Introduction

These Terms and Conditions apply when you access astralabs.co.uk, create a customer account or place an order with Astra Labs.

By using the website or submitting an order, you confirm that you have read and agree to these terms together with our Privacy Policy, Refund Policy, Shipping Policy and Research Use Disclaimer.

Please do not use the website or place an order if you do not agree to these terms.

Eligibility to purchase

You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a binding contract to place an order.

By submitting an order, you confirm that:

• the information supplied at checkout is complete and accurate;
• you are authorised to use the selected payment method;
• purchasing, receiving and possessing the products is lawful in the destination jurisdiction;
• the products will be used solely for lawful laboratory research; and
• you will comply with all laws, regulations and safety procedures applicable to your activities.

We may request further information or refuse an order where age, payment, fraud, compliance or intended-use concerns arise.

Laboratory research use only

All Astra Labs products are supplied strictly for lawful laboratory, analytical or scientific research purposes only.

Products are not supplied for:

• human consumption or administration;
• veterinary administration;
• therapeutic, medicinal or diagnostic use;
• use as food, supplements or cosmetics;
• household or recreational use; or
• resale for a prohibited or misleading purpose.

We may refuse, suspend or cancel an order where communications, ordering activity or other information reasonably indicates possible misuse.

Product information

We take reasonable care to ensure product names, quantities, descriptions, prices and images are accurate when published.

Product photographs and packaging images are illustrative. Labels, packaging, vial appearance and batch presentation may change, provided the supplied product materially matches its description.

Scientific references and research summaries are provided for general research context only. They do not constitute medical advice, treatment recommendations or a guarantee of a particular outcome.

Certificates of Analysis

A Certificate of Analysis applies only to the sample or batch identified in that document. Customers should compare the batch reference on the product with the relevant certificate.

Analytical results do not convert a research product into a licensed medicine or a product approved for human use.

Availability

Products remain subject to availability. Adding an item to a basket does not reserve stock.

Orders and contract formation

Submitting an order is an offer to purchase the products shown at checkout. An automated acknowledgement confirms receipt of the order but does not necessarily mean it has been accepted.

A contract is formed when Astra Labs accepts the order and confirms that it is being processed or dispatched.

We may refuse or cancel an order where:

• a product is unavailable;
• payment is not received or cannot be verified;
• there is an obvious pricing or product-information error;
• delivery details are incomplete or invalid;
• fraud, misuse or unlawful activity is suspected;
• quantities exceed reasonable purchasing limits; or
• we cannot fulfil the order lawfully or safely.

Where payment has already been received for an order we cancel, the relevant amount will be refunded using the original payment method wherever reasonably possible.

Order amendments

Contact support immediately if an order needs to be amended or cancelled. Changes cannot be guaranteed once packing or dispatch has begun.

Pricing and payment

Prices are displayed in pounds sterling unless otherwise stated. The total payable amount, including applicable delivery charges, will be shown before the order is submitted.

Payment must be completed using one of the methods offered at checkout. Payment providers and banks may conduct identity, account-ownership or fraud-prevention checks.

Astra Labs does not receive or store your full online banking login credentials.

Pricing errors

We may correct an obvious pricing, discount or description error before accepting an order. We may ask the customer to proceed at the correct price or cancel the order and issue a refund.

Discounts, offers and promotional codes

Promotions are subject to their stated eligibility requirements, availability and expiry dates.

Unless expressly stated otherwise:

• only one promotional code may be used per order;
• codes cannot be exchanged for cash or account credit;
• codes cannot be applied retrospectively;
• minimum-spend thresholds exclude delivery charges;
• free gifts are subject to availability;
• selected products or bundles may be excluded; and
• an order may be cancelled where a promotion has been manipulated, duplicated or used contrary to its intended terms.

Where part of a promotional order is lawfully returned, any refund may be adjusted to reflect the promotional value retained, where permitted by law.

