Replacement request — broken or damaged on arrival

What you get

• Immediate, zero‑argument replacement for shipping damage up to €100

• Clear photo‑plus‑order‑number workflow, no long forms

• Replacement ships within 5 business days, tracked from Kunming

• No hidden fees or handling charges — we cover everything

• Direct line to the operations team that knows each parcel

• Eligibility for higher‑value claims via the same first step

• Relaxed mind: your tea and teaware are backed by our commitment

From shards to a new cake

The box is not supposed to sound like that. You lift the parcel from the doorstep — its corners softened, one edge darker than the rest. You set it on the kitchen table and slit the tape. A scent of damp leaf, sweet and a little bruised, reaches you before you see the damage. Inside, the 2022 Yìwǔ Shān Gǔshù Shēng Pǔ’ěr cake has taken the worst of it. The wrapper — thin mulberry paper printed with mountain contours — is puckered with moisture, and when you peel it back the cake is cratered, a landslide of black and gold leaves spilling from a cracked heart. A few meters away, the Báiyuè gaiwan you chose from tea.equipment lies in clean porcelain halves, its translucent celadon glaze holding a sad memory of heat it will never know.

This moment used to mean days of email exchanges and frustration. Now it is the quietest part of the afternoon. You open tea.support on your phone, touch the replacement-request form, and attach two photographs: the crumbled cake with its order number visible, and the halves of the gaiwan arranged so the crack reads clearly. A few lines of text — just enough to note the excessive compression on one corner of the box — and you close the browser. No argument. No scripted apology loop. Within 24 hours you receive an acknowledgement from Sandry Law’s operations desk, and by the end of the working week a fresh tracking code lights up your inbox.

The replacement parcel travels well. It takes the same route from Kunming — through customs, across air bridges, into the last-mile van — but this time the double‑wall carton arrives crisp and square. When you open it, the tea’s aroma floats up whole: a clean, almost mineral promise of Yìwǔ forest floor, no longer muffled by mishandling. The cake is still compressed in its stone‑mould shape, the leaves bristling with silver tips that catch the kitchen light. The replacement gaiwan sits in its silk‑lined box, bowl and lid perfectly nested, its transparent glaze now ready for the first infusion.

For members of tea.community, the claim can be seeded directly from the order history inside thetea.app — no need to search for numbers, the system already knows which parcel arrived damaged. It is one of those quiet integrations that turns a support moment into a continuity of trust. And if the damaged item was a rare find — say a Lǎo Bān Zhāng cake that had only a handful of pressings left — the replacement is pulled from the same lot reserved for these exact occasions, so the profile you tasted at a tea.events vertical tasting remains unchanged.

By the time you fill your kettle, the whole episode has receded. The first rinse of the new cake releases a steam that tastes of honeyed stone fruit and distant smoke — exactly what you expected when you placed the order. The gaiwan lid fits as it should, smooth and silent. You pour, and the tea you were promised fills the cup.

Handled by operations

• Sandry Law — Heads order operations, oversees every claim, and coordinates direct sourcing replacements.

How the replacement works

• Where — Email support@tea.support or use the web form — timezone does not matter, the form is always open.

• What you need — A clear photo of the damaged item (the whole object and the specific break) plus your order number.

• Response time — Claims are reviewed within 24 hours, Monday to Saturday, 09:00–18:00 CET.

• Coverage — Full replacement at our cost for breakage or water damage up to €100 per order. Higher values receive claim‑start assistance for shipping insurance.

• Eligibility window — Please file the request within 48 hours of the delivery timestamp. If the box is visibly damaged on arrival, note it with the courier — we will still handle the replacement.

• Method — We replace the exact same item. If it is out of stock, we propose an equivalent from the same lot or a higher value alternative at no extra charge.