Privacy Policy – Gerald Wells

1. Terms of Use

Welcome to Gerald Wells Hair Professional (https://geraldwells.co.za).
By accessing or using this website, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.

1.1. Who We Are

Gerald Wells Hair Professional (“Gerald Wells”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is a South African hair‑care brand selling professional hair care products via our online store at https://geraldwells.co.za.

1.2. Use of the Website

You must be at least 18 years old or under adult supervision when placing orders.
You agree to use the site for lawful purposes only and not to interfere with its security or performance.
All product prices, descriptions, and images are for information only and may change without notice.

You may create an account to place orders, track your cart, and manage preferences.
You are responsible for keeping your login details secure and for all activity under your account.
Gerald Wells may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.

1.4. Pricing and Orders

Prices are quoted in South African Rand (ZAR) and include VAT where applicable.
We make every effort to display accurate pricing and stock, but errors may occur. If an error is found, we will contact you before processing the order.
An order is only confirmed once you receive an order confirmation email.

1.5. Intellectual Property

All content (text, logos, images, product designs, and branding) on Geraldwells.co.za is the property of Gerald Wells or its licensors and is protected by copyright and trademark laws.
You may not reproduce, copy, or distribute any content without our written permission.

1.6. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Gerald Wells is not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the website or purchased products.
Product suitability is your responsibility; we recommend consulting a professional hair stylist or dermatologist if in doubt.

1.7. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms of Use periodically. Changes will be effective when posted on this page. By continuing to use the site after changes, you agree to the updated terms.

2. Privacy Policy

Who we are
Our website address is: https://geraldwells.co.za. [You can update this if you have a staging URL.]

2.1. What personal data we collect

When you:

Create an account or place an order, we collect your name, email address, phone number, shipping/billing address, and payment details (processed securely by your chosen payment gateway, e.g. PayStack/PayFast).
Subscribe to our newsletter, we store your email address.
Contact us via the contact form or email, we store your message and contact details.
Leave a comment on our blog (if applicable), we collect your comment, name, email, IP address, and browser user agent.

2.2. Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help with spam detection.
An anonymised string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to check if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

2.3. Media

If you upload images to the website (e.g. for a contest or gallery), you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.

2.4. Cookies

If you leave a comment on our site, you may opt‑in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies last for one year.
If you visit our login page, we set a temporary cookie to check if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we set cookies to save your login information and screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for one year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login persists for two weeks. If you log out, these cookies are removed.
If you edit or publish an article (e.g. blog post), an additional cookie is saved in your browser that includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID. It expires after 1 day.

2.5. Embedded content from other websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles). Embedded content from other websites behaves as if you visited that website. These sites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed tracking, and monitor your interaction with that content, including if you are logged into their service.

If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
We may share your data with:
- Shipping and logistics providers (e.g. courier companies) to deliver your orders.
- Payment gateways (e.g. PayStack, PayFast) to process transactions.
- Analytics and marketing tools (e.g. Google Analytics, email marketing platforms) to improve your experience.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

2.7. How long we retain your data

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely so we can recognise and approve follow‑up comments automatically.
User account data is retained while your account is active or as needed for legal or administrative purposes.
Order and transaction data is kept for the required period for tax, accounting, and warranty purposes.

2.8. What rights you have over your data

If you have an account or have left comments, you can:

Request an export of the personal data we hold about you (including any data you provided).
Request that we erase your personal data, except where required for legal, administrative, or security reasons.
Update your details via your account or by contacting us.

2.9. Where your data is sent

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
Personal data is processed in South Africa and may be transmitted to service providers located in other countries (subject to adequate security and privacy protections).

3. Shipping / Delivery Policy

3.1. Delivery areas

We currently deliver to mainland South Africa. Delivery to remote or non‑residential areas may incur additional fees or take longer.

3.2. Processing times

Orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment confirmation.
Orders placed on weekends or public holidays are processed on the next business day.

3.3. Shipping partners

We use trusted courier and postal services (e.g. The Courier Guy, PostNet, or similar). You will receive a tracking number once your order is dispatched.

3.4. Delivery times

Urban areas (e.g., Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu‑Natal): approximately 3-5 business days after dispatch.
Regional and rural areas: approximately 5–7 business days after dispatch.
Delays may occur due to carrier issues, weather, or customs checks (for cross‑border orders, if you expand later).

