📍 B105A, Penrhyn Rd, Botany NSW 2019, Australia
✉️ contact@elitecontainerssupply.com
When a refund is available, how to request one, and how long it takes — including your guaranteed rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
Elite Container Supply ("ECS", "we", "us") wants you to be satisfied with your container. This policy explains when a refund is available, how to request one, and how long it takes.
Shipping containers are large, heavy industrial goods. Once a container is reserved, modified, freighted or delivered, significant costs are incurred that cannot be recovered. Our refund terms reflect that commercial reality — while fully honouring the rights the law guarantees you.
Nothing in this policy excludes, restricts or modifies the guarantees, rights and remedies you have under the Australian Consumer Law. Where this policy is more generous than the law requires, the more generous term applies. Where it appears less generous, the law prevails.
| Situation | Refund available? | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Container has a major failure | Yes | Your choice of refund or replacement. See clause 4. |
| Container is not as described | Yes | Wrong size, wrong grade, or materially different from its description. |
| Container has a minor, repairable fault | Not automatically | We may choose to repair or replace within a reasonable time. |
| We cancel your order | Yes — in full | Including deposits. See clause 8. |
| Pricing error discovered after ordering | Yes — in full | You may confirm at the corrected price or cancel. |
| Change of mind | No | At our discretion only, with costs deducted. See clause 5. |
| Custom or modified container | No | Made to your order. Faulty goods rights still apply. |
| Deposit, after stock reserved or work begun | No | See clause 7. |
| Normal wear on a used container | No | Rust, dents and repairs are expected. See clause 10. |
| Site unsuitable / failed delivery | No | Fees apply. Site preparation is your responsibility. |
Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.
These guarantees apply in addition to any voluntary warranty we or a manufacturer provide, and they cannot be limited by anything in this policy or in our Terms & Conditions.
When assessing whether a container is of acceptable quality, the law has regard to the nature of the goods, the price paid, any statements made about them, and the description or grade under which they were sold. A used container sold as Wind & Water Tight is therefore assessed against that grade — not against the standard of a new one-trip unit.
The remedy available depends on how serious the problem is.
| Major failure | Minor failure | |
|---|---|---|
| What it means | The container is substantially unfit for its normal purpose, is significantly different from its description or grade, has a defect that cannot be easily fixed within a reasonable time, or is unsafe. | A problem that can be repaired within a reasonable time and does not make the container unfit for use. |
| Example | A container sold as Wind & Water Tight that leaks substantially through the roof; a 40ft unit delivered when a 20ft was ordered; structural damage compromising safety. | A door seal that needs replacing; a lock box that requires adjustment; a small localised repair. |
| Your remedy | You choose — a refund, or a replacement container. You may also claim compensation for reasonably foreseeable loss. | We choose — we may repair the fault, replace the container, or offer a refund, within a reasonable time. |
If we fail to remedy a minor failure within a reasonable time, or refuse to do so, you may then reject the goods and seek a refund, or have the fault fixed elsewhere and recover the reasonable cost from us.
We are not obliged to provide a refund where you simply change your mind, find the container cheaper elsewhere, or decide you no longer need it. This is permitted under Australian Consumer Law and reflects the substantial cost of moving containers.
Where we agree to accept a change-of-mind return at our absolute discretion, all of the following must be met:
Containers that have been modified, fitted out, cut, painted, or built to your specification — including site offices, cabins, container pools, and units with doors, windows, insulation or electrical work — are made to your order and are not refundable for change of mind.
This includes any container that has commenced modification work, even if the work is incomplete.
Your rights in respect of faulty custom goods are unaffected. If a modified container has a major failure, or the workmanship is not of acceptable quality, the guarantees in clause 3 apply in full.
A deposit of 30% is required to reserve a container, commence modification, or book freight.
| Circumstance | Deposit refundable? |
|---|---|
| You cancel before stock is reserved, work begins or freight is booked | Yes — in full |
| You cancel after stock is reserved, work has begun or freight is booked | No |
| We cancel (stock unavailable, pricing error, export prohibited) | Yes — in full |
| Goods are faulty or not as described | Yes — ACL applies |
Deposits are non-refundable in the second case because we withdraw the container from sale, schedule labour, and commit to freight bookings on your behalf. Those costs cannot be recovered.
Where we cancel an Order, you receive a full refund of all amounts paid, including any deposit. We may cancel where:
Please inspect your container on delivery or collection. Any claim for visible transit damage, shortage, or an incorrect item must be notified to us in writing within forty-eight (48) hours of delivery, with photographs.
Where possible, note visible damage on the delivery docket before signing it. Signing a clean docket may limit your ability to claim for visible transit damage.
Where the container delivered is not the container ordered — a different size, grade or specification — you are entitled to a replacement or a refund. Nothing in this clause limits your rights under clause 3.
Used shipping containers are industrial goods with a working life at sea. The following are normal characteristics consistent with their grade and are not defects:
Equally, a refund is not available where the container has been damaged after risk passed to you, has been modified or repainted by you, has been used for a purpose it was not sold for, or was placed on ground that could not support it.
Email or WhatsApp us within the applicable timeframe.
Invoice number, clear photographs, and a description of the issue.
We assess the claim and may arrange an inspection.
We confirm the remedy in writing: repair, replacement or refund.
To make a request, please provide:
Send your request to contact@elitecontainerssupply.com or message us on WhatsApp.
We acknowledge refund requests promptly and aim to complete our assessment within ten (10) business days of receiving all required information.
We may need to inspect the container, or arrange for a third party to inspect it, before determining the remedy. You agree to provide reasonable access for that purpose.
Where a claimed fault is found to arise from misuse, modification, poor site preparation, damage after risk passed to you, or normal wear consistent with the container's grade, we may decline the claim and recover reasonable inspection and transport costs. We will explain any decision to decline in writing.
We do not refund in cryptocurrency, and we do not refund the market value of the cryptocurrency at the date of the refund. You bear the risk of any change in valuation between payment and refund. Network fees, exchange spreads and conversion costs are not refundable.
You will need to provide valid Australian or international bank account details in your name to receive a crypto-order refund. See our Payment Policy.
For containers exported from Australia:
Except where the Australian Consumer Law requires otherwise, the following are not refunded:
If you are dissatisfied with a refund decision, please tell us in writing and set out why. We will review the matter and respond within thirty (30) days.
If the matter remains unresolved, you may seek assistance from your state or territory consumer protection agency — in New South Wales, NSW Fair Trading — or from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) at accc.gov.au. Nothing prevents you from exercising any other legal right.
To request a refund, or to ask a question about this policy:
