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Last updated: 06/05/2026

At Alter Academy, we want customers to be clear about how returns, refunds, cancellations, deposits, and exchanges are handled.

This policy applies to purchases made through our website, over the phone, by email, or directly with Alter Academy. It covers physical products, tools, equipment, digital products, app access, and training course bookings.

Nothing in this policy affects your statutory rights.

1. Physical Products, Tools & Equipment

This section applies to physical items such as tools, equipment, kits, accessories, and other products purchased from Alter Academy.

1.1 Change of Mind Returns

If you purchase a physical product from us online, by phone, or by email, you may have the right to cancel your order within 14 days of receiving the goods.

After telling us you wish to cancel, you then have a further 14 days to return the goods to us.

To be eligible for a change of mind return, the item must be:

You do not need to give a reason for cancelling an online order within the legal cancellation period. UK government guidance says online customers must normally be told they can cancel up to 14 days after receiving their goods.

We reserve the right to reduce the refund amount if the item has been handled more than necessary, used, damaged, marked, altered, missing parts, or returned in a condition that affects its resale value. UK guidance states that deductions may be made where an item has been used or damaged.

2. Items That Cannot Be Returned for Change of Mind

We cannot accept change of mind returns for:

This does not affect your rights if an item is faulty, not as described, or not fit for purpose.

3. Faulty, Damaged, Incorrect, or Not as Described Items

If your item arrives faulty, damaged, incorrect, or not as described, contact us as soon as possible.

Please provide:

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, consumers may have a short-term right to reject faulty goods within 30 days, depending on the circumstances. The law also states refunds must be given without undue delay and within 14 days from when the trader agrees the consumer is entitled to a refund.

If the item is confirmed to be faulty, damaged before delivery, incorrect, or not as described, we may offer one or more of the following:

If an item is returned as faulty but is found not to be faulty, or the issue was caused by misuse, incorrect setup, unauthorised modification, accidental damage, poor handling, incompatible equipment, or failure to follow instructions, we may refuse the refund and ask you to cover return delivery costs.

4. Return Shipping Costs

For change of mind returns, the customer is responsible for the cost of returning the item.

For faulty, damaged, or incorrect items, we will cover reasonable return postage costs where the issue is confirmed to be our responsibility.

All returned items should be sent using a tracked and insured delivery service.

We are not responsible for returned items that are lost, delayed, damaged, or misdelivered in transit.

5. Refunds for Physical Products

Once we receive and inspect your returned item, we will confirm whether your refund has been approved.

Approved refunds will be made to the original payment method, unless agreed otherwise.

For valid online cancellation returns, refunds will normally be processed within 14 days of us receiving the returned goods, or receiving proof that the goods have been sent back. UK government guidance states that refunds should be made within 14 days of receiving the item back.

Where required by law, we will refund the standard delivery charge paid on the original order. If you selected a more expensive delivery option, such as express or special delivery, we only refund the standard delivery amount where applicable.

6. Exchanges

We may offer an exchange where:

If the replacement item costs more, you must pay the difference before dispatch. If it costs less, we will refund the difference.

7. Digital Products, App Access, Software, Codes & Licences

Digital products include app access, subscriptions, downloadable materials, software, licence keys, access codes, tokens, online resources, and similar digital content.

Because digital products can often be accessed, copied, activated, or used immediately, we do not offer change of mind refunds once the digital product has been:

If you purchase digital content and ask us to provide access before the end of any applicable cancellation period, you may lose your right to cancel once access has started.

If a digital product is faulty, inaccessible, or not as described, contact us and we will investigate the issue.

8. Training Courses

This section applies to training courses provided by Alter Academy, including taster days, 2-day courses, programming courses, lock picking and decoding courses, and the 5-day Auto Locksmithing course.

Course bookings are for limited spaces. Once a place is reserved, we may turn away other customers.

8.1 Course Cancellations by the Customer

If you need to cancel or move a course booking, you must contact us as soon as possible.

Refunds, date changes, or transfers may depend on:

Once a course has been attended, no refund will be given unless required by law.

9. 5-Day Auto Locksmithing Course Deposit

A deposit is required to secure your place on the 5-Day Auto Locksmithing Course.

The deposit reserves your place on a specific course date. Course spaces are limited, and once your booking is confirmed, we may refuse other customers for that space.

9.1 Non-Refundable Deposit

Your 5-day course deposit is non-refundable once the 14-day statutory cancellation period has passed.

After this period, if you cancel, fail to attend, arrive too late to participate, or decide not to continue with the course, your deposit will not be refunded.

This is because the deposit secures your place, covers administration, planning, preparation, and lost opportunity where we may be unable to resell the place.

9.2 14-Day Cancellation Period

If you book the course online, by phone, or by email as a consumer, you may have a legal right to cancel within 14 days of making the booking.

If you cancel within this period, you may be entitled to a refund unless:

The statutory cancellation period for a service contract normally ends 14 days after the contract is entered into.

9.3 Courses Starting Within 14 Days

If your course is due to start within 14 days of booking, by paying your deposit you agree that Alter Academy may begin preparing and/or providing the service before the end of the cancellation period.

If the course has started or has been fully delivered, your right to cancel may be reduced or lost in line with consumer law.

9.4 Moving Your Course Date

After the 14-day cancellation period, deposits are non-refundable.

However, at our discretion, we may allow you to transfer your deposit to a future course date if:

We are not obliged to offer a date transfer, especially for late cancellations or non-attendance.

10. Full Course Payments

Where a course has been paid in full, any refund or transfer request will be reviewed based on the timing of the cancellation, the course start date, whether the place can be resold, and whether any part of the course has already been delivered.

If you cancel close to the course date, fail to attend, or leave during the course, we may retain some or all of the course fee to cover the reserved place, preparation, administration, and loss of opportunity.

11. Course Cancellation or Changes by Alter Academy

If we need to cancel or reschedule a course, we will contact you as soon as possible.

If Alter Academy cancels a course, we may offer:

We are not responsible for additional costs such as travel, accommodation, loss of earnings, or other expenses unless required by law.

12. Business Customers

If you purchase products, tools, equipment, digital products, or training as a business customer, different rules may apply.

Business-to-business purchases may not have the same cancellation rights as consumer purchases.

Returns or cancellations for business customers are accepted only at our discretion, unless the item is faulty, not as described, or another legal right applies.

13. How to Request a Return, Refund, Cancellation, or Course Transfer

To request a return, refund, cancellation, or course transfer, contact us before sending anything back.

Please include:

Email: support@alteracademy.co.uk
Phone: 07521 504245

Do not return items without contacting us first. Returns sent without approval may be delayed or refused.

14. Return Address

Returns should be sent to:

Alter Academy
Unit 10, Bell Farm, Nuthampstead, Royston SG8 8ND

15. Abuse of Returns Policy

We reserve the right to refuse returns, refunds, exchanges, or future orders where we reasonably believe there has been:

This does not affect your statutory rights.

16. Statutory Rights

Nothing in this policy limits or removes your statutory rights.

If an item is faulty, not as described, or not fit for purpose, you may have legal rights under UK consumer law. UK guidance confirms businesses must offer refunds in certain situations, including faulty goods, and online customers usually have cancellation rights for distance purchases.