Warranty

1. About this policy

This Warranty Policy explains what to do if something goes wrong with your order from Kata Camperbox Pty Ltd. It covers our voluntary product warranty, your non-excludable rights under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), how to lodge a claim, and the rules that apply if you need to cancel an order before fulfilment. We've written it in plain English so you can find what you need quickly — but if you're ever unsure, get in touch and we'll talk it through.

This policy applies to all purchases made through our website at katacamperbox.com, by phone, by email, or in person at our workshop at 54 Raymond Ave, Matraville NSW 2036. It applies to every product we sell — Vanbox, Surfbox, Camperbox, Pop-Top, Full Conversion builds, Custom-Kit modifications, accessories, and after-sales parts — and to workshop installation services where we provide them. It sits alongside our Terms & Conditions and Shipping Policy; where there's any overlap, the more specific document governs.

Nothing in this policy reduces or removes the rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law. Where this policy and the ACL conflict, the ACL prevails. If you're a business customer purchasing for resale and not a "consumer" as defined in section 3 of the ACL, certain rights described below may not apply to you — talk to us before placing the order so we can document the basis of supply.

2. Your rights under ACL

Australian consumer protection is grounded in a set of statutory consumer guarantees that suppliers cannot exclude, restrict, or contract out of. These guarantees apply automatically whenever you buy goods or services from us as a consumer. We're required by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to bring these rights to your attention, so here they are in the recommended wording:

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.

In plain English: if a kit you've bought from us turns out to be seriously defective — for example, it can't be used for the purpose it was sold for, it's unsafe, or it differs significantly from what was described or shown to you — that's a major failure. You can choose between a refund or a replacement, and you can claim compensation for reasonably foreseeable losses caused by the failure. If the issue is less serious (something we can put right with a repair or a parts replacement), we have the right to choose the remedy, but you're still entitled to have the problem fixed within a reasonable time and at no extra cost.

A "major failure" is defined in section 260 of the ACL. The same protections apply to any installation services we provide; the parallel guarantees on services are set out in sections 60-62 of the ACL. Your rights under the ACL run alongside (and not instead of) our voluntary warranty described in §3. Where the two overlap, you can rely on whichever gives you the better outcome.

3. Warranty

We warrant our kits for 1 year from delivery. This warranty covers manufacturing defects and workmanship faults arising from our production process. It's a flat 12-month period from the date your kit is delivered to you (or collected from our workshop if you're picking up). The warranty is voluntary and additional to your statutory rights under the ACL — see §2 above.

What's covered: defects in materials we supply, faults in the way we've fabricated or assembled the kit, and components we've installed that fail under ordinary use within the warranty period due to a manufacturing fault rather than wear, environment, or misuse. If we determine a covered defect exists, we'll repair the kit, replace the affected components, or — at our discretion and in accordance with the ACL — refund the price of the affected goods.

What's not covered:

• Wear and tear from ordinary use over time (upholstery scuffs, surface scratches, fading from prolonged UV exposure, latch wear, etc.).
• Misuse, neglect, or accidental damage — including overloading drawers and storage units beyond their rated capacity.
• Off-road damage from non-recommended use. Our kits are built for sealed-road touring and well-maintained gravel roads. Sustained corrugations, river crossings, and serious 4WD use will shorten product life and any resulting failures fall outside this warranty.
• Modifications carried out by third parties, including alterations to mounting points, electrical wiring, or load-bearing structure after delivery.
• Damage caused by failure to follow our installation instructions or the recommended operating guidelines we provide with each kit.
• Damage caused by water ingress where vehicle seals, windows, or roof seams (not supplied or installed by us) are the source of the leak.
• Damage that occurred during transport once the kit has been delivered to you — see §10 below and our Shipping policy for the damage-on-arrival process.
• Cosmetic variation between production batches in timber grain, fabric weave, powder-coat finish, and similar natural-material characteristics. We supply samples on request before order.

Third-party hardware. A typical kit includes hardware we don't manufacture ourselves — fridges, sinks, taps, gas appliances, electrical components, locks, hinges, slides, gas struts, and similar fittings. These items carry their respective manufacturers' or suppliers' warranties, which typically run between one and five years depending on the brand. Where one of these items fails within its supplier warranty period, we'll help you lodge the claim with the supplier and we'll fit the replacement part free of labour charge if you bring the vehicle back to our workshop. The terms of the supplier's warranty (not ours) govern that claim.

The warranty applies to the original purchaser and isn't transferable to a subsequent owner if you sell the vehicle. If you'd like to formally transfer the remaining warranty period to a new owner, contact us — we'll consider transfers case-by-case and a small administration fee may apply.

4. How to make a warranty claim

If something's gone wrong with your kit and you think it's covered by either our voluntary warranty or your ACL rights, follow the steps below. Lodging early and with clear documentation makes the whole process faster for everyone.

