Refund policy

This page explains how to return an order placed on www.antmastershop.com, how to exercise your right of withdrawal and what guarantees you have if you buy as a consumer. The version of this page in force on the day you place your order applies.

The seller is Mario Cascado Nieto, a sole trader trading as AntMaster, NIF 77498083C (Spanish tax ID), whose address is Plaza Bari 14, 30319 Cartagena (Murcia), Spain. Email: info@antmastershop.com. Phone: +34 634 716 082.

In short

You have 30 calendar days from receiving your order to return it. The first 14 days are the right of withdrawal that the law gives you. Days 15 to 30 are an extension that we offer ourselves, for unused products in their original packaging (section 2).
Write to us before sending anything at info@antmastershop.com and give your order number.
You pay for return shipping. If the product arrives faulty or damaged, or is not what you ordered, we pay for it.
Once delivered, queens and colonies are not covered by the right of withdrawal and cannot be returned. If they arrive dead, you are covered by the live arrival guarantee (section 4).
Ant nests and all other items have a 3-year legal guarantee. This guarantee does not apply to live animals (section 5).

1. Right of withdrawal (14 days)

If you buy as a consumer, you have 14 calendar days to withdraw from your purchase without giving any reason. This right applies to orders we deliver in Spain and the rest of the European Union and to orders you collect from the workshop, except for the products in section 3.

When the period starts

The period starts on the day you receive the order or collect it from the workshop. If it is received by another person you have designated (other than the carrier), it starts on the day that person receives it. If the order arrives in several parcels, it runs from the delivery of the last one. You can also withdraw before you receive it.

How to withdraw

Before the period ends, tell us clearly that you wish to withdraw. Any means that makes your decision clear is valid, for example:

By email to info@antmastershop.com. This is the method we recommend, because it gives you a record.
By post to Plaza Bari 14, 30319 Cartagena (Murcia), Spain.

So that we can find your order, give your name, your order number and the products you are withdrawing from. At the end of this page you will find a model withdrawal form. You may use it, but you do not have to. You meet the deadline if you send us your decision before it ends. If you write to us by email or use the shop's withdrawal function, we will confirm by email that we have received it.

How to return the product

Send us the product without delay and no later than 14 calendar days after you tell us your decision. It is enough to send it before that period ends. The address is Plaza Bari 14, 30319 Cartagena (Murcia), Spain. You can also drop it off at the workshop by appointment. In that case, let us know by email beforehand.

You pay the cost of return shipping. We recommend sending it well packed and with tracking, and keeping the proof of postage.

Condition of the product

You can open the package and examine the product as you would in a shop. If you have used it beyond that, we will deduct any loss in value from your refund. For example, if you have moistened the plaster, added substrate or housed ants in it. You can still withdraw.

You do not have to return it in its original packaging, but if you have kept it, please use it: it protects the product better.

Refund

We refund everything you paid, including the original shipping, without delay and within 14 calendar days at most from when you tell us you are withdrawing. There are two exceptions:

If you chose a more expensive delivery option than the cheapest standard delivery we offered, we only refund the shipping cost of that standard delivery.
We may wait until we have received the product, or until you have sent us proof that you have sent it back, before making the refund, whichever happens first.

We refund you using the same payment method you used for your purchase (card, PayPal, Klarna or other), unless you expressly ask us to use a different one. The refund costs you nothing. If you paid part of the order with a gift card, that part goes back to the card balance.

Products on sale or bought with a discount code can also be returned. We refund what you actually paid.

2. Extended returns (day 15 to day 30)

In addition to the legal period, you can return your order up to 30 calendar days after receiving it. The following conditions apply during this extended period:

Write to us at info@antmastershop.com with your order number within those 30 days and we will tell you how to send it. You then have 14 calendar days to send it to us.
The product must be unused, complete and in its original packaging.
You pay the cost of return shipping.
We refund the price of the products. The shipping costs of the original order are not refunded.
We make the refund within 10 working days at most from when we receive the product, using the same payment method you used.
It does not apply to the products in section 3.

This extension is voluntary and does not reduce the rights that the law gives you.

If you want to exchange a product for another one, return it following these steps and place a new order.

3. Products that cannot be returned

Ant queens and colonies. They are live animals that can deteriorate or die quickly. For this reason, once they have been delivered, they are not covered by the right of withdrawal and cannot be returned. If they arrive dead, you are covered by the live arrival guarantee (section 4). As long as an order containing live animals has not left the workshop, including when it is being held back because of the temperature, you can cancel it free of charge by writing to us, and we will refund everything you paid. Never send ants back to us by post. Do not release them into the wild either: Ley 42/2007, del Patrimonio Natural y de la Biodiversidad (Spanish Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Act), prohibits releasing wildlife without authorisation, including native species.
Sealed food, which is delivered with a hygiene seal. For hygiene reasons, it cannot be returned if you have opened the seal after receiving it. If the seal is intact, you can return it.
Gift cards. They are not covered by the extended returns. You can withdraw from the purchase of a gift card within 14 calendar days of buying it, and we will refund the unused balance. Anything you have bought with the card is governed by the rest of this page.

