Wholesale Returns Policy

Wholesale Returns and Product Claims Policy

Effective Date: 24th July 2026

Applies to: All Ted’s Veg wholesale customers.

1. Purpose:

This policy explains how Ted’s Veg manages returns, product-quality complaints, shortages, incorrect deliveries and requests for credit.

Because Ted’s Veg supplies fresh, chilled, prepared and perishable food products, not all goods can safely be returned or resold. Each request will be reviewed in accordance with the product type, the circumstances of the claim, food-safety requirements and the evidence provided.

This policy applies to business-to-business wholesale transactions only.

2. Reporting an Issue:

Customers must inspect their delivery as soon as reasonably possible after it has been received.

Issues involving fresh, chilled, prepared or perishable products must be reported to Ted’s Veg within 24 hours of delivery.

Claims should include:

Customer name and delivery address.
Order or invoice number.
Delivery date.
Product name and quantity affected.
Batch, lot or traceability code.
Use-by, expiry or best-before date.
Clear photographs of the product.
Clear photographs of the packaging and product label.
A description of the problem.
Details of how the product was stored after delivery.
Storage temperature, where relevant.
Whether the product has been opened, prepared, handled or used.

Failure to provide sufficient information or evidence may prevent Ted’s Veg from investigating or approving the claim.

3. Authorisation Before Returning Products:

Products must not be returned to a Ted’s Veg driver, supplier, warehouse or other location without prior authorisation from Ted’s Veg.

Authorisation of a return does not automatically confirm that a refund or credit will be issued. Returned or collected goods may need to be inspected before a decision is made.

Where appropriate, Ted’s Veg may:

Arrange collection of the affected goods.
Request that the customer safely retains the goods for inspection.
Request additional photographs or storage records.
Contact the original manufacturer, grower or supplier.
Replace the affected product.
Issue a full or partial credit.
Reject the claim where the evidence does not support it.

4. Prepared Products:

Prepared products include peeled, cut, sliced, shredded, washed, portioned or otherwise processed fruit, vegetables or other food products.

Misordered Prepared Products

Prepared products cannot be returned or credited where they have been ordered incorrectly by the customer.

These products are normally prepared specifically for the customer and cannot safely be returned to stock or resold.

Customers are responsible for checking product descriptions, preparation specifications, quantities and pack sizes before submitting an order.

Quality or Safety Issues

Quality, contamination, foreign-body, packaging or specification complaints involving prepared products will be assessed individually.

Prepared-product claims are reviewed on a case-by-case basis because their condition may be affected by:

The customer’s storage arrangements.
Refrigeration temperatures.
Handling practices.
Cross-contamination.
The length of time outside temperature-controlled storage.
Whether the packaging has been opened.
Preparation or production practices at the customer’s premises.

A credit or replacement will not be approved automatically.

5. Fresh Dairy Products:

Fresh dairy products cannot normally be returned once delivered.

Returns, replacements or credits may only be considered where the issue is reasonably determined to have resulted from:

A supplier or manufacturer fault.
An incorrect product supplied by Ted’s Veg.
Damage occurring before or during delivery.
A product being delivered outside its stated date requirements.
Another verified error attributable to Ted’s Veg or its supply chain.

Claims may be refused where the product’s condition could have been affected by the customer’s refrigeration, handling, storage or contamination controls.

Customers may be required to provide:

Photographs of the product and packaging.
Batch and expiry information.
Refrigeration or temperature records.
Details of when the goods were placed into refrigeration.
Details of when the issue was first discovered.

Dairy products must not be returned without authorisation.

6. Fresh Fruit and Vegetables:

Returns and claims involving fresh fruit and vegetables are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Fresh produce naturally varies in appearance, size, shape, colour and maturity. Reasonable natural variation will not necessarily be considered a product defect.

When assessing a fresh-produce claim, Ted’s Veg may consider:

The condition of the produce when delivered.
The time between delivery and notification.
The expected shelf life of the product.
The product’s ripeness or maturity.
Seasonal and natural product variation.
Storage temperature and conditions.
Ventilation and humidity.
Handling by the customer.
Cross-contamination risks.
Whether the product has been washed, cut, prepared or used.

Where produce has deteriorated because of unsuitable storage, excessive handling, delayed reporting or contamination after delivery, a return or credit may be refused.

7. Dry-Store Goods:

Ted’s Veg may accept the return of eligible dry-store products where:

Ted’s Veg is notified promptly.
A reasonable explanation for the return is provided.
The goods are unopened and unused.
The original packaging and seals remain intact.
The goods are within their best-before or expiry date.
The goods remain in a clean and resalable condition.
The goods have been stored correctly.
The goods have not been exposed to moisture, pests, contamination, excessive heat or unsuitable conditions.
Ted’s Veg has authorised the return before collection.

