Refund & Return Policy

Last updated: 12 September 2026

Please read this policy in full before placing your order. By completing a purchase on GrumpyPaws you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to every term set out below. Placing an order is your acceptance of this policy.

1. All sales are final

All sales on this store are final.

We do not offer refunds, returns, exchanges, cancellations or store credit for change of mind. This includes, without limitation, situations where:

  • you no longer want the costume
  • you found it cheaper elsewhere
  • you ordered the wrong quantity or add-on
  • your Christmas event was cancelled, postponed or has passed
  • you did not read the product description, sizing or delivery timeframe before ordering
  • a family member, partner or housemate objected to the purchase
  • your financial situation changed after ordering
  • you were gifted a duplicate
  • you simply changed your mind for any other reason

The only other circumstances in which a refund or replacement is issued are set out in Section 5 (Damaged, Defective or Incorrect Items).

2. Optional 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

The 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee is an optional add-on offered at checkout. It covers damaged, broken or unusable items only. Where it was purchased with your order and appears on your receipt:

  • you are covered for 30 days from the delivery date recorded by the carrier (instead of the standard 48 hours in Section 5) if your item arrives damaged or broken, or stops working or becomes unusable through no fault of your own
  • to claim, email us within those 30 days with your order number and clear photos or a video showing the problem
  • if the claim is confirmed, we will refund the item price or send a replacement
  • the guarantee does not cover delivery delays, change of mind, regret, ordering by mistake, or damage caused by misuse, pets, wear and tear or weather
  • the add-on fee itself is non-refundable

Change-of-mind returns are not available, with or without this add-on.

3. Dispatch, delivery and your responsibilities

Orders are dispatched within 1 to 3 business days of payment and delivery takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks from dispatch. This is an estimate, not a guaranteed date. Please order early for Christmas: a delay within or reasonably beyond this window is not a failure to deliver and is not grounds for a refund or cancellation. Full delivery terms are in our Shipping Policy.

3.1 Orders cannot be cancelled

Once payment is processed your order enters our fulfilment queue and cannot be cancelled, amended or refunded. Requests to cancel will be declined.

3.2 Delivery address accuracy is your responsibility

You are responsible for entering a complete and correct delivery address. We are not liable and no refund or replacement will be issued where:

  • the address supplied was incorrect, incomplete or outdated
  • the recipient name was wrong or unrecognised at the address
  • delivery failed because nobody was available to receive the item
  • the parcel was refused, returned to sender or abandoned
  • the parcel was held by the carrier and not collected within their holding period
  • the parcel was marked delivered by the carrier and subsequently went missing from the delivery location, was stolen, or was taken by another person (unless you purchased Shipping Protection, see Section 4)

If an address correction is required after dispatch, or a parcel is returned to sender due to an address error, any re-delivery, re-shipping or storage fees are payable by you.

4. Optional Shipping Protection

Shipping Protection is an optional add-on offered at checkout. Where it was purchased with your order and appears on your receipt, we will send a free replacement (or, at our discretion, a refund) where your parcel is:

  • formally declared lost by the carrier
  • recorded as delivered but confirmed missing from the delivery location, reported to us within 48 hours of the delivery scan
  • damaged in transit, reported with the evidence in Section 5

Without this add-on, parcels recorded as delivered by the carrier are not covered.

5. Damaged, defective or incorrect items

We stand behind our product. If your costume arrives damaged, faulty or incorrect we will make it right.

5.1 Inspect on arrival

You must inspect your order immediately upon delivery. Unpack the costume and check it for damage, missing parts and loose stitching before your pet wears it.

5.2 Report within 48 hours

All damage, defect and incorrect-item claims must be submitted to forgerelic@outlook.com within 48 hours of the delivery timestamp recorded by the carrier. Claims submitted after 48 hours will not be accepted, because we cannot verify whether the damage occurred in transit or after delivery while the item was in your possession.

5.3 Evidence required

A claim cannot be assessed and will not be approved unless all of the following are supplied in your first email:

  • your order number
  • clear, well-lit photographs of the damage or fault, in focus, showing the affected area close up
  • a wider photograph showing the damaged part in the context of the whole costume
  • photographs of the outer shipping bag or carton, including any tears, crush or water damage
  • a photograph of the shipping label
  • for a fault such as a split seam or a detached part, a close-up photograph or short video clearly showing the fault
  • for an incorrect item, photographs of the item received alongside the label

Incomplete claims will be returned to you for the missing evidence. The 48-hour window applies to your initial claim, not to the completion of your evidence, provided you respond to our follow-up requests within 5 days.

5.4 Keep the packaging

Do not discard any packaging until your claim is fully resolved. Carriers require original packaging to process a damage claim. Disposing of the packaging before your claim closes will void the claim.

