Return and refund policy

Returns & Refunds Policy

Mistakes do happen, not to worry - with Blackcircles South Africa returns are easy and hassle-free. If the order you have received is not to your satisfaction or you have Changed your mind, you may return it. Blackcircles South Africa (a division of Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd.) will accept returns within 14 days of delivery.

The Refund Policy is also detailed in the Refund Guidelines section, you will only have to cover the transport fee to send the tyres back to our warehouse (the return fees are usually around R250 per tyre depending on your location, the exact amount will be communicated to you). You must confirm that the order is correct. Any inaccuracies must be reported to us within 48 hours of delivery.

If you cancel your order any time prior to shipping, the order will be fully reimbursed. If your order has been shipped, and it is in transit to you or the installation center, please contact us immediately. We will try to intercept your order, and have it returned to us, but please be advised that the credit for the order will be issued as per our Refund Guidelines. If you refuse delivery of your order, a partial refund will be issued, as per our Refund Guidelines.

If you need to return or exchange an item, you must request an Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) please email us here. Orders without an RMA will not be accepted. The Return of Goods to Blackcircles is included in the Blackcircles Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale , Section 8. Return of Goods.

1. Return Conditions and Procedures

1.1. Return Claim Notification

Claims must be advised in writing via (along with), a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA), within 14 (fourteen) days after the delivery date of the Goods to the Customer, or before the arranged fitting date, after which no claims whatsoever will be recognized, and the Customer shall be deemed to have accepted the goods in full compliance with the order. If you need to return or exchange an item, you must request an RMA. To request an RMA, please email us here. Claims without an RMA will not be accepted. Claims do not exonerate the Customer from payment for the goods when due.

1.2. Condition of Returned Goods

All merchandise must be in new condition, unused and undamaged. Tyres must not be driven on. All merchandise must be properly packaged as per the packaging instructions that are e-mailed as part of the RMA. Products endure strong impacts during shipping and should therefore be packaged securely as described below, preferably with our original packaging.

● Tyres are shipped as-is (not boxed).

● Tyres, size permitting, can be strapped together in pairs.

Under no circumstances will Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd. Trading As Blackcircles South Africa (Blackcircles.co.za) accept a return of product that is damaged due to negligence.

Please note that the products are the customer's responsibility until we inspect for damages and take possession.

1.3. Customer Entitlement

Subject to all other Clauses herein, the Customer shall be entitled to cancel the Contract, return the Goods and receive a full refund, provided that the Goods have not been used in any way, are in the same good condition in which they were received by the Customer and are returned to Blackcircles. In such event the Customer shall be responsible for the costs of returning the Goods and shall indemnify Blackcircles nor demand against all and any such costs. If Blackcircles collect the goods, Blackcircles retains the right to charge the customer for any direct costs associated with the return of the goods. Customers returning goods directly to Blackcircles must do so within 14 days of the date cancellation is requested. No additional restocking charge or administrational charge will be added in accordance with distance selling regulations. Blackcircles customer service centre can be contacted for an accurate cost on returning goods as costs may vary depending on tyre specification and location.

1.4. Consent to Return

No goods shall be returned to Blackcircles for any reason whatsoever without securing Blackcircles’ prior consent and no goods will be accepted for return without such prior arrangement. No representative has the authority to accept the return of goods for any reason whatsoever, unless this has been authorized by the Trading Manager. Any unauthorized returns will be held at the Customer’s sole risk and the expense and storage charges may, at the discretion of Blackcircles, be levied against the Customer.

1.5. Order Number

Goods may not be returned for refund/replacement unless the Order Number against which the supply was made is quoted and a representative of Blackcircles has consented hereto.

1.6. Authorisation Number

If the goods are to be replaced, Blackcircles shall issue an Authorisation Number, which number must be clearly affixed to all packaging of the returned goods prior to the goods being returned to Blackcircles at the Customer's costs to the source from which the goods originated within 14 days of receipt by the Customer, of the notification of Blackcircles’ election.

1.7. Inspection

Prior to accepting defective goods for refund/replacement the goods are first to be inspected by a representative of Blackcircles.

1.8. Refund Guidelines

When you have returned the order, the refund issued will be credited to your original payment method (when permitted). The refund will be credited to your payment method minus the return fees that are based on the cost of transport (R250 on average per tyre).

