Print order arrived damaged or not what you ordered? Here’s how it gets put right

If your print order arrived damaged, or it isn’t what you ordered, the fix starts with your phone camera. Photograph the parcel and the item, hang on to everything, and get in touch within 48 hours of delivery with your order number. Don’t post anything back until we reply. If it’s faulty, damaged or wrong, we reprint it or refund you, and the clearer your photos, the faster that happens.

Open it the day it lands #

The 48 hours run from when the parcel arrives, not from the day you planned to use it. That catches people out: a banner for a fete next month still needs unrolling this week. Transit damage is obvious on the day and hard to pin down once a sign is screwed to a wall, so a five-minute check now saves an argument later.

Run through this list:

• Outer box. Look for crushed corners, holes or tears. If it’s badly battered, take a photo before you even open it.
• Quantity. Count the items against the confirmation email.
• Spec. Check the size, the material and any finishing you chose: hems, eyelets, drilled holes, lamination.
• Condition. Unroll banners fully on a clean floor. Run your eye along the edges of every board for dents, cracks and bent corners.
• Print. Hold it up against the file you sent, or the design you finished in the online designer.

When a print order arrived damaged: the six steps #

Have your order number handy. The whole thing takes about a quarter of an hour.

1. Leave it as it is. Don’t bin the box and don’t fit the item. A crushed carton tells the story of what went wrong in the van, and we need that story to claim from the carrier.
2. Photograph the parcel. One shot of the whole box, then close-ups of every dent, tear or squashed end.
3. Photograph the problem. A wide shot of the whole item so we can see its size and shape, then close-ups of the damage. If it’s a print fault, a photo of the print next to your design on screen is ideal.
4. Tell us within 48 hours. Send the order number, a line or two on what’s wrong and the photos through the contact page.
5. Hold fire on returns. Wait for our reply, which says whether the item needs to come back at all, so you don’t pay postage on something we don’t need.
6. Agree the fix. Faulty, damaged or not what you ordered means a reprint or a refund. If your date is close, say so, and we’ll look at the fastest way to replace it.

Things we put right #

• Anything knocked about on the way: cracked or dented boards, torn or creased banners, corners folded over.
• A size, material, finish or count that doesn’t match what you paid for.
• Print defects: streaks, missing areas, or print that doesn’t match your uploaded file or the design you finished online.
• Finishing you paid for that isn’t there, such as eyelets or drilled holes.

Things that look like faults but aren’t #

Some problems come from the artwork rather than the printing or the courier, so they aren’t treated as a damaged order:

A typo in a design you finished online

What you see on screen in the online designer when you place the order is exactly what gets printed. That’s why it pays to read every word, number and email address slowly before you check out.

A mistake that was in your own file

A person checks every uploaded file for free, looking at resolution, size and bleed. That check doesn’t cover spelling or wording, so a wrong phone number in the file will be printed as supplied. If you’d rather hand the whole design over, the paid artwork service includes 1 design and 2 rounds of changes.

Colour that’s slightly different from your screen

Your monitor mixes colour from lit-up RGB pixels, while a printer lays down CMYK inks. Vivid greens, blues and oranges often print a shade calmer than they glow on screen, and open mesh or uncoated stock reads softer than a glossy finish. Where a brand colour really matters, quote its Pantone number with your order. The artwork guidelines explain colour set-up.

Changing your mind

Print made to your own spec can’t come back just because plans changed. Until production begins, though, cancelling gets you every penny back.

Not sure which side of the line you’re on? Photos cost nothing. Someone here will look at them and tell you honestly.

Your legal rights, minus the jargon #

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. If you’re buying as a consumer:

When	What you’re entitled to
First 30 days after it arrives	Turn down a faulty item and get all your money back, or choose a replacement
Past 30 days	A reprint or repair comes first; if that doesn’t work or can’t be done, you’re entitled to money off or your money back

Nothing in our process overrides those rights. The 48-hour window is just our request for reporting delivery damage quickly, so a claim with the courier has fresh evidence behind it. Businesses buying print sit under different rules, yet anything faulty or not as ordered still gets reprinted or refunded.

How the money comes back #

Once a refund is agreed, it’s paid back onto the original card inside 14 days. Your bank may need a few more days before it shows on the statement.

Making it less likely next time #

• Read it aloud. Phone numbers, web addresses and prices are where mistakes hide. Reading them out loud catches what your eyes skip.
• Leave slack in the timing. A turnaround with a few spare days means a replacement can still arrive before the event. Print turnaround times helps you plan backwards from the date.
• Tell the courier about access. A checkout note about a locked site gate or restricted hours avoids parcels being left somewhere daft.
• Store it as it came. Keep a PVC banner or mesh banner rolled, never folded. Keep Correx boards, Foamex and Dibond signs flat and dry until they go up. Storing banners has more.

One last thing if a print order arrived damaged #

Keep the box and packing until everything is settled, because the courier may ask to see it. A print order arrived damaged is annoying, but it’s quick to fix when it’s reported early with good photos. And if a print order arrived damaged in a way that doesn’t fit any of the above, tell us anyway; it’s our job to sort it out.