Dispute Resolution Policy
When something's not right, here's exactly how we make it right.
This page sets out, in plain language, how to raise a dispute about an order, a Cutting Drops bottle, a charge, or anything else connected to your purchase from The Minerals Lab — how quickly we respond, how we escalate a case internally if you're not satisfied, and where you can turn externally in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, or New Zealand if we can't resolve things between us.
How to lodge a dispute
You can raise a dispute with us through email, phone, or live chat — whichever is easiest for you. Every channel reaches the same small team, so nothing gets lost between departments and no case sits in a queue waiting to be handed off.
To help us resolve things as quickly as possible, please include your order number, the email address used at checkout, and a clear description of what's gone wrong and what outcome you're looking for. If your dispute concerns the condition or quality of Cutting Drops, a photo of the bottle, its batch code (printed on the base of the bottle), and the outer packaging helps us investigate without needing to ask follow-up questions.
Lodging a dispute never costs you anything, and doing so will never affect your ability to place future orders with us in good faith.
Order & delivery disputes
Not received, arrived damaged, or the wrong item entirely. Email us with your tracking number and we'll investigate with the carrier on your behalf.
Product quality disputes
A concern with a bottle's seal, appearance, consistency, or an adverse reaction. Tell us the batch code and what happened, and we'll open an investigation.
Billing & refund disputes
Charged the wrong amount, charged twice, or a refund that hasn't arrived within the timeframe we quoted. We'll check your order and payment record directly.
Four stages, one small team, no back-and-forth with a call centre.
Every dispute follows the same transparent process, whether it's a missed delivery or a question about a charge. Here's exactly what happens after you contact us, and how long each stage takes.
Acknowledgement
We confirm we've received your dispute, assign it a reference number, and let you know who on our team is handling it. This is a genuine acknowledgement from a person, not an automated ticket number with no follow-up.
Investigation
We review your order, payment, and (where relevant) carrier tracking or the batch records for your Cutting Drops bottle. We may ask you for additional information, such as a photo or a description of what happened and when. If your dispute involves a possible adverse reaction, we'll also recommend you speak with a doctor or pharmacist while we investigate.
Decision & proposed remedy
We tell you, in writing, what we found and what we're offering — a refund, replacement, repair, store credit, or an explanation of why we can't uphold the dispute, referencing the specific policy or consumer right that applies. We never leave a dispute without a written outcome.
Resolution
Approved refunds are returned to your original payment method within 10 business days, consistent with our Refund Policy. Replacements are dispatched as soon as stock allows, with a new tracking link sent by email.
A clear escalation path inside our business before you ever need to go outside it.
If you disagree with the outcome of stage 3 above, you don't need to start again from scratch. Reply to the same email thread referencing your dispute reference number, and we'll move your case up internally.
First review
Handled by the support team member assigned to your original case, using any new information you provide. Most disputes are resolved at this stage.
Senior review
A senior member of our team, independent of the original decision, re-examines your case in full and issues a fresh written outcome.
Director-level review
Your case is reviewed personally at business-owner level within URBAN CLOTHING PTY LTD. This is our final internal decision, issued in writing with our full reasoning.
If, after our final internal decision, you still believe the matter is unresolved, you're entitled to take it to an independent external body in your own country — see below. Escalating with us is always free and never affects your right to also contact an external body at any stage; you don't have to wait for us to finish before you do.
Every category of disagreement we handle, so you know we're the right place to raise it.
Non-delivery or lost parcel
Your tracking shows no movement, has stalled, or the carrier marked it delivered but it never arrived.
Damaged or faulty on arrival
The bottle, dropper, or outer packaging arrived broken, leaking, or otherwise not fit for use.
Product quality or batch concern
A concern about taste, colour, consistency, a suspected seal issue, or an adverse reaction linked to a specific batch code.
Incorrect or duplicate charge
You were charged a different amount than shown at checkout, or charged more than once for the same order.
Return or refund not processed
An approved return or refund that hasn't reached your account within the timeframe stated in this policy or our Refund Policy.
Website or checkout error
A discount code that didn't apply correctly, an item ordered in error due to a site fault, or a pricing discrepancy at checkout.
Talk to us first — it's almost always faster than a chargeback.
If you spot a charge you don't recognise or believe is wrong, we'd genuinely rather hear from you directly first. Most billing disputes are resolved within a few business days once we can see your order and payment record — often faster than a formal chargeback through your bank or card issuer.
