Terms and Conditions

1. Definitions and Interpretation

Throughout these Terms and Conditions, the following definitions apply unless the context requires otherwise:

• "Customer," "You," "Your" refers to any individual or entity who accesses the Website, registers an account, or places an order through the platform.
• "Products" refers to the certified organic food items, millets, health mixes, grains, spices, and any other edible goods listed for sale on the Website.
• "Order" refers to a confirmed purchase request placed by a Customer through the Website's checkout process, whether paid online via Razorpay or selected as Cash on Delivery (COD).
• "Account" refers to the personal profile created by a Customer upon registration, which stores personal details, saved addresses, and order history.
• "Business Days" means Monday through Saturday, excluding Indian national holidays and regional public holidays observed in Tamil Nadu.

2. Eligibility to Use the Website

Our Website is intended for use by individuals who are at least 18 years of age or who have obtained the consent of a parent or legal guardian. By using this Website and placing orders, you represent and warrant that:

• You are at least 18 years old, or you are accessing the Website under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to be bound by these Terms on your behalf.
• You possess the legal authority and capacity to enter into a binding agreement under the Indian Contract Act, 1872.
• All information you provide during registration, checkout, or any other interaction with the Website is accurate, truthful, current, and complete.
• You will promptly update any personal information in your account should it change, to ensure continued accuracy of your records.

We reserve the right to refuse service, terminate accounts, or cancel orders at our sole discretion if we believe that a Customer does not meet these eligibility requirements, or if fraudulent or suspicious activity is detected.

3. Account Registration and Security

To access certain features of our Website — including placing orders, tracking shipments, managing saved addresses, and viewing order history — you are required to create a personal account. During the registration process, you will be asked to provide your full name, email address, phone number, and a secure password. A One-Time Password (OTP) will be sent to your registered email address through our transactional email service for verification purposes. You must complete this verification before your account becomes fully active.

You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of your account credentials, including your password. You agree to:

• Not share your login credentials with any third party, whether intentionally or through negligence.
• Immediately notify us at support@zeroartificial.net if you suspect any unauthorised access to your account or any security breach.
• Accept full responsibility for all activities and transactions that occur under your account, regardless of whether they were authorised by you.

We store your passwords using industry-standard BCRYPT hashing. We will never ask you for your password via email, phone, or any other channel. If you forget your password, you may reset it through our "Forgot Password" process, which sends a secure, time-limited reset link to your registered email.

We reserve the right to suspend or permanently terminate any account that we reasonably believe has been compromised, is being used fraudulently, or is in violation of these Terms.

4. Products, Descriptions, and Pricing

We make every reasonable effort to display product names, descriptions, images, ingredient lists, net weights, nutritional information, and prices as accurately as possible on our Website. However, we do not warrant that all product descriptions, photographs, or other content on the Website are entirely accurate, complete, reliable, or error-free.

• Product Images: Photographs of our products are provided for illustrative and representative purposes only. The actual product packaging, colour, texture, or appearance may vary slightly from what is depicted due to differences in photographic lighting, monitor display settings, seasonal variations in natural produce, or packaging design updates.
• Weight and Quantity: All product weights listed are approximate net weights at the time of packaging. Marginal variations (typically within ±5%) may occur due to the natural characteristics of organic food products and standard packaging tolerances.
• Pricing: All prices displayed on the Website are quoted in Indian Rupees (₹) and are inclusive of applicable Goods and Services Tax (GST) unless otherwise explicitly stated. We reserve the right to modify prices at any time without prior notice. The price applicable to your order will be the price displayed at the time you place your order and complete the checkout process.
• Offers and Discounts: Crossed-out or "original" prices displayed alongside discounted campaign prices represent the standard retail value of the product. Promotional discounts, campaign offers, and coupon codes are subject to specific terms, validity periods, and conditions, and may be modified or withdrawn at any time at our sole discretion.

In the unlikely event that a product is listed at an incorrect price due to a typographical or system error, we reserve the right to refuse or cancel any orders placed at the erroneous price, even if the order has been confirmed and payment has been charged. In such cases, a full refund of the amount paid will be processed to the original payment method.

5. Ordering Process and Acceptance

Placing an order on our Website constitutes an offer by you to purchase the selected products in accordance with these Terms. The ordering process involves the following steps:

1. Product Selection: Browse our catalogue, select items, choose the desired quantity, and add them to your shopping cart.
2. Cart Review: Review the items in your cart, verify quantities and pricing, and apply any valid coupon or discount codes.
3. Checkout: Provide or confirm your shipping address, select your preferred payment method (Online Payment via Razorpay or Cash on Delivery), and review the order summary including shipping charges.
4. Payment: Complete the payment through the selected method. For online payments, you will be redirected to Razorpay's secure payment gateway.
5. Confirmation: Upon successful payment verification (or COD selection), you will receive an order confirmation notification with your unique order number.

Please note that the placement of an order and receipt of a confirmation email does not constitute our final acceptance of your order. We reserve the right to accept or decline any order, in whole or in part, for reasons including but not limited to: product unavailability, pricing errors, suspected fraudulent activity, inability to verify payment, restrictions on delivery to your pincode, or inability to meet delivery commitments.