1. Email [email protected] with the subject line "Warranty claim — [your order number]". If you don't have your order number to hand, your full name and the rough date of purchase are enough for us to find your file.
2. Tell us what's gone wrong. A short written description of the problem is best — what's not working, when you first noticed it, what you were doing at the time, and how often it happens.
3. Attach photos or short video clips. Visual evidence saves a lot of back-and-forth. Wide shots showing the affected component in context plus close-ups of the specific fault are ideal. If the problem only shows up in use, a short video is invaluable.
4. Include your contact details and the best time to reach you. Our team is small and we'd rather pick up the phone than play email tag when something needs sorting.

We aim to acknowledge every claim within 5 business days of receiving it. In that first response we'll either request additional information, confirm we're treating the matter as a warranty claim, or — if we can resolve it on the spot — propose a remedy then and there. If we need parts ordered in from a supplier, we'll give you a realistic lead time. If the resolution involves returning the kit to our workshop, we'll coordinate freight at our cost where the claim is accepted.

Once we've investigated, the remedy will be one of: repair (most common), replacement of the affected part or kit, or refund where appropriate. Where the failure is a "major failure" under the ACL you choose the remedy as described in §2; otherwise we have the right to choose the remedy that's reasonable in the circumstances. We'll never charge you for inspection, postage to and from our workshop, or labour on a covered claim. We will document the work performed and give you a written summary at the end so you have a record.

5. Pre-fulfilment cancellation tiers

Once production starts on your kit we incur real costs — timber and steel are cut, components are ordered in, and a slot is reserved in our workshop schedule. If you need to cancel your order before delivery, the fee depends on how far into production we are. The tiers below reflect the cost we've already committed at each stage.

These fees apply only to voluntary cancellation — that is, where you decide for your own reasons to stop the order. They do not apply where Kata is at fault: production delayed materially beyond the agreed timeline, a defective product, a misdescription, or any other breach of the consumer guarantees. In those cases, your remedies under the Australian Consumer Law prevail and no cancellation fee is payable.

To cancel an order, email [email protected] with your order number and "Cancellation request" in the subject line. We'll confirm receipt the same business day where possible and we'll set the cancellation tier based on the date your email is received (not the date production was actually scheduled to start). Any refund of monies already paid, less the applicable fee, will be processed in line with §8 below.

For orders beyond the third week, we'll discuss the practical position with you: production may already be substantially complete, in which case taking delivery of the finished kit will usually be the better outcome. If you have a genuine grievance that engages your ACL rights, raise it with us in writing and we'll work through the appropriate remedy.

6. Made-to-order orders

Every Kata kit is made to order. Nothing is pulled from a warehouse shelf — each kit is cut, fabricated, and assembled specifically for you (and, for custom-fit and Full Conversion builds, specifically for your vehicle). Because each order is built to your specification, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, and once production has started an order can only be cancelled on the terms set out in §5 above. Please take the time before ordering to confirm your model selection, vehicle details, and finish choices — our team is happy to double-check anything with you first.

None of this affects your rights when something is genuinely wrong. If a kit is faulty, not of acceptable quality, or doesn't match what you ordered, your remedies under the Australian Consumer Law (§2) and our voluntary warranty (§3) apply in full, at our cost. Receiving the wrong product is our error — not a change of mind — and we'll sort it out under §2 and §4 above.

7. Custom-fit kits / measurements

A significant proportion of our products are custom-fit: cut to match the specific dimensions of a vehicle model, sometimes with a particular sub-variant or year of manufacture. The fit depends on accurate vehicle information provided by you at the time of ordering — vehicle make, model, wheelbase, roof height, year, and (where relevant) interior dimensions you've measured yourself.

You're responsible for confirming this information is correct before submitting your order. We provide measurement guides and our team is happy to help you double-check at any point before production starts — just email or call us. If the kit doesn't fit because the measurements you supplied were incorrect (wrong wheelbase, wrong year, miscounted dimensions, vehicle modified by a previous owner), the product is not defective for warranty purposes and the situation is not covered by §3. In that case we'll usually offer a paid recut or remake at materials cost — we want you to end up with a kit that fits, just not at the expense of the entire build.

The corresponding rules from a contract-formation perspective live in our Terms & Conditions §Custom-fit kits. Read that section before placing a custom-fit order so you understand where the line falls.

Where the kit doesn't fit because we got something wrong (we cut to the wrong dimensions we recorded, we used incorrect tooling, our quality check missed an issue), that's our fault and falls within the warranty in §3 or your ACL rights in §2 — without any cost to you.

8. Refunds

Where you're entitled to a refund — either under our voluntary warranty, your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, or because we've agreed to refund a cancellation — we'll process the refund using the same payment method you originally used. If that's no longer possible (the card has expired, the bank account is closed) we'll arrange an alternative method with you in writing.