Dispatch, delivery and customer deadlines

We normally aim to dispatch orders within 24 to 48 working hours. Dispatch times are estimates and may be affected by weekends, bank holidays, payment checks, stock availability, operational issues or unusually high order volumes.

Available delivery methods, charges and estimated timeframes are displayed at checkout. Tracking may not activate until the parcel receives its first scan from the delivery provider.

Tracked services are not guaranteed services

Royal Mail Tracked 24 and other tracked services provide estimated delivery aims unless they are expressly described and purchased as guaranteed services. The service name does not by itself guarantee delivery on the next working day.

Personal deadlines

Customers must contact Astra Labs before ordering where delivery by a particular date is essential. A personal deadline, planned research date, onward journey or other time-sensitive requirement becomes part of the contract only where Astra Labs expressly agrees to it before accepting the order.

A customer deciding to purchase replacement goods elsewhere does not, by itself, make Astra Labs responsible for the cost of those replacement goods or convert an estimated delivery date into a guaranteed deadline.

Delivery responsibility

For consumer orders, Astra Labs remains responsible for the goods until they are delivered to the customer or another person the customer has identified to receive them, as required by applicable law.

Delivery delays do not automatically mean the products are faulty, damaged or misdescribed. We will assist with tracking and loss investigations where appropriate.

Transit temperature and product-integrity concerns

A concern or assumption about weather, temperature or time spent in transit does not by itself establish that a product is faulty, damaged or no longer conforms to its description.

Suspected transit damage will be reviewed using the available evidence. Customers may be asked to retain the goods and packaging and provide photographs, tracking details or other relevant information.

Courier compensation and insurance

The level of compensation or insurance arranged between Astra Labs and a delivery provider is a commercial matter between those parties. It does not determine or reduce the customer’s legal rights where a parcel is confirmed as lost, damaged or incorrectly delivered.

Delivery information

Customers must provide a complete and accurate delivery address. Address changes cannot be guaranteed after packing or dispatch has begun.

Reasonable return or redelivery costs may apply where a parcel is returned because an incorrect address was supplied, delivery was refused or the parcel was not collected. This does not apply where the failure was caused by Astra Labs.

Full details are available in our Shipping Policy.

Strict refunds, cancellations and returns policy

Personal circumstances do not create a product-fault claim

A customer is not entitled to treat goods as faulty, damaged or misdescribed solely because:

• delivery took longer than the customer expected;
• the goods were required for a personal deadline that Astra Labs did not expressly agree before accepting the order;
• the customer purchased replacement goods elsewhere;
• the order is no longer wanted or required;
• the customer’s plans, research schedule or circumstances changed; or
• the customer has an unsupported concern about possible transit temperatures or conditions.

These circumstances do not by themselves create an entitlement to compensation for substitute purchases, inconvenience, missed plans or indirect losses.

This does not restrict a statutory cancellation right that applies to an eligible distance contract or rights relating to goods that are genuinely faulty, damaged, incorrect or misdescribed.

Statutory cancellation rights

Where a statutory cancellation right applies to an online order, the customer may cancel within the period required by law without giving a reason. Eligible goods must then be returned within the applicable return period and in accordance with the instructions provided by Astra Labs.

Customers are responsible for the direct cost and safe return of a change-of-mind cancellation unless the law requires otherwise. We recommend a tracked service and proof of postage.

Opened, unsealed or handled products

Where goods are supplied sealed and are not suitable for return due to health-protection or hygiene reasons, the statutory cancellation right ends if the goods become unsealed after delivery.

Products cannot be accepted as change-of-mind returns after they have been:

• opened or unsealed;
• used, mixed or reconstituted;
• altered or damaged after delivery;
• stored or handled outside appropriate conditions; or
• handled in a way that makes them unsuitable for safe resale.

Faulty, damaged, incorrect or misdescribed goods

Refunds, replacements or other remedies will be provided where required by law if goods are genuinely faulty, damaged on arrival, incorrect or materially different from their description.

