1. Right of Withdrawal

When you make a purchase through our online shop, you generally have the right to withdraw from your purchase within 14 calendar days, without having to give a reason.

1.1. When does the withdrawal period start?

You have 14 calendar days to let us know that you wish to withdraw from your purchase. This period starts on the day on which you, or a third party designated by you other than the carrier, physically take possession of the goods.

If you ordered several goods that we deliver separately, the withdrawal period starts on the day on which you physically take possession of the last good.

If your order consists of the regular delivery of goods over a defined period, the withdrawal period starts on the day on which you, or a third party designated by you other than the carrier, physically take possession of the first good.

1.2. What can you do with a product during the withdrawal period?

During the withdrawal period, you may handle and inspect a product to the extent necessary to establish its nature, characteristics and functioning, in the same way as you would reasonably be allowed to do in a physical shop.

When you purchase a bottle of perfume, hairspray, room spray or deodorant (of 30 ml or more), we include a sample with your order so that you can test the product first. We strongly recommend using this sample before opening the main product. This is the best way to make sure you are happy with your choice and to avoid any potential reduction in the value of the main product.

If a product is damaged or its value has decreased as a result of handling beyond what is necessary to establish its nature, characteristics and functioning, we reserve the right to refund only the remaining value of the returned product. In the case of extensive or complete use, this reduction in value may amount to the full purchase price.

1.3. When does the right of withdrawal not apply?

For certain products and services, the right of withdrawal is excluded by law.

Health protection or hygiene

Where a sealed and/or unopened product is not suitable for return for reasons of health protection or hygiene, the right of withdrawal may be legally excluded if the seal was broken after delivery.

Purchases made in our physical shop

There is no statutory right of withdrawal for purchases made in our physical shop. We do, however, offer a commercial return and exchange policy.

Within 14 days of purchase, you may return or exchange unopened and unused products in their original condition, provided that the packaging is completely intact, including any labels, seals, wrapping, cases and other original packaging.

This commercial policy does not apply to samples, gift cards or discovery boxes.

Services provided on a specific date or during a specific period

There is no statutory right of withdrawal for services provided on a specific date or during a specific period, such as a perfume tasting or an event taking place on a specific date.

However, we allow you to cancel or change a booking free of charge up to 48 hours before the start of the event or tasting.

Services without a fixed date

For services without a pre-arranged date, such as a gift voucher for a private perfume tasting, the withdrawal period is 14 calendar days from the day on which the contract is concluded.

If you want the service to start before the end of the withdrawal period, you must expressly request this from us. You acknowledge that your right of withdrawal ends once the service has been fully performed.

If performance of the service has already started and you subsequently exercise your right of withdrawal, we may charge you a proportionate amount for the part of the service that has already been performed.

1.4. How do you exercise your right of withdrawal?

You can exercise your right of withdrawal by clearly informing us of your decision to withdraw from your purchase before the withdrawal period expires.

You can do so:

• by returning the withdrawal form provided with your order, which you can also download here, completed and sent to Smell Stories, Rue des Teinturiers 15, 1000 Brussels, Belgium;
• through the online withdrawal functionality in your customer account;
• or by any other clear and unambiguous statement, for example by email.

How does the online withdrawal functionality work?

Would you like to withdraw online? Go to www.smellstories.be and log in to your account. Go to “My orders” and select the order from which you wish to withdraw one or more products.

To withdraw from one product, select “Return product” for the relevant product and confirm.

To withdraw from the entire order, click “Return order” and confirm.

Did you not create an account when placing your order? First create an account using the same email address you used for your order. Your order should then appear under “My orders”.

1.5. How do you return a product?

From the day on which you inform us of your decision to withdraw from your purchase, you have 14 calendar days to return the goods to us. The risk and burden of proof relating to the proper and timely exercise of the right of withdrawal lie with the customer. Without affecting your right of withdrawal, we ask you, where possible, to return the product in its original packaging and to avoid damaging the packaging as much as possible. Please handle the product with care. In the event of damage, you may be liable for any resulting reduction in value.

You are responsible for returning the goods and may choose your own carrier. The direct costs of returning the goods are at your expense.

If your order included additional free products, we also ask you to return these.

1.6. When will Smell Stories refund you?

We will refund you within 14 calendar days from the day on which you informed us of your decision to exercise your right of withdrawal.

For returned goods, we may delay the refund until:

• we have received the goods; or
• you have provided proof that you have returned the goods,

whichever occurs first.

We will refund you using the same payment method you used for the original purchase, unless you expressly agree to another payment method. You will not be charged any fees for the refund itself.

If you paid part of your purchase using a Smell Stories gift card, that part will be refunded in the form of a new gift card. The new gift card will have the same value and remaining validity period as the original gift card, with a minimum validity of 14 calendar days.

Where applicable, a reduction in value as described above may be deducted from the amount to be refunded.

1.7. Which delivery costs will be refunded?

In the event of a full withdrawal from your order, we will refund any delivery costs charged to you. If you expressly chose a more expensive delivery method than the cheapest standard delivery method we offer, we will not refund the difference between the two delivery methods.

In the event of a partial withdrawal from your order, the free-shipping threshold is not recalculated based on the remaining order value.

If you paid delivery costs for your original order because you did not reach the applicable threshold for your country, those delivery costs remain payable after a partial withdrawal, even if the remaining order value subsequently falls below that threshold.

If you received free delivery for your original order because you reached the applicable threshold for your country, the delivery remains free even if the remaining order value falls below that threshold following a partial withdrawal.

2. Conformity and Statutory Guarantee

All our new products are covered by the statutory two-year guarantee from the date of delivery.

This guarantee applies when a product does not correspond to what you ordered, has a defect that makes it unsuitable for normal use, or does not meet the qualities you could reasonably expect from the product.

2.1. What does Smell Stories do if there is a problem?

If you believe that a product has a defect covered by the statutory guarantee, please contact us and describe the problem as clearly as possible. Photos or other information may help us assess the situation quickly.

For a defect covered by the statutory guarantee, you can in principle choose between free repair or replacement. We may refuse your choice if the requested solution is impossible or would involve disproportionately high costs for us compared with the other solution.

For most products in our range, such as perfumes, sprays, candles, incense and diffusers, repair is technically not possible. In these cases, we will offer a replacement.

If repair or replacement is not possible, or if it cannot be carried out within a reasonable period or without significant inconvenience under the conditions provided by law, an appropriate price reduction or refund may be applicable. In the case of a minor defect, a full refund is not available.

2.2. When does the statutory guarantee apply?

The statutory guarantee applies to new products for two years from the date of delivery.

When you identify a problem, we will first assess whether it is a defect covered by the statutory guarantee. The statutory guarantee does not, for example, cover normal wear and tear or problems resulting from incorrect use, improper handling or failure to follow the product's instructions for use. It also does not cover defects that you were aware of at the time of purchase.

We ask you to notify us of a defect as soon as possible after discovering it and, in any event, within two months of discovering it. This allows us to investigate the problem as quickly as possible and find an appropriate solution.

2.3. How do we handle a guarantee claim?

After receiving your claim, we may ask you for photographs, a description of the problem or, if necessary, for the product to be returned to us so that we can assess it.

If the product is covered by the statutory guarantee, we will cover the costs necessary to assess, repair or replace the product.

Where replacement is required, we will replace the product with the same product where it is available. If the same product is no longer available, we will assess which other statutory solution is appropriate in the circumstances.