5.5 Assessment and outcome

We will acknowledge your claim within 2 business days and issue a decision within 5 business days of receiving complete evidence. Where a claim is approved, we choose the remedy at our discretion, being one of:

  • dispatch of a free replacement costume
  • a partial refund proportionate to the fault, where the costume remains usable
  • a full refund

Where a replacement part resolves the fault, a replacement part is the remedy provided. A full refund is not automatic.

5.6 What is not a defect

The following are expressly not defects and will not be accepted as a damage claim:

  • minor variation in colour, print alignment or shade from the product photography, including differences caused by screen calibration
  • creases or flattened faux fur from packaging, which relax after unpacking
  • a small amount of loose fibre or faux-fur shedding when the costume is new
  • small cosmetic marks, loose threads or packing residue that cleans off
  • minor packaging damage where the costume inside is undamaged
  • fit differences within the stated fits-most-cats range
  • damage caused by scratching, chewing or claws
  • damage caused by wearing the costume near heat, flames, sharp objects or in wet conditions, or by stretching or forcing the fastenings
  • damage caused by washing in a machine, tumble drying, ironing or using solvents
  • normal wear and tear after use

6. Returns process (approved claims only)

Do not send anything back without a Return Authorisation. Items returned without prior written authorisation will not be accepted, will not be refunded, and will be disposed of after 14 days.

  1. Email forgerelic@outlook.com with your order number and, for a damage claim, the evidence listed in Section 5.3.
  2. If approved, we will issue a Return Authorisation (RA) number together with written return instructions and the return destination. The return destination is supplied only with an approved RA and is not published.
  3. The costume must be returned in its original packaging with the hood, coat, fake arms and all accessories, in the condition it was received.
  4. The RA number must be clearly marked on the outside of the parcel.
  5. Returns must be dispatched within 7 days of the RA being issued. RAs expire after 7 days.
  6. For approved damage, defect and incorrect-item claims, we cover return shipping. In all other cases, return shipping is at your cost and is non-refundable.

Returned items are inspected on arrival. Where an item is returned incomplete, without original packaging, with damage beyond that reported, showing signs of wear, or outside the RA window, we may decline the refund entirely or apply a deduction reflecting the loss in value.

7. Non-returnable items

The following cannot be returned or refunded under any circumstances:

  • items purchased on sale, clearance or with a promotional discount code, except under an approved claim in Section 5
  • items reported outside the 48-hour damage window
  • items returned without a valid Return Authorisation
  • costumes that have been worn, absent an approved defect claim
  • items damaged after delivery
  • checkout add-ons (30-Day Money-Back Guarantee, Shipping Protection and mystery box items), which hold no independent refund value

8. Exchanges

We do not operate an exchange programme. Where a replacement is warranted under an approved claim in Section 5, a replacement will be issued directly.

9. Refund processing

Where a refund has been formally approved in writing by us:

  • refunds are issued to the original payment method only. We cannot refund to a different card, account or person.
  • refunds are processed within 10 business days of approval, or within 10 business days of our receipt and inspection of an authorised return where a return was required.
  • your bank or card issuer may take a further 5 to 10 business days to post the funds. This period is outside our control.
  • where a discount, bundle price or promotional rate was applied, the refund is calculated on the amount actually paid, not the compare-at price.
  • where part of a bundle is refunded, the remaining costumes are re-priced at their standard individual rate and the refund is adjusted accordingly.

If more than 15 business days have passed since we confirmed your refund in writing and you have not received it, contact forgerelic@outlook.com with your order number.

10. Payment disputes and chargebacks

You agree to contact us at forgerelic@outlook.com and allow us a reasonable opportunity to resolve any issue before initiating a chargeback, payment dispute or claim with your bank, card issuer or payment provider.

  • a delay within or reasonably beyond the disclosed delivery window is not a valid basis for a dispute
  • a change of mind is not a valid basis for a dispute
  • where a dispute is raised, we will supply the payment provider with full evidence, including your order record, timestamped proof of your acceptance of these terms at checkout, the full communication history and carrier tracking and delivery confirmation
  • raising a fraudulent or bad-faith dispute, including a dispute claiming non-receipt of goods confirmed as delivered by the carrier, may result in the loss of any remedy otherwise available to you under Section 5
  • accounts associated with fraudulent disputes may be blocked from placing future orders

Contacting us first is always faster than a dispute, and in almost every genuine case we resolve it directly.

11. How to contact us

All claims, returns and refund enquiries must be submitted by email to forgerelic@outlook.com. Please include your order number in the subject line. We respond to all enquiries within 24 to 48 hours on business days. Claims submitted through social media comments or direct messages are not monitored for claim purposes and do not satisfy the notification requirements in this policy.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy at any time. The version published on this page at the time you place your order is the version that governs your purchase. We recommend saving or printing a copy with your order confirmation.