Incorrect, damaged or incomplete orders should be reported within 48 hours of delivery wherever reasonably possible. This reporting request helps us investigate promptly but does not remove statutory rights that cannot lawfully be restricted.

Please provide:

• your order number;
• a clear description of the issue;
• photographs of the affected product and label;
• photographs of the internal and external packaging;
• the delivery label and tracking information; and
• details of any missing or incorrect items.

The affected goods and all packaging must be retained until Astra Labs confirms whether inspection or return is required.

Research outcomes

Differences in experimental design, handling, storage, preparation or research outcome do not by themselves establish that a product is faulty or misdescribed.

Return authorisation

Do not send any item back without first contacting [email protected] and receiving return instructions. The return address will be supplied privately where a return is authorised or legally required.

Refund processing

Approved refunds will normally be made using the original payment method. Refund timing and any delivery-cost reimbursement will be handled in accordance with applicable law.

Full details are available in our Refund Policy.

Customer accounts

Customers are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of account credentials and for activity carried out through their account.

Account information must be accurate and kept up to date. Contact support promptly if you believe an account has been accessed without permission.

We may restrict or suspend an account where we reasonably suspect fraud, misuse, payment abuse, unlawful activity, security compromise or a breach of these terms.

Acceptable website use

You must not:

• use the website for unlawful or fraudulent activity;
• attempt to access accounts or systems without authorisation;
• introduce malware, malicious code or automated attacks;
• scrape or extract website content on a large scale;
• interfere with checkout, pricing or promotional systems;
• impersonate another person or submit false information; or
• reproduce Astra Labs content, branding or original photography without permission.

Website access may be suspended temporarily for maintenance, security, updates or circumstances outside our reasonable control.

Intellectual property

Unless otherwise stated, website design, written content, branding, graphics and original product photography are owned by or licensed to Astra Labs.

Content may be viewed for personal, non-commercial purposes but must not be reproduced, republished, sold or commercially exploited without prior written permission.

Responsibility and liability

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation or breach of rights that cannot legally be excluded.

Astra Labs is responsible for losses that are a foreseeable result of our breach of these terms or failure to use reasonable care and skill.

Subject to applicable law, we are not responsible for losses caused by:

• using products for a prohibited or unauthorised purpose;
• failure to follow lawful handling or storage procedures;
• alteration, contamination or misuse after delivery;
• research methods, equipment or environmental conditions outside our control;
• a personal deadline or special requirement not expressly agreed before the order was accepted;
• substitute purchases made without an established legal basis for reimbursement;
• information or services independently provided by third parties;
• unsupported assumptions regarding transit conditions; or
• events we could not reasonably have prevented or avoided.

Business customers

If products are purchased wholly or mainly for business purposes, Astra Labs will not normally be responsible for indirect or consequential losses, loss of profit, revenue, opportunity, goodwill or anticipated savings, except where liability cannot lawfully be excluded.

Consumers retain all mandatory legal rights applicable to them.

Events outside our reasonable control

We are not responsible for delay or failure caused by circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as severe weather, transport disruption, postal disruption, power or internet failure, cyber incidents, supplier interruption, government action or other exceptional events.

Where an event materially affects an accepted order, we will take reasonable steps to communicate with the customer and minimise the impact.

Privacy and personal information

Personal information is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Order and delivery information may be shared with payment providers, banks, Royal Mail, couriers, website providers and other organisations where necessary to process an order, prevent fraud or meet legal obligations.

Governing law and disputes

These terms and any contract formed through the website are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

Courts in England and Wales will generally have jurisdiction. Consumers living elsewhere in the United Kingdom retain any mandatory right to bring proceedings in the courts applicable to their place of residence.

Customers are encouraged to contact support first so any issue can be investigated and resolved directly where possible.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms to reflect changes to the website, products, payment methods, delivery arrangements, business operations or legal obligations.

The version applying to an order will normally be the version published when that order was submitted, unless a change is required by law.

The latest version will be published on this page with its revision date shown above.