Processing times after we approve a refund:

• Credit/debit card refunds: typically 3-5 business days for funds to appear back in your account, depending on your bank.
• Bank transfers (EFT): 1-3 business days from our end; same-day with most major Australian banks.
• PayPal: usually instant on our side; clearance to your linked source can take an extra day or two.
• BNPL providers (Afterpay, Zip, etc., where used): we refund to the provider, who then adjusts your repayment schedule. Their reconciliation timelines apply.

Partial refunds are common — for example, where you've cancelled within the tiers in §5 and the cancellation fee is deducted, or where part of an order has been delivered and accepted while another component is being refunded due to defect. The refund summary we provide will spell out exactly what's being refunded and what (if anything) is being retained.

Original shipping charges are non-refundable on voluntary cancellations but are refundable in full where the issue arises from a defect, misdescription, or any other ACL-engaging fault. Return shipping on accepted warranty claims is at our cost; on rejected claims (where we've inspected and concluded the kit performs to specification), we'll discuss return shipping with you before we send the kit back.

Nothing in this section limits any remedy you're entitled to under the Australian Consumer Law. If we tell you we won't refund and you believe you have a right to one under the ACL, raise that with us in writing — we'd much rather work through a disagreement directly than have you go elsewhere for an answer.

9. Assembly Service & workshop install

Many customers fit their kit themselves; others book our paid workshop install at 54 Raymond Ave, Matraville NSW 2036. The two situations have different warranty footprints and it's worth being clear about which one applies to you.

Self-install. Where you fit the kit yourself, the warranty under §3 covers the kit itself — its materials, fabrication, and the components we supplied. It does not cover anything that goes wrong because of installation error: missed fasteners, incorrect torque on bolts, drilling into the wrong panel, electrical work outside the diagrams we provide, gas connections by anyone other than a licensed gas fitter, and so on. We supply an installation manual and our team is available by phone if you get stuck mid-fit — please call us rather than improvising.

Paid workshop install. Where we fit the kit for you at our workshop, our installation services come with the consumer guarantees set out in sections 60-62 of the ACL: they must be provided with due care and skill, must be reasonably fit for the purpose you made known to us, and must be supplied within a reasonable time. If we make an installation mistake — a misaligned drawer slide, a fastener we missed, a poorly routed cable — that's our responsibility to put right. Workshop install warranty runs in parallel with the product warranty in §3 and shares the same 1 year from delivery period, calculated from the date of install.

Where a defect or fault is potentially attributable to either the kit itself or our installation work, the practical approach is the same: we'll inspect, diagnose, and fix it. We won't make you litigate the boundary between product and service warranty — that's our problem internally, not yours. Bring it back, and we'll sort it.

10. Faulty product on arrival

Sometimes a kit arrives with visible damage caused in transit between our workshop and you. Couriers are usually careful with our packaging, but bumps, drops, and forklift incidents happen occasionally. We need to know about transit damage promptly so we can claim against the courier and replace the affected components for you without delay.

You must report visible damage at delivery within 48 hours from delivery of receipt. Email [email protected] with the subject "Damage on arrival — [your order number]". Include clear photos of the damaged components and the outer packaging where possible (the packaging condition tells the courier whether the damage is a transit issue or pre-existing). Don't dispose of the packaging until we tell you to — couriers sometimes ask to see it before accepting a claim.

Claims reported within the 48 hours from delivery window will be handled at no cost to you: we'll either repair the affected components at our workshop or dispatch replacements directly, depending on what's quickest and best for your build. Claims reported outside that window may still be considered but become significantly harder to attribute to transit (versus post-delivery handling), and the courier may decline to indemnify us for late claims.

The full reporting process and what to inspect on receipt is set out in our Shipping policy §9. Read it before your kit is due to arrive — five minutes spent on inspection at the kerbside saves hours of remediation later.

11. Contact for claims

For everything in this policy — warranty claims, cancellation requests, refund queries, transit damage reports, custom-fit measurement issues — the first point of contact is:

Warranty & Claims
Kata Camperbox Pty Ltd
54 Raymond Ave, Matraville NSW 2036
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +61 451 740 833

Phone is best for time-sensitive matters (damage on arrival, urgent install questions). Email is best for anything that needs a paper trail (warranty claims, cancellation requests, refund disputes). We answer email within 5 business days as noted in §4 and our phone lines are open during workshop hours, Monday to Friday Australian Eastern Time excluding public holidays.

If you've been through our process and you're not satisfied with the outcome, you can escalate externally. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) provides consumer information at accc.gov.au. Your state or territory fair-trading office handles individual disputes — for New South Wales customers, NSW Fair Trading at fairtrading.nsw.gov.au is the relevant body. Nothing in this paragraph limits any other right you have to seek redress, including through the courts.

We'd rather hear about a problem and fix it than have it sit unresolved. If you're reading this section because something has gone wrong, please get in touch — we'll work through it with you.