Refund & Cancellation Policy

Last updated: 25 February 2026

This policy explains how to cancel an order placed with Sterling Bio Ltd (Company No. 17209385) and how refunds are processed. It does not affect your statutory rights under UK consumer law.

1. 14-day right to cancel (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013)

Where you purchase as a consumer (i.e. not for a business or institution), you have the right to cancel your contract within 14 days of the day you (or a person nominated by you) receive the goods, without giving any reason. Goods must be returned to us within 14 days of you informing us of the cancellation.

To exercise this right, email Info@sterlingbio.co.uk or call +44 7916 615097 quoting your order number. Important: the right to cancel is reduced for goods that, by their nature, become unsuitable for return once unsealed (e.g. sealed laboratory consumables) — see §3 below.

2. Eligibility for refund

You may request a full refund within 14 days of receiving your order if:

• The product was damaged during transit and you provide photographic evidence within 48 hours.
• The product received does not match what was ordered.
• An order is cancelled prior to dispatch (full refund, no restocking fee).
• You exercise your 14-day Consumer Contracts cancellation right and the seal is intact.

3. Non-refundable items

• Products where the tamper-evident seal has been broken, opened or reconstituted (excluded from cancellation rights under reg. 28(3) Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013).
• Products beyond the 14-day notification window.
• Custom or special-order items not listed in our standard catalogue.

4. How to request a refund

1. Email Info@sterlingbio.co.uk or call +44 7916 615097 with your order number, the issue and any supporting photos.
2. We acknowledge within 1 UK business day and provide a return address (where goods need to be returned).
3. Once we receive the goods (or confirm cancellation pre-dispatch), refunds are issued within 7 business days to the original payment method.

5. Card refund window (Visa, Mastercard)

Where you paid by card via Worldpay, refunds are returned to the same card used for the original purchase. The card schemes impose the following timeframes:

• Visa & Mastercard — chargebacks/refund requests must be raised within 120 days of the original transaction date.
• Refunded card payments usually appear in your statement within 5–10 business days after we issue them, depending on your bank.
• Refunds cannot be paid to a different card. If your original card is lost, expired or cancelled, the refund will be paid to the issuing account via your bank.

6. Bank-transfer refund window

For UK bank-transfer payments (Tide), refunds are issued as a Faster Payments transfer to the originating bank account. There is no scheme window for bank transfers; we will action approved refunds within 7 business days of approval. Please provide the same account details as the original payment so funds settle quickly.

7. Return shipping costs

Where the return is due to our error (damaged in transit, wrong item, defective), we cover all return shipping costs and reimburse any reasonable postage you incur. Where you return goods under your 14-day right to cancel and no fault exists on our side, you are responsible for the cost of returning the items.

8. Statutory rights

This policy does not affect your statutory rights under UK law including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. If you have any questions, our team is reachable by phone or email during UK business hours (09:00–17:00 GMT, Mon–Fri).