If you have any questions about a specific product, write to us before you buy.

4. Live arrival guarantee (queens and colonies)

In addition to the rights that the law gives you, AntMaster guarantees that the queens and colonies we ship arrive alive, under these conditions:

Deadline to claim: 48 hours from delivery.
Proof required: photos or video of the unopened package and of its contents as they arrive.
What it covers: the queen, always. The workers, if more than 20% arrive dead.
What we do: we replace the queen or colony in the next available shipment or refund the amount (what you paid for it and for its shipping). You choose.
When it does not apply: if the package was left outside because you requested or authorised it, or if you did not collect it after the delivery notice.
How to claim: write to us at info@antmastershop.com or through the shop chat with your order number and the photos or video.

This guarantee is given by Mario Cascado Nieto (AntMaster), whose details appear at the top of this page. It is free of charge and applies to all the queens and colonies we ship. The cases in which it does not apply only affect this additional guarantee: they do not limit the rights that the law grants you, such as your right to have the transport risk borne by us until delivery (section 6). You can find more information in Guarantee and after-sales service.

5. 3-year legal guarantee

The ant nests, foraging areas, accessories, food and other items we sell are covered by the legal guarantee of conformity. If a product is not as described, has a defect or does not work as it should, we are liable for defects that already existed when it was delivered to you and that become apparent within 3 years of delivery.

If the defect appears within the first 2 years, it is presumed to have existed when you received the product and you do not have to prove it, unless this is incompatible with the nature of the product or of the defect.
You can choose to have it repaired or replaced, unless your choice is impossible or would involve disproportionate costs.
You can ask for a price reduction or to terminate the contract (that is, to get your money back) in any of these cases: it cannot be repaired or replaced; we do not do so, or do not do so within a reasonable time; the defect reappears after an attempt to fix it; the defect is so serious that it justifies an immediate price reduction or termination; or we tell you, or it is clear, that we will not fix it. If the defect is minor, you cannot ask for termination.
All of this is free of charge for you, including any shipping required.

The guarantee does not cover normal wear and tear, or damage caused after delivery by improper use or by not following the use and care instructions we give you.

Live animals. The law excludes live animals from this 3-year guarantee. For queens and colonies, you have the live arrival guarantee (section 4), the transport risk borne by us (section 6) and the other rights that the law grants you.

How to make a guarantee claim

Write to us at info@antmastershop.com when you notice the problem. Give your order number and describe the problem; if you can, add photos or a video. We will tell you how to send us the product at no cost to you and we will resolve it within a reasonable time.

6. If your order arrives damaged, incomplete or wrong

Until you, or the person you have designated, receive the order, the risk of loss or damage in transit lies with us. Check the package as soon as you receive it:

If the box arrives visibly damaged, take photos of it before opening it. If you can, tell the carrier at the time of delivery.
Write to us as soon as possible at info@antmastershop.com with your order number and, if you can, photos of the packaging and the product.
Keep the packaging until we have resolved the issue.

We sort it out at no cost to you: if a product is missing, we send it to you, and if something arrives damaged or wrong, you can choose to have it repaired or replaced, with the other options of the legal guarantee (section 5). We make the claim to the carrier ourselves. If it concerns a queen or a colony, follow the steps of the live arrival guarantee (section 4).

7. Complaints

If something has gone wrong, write to us. You can make a complaint by email to info@antmastershop.com, by phone on +34 634 716 082, through the shop chat or contact form, or by post to Plaza Bari 14, 30319 Cartagena (Murcia), Spain. Give your name, your order number if you have one, and what happened.

We will send you a written acknowledgement with a reference number and reply as soon as possible, and within fifteen days at most from when you submit the complaint.

Official complaint forms (hojas de reclamaciones): Complaint forms are available to consumers and users. You can request them by email to info@antmastershop.com, by post or at the workshop, and we will send them to you within 3 working days at most.

Information on consumer arbitration is available in the Terms of service, in the Legal notice and on the Contact information page.

You can also contact, at any time, the municipal consumer information office (OMIC) in your area or the consumer affairs services of your autonomous community (Spanish region). If you live in another European Union country, the European Consumer Centre in your country can help you free of charge.

8. Your personal data

We use the data, photos and videos you send us only to handle your return, withdrawal, guarantee claim or complaint. You will find full information, including how to exercise your rights, in our Privacy policy.

9. Model withdrawal form

Complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract. You can copy it into an email to info@antmastershop.com.

To: Mario Cascado Nieto (AntMaster), Plaza Bari 14, 30319 Cartagena (Murcia), Spain. Email: info@antmastershop.com.

I/We (*) hereby give notice that I/we (*) withdraw from my/our (*) contract of sale of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following service (*):