Refund policy

This policy explains how returns work at CLI SECURE LTD. It is deliberately split by situation, because a consumer changing their mind, a reseller who over-ordered, and a firewall that has failed in the rack are three very different things with three different answers.

Start every return here: returns request form. We will assess it and, where the return is accepted, email you a return authorisation (RMA) number and the address to send to. Goods that reach us without an RMA number cannot be identified or booked in, and may be refused or returned to you at your cost.

Before you begin

Have these to hand — it saves a round of emails:

  • Your order number and the date you received the goods
  • The exact part number, and the serial number for anything under warranty
  • A clear description of the fault and what you have already tried
  • Photographs, if there is transit damage or visible physical damage
  • Whether the original packaging and all accessories are complete

1. Consumers: your 14-day right to cancel

If you are an individual buying for your own private use, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 give you the right to cancel a distance purchase without giving any reason.

  • The window. You have 14 days from the day you (or someone you nominate) physically receive the goods to tell us you are cancelling. Where an order is delivered in several consignments, the 14 days run from receipt of the last one.
  • How to cancel. Any clear statement will do — use our returns request form, email sales@clisecure.com, or ring 0333 242 1314. You do not have to give a reason, and we will confirm receipt of your cancellation.
  • Sending it back. You then have a further 14 days from telling us to return the goods.
  • Return postage. You pay the cost of returning the goods when you are cancelling because you have changed your mind. Please use a tracked service and keep proof of posting — until they reach us, the goods are your responsibility.
  • Your refund. We refund the price you paid plus the standard outbound delivery charge, within 14 days of receiving the goods back (or, if sooner, from the day you give us evidence you have sent them). If you chose an upgraded delivery service, we refund the standard rate rather than the premium. Refunds go to the original payment method.
  • Handling the goods. You may examine the goods as you would in a shop. If their value is reduced because you have handled them beyond what is necessary to check their nature, characteristics and function — for example by racking and commissioning a switch, registering a device to a cloud platform, or discarding the packaging — we may deduct that reduction from your refund.

This cancellation right does not extend to everything. See section 5 for the categories it cannot cover.

2. Consumers: goods that are faulty, not as described or not fit for purpose

Separately from the cancellation right, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires goods we sell you to be of satisfactory quality, fit for any purpose you told us about, and as described. If they are not:

  • Within 30 days of delivery you have the short-term right to reject the goods and receive a full refund.
  • After 30 days you can require us to repair or replace them, at our cost, within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you.
  • If repair or replacement fails, or is not possible, you can claim a price reduction or reject the goods for a refund. Where you reject after the first six months, we may reduce the refund to reflect the use you have had.
  • During the first six months a fault is presumed to have been present at delivery unless we can show otherwise.

We pay return carriage on faulty goods. These rights sit alongside any manufacturer warranty — they do not replace it, and using one does not stop you using the other.

3. Business customers: returns are at our discretion

If you are buying for the purposes of a business — including sole traders, resellers, installers, schools, charities and public bodies — the consumer cancellation right described in section 1 does not apply to you. There is no automatic right for a business to change its mind. Your position is governed by our terms and conditions.

That said, we do try to be commercially reasonable. We will consider a return of unwanted, correctly supplied goods on the following basis:

  • You must request the return within 14 days of delivery and receive an RMA number before sending anything.
  • The goods must be unused, undamaged, complete with all accessories and documentation, and in their original, unmarked outer packaging. Anything with a torn security seal, a written-on box, an asset label, a courier label stuck to the retail carton, or a missing power supply will normally be declined.
  • Accepted returns of this kind carry a restocking charge of up to 20% of the invoice value, reflecting the cost of inspection, retesting, repackaging and the fall in value of opened stock. We will tell you the exact figure when we authorise the return, before you send anything.
  • You pay the return carriage and carry the risk until the goods reach us safely.
  • We normally issue a credit note against your account. A refund to the original payment method is at our discretion.
  • We cannot take back goods we did not supply, goods bought more than 14 days ago, or goods no longer in current manufacturer production.

Nothing in this section affects your rights where goods are faulty, wrongly supplied or damaged in transit — those are covered below and are never treated as a discretionary return.

4. Faulty goods, DOA and warranty

Dead on arrival

A product that fails to power up or function on first installation is treated as dead on arrival if you report it within 30 calendar days of delivery. We will arrange a replacement or a full refund at your choice, and we pay carriage both ways. Please report DOA units through the returns request form with the serial number, and keep the original packaging — DOA replacements are much quicker when the unit can go back in its own box.

Wrong item supplied or transit damage

If we have picked the wrong item, or the goods have arrived damaged, that is on us. Report it within the windows set out in our shipping and delivery policy — 24 hours for visible damage, 3 working days for concealed damage, a shortage or a mis-pick — and we will collect, replace or refund at our cost. Please send photographs of the outer carton as well as the goods, and keep all packaging until we tell you it can be discarded.