If we are unable to fulfil your order for any reason, we will notify you promptly via email and process a full refund if payment has already been received.

6. Payment Terms

We offer the following payment methods for your convenience:

• Online Payment (Razorpay): We accept payments through credit cards, debit cards, net banking, UPI (Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, etc.), and select digital wallets. All online transactions are processed through Razorpay, a PCI-DSS compliant payment gateway. We do not directly store, process, or have access to your complete card numbers or banking credentials at any time. Razorpay's terms of service and privacy policy will apply to all online transactions.
• Cash on Delivery (COD): COD is available for select pincodes and order values at our discretion. When you choose COD, you agree to make full payment in cash (or via UPI/digital payment to the delivery executive if offered by the courier partner) at the time of delivery. Refusal to accept delivery or pay the required amount at the time of delivery may result in the order being returned to us, and future COD privileges for your account may be restricted or revoked.

All prices are charged in Indian Rupees (₹). You are responsible for any applicable bank charges, currency conversion fees, or convenience fees that your bank or payment provider may levy. We are not responsible for any third-party fees charged by your financial institution.

7. Return Policy

Due to the nature of our products — which are certified organic food items including millets, health mixes, grains, spices, and related consumables — we maintain a strict and limited return policy to ensure food safety, hygiene, and quality standards for all our customers.

7.1 Eligible Grounds for Return

Returns are accepted only under the following circumstances:

• Shipping Damage: The product was physically damaged during transit (e.g., torn packaging, crushed items, leaking packets, broken seals caused by rough handling during transportation).
• Wrong Product Delivered: You received a product that is entirely different from what you ordered (e.g., you ordered Ragi Flour but received Foxtail Millet). Minor packaging design variations do not qualify as a "wrong product."
• Expired Product: The product delivered to you has already passed its expiry date or best-before date printed on the packaging at the time of delivery.

7.2 Return Window

All return requests must be raised within 24 hours of delivery. This 24-hour window is calculated from the exact timestamp when the courier partner marks the order as "delivered" in their tracking system. Return requests submitted after this 24-hour window will not be entertained under any circumstances, without exception.

7.3 Non-Returnable Items

The following categories of returns are not accepted, regardless of the timeframe:

• Products returned due to a change of mind, personal preference, taste, or dissatisfaction with flavour or texture.
• Products whose original sealed packaging has been opened, tampered with, or partially consumed by the Customer.
• Products that have been stored improperly by the Customer after delivery (e.g., exposure to moisture, heat, or direct sunlight), resulting in spoilage or quality degradation.
• Products where the Customer provided an incorrect or incomplete shipping address, leading to delayed delivery, non-delivery, or spoilage during extended transit.
• Products purchased during clearance sales, liquidation offers, or any promotions where "no returns" was explicitly stated at the time of purchase.

7.4 Return Request Process

To initiate a return within the 24-hour window, you may:

1. Log in to your account on our Website, navigate to Order Details for the relevant order, and click the "Request Return / Refund" button.
2. Select the appropriate reason for the return from the dropdown menu.
3. Provide a detailed written explanation of the issue.
4. Upload clear photographic or video evidence showing the damage, wrong product, or expiry date. Evidence is mandatory and return requests without supporting media will not be processed.

Alternatively, you may contact our support team via email at support@zeroartificial.net or through our Contact Us page with the above details.

Our team will review your return request and supporting evidence within 1–2 business days. We will communicate the outcome (approval or rejection with reason) via email. Decisions taken by our quality review team on return requests are final.

8. Order Cancellation

Order cancellation policies differ depending on the current status of your order:

• Before Order Acceptance (Status: "Pending"): You may cancel your order directly from the Order Details page on your account at no cost. Cancellation at this stage is self-service and takes effect immediately. If payment was made online, a full refund will be initiated.
• After Order Acceptance and Before Shipment (Status: "Processing"): Once your order has been accepted by our team and is being packed for shipment, cancellation is no longer available through the Website. If you wish to cancel at this stage, you must contact our support team directly via email at support@zeroartificial.net or through the Contact Us page. Cancellation at this stage is subject to review and is not guaranteed.
• After Shipment (Status: "Shipped"): Once an order has been dispatched and a shipping label (AWB) has been generated through our logistics partner, the order cannot be cancelled under any circumstances. You must wait to receive the delivery and then submit a return request only if it qualifies under Section 7 (Return Policy) of these Terms.

We reserve the right to cancel any order at our own discretion due to stock unavailability, suspected fraud, payment verification failure, pricing errors, or force majeure events. In such cases, a full refund will be processed.

9. Refunds

Our refund policy is as follows:

• Cancellation Before Shipment: If an order is cancelled before it is shipped (whether by the Customer or by us), a full refund of the total amount paid — including the product amount and any shipping charges — will be processed to the original payment method.
• Approved Returns After Delivery: If a return request is approved following delivery, the refund will cover only the product value. The shipping charges paid at the time of order are non-refundable. This applies to both self-shipped and free-shipping orders (in the case of free-shipping orders, no shipping charge was paid, so this clause does not apply).
• Cash on Delivery (COD) Orders: For COD orders that are cancelled or returned, the refund (product value only) will be processed via bank transfer (NEFT/IMPS) to the bank account details you provide to our support team, or through an alternative method mutually agreed upon.

