Returns and refunds policy

1.Which policy applies to your order

Every vendor on Zono is on one of two plans, and the plan decides who looks after a return.

• Zono Pro orders are marked Protected by Zono. Zono holds your payment, handles returns and settles disputes.
• Zono Flex vendors sell and look after everything themselves, including returns. Zono does not hold your payment or decide disputes.

You will see the vendor’s plan on the product and again at checkout. Before you pay, we ask you to confirm that you have read the return policy that applies to that order.

If your bag contains items from more than one vendor, each vendor’s order is handled separately under its own policy, and you will see each one before you pay.

2.Zono Pro: what we accept

On a Zono Pro order we accept a return for three reasons only:

1. Wrong item received. The item is different from what you ordered. This includes a different product, size, colour or variant.
2. Incomplete order. Something is missing: an item, a part, an accessory or some of the quantity you ordered.
3. Damaged product. The item arrived broken, leaking, stained or otherwise damaged.

If only some units in your order are affected, the return and the refund cover those units only.

You are welcome to open a beauty product to check it. Opening it for that purpose does not stop you from filing a return for one of the three reasons above.

3.Zono Pro: the 24-hour window

On Zono Pro orders, you have 24 hours after delivery to file a return.

The 24 hours start when your order is marked delivered. This happens when you give your delivery code to the courier, or when our delivery partner confirms the hand-over.

If you file a return within the 24 hours after delivery, we keep the payment on hold until your return is resolved by either exchanging the item or refunding you.

4.How to file a return

1. Open your order page. If you checked out as a guest, use My Order with your order number and registered phone number.
2. Choose Return this order and pick the reason: wrong item, incomplete order or damaged product.
3. Upload your unboxing video, or photos of the problem.
4. Submit. We will send a ticket reference by email or SMS.

5.Unboxing video

We strongly recommend that you make an unboxing video recording yourself while opening the package. A video is the strongest proof of what arrived, and it is the fastest way for us to approve a return.

A good unboxing video:

• starts with the package still sealed;
• shows the whole unboxing;
• shows the product from all sides; and
• is one continuous shot, with no cuts.

Without a video we may not be able to verify your claim, and the return may not be approved.

6.Zono Pro: what we do not accept

• A change of mind.
• A size, colour or style that you ordered by mistake. If the vendor sent something different from what you ordered, that is a wrong item and it is covered.
• Small colour differences caused by lighting or screens, where the variant delivered matches your order.
• Items that were used, washed or altered after delivery, or damaged after delivery.
• Returns filed after the 24-hour window, except in the exceptional cases in Section 8.

7.What happens after you file

Our team reviews your return and will validate with the vendor. Our target is to reply within 5 business hours and to reach a decision within 24 business hours.

If your return is approved

• Collection is free for you. Zono or the vendor arranges a courier to collect the item. You never pay to send back an approved return. Please keep the item in the condition it arrived until it is collected.
• Refund or exchange. The vendor chooses whether to offer a refund, an exchange or both for each product, and you see this on the product page before you order. If both are offered, you choose.
• Refund amount. You receive the price of the affected items, excluding payment processing fees.
• Refund method and timing. Refunds are paid to the same payment method you used. Depending on your bank, this can be instant or take up to 2 business days.
• Exchange. The vendor sends you the correct item. The order is complete once the exchange is delivered.

If your return is not approved

We will tell you why. If you disagree, reply to the same ticket or write to zono@zonoafrica.com and ask for a review.

8.Late returns and exceptional cases

We do not accept returns filed after 24 hours from delivery.

In exceptional cases we may look at a late request, at our sole discretion. Examples are fraud, a safety concern, a clear vendor error, or a product that turns out to be expired when you could not reasonably have spotted it on delivery. Approval is not guaranteed.

If you think a product is counterfeit, expired or unsafe, tell us straight away and stop using it.

9.Zono Flex orders

Flex vendors sell to you directly and are responsible for your order from start to finish.

• The vendor’s own return policy applies. It is shown on the product page and again before you pay, and you confirm it at checkout. The vendor decides the reasons, the time limit and whether you get a refund, an exchange or store credit.
• There is no escrow. Zono releases your payment to the vendor once your order is marked delivered — not at checkout. This does not change the return policy above, and Zono does not hold funds back for a return or dispute the way it does on Zono Pro.
• Zono does not handle Flex returns or decide disputes. Contact the vendor first, using the details on your order confirmation. If you write to us, we can pass your message on, but we cannot decide the outcome or refund you.
• We still hold every vendor to Zono’s conduct standards. If a Flex vendor won’t engage with a legitimate complaint, never ships your order, or otherwise breaks our rules, tell us at zono@zonoafrica.com. We investigate and can warn, suspend or permanently remove a vendor from Zono, even though we do not refund Flex orders ourselves. See Vendors and products in our Terms of use.
• “Verified vendor” means we checked the vendor’s identity. It does not mean that Zono guarantees the product or the vendor’s return policy.

Please read the vendor’s policy carefully before you pay. If it does not suit you, do not place the order.

10.Cancelling an order

For a Zono Pro order, you can cancel free of charge until a courier has picked it up for delivery. After pickup, please wait for delivery and use the return process if there is a problem.

For a Zono Flex order, ask the vendor. Cancellation is under the vendor’s own policy.

11.Fair use

We watch for misuse of returns. False claims, edited or doctored videos or photos, working with someone else to get a refund, or keeping both the goods and the money can lead to a claim being refused, limits on your account or account closure.

12.Bank disputes

Please contact us before you raise a dispute with your bank or card provider. If you raise one while we are reviewing your return, we will share our records with them, and we may pause your account until it is resolved.

13.Your legal rights

Nothing in this policy limits your rights under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 or any other Nigerian law that cannot be waived.

14.Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. We will give you at least 7 days’ notice of material changes by email or on our website, unless a legal or safety reason requires us to act sooner. The version in force when you place an order applies to that order.

15.Contact us

Zono Africa Limited, a company registered in Nigeria (RC 9497047), Lagos Nigeria.

Email: zono@zonoafrica.com. Please include your order number.