Refund policy

This English translation is provided for information only. In the event of any discrepancy, the Czech version prevails.

This document summarises what to do if something is wrong with your order and what rights you have. Details are in Articles 9 and 10 of the Terms and Conditions (https://jztferments.cz/en/policies/terms-of-service). The text is intended for consumers; for business customers the deviations under Article 13 of the Terms and Conditions apply.

Kombucha is a live chilled food – it cannot be returned without giving a reason

Under Section 1837(e) of the Czech Civil Code, it is not possible to withdraw from a contract for the supply of goods that are perishable or have a short shelf life. Our unpasteurised kombucha is such goods: it must be kept cold at all times and every bottle carries a use-by date (“Spotřebujte do”). In addition, for hygiene reasons we do not take back an opened bottle. It is also not possible to withdraw from goods made to your specification – for example bottles with a custom label for a wedding or a company event (Section 1837(d) of the Civil Code).

The 14-day withdrawal without giving a reason therefore does not apply to kombucha. The same applies to 6-packs, 12-packs, 36-packs, Pick & mix boxes and gift sets that contain kombucha.

You can, however, cancel your order free of charge at any time until we dispatch it (hand it to the carrier or to our driver) – just write to info@jztferments.cz and state your order number. We will refund the amount paid without undue delay, no later than 14 days, in the same way we received it.

If a broken, expired or otherwise defective bottle arrives, we resolve it with a replacement or a refund – see the section “If something is wrong”.

What can be returned (withdrawal within 14 days)

Goods that are not chilled food – for example the home kombucha brewing kit or a gift card – can be returned by you as a consumer without giving a reason within 14 days from the day you or a person designated by you received the goods; if the order contains several items delivered separately, the period runs from the day of receipt of the last delivery (Section 1829 of the Civil Code). For this kit there is a single exception: the live SCOBY culture with starter itself cannot be returned for hygiene reasons once you break its sealed packaging (Section 1837(g) of the Civil Code). The rest of the kit can be returned. Goods made to your specification, for example bottles with a custom label (see above), cannot be returned.

Procedure:

1. Within 14 days of receipt, write to us at info@jztferments.cz that you are withdrawing from the contract (you can use the model form annexed to the Terms and Conditions). We will confirm receipt of the withdrawal by e-mail. The period is observed if you send the withdrawal no later than its last day.
2. Send the goods to us within 14 days of the withdrawal to the address of our premises (see Contact below); by prior e-mail arrangement you can also bring them in person on working days between 9.30 am and 3.30 pm. You bear the cost of returning the goods; please do not send goods cash on delivery.
3. We will refund the money without undue delay, no later than 14 days after the withdrawal (Section 1832 of the Civil Code), in the same way we received the payment – but not before we receive the goods back or you prove that you have sent them. If you withdraw from the entire order, we also refund the delivery costs, in the amount of the cheapest delivery method offered; if you return only part of the order, the delivery costs are not refunded.

You are liable for any reduction in the value of the goods resulting from handling beyond what is necessary to become acquainted with their nature and characteristics (Section 1833 of the Civil Code).

Gift card. For an electronic card, the 14-day period runs from the day we e-mailed you the code; for a physical card, from the day you received it. If you withdraw from the purchase of the card within the 14-day period and have not yet redeemed the code, we refund the full amount paid. If you withdraw after you have already redeemed part of its value, we refund the amount corresponding to the unused balance; the redeemed part cannot be returned because you have already received goods for it. After the 14-day period the card cannot be returned and we do not pay out the unused balance in cash (Articles 8.2 and 8.3 of the Terms and Conditions) – the balance stays on the card for your next purchase.

If something is wrong (complaints – rights arising from defective performance)

We are responsible for the goods arriving without defects: the bottles are intact, the drink is fine, the contents match the label and at least 7 days remain until the use-by date on delivery. In particular, you can claim for:

• a broken or leaking bottle – photograph the shipment and the bottle, ideally within 24 hours of delivery (it is not a condition of the complaint, but it helps us when dealing with the carrier),
• expired or spoiled goods (the date on the label, smell, mould) – photograph the label with the date,
• a shipment that arrived obviously warm – kombucha is chilled goods: in Prague it is delivered by our own driver straight from production in Klecany in thermal boxes with cooling packs, to the rest of the Czech Republic we send it by chilled Cool balík transport,
• different goods or a different quantity than in the order.

Natural sediment, haze, pieces of culture (SCOBY) or slightly different carbonation or acidity between batches are not a defect – kombucha is live and unpasteurised; we point this out with every product in the e-shop and on the label. Nor is a fault caused by improper handling after delivery a defect: the bottle stood outside the cold (correctly 2–6 °C) or in the sun, was open for more than 24 hours, or you left it in the fridge past the use-by date. We will nevertheless always accept and assess your complaint; if a defect appears within one year of receipt, the goods are deemed to have been defective on receipt and it is up to us to prove otherwise – unless the nature of the goods or of the defect rules this out (details below in the paragraph Time limits). If, however, a bottle arrived already past its use-by date or with fewer than 7 days left, that is a defect – let us know.

How to make a complaint: write to info@jztferments.cz with your order number, a description of what is wrong, and attach photographs. You can also make a complaint in person or by post at the address of our premises; you will find it in the Contact section. The scope, conditions and manner of exercising rights arising from defective performance are described in this document and in Article 10 of the Terms and Conditions (Section 13 of Act No. 634/1992 Coll., on Consumer Protection). Do not send broken or expired bottles back – photographs are enough; if we need the goods physically, we will get in touch and pay for the transport.