All refunds for online payments are processed through Razorpay and typically reflect in your bank account or card statement within 5 to 10 business days, depending on your bank or financial institution's processing timelines. We are not responsible for delays caused by your bank, payment gateway, or card network.

10. User-Submitted Content and Product Reviews

Registered customers who purchase products from our Website may submit product ratings and written reviews. By submitting any content, you represent and warrant that:

• Your submission is based on your actual, personal experience with the product.
• The content is truthful, accurate, and free of abusive, profane, harassing, or defamatory language.
• The review does not contain spam, advertising, hyperlinks, or promotional content.

We reserve the right (but do not assume the obligation) to moderate, edit, approve, or reject any submitted reviews at our sole discretion. Reviews that violate these content guidelines or relate to issues outside our control (such as shipping delays, which should be directed to customer support) may be rejected from display.

By posting a review, you grant Zero Artificial^® a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, and irrevocable right to use, modify, publish, and display such reviews across our storefront and promotional channels.

11. Promotional Coupons, Discount Codes, and Campaign Offers

We may from time to time offer promotional coupons, discount codes, and campaign offers (collectively, "Coupons") on our Website. All Coupons are subject to the following rules:

• Coupons must be applied in the shopping cart or checkout screen before placing your order. They cannot be applied to orders retrospectively.
• Coupons may have minimum purchase requirements, maximum discount ceilings, expiry dates, or limited usage counts per customer account.
• Specific Spotlight Coupons may be restricted to prepaid-only payment methods (Credit/Debit Card, Netbanking, UPI) and will not be eligible if Cash on Delivery (COD) is selected.
• Coupons are non-transferable, cannot be exchanged for cash, and we reserve the right to terminate or change active campaigns at any time without notice.

12. Intellectual Property Rights

All content on this Website — including but not limited to the brand name "Zero Artificial®," logo, product names, product descriptions, images, graphics, user interface design, page layouts, icons, taglines, marketing copy, and underlying source code — is the exclusive intellectual property of Zero Artificial and is protected under the Indian Trade Marks Act, 1999; the Copyright Act, 1957; and other applicable intellectual property laws of India.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works from, publicly display, republish, download, store, transmit, or commercially exploit any material on the Website without our prior written consent. Unauthorised use of any content may give rise to a claim for damages and may constitute a criminal offence under applicable Indian laws.

13. Product Allergen and Dietary Disclaimer

While we supply premium, certified organic food products that are free from artificial chemicals, preservatives, colours, and flavour enhancers, our products are manufactured in facilities that may also process items containing common allergens. These allergens may include, but are not limited to:

• Gluten (present in certain grains and wheat-based products)
• Nuts and tree nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, etc.)
• Sesame seeds
• Dairy and milk-based products
• Soy-based ingredients

Customers with known food allergies, dietary restrictions, or medical conditions are strongly advised to carefully read the full ingredient list and nutritional information provided on the product packaging before consumption. If you have any questions about a specific product's ingredients or suitability for your dietary needs, please contact us before placing your order.

Zero Artificial^® shall not be held liable for any adverse health reactions, allergic episodes, or medical complications resulting from the consumption of our products by individuals with pre-existing allergies, sensitivities, or medical conditions.

14. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Zero Artificial^®, its directors, employees, agents, suppliers, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages — including but not limited to loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses — arising out of or in connection with:

• Your use of (or inability to use) the Website or any of its features.
• Delays or failures in delivery caused by logistics partners, courier services, natural disasters, strikes, or other events beyond our reasonable control.
• Any unauthorised access to or alteration of your personal data or transmissions.
• Any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions in product descriptions, pricing, or content on the Website.
• Your reliance on any information or content provided on the Website.

In no event shall our total cumulative liability to you for all claims arising out of or related to these Terms or your use of the Website exceed the amount actually paid by you for the specific order giving rise to the claim.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Zero Artificial^®, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from or related to:

• Your violation of these Terms and Conditions.
• Your use or misuse of the Website.
• Any false, misleading, or inaccurate information provided by you.
• Your infringement of any third-party rights, including intellectual property rights.

16. Modifications to These Terms

We reserve the right to update, amend, or replace any part of these Terms and Conditions at any time, at our sole discretion. Changes will be effective immediately upon posting the revised Terms on this page. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the most recent modifications were made.

It is your responsibility to review these Terms periodically for any changes. Your continued use of the Website following the posting of revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of and agreement to the changes. If you do not agree with any updated Terms, you must discontinue your use of the Website.

17. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles. Any disputes, controversies, or claims arising out of or relating to these Terms, or the breach, termination, or invalidity thereof, shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts located in Nagercoil, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India.

Before initiating any legal proceedings, the parties agree to attempt to resolve the dispute through good-faith negotiation. If the dispute cannot be resolved amicably within thirty (30) days, either party may seek legal remedy through the appropriate courts.

18. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback regarding these Terms and Conditions, please reach out to us through any of the following channels: