Returns & Warranty Policy

This Policy explains your rights and our process when something is wrong with the slab you bought, or you want to return it for another reason. It covers:

• The two-year legal guarantee of conformity for Consumer Buyers (EU Sale of Goods Directive 2019/771).
• A commercial 30-day warranty for Business Buyers.
• The KORENA-specific defects-only return rule: because each slab is photographed and measured at the partner yard, a return based on colour, figure, grain pattern, or live-edge profile that is visible in the listing photos is not accepted. This is what allows us to sell sight-unseen at all.

If you simply want to change your mind within 14 days of delivery and you bought as a Consumer, that is the right of withdrawal, and is governed by the Right of Withdrawal Policy, not this Policy. Return shipping for a non-conformity is paid by us; return shipping for a withdrawal is paid by you. See §1 below and Withdrawal Policy §1 for the distinction.

If your slab arrived damaged in transit, see §3 below.

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1. The basics: what we will and will not refund

Return shipping and surcharges: A return based on a genuine non-conformity (defect, transit damage, material discrepancy from listing, species ID error) always triggers our return-shipping payment, regardless of whether the return is requested within the 14-day withdrawal period. The withdrawal right (consumer pays return shipping) is available only for change-of-mind on a conforming slab. Lift-gate or inside-delivery surcharges for a warranty return are on our account; surcharges for a withdrawal return are on yours. See §4.3 for details.

1.1. The photo set is part of the description of the Goods

Each slab is sold against a mandatory photo set: raw, wet-wiped, backlit edge, end-grain, ruler-in-frame, and defect close-ups. By accepting our Terms of Sale you accept that a characteristic that is clearly visible and unambiguous in the photo set is part of the description of the Goods and cannot be a basis for a non-conformity claim. This is the deal that lets us list a unique piece online at all. Every slab differs in colour, figure, knot pattern, and live-edge profile, and the photo set is the disclosure of those features for the specific piece you bought.

However, this rule does not apply where:

• A photo is blurred, taken at an angle, partially out of frame, or obscured by water droplets, glare, or scale markers.
• A defect is partially visible or ambiguous in the photos but becomes significantly more pronounced, more extensive, or changes in character on arrival, for example a hairline crack that has split further, a small check that has opened, or a knot that has loosened and become unstable.
• A defect is present in the photos but the photos do not clearly show its extent, depth, or risk, for example the depth of a check, severity of cupping, or whether a warp is progressive.

In these cases, the legal guarantee remains available and you may have a remedy under §2 below.

This carve-out does not exclude or limit a Consumer's rights under EU Sale of Goods Directive 2019/771 in respect of a genuine non-conformity. It clarifies what is and is not a non-conformity for a unique piece of natural material. This rule applies only where you have been presented with the photo set in the order flow before submitting your Order.

1.2. Wood is a natural material and movement tolerance

Hardwood is hygroscopic and continues to move in response to ambient humidity throughout its life. Small dimensional changes (typically up to ±1% across the grain), small surface checks at the end-grain, and small moisture-content shifts (typically up to ±2 percentage points relative to the moisture reading shown on the listing) are characteristic of properly kiln-dried hardwood and are not defects. They are disclosed in our Wood Provenance & EUDR Policy.

Where movement exceeds these ranges, a non-conformity may exist. If actual movement materially exceeds the ranges above, for example shrinkage of ±1.5% or more across the grain, moisture-content drift beyond ±3 percentage points, or visible signs of instability such as severe cupping, twisting, or extensive checking beyond what is visible in the photos, the Consumer may have a remedy under the legal guarantee (§2 below). Contact us with measurement evidence (tape measure photo, moisture meter reading) and we will assess whether a remedy applies.

Dimensions: the listing's dimensions are measured by the KORENA Capture system at the time of capture. Post-delivery wood movement is separate from the stated dimensions and does not, by itself, constitute a non-conformity.

2. Two-year legal guarantee for Consumer Buyers

2.1. Consumer Buyers benefit from the two-year legal guarantee of conformity under EU Sale of Goods Directive 2019/771 as transposed into Bulgarian law. Nothing in this Policy or in the Terms of Sale limits or excludes that guarantee.

2.2. Burden of proof. For non-conformities that become apparent within one year of delivery, the law presumes (rebuttably) that the non-conformity already existed at delivery. Beyond that period, you (the Consumer) carry the burden of proving the non-conformity existed at delivery, while we still owe the guarantee for the remaining year.

For wood, meeting this burden typically requires expert inspection or testing: a wood-technician report demonstrating the defect is inherent to the slab rather than caused by storage, humidity changes, or use in the years after delivery. We will cooperate in good faith with such evidence and will make the original Capture Bundle available to help you establish the baseline state of the slab. However, we are not obliged to accept a claim for a defect that could plausibly have developed through normal use, humidity changes in your environment, or storage in the years after delivery.

2.3. Remedies hierarchy (Sale of Goods Directive Art. 13). You may choose between:

• repair or replacement (we may choose the alternative if the one you ask for is impossible or would cost us disproportionately more);
• a proportionate price reduction, or termination of the contract with refund, where repair / replacement is not feasible, would cause significant inconvenience, or where the seller has refused or failed to bring the Goods into conformity within a reasonable time.

2.4. Termination of contract (refund): Termination is not available where the lack of conformity is minor (Sale of Goods Directive 2019/771 Art. 13(5)). In every other case, including where repair or replacement has not brought the Goods into conformity within a reasonable period, or where repair / replacement is impossible or disproportionately expensive, the Consumer may terminate the contract and obtain a full refund. The determination of "minor" is made jointly; if we disagree about whether a non-conformity is minor, it will be resolved under §6 (Disputes).

