Return, Cancellation and Other General Policies

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Where did these policies come from?

Undercurrents is a locally-owned and operated retailer of all things paddling. We love paddling and just want to help others learn to love it, too!

We pride ourselves on being easy to get along with, and we believe it is important that in every transaction everyone is treated fairly! You’ll find these policies are very reasonable, fair to everyone and well thought-out.

Retail Return Policy:

  • When you purchase products from Undercurrents, they can be exchanged or returned for a full refund, provided they are unused, the price tags are intact and you present our original receipt with the credit/debit card receipt within 14 days of purchase.  Any boats/boards returned receive in-store credit only.
  • All sales are final on special orders and items that are 30% off or more.
  • Special order deposits are non-refundable.
  • Returns of items that were shipped to you require an RA#. You are responsible for all shipping costs, out and back.

Some customers need to live with an item for a bit to see if it is right for them. We respect that and so we give you 14 days to change your mind. If you return something, we need to be able to turn it around and sell it to another customer, so it needs to be unused and have the tags intact.

We require our original receipt so we can be sure to refund the correct amount to you.

The credit card companies demand that we refund any charges to the same card used in the original purchase. If you don’t have that card any longer, or cannot provide the credit card receipt, we will give you an Undercurrents Gift Card in the appropriate amount. Undercurrents Gift Cards never expire!

Once a boat or board has been purchased we can no longer claim it is “new”, even if it has not been on the water. And some customers care a great deal if their boat/board is “new” or not, so returned boats/boards need to be sold at a discount.

We are always happy to special order an item for you – that’s part of the famous Undercurrents experience! Special orders are items we ordered in especially for you, under your direction, and based on the agreement that you will accept the item once it arrives. It might be a product that we don’t normally have in stock because it is very specialized, even for a specialty store like Undercurrents, or it’s the wrong time of year, or a myriad of other reasons. If you change your mind after we order the item under your direction, you are responsible to pay fully for it. That’s fair. Undercurrents is not responsible for any delays from the manufacturer(s).

Items that are 30% off, or more, are “liquidation priced.” At those prices, we can’t afford the additional costs of accepting returns. No refunds is the industry standard policy for liquidation items.

If we shipped items to you then our usual return policies apply, as well as the following shipping-related policies. We require an RA# (return authorization) to manage incoming freight.

Once you package arrives, we will inspect it to determine if it is unused, the tags are intact, and it is in resellable-as-new condition. If not, there will be a restocking fee of up to 50%, dependant upon its condition.

You are responsible for all shipping costs, out and back, as is the norm in the Canadian paddlesports industry. You are responsible for the shipping costs of returning the unwanted items to us. There is no refund of the original shipping cost to you. If you received free shipping on the order, $15 will be deducted from your refund to cover the cost of shipping the items to you originally. If your order is refused at your delivery address and sent back, the full cost of shipping both ways will be deducted from your refund.

Lesson Registration & Cancellation Policy:

  • Full payment is due at the time of registration to secure your spot in a lesson.
  • On the rare occasion when Undercurrents cancels a lesson, we will make every reasonable effort to register you in an equivalent program, or issue a full refund; it is your choice.
  • If you cancel or change dates more than 7 days prior to the course commencement (14 days for multi-day courses), you will receive a full refund less our $10 administrative fee.
  • There is no refund if you cancel within 7 days of the course (14 days for multi-day courses).

We are thrilled to reserve a space for you in one of our industry-leading lessons, provided you are committed to attend the lesson on that date. We bill you the full amount at registration so you don’t need to mess with payment on the day of the lesson – we know you really just want to get out paddling! It also separates the committed from the rest.

If we need to cancel a lesson, then we will move you to another date or give you a full refund – your choice. That’s just fair.

After we reserve a space for you in a lesson, we have likely had to say “sorry, we are full” to others – our lessons usually fill because of our great Paddle Canada certified instructors, our low instructor:participant ratio and our quality gear. If you drop out of a lesson (or move to another date) we have lost the opportunity to allow someone else into that lesson. If we have a week or more (two weeks for multi-day courses), we’ll gamble that we are able to fill your space, and we’ll take that risk, so we refund most of your money. But if we have less than a week (two weeks for multi-day courses), we cannot be sure we can replace you, so you pay for the space that you committed to. That’s fair, too.

Respect & Courtesy Policy:

At Undercurrents, we believe strongly that everybody is due basic respect and courtesy. Every member of our team will demonstrate basic respect and courtesy to each other, to our customers and to our suppliers.

Anyone who fails to demonstrate basic respect and courtesy to a member of our team, or anyone else on our premises, will be denied service and asked to leave. At our discretion, they may be banned from the store for a significant period.

Repair & Warranty Policy:

  • “Estimates” are estimates.
  • We are not responsible for your property while it is in our possession.
  • No goods held over 30 days.
  • Manufacturer warranties are legally between you and the manufacturer, but we are here to help!

We always provide our best estimate of the cost to effect a repair, based on our extensive experience. Occasionally, hidden damage becomes apparent after the repair has been started. When the actual cost of repair will significantly exceed the original estimate, we will do our best to reach you and let you know. Equally, when the job turns out to be easier than anticipated, the price you pay will be less than the estimate. In all cases, we charge you the fair price.

Not being responsible for your property is an industry-standard policy. Of course, we do our best to protect your property from theft and damage. But sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. In those cases, we are responsible for our property, and you are responsible for your property. That’s fair.

No goods held over 30 days is another industry-standard policy. We have invested into the repair of your property with the expectation that the repair price will be paid in a reasonable time. If you abandon your property (i.e. leave it with us for more than 30 after repair completion), we have the right to sell it to to recoup the price of the repair. If the sale price is insufficient to pay the repair, you are responsible for the balance. If the sale price exceeds the repair price, we will try to forward the excess to you. If we cannot connect with you, those excess funds will be remitted to the province. That’s the law.

If you purchase a product from us and it fails while under the manufacturer’s warranty, we will try to help you. Normally we contact the manufacturer on your behalf and try to expedite the repair or replacement. Each manufacturer has their own warranty policies and we are as bound by them as you are. Still, we use our powers of persuasion to get you the best warranty service possible, and are usually successful. If there are costs to ship parts or products back and forth, you may need to pay those shipping costs, depending on the warranty of that particular manufacturer.

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