1. Choose the right process
If you are a consumer exercising your right of withdrawal, use the dedicated service directly. It asks only for your order number and the contact details needed to acknowledge receipt, never for the reason behind your decision. For a non-conforming or damaged product, a picking error or a commercial return request, use the contact form and include a description and photographs where helpful. Wait for instructions before sending anything back, to avoid using the wrong address or service provider; this procedure does not restrict any statutory right.
2. Consumer right of withdrawal
Consumers generally have fourteen days after receiving the goods to give notice of withdrawal by means of a clear statement. The date shown in the customer account is indicative, and the service remains available when the deadline appears to have passed so that the circumstances can be reviewed. The goods must then be returned within fourteen days. Direct return costs are borne by the consumer unless BLUE DAKOTA has agreed otherwise or made a delivery error.
Opening the packaging does not automatically exclude the right of withdrawal. However, the consumer may be liable for any loss in value resulting from handling beyond what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the product.
Withdraw from the contract3. Statutory exceptions
The right of withdrawal does not apply in the cases provided for by law, including certain goods made to the customer’s specifications or clearly personalised. Any relevant exception is stated before the order is placed; it is not presumed merely because packaging has been opened.
4. Refund following withdrawal
BLUE DAKOTA refunds all sums due, including the initial standard delivery cost where required by law, within fourteen days of receiving notice of withdrawal. The refund may be withheld until the goods have been recovered or proof of dispatch has been received. The same payment method is used unless another method has been expressly agreed at no additional cost.
5. Non-conforming or damaged product, or picking error
Report the issue promptly and provide any useful information. For consumers, the request is handled under the statutory guarantee of conformity or any other applicable guarantee: bringing the goods into conformity, replacement, a price reduction or termination, subject to the statutory conditions. Reservations made to the carrier may help with a claim but do not remove the consumer’s rights.
6. Returns by business customers
Unless specifically agreed otherwise, business customers do not have a general right of withdrawal for online orders. A commercial return may be accepted on a case-by-case basis, before the goods are sent back, under conditions confirmed in writing. Statutory or contractual guarantees remain separate from any such commercial return.
Article L. 221-3 of the French Consumer Code nevertheless extends certain protections to off-premises contracts between businesses when the contract does not fall within the principal activity of the business approached and that business employs no more than five people. This exception does not arise from headcount alone and is not presumed for an order placed on the website; each particular situation is reviewed on its merits.
Request a business return review7. Condition, packaging and accessories
The product must be protected for transport and, where possible, returned with its accessories, instructions and packaging. Missing packaging does not automatically deprive consumers of their rights, but any loss in value caused by excessive handling may be taken into account within the limits of the law.
8. Cancellation due to unavailability
If BLUE DAKOTA cannot fulfil the order and the customer declines the revised delivery time or proposed alternative, the sums paid for the cancelled items are refunded using the appropriate payment method within the applicable time limit.