DRAFT — NOT LEGALLY REVIEWED. DO NOT PUBLISH AS-IS.
This document was drafted as a working starting point. It has not been reviewed by a solicitor, and it contains [[CONFIRM: …]] placeholders wherever a fact was not available. Every placeholder must be filled and the whole document reviewed by a qualified adviser before OlaDoc.ie accepts a single order. Publishing this unchanged would misstate your legal position to patients.
Last updated: [[CONFIRM: date]] · Version: draft
Your right to cancel
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022, which implements the EU Consumer Rights Directive, you generally have 14 days from receiving your order to cancel a distance purchase without giving a reason.
The important exception — unsealed kits
That right does not apply to sealed goods which are not suitable for return for health protection or hygiene reasons, once they have been unsealed after delivery.
In practice this means:
- Kit still sealed — you can cancel within 14 days and return it for a full refund.
- Kit unsealed — the right to cancel is lost. We cannot resell or reuse a sample collection kit once opened.
- Sample already posted — the service has begun and cannot be cancelled.
This is a statutory exception, not a policy we have chosen. It exists because returned sampling equipment cannot be made safe for another person.
How to cancel
Email [[CONFIRM: returns email]] with your order number within 14 days of delivery. You may use the model cancellation form but do not have to. We will confirm and provide return instructions.
[[CONFIRM: who pays return postage for a cancelled sealed kit. Under the Directive the consumer bears return cost only if they were told so before ordering — otherwise the trader pays. Decide, then state it here and at checkout.]]
Refund timing
Refunds are made within 14 days of us receiving the returned kit, or of you demonstrating you have sent it, whichever is earlier. Refunds go to the original payment method.
Faulty, damaged or incomplete kits
If your kit arrives damaged, incomplete or past its expiry date, contact us and we will replace it at no cost. This is separate from the cancellation right and is not affected by the hygiene exception.
Samples that could not be processed
[[CONFIRM: policy. Suggested distinction: laboratory or transit failure through no fault of the customer → free replacement kit; sampling instructions not followed → [[CONFIRM: free, discounted, or chargeable]]. Whichever is chosen must be stated plainly before purchase.]]
What we cannot refund
- A completed test where you are unhappy with the result. You are paying for the test and its interpretation, not for a particular outcome.
- A test taken inside a stated window period, where the limitation was published on the product page before purchase.
- A test whose result was affected by not following stated preparation instructions.
Your statutory rights
Nothing here affects your statutory rights under Irish consumer law. If you are unhappy with how a refund has been handled you can contact the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission — ccpc.ie.