Subject to all other Clauses contained herein, refunds to the Customer are entirely at the discretion of Blackcircles. In the event that Blackcircles, in their sole discretion, grant a refund to a Customer, any costs incurred by Blackcircles in procuring that refund shall be borne by the Customer.

Under no circumstances do we refund any fitment fees, mounting or balancing fees.

Please note that the products are the customer's responsibility until we inspect for damages and take possession.

There are times when the order must be returned for a full refund. A full refund will be issued for the following reasons:

1. The wrong product was received and blackcircles.co.za is responsible.

2. The product is defective. Please see our Warranty Section for details.

3. Product approved by blackcircles.co.za does not fit the described vehicle and no disclaimer has been issued. Please refer to our Guarantee Policy.

Please Note: it can take up to 2-4 weeks to process your refund.

1.9. Relevant Timeframes

The timeframe for Blackcircles to close out the claim is 14 days from receipt of written notification, by the relevant source from which the goods originated.

The timeframe for Blackcircles to process your refund is between 2 – 4 weeks.

1.10. Bearer of Costs

Claims do not exonerate the Customer from payment for the goods when due for payment. Following due processing, inspections and investigations, as may be necessitated, Blackcircles may offer the Customer a full refund on his purchase or a partial refund as calculated. These offers may be made, less any costs of return delivery which are to be borne by the Customer. Blackcircles reserve the right to charge a handling fee with respect to claims which are rejected.

1.11. Documentation Required

1.11.1. Claims must be advised in writing via (along with), a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA).

1.11.2. The Order Number under which the goods were delivered must be noted.

1.11.3. An Authorisation Number will be provided by Blackcircles in order for the goods to be accepted once returned.

1.11.4. Failure to provide an Authorisation Number will deny Blackcircles representative from inbounding any goods which are returned.

1.11.5. Prior arrangement with a responsible Blackcircles member must be made and is the express responsibility of the Customer intending to return any goods to Blackcircles.

1.12. Reason for Returns

Within the specified timeframe and with the necessary documentation completed and approvals obtained, there is no requirement for a reason for return to be stated. However, feedback is important and satisfied customers are at the heart of everything Blackcircles does, hence any information we may use to improve would be highly appreciated.

1.13. Reciprocal Orders

Reciprocal orders are to be managed by the Trading Manager.

1.14. Transportation Responsibilities

The Customer is responsible for all risk and expense associated with the delivery for the return of any goods to Blackcircles. The transporter delivering goods to Blackcircles Representatives’ premises, must comply with all necessary protocols and furnish the necessary documentation for receipting in of goods.

1.15. Delivery

Blackcircles hereby reserves the right to charge a reasonable handling fee for the return of any Product due to any reason other than the fact that the Product failed, is defective, hazardous or unsafe as defined in the CPA.

1.16. Lost Shipments

If your order has not been fully delivered and it is past the guaranteed delivery date, please contact us as soon as possible so we can initiate a "trace" with the courier. This is the procedure used to try and locate parcels that have not been delivered. If the package is located, it will be delivered as soon as possible. If the courier is not able to locate the package, we will initiate an insurance claim. In this case, the courier covers the costs to send you exact replacements of what was lost. We will have these replacements shipped to you as soon as possible. In the event of lost shipments, we only replace the order with the exact same product.

We cannot provide a refund and we cannot change the order to a different product.

1.17. Damaged Products

If your order is damaged in some way, you must e-mail us immediately. We will request you send us photos of the potential damage so we can assess the problem.

1.17.1. If the order was damaged in shipping, then we will initiate a claim with the courier. It is important that you keep ALL the packaging material as the courier may want to inspect it. If the courier agrees to take responsibility, we will arrange to ship an exact replacement for that damaged part. We cannot provide a refund nor change to a different product. Claims with the courier must be completed prior to us shipping you a replacement product.

1.17.2. In the unlikely event that the product was damaged prior to shipping, we will review the photos to determine the cause of the damage. It is possible that we need to proceed with a physical inspection of the product and need to plan a pickup. If we determine that the damage occurred before we shipped the order, then we will replace the product or damaged part. We cannot provide a refund nor change to a different product.

1.17.3. If we determine that damage occurred after you received the order, we reserve the right to assess the damaged product on a case by case basis and determine the amount of partial refund.

1.17.4. If the order is returned under our Guarantee Policy, and we determine that the product was damaged by the client or the installation center, this voids the fitment guarantee policy. No refund will be issued.