What happens next: we will confirm receipt of the complaint by e-mail – stating the date you made the complaint, what it concerns, what method of resolution you request and your contact details for communicating the outcome (Section 19 of Act No. 634/1992 Coll., on Consumer Protection, and Section 2173 of the Civil Code). We will resolve the complaint and inform you as soon as possible, no later than 30 days after it was made (Section 19(3) of the same Act), unless we agree on a longer period. If we fail to meet this deadline, you may withdraw from the contract or demand a reasonable discount. We will issue you a confirmation of the resolution of the complaint with the date and manner of resolution; if we reject the complaint, you will receive written reasons from us.

How we resolve it: a drink cannot be repaired, so with a justified complaint you have the right to a new bottle – we send it separately or add it to your next order, at our expense. If a replacement is not possible (for example a sold-out flavour) or you do not want one, we refund the money for the defective goods, or grant a reasonable discount – your choice; if you withdraw from the entire order because of a defect, we also refund the shipping paid. We refund money without undue delay, no later than 14 days after the complaint is resolved, in the same way we received the payment, unless we agree otherwise. With a justified complaint you also have the right to reimbursement of reasonably incurred costs (for example postage), if you request it within one month after the expiry of the period for reporting the defect (Section 1924 of the Civil Code).

Time limits: you can report a defect within two years of receipt (Section 2165 of the Civil Code); for food, by the nature of the goods, this applies no later than the use-by date on the label (Section 2167(d) of the Civil Code). If a defect appears within one year of receipt, the goods are deemed to have been defective on receipt, unless the nature of the goods or of the defect rules this out (Section 2161(5) of the Civil Code). For kombucha this may be the case in particular for a bottle whose use-by date has already passed. For the home kombucha brewing kit the presumption applies in full.

Receiving the shipment

The risk of damage to the goods passes to you when you take over the shipment. Please check on the spot that the packaging is neither damaged nor wet. You may refuse a damaged shipment, or report the damage right at handover – in Prague to our driver, for Cool balík to the courier, with whom you draw up a damage report. If you only discover a broken bottle after unpacking, write to us as soon as possible with a photograph – your rights arising from defective performance are not affected. After delivery, put the kombucha in the fridge (2–6 °C) as soon as possible.

If you do not accept the shipment even though we informed you of the delivery in advance, you are in breach of the obligation to take over the goods (Section 2118 of the Civil Code). This does not apply if you refuse the shipment because it was damaged, obviously warm or defective for another reason on our side – in that case we refund the full amount paid including shipping, or by agreement send the goods again at our expense. Chilled goods that come back to us with the cold chain broken cannot be shipped again; in that case we withdraw from the contract and refund the amount paid – the price of the goods and shipping – less the costs actually incurred by the failed delivery, but no more than 150 CZK. We set these costs off against the refund and will document their amount on request. We send the money without undue delay, no later than 14 days, in the same way we received it. If we agree on a repeat delivery, we may make it conditional on paying the shipping in advance (Article 6.7 of the Terms and Conditions).

Subscription

Every subscription delivery is a separate purchase and the same applies to it as to a regular order: kombucha from a subscription cannot be returned without giving a reason; any defects are handled as a complaint. The subscription itself can be adjusted at any time – you can change the flavours and the delivery interval and skip one delivery; the subscription cannot be paused and the box size cannot be changed during it. After three boxes received you can cancel it at any time, always before the next order is created – details are in Article 7 of the Terms and Conditions. Even before receiving three boxes you may end the subscription if we materially breach our obligations (for example repeatedly fail to deliver the ordered goods), if we stop offering the goods, or if you do not agree with a change of price or terms under the paragraph below (Article 7.4 of the Terms and Conditions).

If we change the price or terms of a running subscription, we will notify you by e-mail at least 30 days in advance and you can cancel the subscription without any penalty before the change takes effect – even during the first three boxes (Article 7.10 of the Terms and Conditions). If the flavour you chose is not available on the day the order is created, we will offer you a substitute of another flavour of the same or higher value by e-mail. We will not dispatch the delivery earlier than 24 hours after sending this e-mail; if you write to us within this time – or at any time later, as long as we have not dispatched the delivery – that you do not agree with the substitute, we cancel the delivery and refund its price without undue delay, no later than 14 days. The subscription does not end and the cancelled delivery does not count towards the minimum of three boxes (Article 7.7 of the Terms and Conditions).

If we cannot agree

The body competent for the out-of-court resolution of consumer disputes arising from the purchase contract is the Czech Trade Inspection Authority, Central Inspectorate – ADR Department, Gorazdova 1969/24, 120 00 Prague 2, e-mail adr@coi.gov.cz, https://adr.coi.gov.cz. A proposal can be filed within one year from the day you first exercised your right with us. For cross-border disputes, the European Consumer Centre Czech Republic, Gorazdova 1969/24, 120 00 Prague 2, https://evropskyspotrebitel.gov.cz, can help. Consumer protection is supervised by the Czech Trade Inspection Authority, https://coi.gov.cz, and food by the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority, https://www.szpi.gov.cz.

Contact

JZT Ferments s.r.o., registered office Bor 120, 360 01 Sadov, company ID 08924287, VAT ID CZ08924287, registered in the Commercial Register kept by the Regional Court in Plzeň, Section C, Insert 38918.

Premises and the address for complaints and returns: JZT Ferments s.r.o., Zdibsko 615, 250 67 Klecany (P3 park, hall 4 – look for the door marked “Výdej zboží”). Handover in person by prior e-mail arrangement on working days between 9.30 am and 3.30 pm.

E-mail: info@jztferments.cz

Terms and Conditions: https://jztferments.cz/en/policies/terms-of-service. Shipping and Delivery: https://jztferments.cz/en/policies/shipping-policy.

This policy is effective from 3 September 2026 and applies together with the Terms and Conditions effective from the same day.