Refund and Returns Policy

As a consumer, you have the right to withdraw from the purchase contract within 14 calendar days of receiving your order, without needing to give a reason and without any penalty, in accordance with Articles 102 et seq. of Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007, which approves the Revised Text of the General Law for the Defence of Consumers and Users (TRLGDCU).

To exercise this right, it is sufficient to notify us unambiguously before the deadline expires —for example, by writing to us at hola@almate.shop or via our contact form—, stating your order number and your intention to withdraw. There is no need to use a specific form.

If your order included several products delivered separately, the 14-day period will be calculated from the receipt of the last of them.

For us to accept your return, the product must meet the following conditions:

• It must be in the same condition in which you received it, unused and unconsumed.
• It must retain its original packaging, labelling and security seal intact. This is especially important for our food products (teas, infusions, matcha and similar) for hygiene and food safety reasons.
• It must be accompanied by the receipt, invoice or any proof that allows your order to be identified.

If the product shows signs of use, is missing a component, or has damage not attributable to our error or a manufacturing defect, we may refuse the return or apply a proportional reduction to the refund, based on the loss of value of the product.

In accordance with Article 103 of the TRLGDCU, the right of withdrawal does not apply, among others, to the following cases:

• Food products (teas, matcha, infusions and similar) whose protective seal or packaging has been removed after delivery, for health or hygiene reasons.
• Goods that, by their nature, may deteriorate or expire quickly.
• Products made to your specifications or clearly personalised (for example, personalised gift sets).
• Gift cards or vouchers once redeemed.

These exceptions do not in any case affect your right to receive a product in perfect condition, correctly described and conforming to what was ordered. If your order arrives damaged, incomplete, expired or does not correspond to the product purchased, you may request its replacement, repair or refund pursuant to the legal guarantee described in section 7.

The process is very simple:

• Write to us: contact us at hola@almate.shop or via our contact form, indicating your order number, the product you wish to return and the reason.
• Confirmation: we will confirm acceptance of your request and provide the address to which you should send the product: Carretera de Jaén, 52, 02006 Albacete, Spain.
• Shipping: pack the product carefully — ideally in its original packaging — along with the proof of purchase, and send it to the address given.
• Resolution: once we receive and inspect the product, we will notify you by email of the acceptance or rejection of the return and proceed with the refund if applicable.

If you withdraw from the contract within the 14-day period, the direct costs of returning the product are your responsibility, unless the reason for the return is our error (incorrect, defective, damaged or non-conforming product), in which case we will fully cover the return shipping costs.

We recommend using a tracked shipping service and, if the value of the product justifies it, taking out transport insurance, as we cannot be held responsible for lost or damaged packages during return shipping until they reach our premises at Carretera de Jaén, 52, 02006 Albacete, Spain.

Once the returned product has been received and verified, we will send you an email confirming its receipt and whether the return has been accepted.

If the return is accepted, we will refund the total amount of your order — including the initial delivery shipping costs, where applicable — within a maximum of 14 calendar days from when you exercised your right of withdrawal or from when we received the returned product, whichever comes first.

The refund will be made using the same payment method you used to place the order, unless we have expressly agreed otherwise with you, and will not incur any additional cost to you.

If after several working days you have not seen the refund, we recommend: checking your account or bank statement again; contacting your card issuer or bank, as they may apply additional processing times beyond our control; and if you still have not received it, writing to us at hola@almate.shop and we will review it with you.

Refunds correspond to the amount actually paid: in the case of products purchased on promotion or offer, the discounted price paid will be refunded.

If you need to exchange a product for another variety, format or size — for example, you received an incorrect order or would prefer another type of tea — contact us at hola@almate.shop indicating your order number and the exchange you want.

If the exchange is due to our error or a defective product, we will process the exchange at no additional cost to you, including shipping costs in both directions.

If the exchange is your choice (for example, you prefer a different flavour) and the product meets the conditions described in section 2, we will process it as a return followed by a new order, with the return shipping costs indicated in section 5 applying.

If you have any questions about your order, a return, an exchange or a refund, we are here to help:

• Email: hola@almate.shop
• Postal address for returns: Carretera de Jaén, 52, 02006 Albacete, Spain
• Contact form: almate.shop/en/contact-us

This policy is without prejudice to the rights granted to you by current consumer law, and complements our Privacy Policy.