Returns

You can return anything you buy from us within 14 days of receiving it, for any reason, and get a full refund. Faulty items are handled separately under your consumer rights and the manufacturer's warranty. This page sets out how both work in plain terms.

14-day returns

Under UK consumer law you have 14 days from the day you receive your order to tell us you want to return it, and a further 14 days after that to send it back. You can open the box and check the item in the way you would in a shop. If an instrument has been used beyond that, for example set up and used for several sessions, we can still accept it but may deduct an amount for the reduction in value, which we'll tell you before processing the refund. Please keep the original packaging, including the manufacturer's box and any kit items, as microscopes travel badly without it.

How to return an item

Email us with your order number and the item you're returning. We'll reply with the return address and a returns reference to write on the parcel. Pack the item as it arrived, in the manufacturer's box inside an outer box, and send it tracked. For faulty items we cover the return postage; see below.

Refunds

We refund within 14 days of receiving the item back, or of you showing us proof of postage, whichever is sooner, to the payment method you used. The refund covers the price of the item and the standard delivery charge you paid; if you chose a faster delivery option, we refund the cost of standard delivery. You'll get an email when the refund is sent, and it typically shows on a card within five working days.

Faulty items

If something arrives faulty or develops a fault, email us with your order number, a description and, where it helps, a photo or short video. Within 30 days of delivery you can choose a full refund or a replacement. After 30 days we'll repair or replace the item under the manufacturer's warranty, and we handle the claim for you; you don't need to contact the manufacturer. We pay return postage on faulty items. Full details are on the warranty page.

Items that cannot be returned

For hygiene and safety reasons we can't accept returns of opened stains, immersion oil or other consumables, or of prepared slide sets where the seal on the box has been broken, unless they're faulty. Everything else in the range can be returned under the terms above.

Exchanges

If you've bought the wrong model, the quickest route is to return it under the 14-day terms and place a new order, so the replacement isn't held up waiting for the return. If you'd like advice on which model to swap to, say so in the email and we'll help before you send anything back.