2.5. No fee for exercising the legal guarantee.

3. Damage on arrival

3.1. The Buyer must inspect the Goods on delivery, and:

• Sign the delivery note as "received with reservation, damaged" (or local equivalent) if the packaging is visibly damaged.
• Photograph the packaging and the Goods immediately on receipt, both before and after unpacking, including the slab on its packaging.
• Notify us at office@korena.eu within 48 hours of delivery, attaching the photographs and your Order number.

3.2. Consumer Buyers: failure to follow §3.1 does not, by itself, defeat a transit-damage claim. It is the principal evidence on which we will pursue the carrier, and missing it materially weakens the claim. We will work with you in good faith on the basis of available evidence (photos, delivery note, the original Capture Bundle for the slab) to determine the appropriate remedy under §1: replacement, repair, or refund. Your statutory rights under the legal guarantee are not affected by this procedural step.

3.3. Business Buyers: failure to follow §3.1 forfeits the right to claim for transit damage, except where the damage was reasonably undiscoverable on cursory inspection and is reported within five (5) Business Days.

3.4. Replacement and refund for damaged goods. Each slab is unique. If a slab arrives damaged and is irreplaceable, you may choose between (a) a full refund or (b) a refund credited against the price of a comparable slab of your choice. We will not insist on a substitute or replacement with a different piece. If you choose a substitute, we will work with you to identify and price a comparable piece to your satisfaction. The refund is issued per §5 below.

4. Process: how to make a claim

4.1. Consumer claim (legal guarantee)

1. Email office@korena.eu with your Order number, a description of the issue, and clear photographs that show the issue. Where the issue concerns a stated dimension, also include a photograph of a measurement against a tape or rule.
2. We will respond within 5 Business Days with our assessment and proposed remedy.
3. Where we dispute the non-conformity, we will share the evidence we hold (the original Capture Bundle, photo set, moisture reading, and any defect notes). You retain the right to escalate to the Bulgarian Commission for Consumer Protection (kzp.bg) or the EU ODR platform (ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr). See §6.
4. If we accept the claim and the remedy involves return shipping, we arrange and pay for the return (including lift-gate if necessary to remove the slab from your premises).

4.2. Business Buyer claim (commercial warranty)

1. Notify us at office@korena.eu within 5 Business Days of delivery for visible non-conformities, or within 30 days of delivery for non-conformities that become apparent on processing the slab.
2. We will consider claims reported after these deadlines if the Buyer can demonstrate the defect was latent and not reasonably discoverable within the initial windows.
3. Process otherwise as for Consumer claims; remedies are repair, replacement, or refund at our reasonable choice.
4. Our liability is limited as set out in §11 of the Terms of Sale.

4.3. Return shipping: warranty vs. withdrawal

4.3.1. Warranty case (non-conformity): where we accept a return under this Policy because the slab is defective or non-conforming, we arrange and pay return shipping in full. This includes:

• Standard return freight at the customer's specified address.
• Lift-gate or inside delivery at the collection point, if required to remove the slab from your premises (for Consumers, this is on our cost; for Business Buyers, reasonably necessary equipment is our cost).

Do not ship the Goods back at your own cost without confirmation from us; uninstructed returns may be refused at the warehouse. Contact us at office@korena.eu first to arrange pickup.

4.3.2. Withdrawal case (change of mind): where you exercise the right of withdrawal (Consumer, change of mind), return shipping is on your account. See the Right of Withdrawal Policy §6 for cost ranges and our offer to arrange a carrier and bill you the actual cost.

5. Refund mechanics

5.1. Refunds are issued to the original payment method, and to the original payer, within:

• 14 days of accepting the claim, where return shipping is not required (for example, where the damage is so severe that we waive return).
• 14 days of receiving the slab back, where return shipping is required.

5.2. We do not charge a fee for issuing a refund. Foreign-exchange rate differences between the original charge and the refund are outside our control and are absorbed by the Buyer.

5.3. Restocking fee for change-of-mind returns by Consumers (i.e., withdrawal under the Right of Withdrawal Policy) does not apply by default. The Consumer's only cost is return freight, plus any deduction for diminished value where applicable (see Withdrawal Policy §7).

5.4. Restocking fee for change-of-mind returns by Business Buyers: Outside the warranty and legal guarantee, we may accept a Business Buyer change-of-mind return at our discretion, provided the Goods are received back unworked and in saleable condition within 30 days of delivery. Where accepted, a 15% restocking fee plus return freight applies.

6. Disputes and complaints

If we disagree about whether a non-conformity exists or what remedy applies:

• First, contact us at office@korena.eu. We respond in good faith within 14 calendar days.
• EU Online Dispute Resolution (ODR): Consumer Buyers in the EU may use the European Commission ODR platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr. This platform provides an online portal for resolving disputes without going to court.
• Bulgarian Commission for Consumer Protection (KZP): Any Consumer Buyer may lodge a complaint with the Bulgarian Commission for Consumer Protection at kzp.bg. This is the competent authority for handling consumer disputes in Bulgaria.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution: Consumers may also request facilitated settlement through a qualified ADR body. KORENA recognizes mediation as an effective pre-litigation step; details will be provided on request.
• Courts: You retain the right to court proceedings. See Terms of Sale §19.

7. What we keep on file for every claim

For every claim, we retain:

• The original Capture Bundle for the slab (polygon, dimensions, photo set, moisture reading where present);
• The photos and notes you provide;
• Our internal assessment;
• The remedy applied.

This file is retained for the longer of (a) ten years from the year of issue (Bulgarian accounting law) and (b) two years after the closure of the claim.

8. Languages

This Policy is authored in English. Translations may be made available on the Site. Where required by law (notably for Bulgarian-resident Consumers), the Bulgarian translation is the binding version.

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Last reviewed: 2026-04-30 · Next review: 2027-04-30 (or earlier on trigger).