01How this policy works

1.1. This policy forms part of N-Tech’s Terms and Conditions of Sale and Website Use. Words defined there have the same meaning here.

1.2. Which clause applies depends on why the Customer wishes to cancel or return:

1.2.1. an Order that has not been dispatched: clause 3;

1.2.2. an online purchase the Customer no longer wants, within seven days: clause 4;

1.2.3. Goods that are wrong, incomplete, damaged on arrival or not as described: clause 5;

1.2.4. any other change of mind: clause 6;

1.2.5. Goods that develop a fault: the Warranty and RMA Policy;

1.2.6. Services: the Repairs and Services Terms.

1.3. Nothing in this policy limits or excludes a right that the CPA or ECTA gives the Customer and that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.

02Before anything is sent back

2.1. The Customer must first email N-Tech at info@n-tech.co.za with the order number, the Goods concerned, the reason and, where relevant, photographs. A telephone call is not sufficient. N-Tech then issues an RMA Number and return instructions.

2.2. N-Tech accepts no Goods without an RMA Number. Goods that arrive without one are refused or sent back at the Customer’s cost.

2.3. Goods must be packed securely, with the RMA Number on the outside of the parcel and not on the product’s own packaging.

2.4. Where the Customer arranges a return under clause 4 or clause 6, the Goods travel at the Customer’s risk until N-Tech receives them. The Customer should insure them and use a traceable service.

2.5. N-Tech inspects returned Goods within 5 Business Days after receiving them and then tells the Customer the outcome.

03Cancelling an Order before dispatch

3.1. The Customer may cancel an Order for Goods, other than a Custom Build, by written notice that reaches N-Tech before the Goods are dispatched or collected. N-Tech then refunds the amount paid:

3.1.1. in full, where the Customer is a natural person;

3.1.2. less a cancellation charge of 5% of the price of the cancelled Goods, where the Customer is not a natural person. Any charge that N-Tech’s supplier levies for taking back Goods procured specially for the Order is deducted as well.

3.2. A Custom Build may be cancelled before dispatch only on payment of a cancellation charge, calculated on the price of the Custom Build:

3.2.1. 5% if N-Tech has not yet ordered or allocated components;

3.2.2. 10% if components have been ordered or allocated but assembly has not begun;

3.2.3. 20% once assembly has begun;

3.2.4. in each case, together with the cost of any component procured specially for the build that N-Tech cannot return to its supplier.

3.3. The charges in clause 3.2 represent N-Tech’s assembly and dismantling labour, its suppliers’ charges and its loss on reselling components that have been opened.

3.4. An Order cannot be cancelled once it has been dispatched or collected. A Customer who refuses delivery is treated as returning the Goods under clause 4 or clause 6, whichever applies, and bears the courier’s charges for the failed delivery and the return.

04Seven-day cooling-off right for online purchases

4.1. A Customer who is a natural person and who bought Goods through the Website or by other electronic means may cancel the purchase, without giving a reason and without penalty, within seven days after receiving the Goods.

4.2. The cooling-off right does not apply to:

4.2.1. a Customer that is a company, close corporation, trust or other juristic person;

4.2.2. Goods bought in person at N-Tech’s premises;

4.2.3. a Custom Build, or any other Goods made, configured or personalised to the Customer’s specification;

4.2.4. software, games and licences once the seal has been broken, or once the licence key or code has been sent or made visible to the Customer;

4.2.5. Goods that by their nature cannot be returned once opened, including consumables such as thermal compound, ink, toner and cleaning products, and earphones or other items worn in or on the body where the hygiene seal has been broken;

4.2.6. Services that N-Tech began, at the Customer’s request, within seven days after the booking.

4.3. To cancel, the Customer must email N-Tech within the seven days, quoting the order number. N-Tech issues an RMA Number, and the Goods must reach N-Tech within 10 Business Days after that.

4.4. The Customer pays the direct cost of returning the Goods. If the Customer asks N-Tech to arrange collection, the courier’s charge is deducted from the refund.

