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Buyer's Protection

ZIP Buyer Protection Policy

Updated: March 2019

The ZIP Buyer Protection Policy applies to purchases or ZIP Transactions made using ZIP Line of Credit facilities (Zip Money and Zip Pay).

If you are an eligible buyer (as noted below), the ZIP Buyer Protection Policy can help you recover payments made in respect of certain items purchased where items are:

  • Not received; or
  • Significantly not as described.

If your purchase or Zip Transaction meets the requirements for the ZIP Buyer Protection Policy, we will attempt to recover your payment from the Merchant.

If you have received any cash back, rebate, credit or other promotional incentive from us or any third party for a purchase eligible for the ZIP Buyer Protection Policy, you may only recover the amount of your purchase or Zip Transaction less the value of the cash back, rebate, credit or other promotional incentive.

Where we are unable to recover the whole or part of your payment from the Merchant we may, in our absolute and sole discretion, decide to make a credit to your account as a gesture of goodwill.

You have no automatic entitlement to receive any payments under the ZIP Buyer Protection Policy.

The ZIP Buyer Protection Policy does not indemnify you for loss which may be incurred and it is not a contract of insurance.

If we determine a claim in your favour we will reimburse you the amount of your purchase or Zip transaction less the value of the cash back, rebate, credit or other promotional incentive. We will not reimburse you for the postage costs you incur to return an item to the Merchant or another party we reasonably specify.

If the Merchant presents Proof of Shipment to your address, we may find in their favour even if you did not receive the item.

Item not received

You should wait a reasonable amount of time – at least 7 days after the confirmed delivery date – to receive the item before filing a complaint with the relevant Merchant. Should the complaint not be resolved by the Merchant you can then lodge a dispute for an item not received.

Significantly not as described

An item may be considered “Significantly not as described” if:

  1. The item is completely different to that represented by the Merchant at the point of sale;
  2. The condition of the item is significantly different to how it was described;
  3. The item is unusable and was not disclosed as such. (Note, this applies to the item in its received state.);
  4. The item is not authentic and was not disclosed as such; or
  5. The item is missing a major portion or quantity.

An item is not considered to be “significantly not as described” if:

  1. It was reasonably and prominently described at the Merchant’s point of sale;
  2. The description could have been reasonably misinterpreted by you or the Merchant. For example, if the item is a different colour than advertised (eg, the item is aquamarine but was advertised as teal);
  3. The item did not meet your expectations; or
  4. It has minor scratches but was listed as “in used condition.”

We reserve our right to make a decision if you and the Merchant cannot agree and we will exercise our sole discretion when determining a claim of “significantly not as described.” We will consider numerous factors which may include the communications between you and the Merchant and any documentation you have provided.

Eligibility

You may be eligible for the ZIP Buyer Protection Policy if all the following requirements are met:

  1. You use ZIP as your payment method;
  2. Your payment is made by selecting ZIP as the payment method in the Merchant’s checkout flow;
  3. You authorise the full amount in one payment;
  4. The item is not received or is significantly different to how it was described;
  5. Your purchase is for a tangible good that can be shipped.

For the avoidance of doubt, the ZIP Buyer Protection Policy does not apply to:

  1. Intangibles (for example digitally delivered goods);
  2. Services;
  3. Licences and other access to digital content;
  4. Travel tickets;
  5. Custom made items;
  6. Items you collect in person or arrange to be collected on your behalf;
  7. Quasi-cash items such as gift cards, pre-paid cards or deal vouchers;
  8. Instances where the Merchant has provided a valid Proof of Shipment in relation to an “item not received” claim; or
  9. Unauthorised purchases.

Limitation

The ZIP Buyer Protection Policy will not protect you:

  1. For more than one claim for a single ZIP transaction;
  2. For Zip Transactions used to pay bills via BPAY.
  3. If you do not comply with the process set out in this policy; or
  4. For Zip Transactions used to purchase Gift cards;
  5. If your claim is made more than 90 days after your Purchase;
  6. If you do not comply with your responsibilities as set out in this policy.
  7. If you have not attempted to resolve your issue directly with the Merchant in the first instance

Process

If you purchase an item using your ZIP Account where the item is not received or is “significantly not as described,” you may file a dispute in the Resolution Centre within 30 calendar days of the date of the transaction.

We will notify the Merchant when you file a dispute. While the dispute is open, you and the Merchant can exchange correspondence. Any correspondence must be made available to us and the other party to the dispute.

In the event that the dispute remains unresolved, you may escalate it to a claim within 20 calendar days of the date you filed it. If you do not escalate the dispute to a claim within 20 days it will be automatically closed and cannot be reopened.

If you escalate the dispute to a claim, we may review and use the content of all correspondence to evaluate your claim.

You can file a dispute for “item not received” and then change it to “significantly not as described” if circumstances change, but not vice versa. Unless stated otherwise, a claim may not be edited or changed (other than to add further information) after it has been filed unless ZIP exercises its discretion to allow you to change your initial claim or you make an appeal before the claim is determined and closed.

Buyer responsibilities

You must respond to our enquiries within the timeframe specified by us. If you fail to respond we will not continue to process your claim or otherwise assist you in relation to your complaint and it will be closed and may not be reopened.

We may request, and you must provide, a receipt or any further details or information we deem necessary for the eligible item.

If you file a “significantly not as described” claim we may require you to ship the item at your expense to the Merchant, to us or to a third party designated by us.

For counterfeit item claims, we may also require you to:

  1. At your expense, obtain documentation from a qualified third party to substantiate your claim or to verify that you have destroyed the item if we request you to do so;
  2. Supply a copy of a police report substantiating your claim; and/or
  3. Make the item available for the Merchant to collect at their expense.

If we ask you to ship or return the item to the Merchant at the address we confirm to you after the claim has been decided in your favour, you must take precautions in repacking the item to reduce the risk of damage in transit and provide Proof of Shipment.

If you and the Merchant agree to a refund amount that is less than the amount of the original transaction, and the Merchant provides you the refund, we will consider your dispute/claim to be successfully resolved. Before contacting or filing a dispute with us, you should contact the Merchant to resolve your issue in accordance with the Merchant’s return policy.

No double recovery

You may not file a dispute or claim or receive a recovery for a purchase under the ZIP Buyer Protection Policy if you have already filed a case with or received a refund for that purchase directly from the Merchant.

Exclusions

If we reasonably determine, having considered all the relevant circumstances, that you have made an excessive or unreasonable number of disputes, claims, refunds or chargebacks, we may exclude you from the ZIP Buyer Protection Policy and deny all open and future claims, or take any other actions pursuant to this Agreement. We will notify you if you are excluded

Please note this Buyer Protection Policy does not exclude you from any other rights or claims you may have under any relevant Australian law.