3.5. Risk and ownership

Risk of loss or damage passes to you once the goods are delivered to your specified address.
You are responsible for inspecting the order on arrival and reporting any damage or discrepancies immediately.

3.6. Undeliverable or uncollected parcels

If a parcel is returned due to an incorrect address, failure to collect, or refusal to accept, we may charge a redelivery or handling fee.
Unclaimed parcels may be treated as abandoned after a set period, and credits may be issued at our discretion.

4. Refund and Returns Policy

4.1. Overview

At Gerald Wells Hair Professional, we want you to love your hair care essentials. Our refund and returns policy lasts 30 days from the date of delivery. If more than 30 days have passed, we cannot offer a refund or exchange.

4.2. Eligibility

To be eligible for a return, your item must be:

Unused
In the exact same condition as received
In its original, unopened packaging with all seals intact

Hair care products are hygiene‑sensitive, so opened or used products cannot be accepted for health and safety reasons.

4.3. Non‑returnable items

Non‑returnable items include:

Opened or used hair care products (shampoos, conditioners, styling gels, serums, etc.)
Perishables such as fresh hair masks or natural oils with short shelf lives
Intimate or sanitary goods (e.g., hair removal products)
Hazardous materials, aerosols, or flammable items (e.g., certain hair sprays)

Additional non‑returnable items:

Gift cards
Downloadable digital guides or software
Custom‑blended or personalized hair products

4.4. Proof of purchase

To process a return, we require your order receipt or proof of purchase, which can be viewed in your Geraldwells.co.za account.

4.5. Return steps

Please return items directly to us—do not send them back to the manufacturer.
Ship returns to:
Gerald Wells Hair Professional
[Your Physical Address, e.g., Unit 5, Umgeni Business Park, Durban, KwaZulu‑Natal, 4001]

4.6. Partial refunds

Only partial refunds may be granted in the following cases:

The item shows signs of use or damage not due to our error.
The item is missing parts, packaging, or labels.
The return is received more than 30 days after delivery.

4.7. Refunds

Once your return is received and inspected at our warehouse, we will email you within 2–3 business days to confirm receipt and approval status.
If approved, your refund will be processed immediately and credited to your original payment method (credit card, EFT, or PayFast) within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank.

4.8. Late or missing refunds

First, check your bank statement or card statement—refunds can take 3–7 days to appear.
Contact your card issuer or bank if the refund does not appear.
If you still have not received your refund after these steps, email us at hello@geraldwells.co.za with your order number.

4.9. Sale items

Only regular‑priced items may be refunded.
Sale or promotional items are considered final sale and cannot be returned or refunded unless defective.

4.10. Exchanges

We replace items only if they are defective or damaged (e.g., manufacturing faults).
To request an exchange:

Email us at hello@geraldwells.co.za with:
- Photos of the issue
- Your order number
- The product you’d like to exchange for
Ship the item to:
Gerald Wells Hair Professional
[Your Physical Address, e.g., Unit 5, Umgeni Business Park, Durban, KwaZulu‑Natal, 4001]

4.11. Gifts

If an item was marked as a gift and shipped directly to you, you will receive a gift credit equal to the return value. Once the returned item is received, a digital gift certificate will be emailed to you.
If the item was not marked as a gift, or the gift giver had the order shipped to themselves to give to you later, we will issue a refund to the original purchaser, who will be notified of the return.

4.12. Shipping returns

To return your product, you should mail it to:
Gerald Wells Hair Professional
[Your Physical Address, e.g., Unit 5, Umgeni Business Park, Durban, KwaZulu‑Natal, 4001]
You are responsible for paying return shipping costs, which are non‑refundable. If you receive a refund, the cost of return shipping may be deducted from the refund amount.
For more expensive items, we recommend using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We do not guarantee receipt of uninsured parcels.
Delivery times for exchanges vary by location (typically 1–5 days within South Africa).

4.13. Need help?

Questions about refunds, returns, or your order? Reach out anytime at hello@geraldwells.co.za or via our contact form on Geraldwells.co.za. We’re here to keep your hair game strong!

Last updated: March 2026