions before sending anything.

16. Evidence to include

Helpful evidence includes: order number, company and contact name, delivery date, product model and capacity, quantity delivered and affected, a description of the issue, photographs of cartons, packaging and affected goods, video or screenshots for technical faults, device and operating-system details, the delivery note and courier label, batch markings, and the approved proof for branding claims. Send what is relevant — we will ask if anything further is needed.

17. Reporting timescales

Prompt reporting protects your claim, because couriers set short windows for transit claims and early evidence is the strongest. Please report: visible courier damage and missing cartons within 3 Working Days; shortages within 5 Working Days; incorrect goods within 5 Working Days; branding discrepancies within 10 Working Days; concealed damage and latent faults as soon as reasonably practicable after discovery; and warranty faults within the applicable warranty period. A late report does not automatically invalidate a claim, but it may limit what we and our couriers can verify.

18. Return authorisation

Please contact us before returning anything. We will confirm whether goods need to come back at all, provide the correct return or collection instructions, and issue a returns reference to include with the return. The correct address depends on the product and the issue and is confirmed with each authorised claim, so goods sent without authorisation may be delayed or misdirected. Keep the original packaging where practical. Battery products must never be returned without the specific instructions in section 14.

19. Inspection, testing and partial claims

Depending on the issue, we may review photographs, request sample units, arrange collection, test returned units, compare goods against retained samples, the approved proof and agreed tolerances, or obtain a manufacturer report. We aim to acknowledge claims within 1-2 Working Days and complete most investigations within 10 Working Days (longer where units must be tested). Where only some units are affected, or part of the order has been distributed, testing a representative sample is often fastest; one faulty unit does not necessarily mean the whole order is defective, and a genuine partial fault does not prevent a wider remedy where the evidence supports one.

20. Available remedies

The appropriate remedy depends on the nature and extent of the problem, the number of affected units, whether repair or reproduction is practical, your deadline, the contract and applicable law. Remedies may include repair, replacement or reproduction of affected units, supply of missing goods, correction of branding, a credit, or a partial or full refund. Remedies will be reasonable, proportionate and consistent with the contract and any rights that apply to you.

21. Return delivery and collection costs

Where a claim is valid — faulty, damaged, short-delivered or incorrectly produced goods — USB Makers will arrange or bear the reasonable cost of any required return or collection, normally by arranging courier collection. Change-of-mind returns are not accepted, so no customer return charges arise for them. Unauthorised returns travel at the sender's cost and risk. Consumer return costs, where consumer law applies, follow the rules described in section 25.

22. Refunds and credits

Where a refund or credit is the agreed remedy, we will confirm whether it is full or partial, how VAT and any delivery charges are treated, and whether the goods must first be returned or evidence supplied. Refunds are made to the original payment method within 14 days of the claim being agreed. Credit notes are issued on request and can be used against future orders. Consumer refunds, where consumer law applies, follow the statutory rules.

23. Warranty claims

Warranty claims cover faults that appear during the warranty period in normal use. They are distinct from delivery claims, wear and tear, user damage and compatibility issues. Warranty periods: USB drives 10 years; power banks 2 years; charging products 2 years. Packaging defects are handled as delivery claims under section 6 rather than under warranty. The warranty starts on delivery; replacement units carry the remainder of the original warranty period. To claim, follow section 15 and describe the fault and when it appeared. Exclusions match section 11.

24. International orders

For orders delivered outside the United Kingdom, contact us before returning anything. Courier restrictions, customs paperwork, duties and battery rules make cross-border returns complex, so we investigate on evidence first and often agree local disposal, replacement delivery or another practical solution instead of a physical return. Battery products must never be shipped internationally without approved instructions. Costs depend on the reason for the return: for valid claims we bear the agreed costs as in section 21, and other costs are confirmed before anything is returned.

25. Consumer rights

If you deal with us as a consumer, nothing in this policy restricts your statutory rights, including your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 where goods are faulty, not as described or not fit for purpose. The usual 14-day cancellation right for distance sales does not apply to goods made to your specification or clearly personalised — which covers most USB Makers products — but that exception does not remove your rights where goods are defective. Statutory refund and return-cost rules apply to consumer claims. [LEGAL REVIEW REQUIRED: CONSUMER RIGHTS WORDING]

26. Complaints and escalation

If you are not satisfied with how a claim is handled, ask for it to be escalated. Claims are first reviewed by customer service, with technical or production investigation where needed; unresolved claims are referred for management review, and you may make a formal complaint to customer-services@usbmakers.com, marked for the attention of management.

27. Contact and related policies