4.5. The Goods must come back complete and undamaged, with their original packaging, accessories, manuals and any free item supplied with them. The Customer may open and examine Goods as one would in a shop, but may not use them. If Goods are returned damaged, incomplete or used, N-Tech deducts from the refund the reasonable cost of restoring them to a saleable condition or, if that cannot be done, their loss in value.

4.6. N-Tech refunds the price of the Goods within 30 days after the Customer’s notice of cancellation. No refund is due for Goods that are not returned.

4.7. The original delivery charge is not refunded. Delivery is a service that N-Tech performed in full at the Customer’s request before the cancellation.

05Goods that are wrong, incomplete, damaged on arrival or not as described

5.1. If N-Tech delivers the wrong Goods, an incomplete Order, Goods damaged in transit by N-Tech’s courier, or Goods that differ materially from their description, the Customer must notify N-Tech in writing, with photographs, within 10 Business Days after delivery. Transit damage must also be reported as the Delivery and Collection Policy requires.

5.2. N-Tech collects the Goods at its own cost and, as the Customer chooses, supplies the correct or undamaged Goods or refunds the price and the delivery charge.

5.3. This clause does not apply to Goods that the Customer has installed, fitted to other equipment, dismantled or altered. A fault in such Goods is dealt with under the Warranty and RMA Policy.

5.4. Where Goods returned under this clause have been used, N-Tech may deduct a reasonable amount for that use.

06Other change-of-mind returns

6.1. Outside clauses 3, 4 and 5, the Customer has no right to return Goods that are not defective. N-Tech may agree to take Goods back, but is not obliged to.

6.2. N-Tech considers a request only if it is made within 7 days after delivery or collection. If N-Tech agrees:

6.2.1. Goods returned sealed and unopened are subject to a handling fee of 15% of their price;

6.2.2. Goods that have been opened, but are unused, complete and fit to be resold as new, are subject to a handling fee of 25% of their price;

6.2.3. the Customer pays the cost of delivery in both directions;

6.2.4. N-Tech may pay the balance as a refund or as store credit, as it elects.

6.3. N-Tech does not take back under this clause: Custom Builds; Goods procured specially for the Customer; software, games and licences; consumables; Goods sold as refurbished, ex-demonstration, open-box or clearance; Goods that have been installed or used; and Goods without their original packaging or serial number labels.

07Refunds

7.1. A refund is paid by electronic funds transfer into the bank account from which N-Tech received payment. N-Tech may ask for proof that the account is the Customer’s. It does not refund in cash or to a third party.

7.2. An Order paid by card or through an instalment or buy-now-pay-later provider is refunded only through that card or provider, and the time the refund takes to reflect is in the provider’s hands.

7.3. Unless clause 4.6 or the law sets a different period, N-Tech pays a refund within 10 Business Days after it has approved the return or cancellation.

7.4. Goods bought as part of a bundle, a Custom Build or a promotion are refunded at the price actually paid for them within that bundle, build or promotion, and not at their separate listed price. A free item supplied with returned Goods must be returned with them, failing which its listed price is deducted.

7.5. Delivery charges are refunded only where N-Tech cancels the Order or clause 5 applies.

7.6. N-Tech may deduct from a refund any charge this policy allows and any amount the Customer owes it. Except where the law requires a refund in full, it may also deduct payment-processing fees that it cannot recover.

7.7. Store credit is valid for three years from the date of issue. It is personal to the Customer and cannot be exchanged for cash.

7.8. Where N-Tech agrees to exchange Goods for different Goods, the Customer pays any difference in price, and N-Tech credits or refunds any difference in the Customer’s favour.

08Returns that do not qualify

8.1. If returned Goods do not qualify under this policy, N-Tech tells the Customer why and holds the Goods for collection, or sends them back at the Customer’s cost.

8.2. The clause of the Repairs and Services Terms headed “Uncollected equipment” applies to Goods held by N-Tech under this policy.