Your rights aren't affected either way
Raising a dispute with us first does not remove, delay, or waive your statutory right to initiate a chargeback with your card issuer, bank, or payment provider (for example under card scheme rules or the Fair Credit Billing Act in the United States) at any time. It's simply the quickest route, since we can check your order and issue a refund directly without a third party needing to investigate on your behalf.
If a chargeback is opened while we're already reviewing your dispute, we'll respond to your bank or payment provider with the relevant order, delivery, and communication records so the matter can be assessed fairly and without delay.
Independent bodies you can contact, by country.
If our internal process doesn't resolve your dispute to your satisfaction, you can take the matter to an independent body in your own country at no cost. Open the section that applies to you below.
AUAustralia
As an Australian consumer, you can escalate an unresolved dispute to a regulator or your state or territory's fair trading office at any time, free of charge, in addition to anything you've already raised with us.
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC): oversees compliance with the Australian Consumer Law nationally. You can report a concern at accc.gov.au.
- Your state or territory fair trading office: handles individual consumer complaints and can mediate directly with a business. This includes NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria, the Queensland Office of Fair Trading, Consumer and Business Services SA, WA's Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Consumer, Building and Occupational Services Tasmania, Access Canberra in the ACT, and NT Consumer Affairs — contact the office for the state or territory where you live.
- Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA): if your dispute relates specifically to a bank, card issuer, or payment provider (for example a disputed transaction handled by your bank) rather than to us directly, AFCA can review that separately at afca.org.au.
- Escalating to a regulator does not require you to have used our internal process first, though we'd always welcome the chance to resolve things directly.
USUnited States
US consumer protection is enforced at both federal and state level, and several independent options exist if you'd like a second opinion on an unresolved dispute.
- Your state Attorney General's consumer protection office: every state has a division that investigates individual consumer complaints against businesses selling into that state, including unfair or deceptive practices. You can find your state's office through usa.gov/state-attorney-general.
- Better Business Bureau (BBB): offers a free, voluntary dispute resolution and mediation service between customers and businesses. You can file a complaint at bbb.org.
- Card issuer or bank: for billing-specific disputes, you also retain your rights under the Fair Credit Billing Act to dispute a charge directly with your card issuer.
GBUnited Kingdom
UK shoppers have access to a national consumer helpline and independent alternative dispute resolution (ADR) schemes if a dispute with us remains unresolved.
- Citizens Advice consumer helpline: provides free, practical guidance on your consumer rights and can refer serious or repeated issues to Trading Standards on your behalf. Reach them at citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer.
- An ADR-approved body: you can ask us to agree to refer an unresolved dispute to an alternative dispute resolution provider approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI). A current list of CTSI-approved ADR providers is maintained at tradingstandards.uk.
- Trading Standards: your local Trading Standards service (in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland) can investigate wider trading practices, though it does not typically resolve individual disputes directly — the Citizens Advice consumer helpline is the right first step for that.
CACanada
Consumer protection enforcement in Canada sits mainly with each province, alongside a federal body for competition and advertising matters.
- Your provincial consumer affairs office: for example Consumer Protection Ontario, Consumer Protection BC, Alberta's Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction consumer division, or Québec's Office de la protection du consommateur. Each accepts individual complaints about online purchases from residents of that province.
- Competition Bureau Canada: handles complaints about false or misleading advertising at a national level, at competitionbureau.gc.ca.
- Contact the office for the province where you live, as processes and timeframes vary slightly by province.
NZNew Zealand
New Zealand shoppers have access to two independent avenues if a dispute with us can't be resolved directly.
- Disputes Tribunal: a low-cost, independent tribunal that can hear individual consumer claims and make a binding decision, at disputestribunal.govt.nz.
- Commerce Commission: enforces the Fair Trading Act 1986 and can be notified of misleading or unfair conduct, at comcom.govt.nz.
Have a dispute to raise? Start here first.
Whatever's gone wrong — an order, a charge, a bottle of Cutting Drops — a real person on our small team will acknowledge it within 1 business day and see it through to a written outcome.
URBAN CLOTHING PTY LTD (ABN 78 671 782 111), trading as The Minerals Lab · 66 Windemere Road, Alexandra Hills, Queensland 4161, Australia · Page last updated: 6 September 2026