After the DOA period: manufacturer warranty

Once past 30 days, hardware faults are handled under the manufacturer's warranty. The term varies widely across the brands we carry — some networking hardware carries a lifetime warranty, most VoIP handsets one to two years, and firewalls and CCTV typically one to three years, often extendable through a support contract. The warranty period and terms are set by the manufacturer and are stated on their datasheet.

Depending on the brand and the fault we will either handle the return ourselves or route it through the manufacturer's RMA process. Some manufacturers require the end user to raise the case directly and will only issue an advance replacement against a valid support contract. Where that is the case we will tell you, give you the case reference and stay involved until it is resolved — we will not simply hand you a phone number and step away.

Warranty cover does not extend to: accidental or physical damage, liquid ingress, damage from power surges, lightning or incorrect voltage, damage from incorrect installation or ventilation, unauthorised repair or modification, cosmetic wear, consumables and batteries beyond their rated life, or faults caused by unsupported firmware or third-party configuration. Removing or defacing the serial number will invalidate the claim.

No fault found

If a returned item tests as working correctly, we may return it to you and, for business customers, charge a reasonable testing and handling fee together with the carriage. We will always contact you before doing so. This does not apply to consumers exercising statutory rights in good faith.

5. What cannot be returned

Some items cannot come back once supplied. For consumers, these mirror the exemptions in the 2013 Regulations; for business customers they apply as a term of sale.

  • Licences, activation codes, support subscriptions and renewals once issued, registered to a serial number or activated. They cannot be recovered or resold.
  • Software and downloadable products once supply has begun. Where you are a consumer, we will ask for your express consent to immediate supply and your acknowledgement that you lose the cancellation right, before we release anything.
  • Sealed media where the seal has been broken after delivery.
  • SIM cards, airtime bundles and connectivity products once the seal, scratch panel or carrier packaging has been opened, or once the SIM has been activated on a network.
  • Special orders and non-stocked items brought in specifically for you, made to your specification, or configured, personalised, flashed or pre-provisioned at your request.
  • Cut-to-length cable, custom assemblies and made-up patch leads.
  • Goods installed, modified, racked, mounted or damaged after delivery, or goods returned incomplete.

If you are a consumer, this list does not remove your rights where goods turn out to be faulty, not as described or not fit for purpose. Those rights apply to every category above.

6. How to start a return

  1. Complete the returns request form with your order number, part number, serial number and a description of the problem.
  2. We assess it, usually within one working day, and email you an RMA number, the return address and instructions. If we cannot accept the return, we will explain why and tell you what we can do instead.
  3. Pack the goods securely, ideally in the original packaging inside a separate outer carton. Do not write on, tape or label the manufacturer's retail box — a damaged retail box can reduce or void the refund.
  4. Write the RMA number clearly on the outside of the outer carton and on any paperwork.
  5. Send it on a tracked, insured service and keep the receipt.

We inspect returns on arrival and aim to complete the process within 5 working days of receipt. We will email you the outcome either way.

7. Refunds and credit notes

  • Approved refunds go back to the original payment method. We cannot refund to a different card or account.
  • Consumer cancellation refunds are made within 14 days of us receiving the goods back, or of you evidencing that you have sent them, whichever is sooner.
  • Other approved refunds are processed within 14 days of the return being accepted.
  • Once we have processed a refund, your bank or card issuer controls how quickly it appears. That usually takes 3 to 5 working days, occasionally up to 10.
  • Business customers are normally credited by credit note against the account. Credit notes are applied to the next invoice or, where the account is clear, may be settled by bank transfer at our discretion.
  • Where a restocking charge or a deduction for reduced value applies, it is shown on the credit note or refund confirmation with an explanation.
  • Refunds on VAT-registered sales are issued with the appropriate VAT credit.

8. Exchanges

The quickest route is almost always to return the original for refund or credit and place a new order for what you actually need, so the replacement ships immediately rather than waiting for the return to arrive and be inspected. If you would prefer a direct exchange, ask us when you request the RMA and we will tell you whether we can do it for that item.

9. If you are unhappy with the outcome

Ring us on 0333 242 1314 or email sales@clisecure.com with your RMA number, and ask for the decision to be reviewed. We will look at it again and respond within ten working days. Consumers can also seek advice from Citizens Advice, and nothing in this policy affects your right to take a matter further.

Contact us

CLI SECURE LTD
60 Copthorne Avenue, Ilford, Greater London, IG6 2SQ, United Kingdom
Telephone: 0333 242 1314
Email: sales@clisecure.com
Registered in England and Wales, company number 10813832
VAT registration number GB344829477