09Contact

9.1. Returns and cancellations: info@n-tech.co.za, telephone 087 822 1887.

01How Goods are warranted

1.1. This policy forms part of N-Tech’s Terms and Conditions of Sale and Website Use. Words defined there have the same meaning here.

1.2. Goods are covered as follows:

1.2.1. for Consumers, by the six-month warranty of quality under the CPA, described in clause 2;

1.2.2. for all Customers, by the Manufacturer’s Warranty, described in clause 3.

1.3. Work done by N-Tech is warranted under the Repairs and Services Terms.

1.4. N-Tech gives no warranty of its own on Goods beyond those in this policy.

1.5. Nothing in this policy limits or excludes a right that the CPA gives the Customer and that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.

02The first six months: Consumers

2.1. If, within six months after delivery, Goods prove not to be of good quality, in good working order and free of defects, a Consumer may return them to N-Tech, at N-Tech’s risk and expense, and choose to have them repaired, replaced or refunded.

2.2. A defect is a material imperfection in manufacture, or a characteristic that makes Goods less acceptable, useful or safe than a person could reasonably expect of goods of that kind. The matters listed in clause 5 are neither defects nor failures of quality.

2.3. The Consumer must follow the RMA procedure in clause 6. N-Tech arranges and pays for collection by its own courier. It does not reimburse a courier the Consumer has arranged unless it agreed to do so in writing beforehand.

2.4. N-Tech, or the manufacturer’s authorised service centre, assesses the Goods before any remedy is given. N-Tech aims to complete the assessment within 10 Business Days after receiving the Goods and tells the Consumer if the manufacturer needs longer.

2.5. Where the assessment confirms a defect:

2.5.1. a repair is carried out by N-Tech or the manufacturer. If the same defect recurs or a further defect appears within three months after the repair, N-Tech replaces the Goods or refunds the price;

2.5.2. a replacement is the same model or, if that is no longer available, one of equal or better specification. If N-Tech cannot supply either, it refunds the price;

2.5.3. a refund is of the price paid for the defective Goods, calculated as the Returns, Refunds and Cancellations Policy provides.

2.6. Where one component of a Custom Build or bundle is defective, the remedy applies to that component and not to the whole system.

2.7. Where the assessment finds no defect, or finds that the fault results from a matter listed in clause 5, N-Tech gives the Consumer its reasons in writing and returns the Goods. The Consumer must then pay an assessment fee of R350 and the courier charges for collection and return. N-Tech may quote for a chargeable repair under the Repairs and Services Terms.

2.8. A Consumer who disputes the assessment may obtain a written report from an independent qualified technician at the Consumer’s own cost. N-Tech will reconsider the claim in the light of that report, and the Consumer may use the complaints procedure in the Terms and Conditions of Sale and Website Use.

03The Manufacturer’s Warranty

3.1. After the first six months, and from the date of delivery in the case of a Business Customer, Goods are covered only by the Manufacturer’s Warranty. Its duration and conditions are set by the manufacturer and are shown on the product page or the invoice. N-Tech does not extend or add to it.

3.2. N-Tech assists by submitting the claim to the manufacturer or its distributor. The manufacturer decides whether the claim succeeds, what the remedy is and how long it takes, and N-Tech cannot override that decision.

3.3. Where a manufacturer runs its own service channel in South Africa, as many laptop, monitor, printer and branded-system manufacturers do, N-Tech may require the Customer to claim from that channel directly.

3.4. A claim under the Manufacturer’s Warranty is made on a return-to-base footing. The Customer delivers the Goods to N-Tech at the Customer’s own cost and risk and pays the courier charge for their return.

3.5. The Customer must pay any assessment, handling or courier charge that the manufacturer or its service centre levies, including where a claim is rejected.

3.6. N-Tech charges its standard workshop rates, under the Repairs and Services Terms, for diagnosing a fault in a system and for removing and refitting a component that is claimed under the Manufacturer’s Warranty.