Requests to return dry-store goods should normally be submitted within three working days of delivery.

Acceptance remains at the discretion of Ted’s Veg. Collection may be arranged alongside a scheduled delivery where operationally practical.

Ted’s Veg may refuse products that cannot safely or reasonably be returned to saleable stock.

8. Incorrectly Ordered Products:

Customers are responsible for reviewing their orders before the applicable ordering cut-off.

Ted’s Veg is not required to accept returns or provide credits for correctly supplied products that were:

Ordered in error.
Ordered in the wrong quantity.
Ordered in the wrong size or specification.
No longer required by the customer.
Not suitable for the customer’s intended recipe or production process.

Ted’s Veg may consider unopened, non-perishable dry-store products as a goodwill return, subject to the conditions in this policy.

Prepared, fresh, chilled and perishable products ordered incorrectly will not normally be accepted for return.

9. Incorrect, Missing or Damaged Deliveries:

Incorrect products, shortages or visible transit damage should be reported immediately after delivery and no later than 24 hours after receipt.

Customers should provide photographs showing:

The complete delivery.
The affected product.
The product label.
Any damaged outer packaging.
The batch and expiry information.
The quantity received.

Delivery notes, invoices and electronic order records may be reviewed as part of the investigation.

10. Contamination and Foreign-Body Claims:

Any suspected contamination, allergen, foreign-body or food-safety issue must be reported to Ted’s Veg immediately.

The affected product must:

Be removed from use and clearly identified.
Be stored securely to prevent further use.
Remain in its original packaging where possible.
Be retained with its label, batch code and expiry information.
Not be disposed of unless Ted’s Veg authorises disposal.
Not be returned without specific instructions.

Customers must provide clear photographs and full details of how the product was received, stored, opened and handled.

Ted’s Veg may arrange collection for investigation. Products collected for investigation will not automatically qualify for a credit.

11. Storage and Handling Responsibilities:

Once goods have been delivered, customers are responsible for ensuring that they are:

Checked promptly.
Stored at the correct temperature.
Protected from contamination.
Rotated using appropriate stock-control procedures.
Kept in suitable, clean and hygienic conditions.
Used within their stated date and shelf-life requirements.
Handled in accordance with applicable food-safety procedures.

Ted’s Veg may reject a claim where the available evidence indicates that the issue arose after delivery because of improper storage, delayed refrigeration, contamination, handling or stock rotation.

12. Credits and Replacements

Following investigation, Ted’s Veg may offer:

A replacement product.
A full credit.
A partial credit.
A credit limited to the verified quantity affected.
No credit where the claim cannot be substantiated.

Credits are not issued automatically when a complaint is submitted or when goods are collected.

Any approved credit will normally be applied to the customer’s wholesale account. Cash refunds will not ordinarily be provided unless agreed by Ted’s Veg.

Consequential losses, production losses, labour costs, recipe costs or lost profits will not be accepted unless expressly agreed in writing.

13. Unauthorised Disposal

Customers should not dispose of products that are the subject of a claim until Ted’s Veg has reviewed the evidence or confirmed that disposal is authorised.

Where goods are disposed of before Ted’s Veg has had a reasonable opportunity to inspect them, the claim may be refused.

Where disposal is authorised, Ted’s Veg may request photographic evidence showing the product before and during disposal.

14. Product Recalls and Withdrawals

This policy does not replace Ted’s Veg’s product recall and withdrawal procedures.

Where a formal product withdrawal or recall is issued, customers must follow the specific instructions provided by Ted’s Veg. Recall instructions take priority over the standard return conditions in this policy.

Batch and traceability information must be provided promptly to allow affected products to be identified and controlled.

15. Abuse of the Claims Process

Ted’s Veg reserves the right to investigate repeated, inconsistent or unsupported claims.

Where a customer repeatedly fails to store products correctly, provide evidence, report issues promptly or make products available for inspection, Ted’s Veg may:

Refuse the claim.
Restrict future return arrangements.
Require delivery inspections.
Review the customer’s credit terms.
Suspend or close the wholesale account.

16. Policy Decisions

All claims are considered fairly and using the available evidence.

Ted’s Veg’s decision will take account of:

The product type.
The nature of the reported issue.
The evidence supplied.
Traceability information.
Delivery records.
Storage and handling information.
Supplier or manufacturer findings.
Food-safety and contamination risks.

Nothing in this policy excludes any responsibility that Ted’s Veg cannot lawfully exclude.

Contact

All return requests and product claims should be submitted through the usual Ted’s Veg wholesale customer service channel.

Ted’s Veg
Unit 17, Uplands Business Park
Walthamstow
London
E17 5QJ

Wholesale ordering: wholesale.tedsveg.co.uk

Correct as of July 2026