3.7. If the Goods have been discontinued, the manufacturer may supply a different product of equivalent specification or give a credit at its own valuation.

3.8. A Manufacturer’s Warranty is valid in South Africa only, unless the manufacturer states otherwise.

04While a claim is processed

4.1. N-Tech does not supply loan equipment and is not liable for the Customer’s loss of use of Goods while a claim is assessed or a remedy is carried out.

4.2. Repaired or replaced Goods carry the unexpired part of the original warranty, or the three-month period in clause 2.5.1 where that is longer.

05What is not covered

5.1. The following are not defects. N-Tech does not accept a claim for them, whether in the first six months or later:

5.1.1. physical damage, including cracks, dents, chips, burns, scratches, broken ports or connectors, bent or broken processor or socket pins, damaged circuit board traces, thermal compound in a socket, and damage from over-tightened screws or coolers;

5.1.2. damage from liquid, moisture, corrosion, dust, smoke or insects;

5.1.3. damage from lightning, power surges, load-shedding, unstable or incorrect voltage, or a faulty or inadequate power supply not supplied by N-Tech;

5.1.4. damage from installation, assembly, handling or repair by anyone other than N-Tech or the manufacturer’s authorised service centre, including electrostatic discharge;

5.1.5. damage from overclocking or overvolting beyond the manufacturer’s specification, from a modified or failed firmware or BIOS update performed by the Customer, from removing a processor’s heat spreader, or from a cooling system not built by N-Tech;

5.1.6. failure of Goods used for cryptocurrency mining, or of consumer-grade Goods run under continuous commercial or server load;

5.1.7. Goods whose serial number or warranty seal is missing, altered or illegible;

5.1.8. fair wear and tear, cosmetic deterioration, and the normal decline of parts with a limited life, including batteries, fans, switches, keycaps, mouse feet, cables and upholstery;

5.1.9. faults in software, operating systems or drivers, virus or malware infection, incompatibility with a game or application, and loss of data;

5.1.10. pixel faults, image retention or backlight variation within the manufacturer’s published tolerance for the screen;

5.1.11. damage from accident, misuse, neglect, inadequate ventilation, or use contrary to the manufacturer’s instructions;

5.1.12. incompatibility with equipment or software not supplied by N-Tech;

5.1.13. damage in transit to N-Tech caused by inadequate packing by the Customer;

5.1.14. damage made worse by continued use of Goods after a fault became apparent.

06RMA procedure

6.1. The Customer emails N-Tech at info@n-tech.co.za with the invoice or order number, the serial number, a full description of the fault and of what the Customer has done to resolve it, and photographs or video where the fault can be shown.

6.2. N-Tech may first ask the Customer to carry out reasonable troubleshooting steps. Many faults are resolved in this way without the Goods being sent in.

6.3. N-Tech then issues an RMA Number, which is valid for 7 days. One RMA Number covers one item.

6.4. Before handing Goods over, the Customer must:

6.4.1. back up all data and sign out of all accounts;

6.4.2. remove or disclose any password, PIN or BIOS lock;

6.4.3. send only the item claimed, with the accessories N-Tech asks for, and send a complete system only if N-Tech requests it;

6.4.4. pack the Goods in their original packaging or equivalent protective, anti-static packaging, with processors in their protective case and motherboards with the socket cover fitted.

6.5. N-Tech refuses Goods that arrive without a valid RMA Number. Goods that arrive with physical damage of a kind described in clause 5.1.1 are returned at the Customer’s cost.

6.6. The clause of the Repairs and Services Terms headed “Uncollected equipment” applies to Goods held by N-Tech under this policy.

07Data on Goods sent in

7.1. N-Tech and the manufacturer may erase, reset or replace any storage device in Goods submitted under this policy. N-Tech is not responsible for data, software or settings on those Goods, and recovering data is not part of any warranty.

7.2. A storage device that is replaced under warranty is kept by the manufacturer and is not returned to the Customer.

08Contact

8.1. Warranty claims: info@n-tech.co.za, telephone 087 822 1887.