Refund policy

Refunds & Returns Policy

Last updated: September 2026

This Refunds & Returns Policy applies to goods purchased from Lab Recycle, a trading name of GC Doctors Limited.

As we specialise in used, surplus and refurbished laboratory and scientific equipment, customers should carefully review the description, condition and specification of equipment before purchasing.

Nothing in this policy limits or excludes any statutory rights which cannot legally be excluded.

Consumer returns – change of mind

If you purchase from Lab Recycle as a consumer through our website or another distance-selling method, you will normally have the right to cancel your order within 14 days of receiving the goods, subject to any applicable statutory exceptions.

You do not need to provide a reason for cancelling.

You must inform Lab Recycle of your decision to cancel within the applicable cancellation period by contacting:

sales@labrecycle.co.uk

After notifying us of cancellation, the goods must normally be returned to us within 14 days.

Return shipping costs

For a consumer change-of-mind return, the customer is responsible for the direct cost of returning the goods to Lab Recycle, except where applicable law requires us to bear that cost or we have expressly agreed otherwise.

This can include the cost of:

  • courier or postal charges;
  • pallet delivery;
  • specialist scientific-equipment transport;
  • appropriate packaging and protective materials;
  • insurance selected by the customer; and
  • any other transport arrangements required to safely return the equipment.

Laboratory instruments can be large, heavy, fragile and expensive to transport. Customers should therefore consider potential return costs before ordering.

Where goods cannot normally be returned by post because of their nature, size or weight, we will provide or make available an estimate of the direct return cost where required by law.

We may be able to arrange return transport on the customer's behalf. Where we agree to do so for a change-of-mind return, the agreed transport cost may be payable by the customer or, where legally permitted, deducted from sums otherwise due to them.

The law allows the consumer to bear the direct return cost where they have been properly informed of that obligation beforehand.

Condition of returned equipment

Customers have the right to inspect goods to establish their nature, characteristics and functioning.

Returned equipment should, where reasonably possible, include all items originally supplied, including accessories, cables, manuals, documentation, packaging and other components.

Customers should not undertake testing or use beyond what is reasonably necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the equipment.

This is particularly important for laboratory equipment where installation, operation, contamination or modification can significantly affect its resale value.

Examples of handling that may reduce the value of returned equipment include:

  • physical or cosmetic damage;
  • contamination;
  • installation damage;
  • modification of hardware;
  • dismantling equipment;
  • unauthorised repairs;
  • changing instrument configuration;
  • removing or replacing components;
  • deleting or modifying supplied software;
  • altering computer or instrument settings in a way that cannot reasonably be restored;
  • damaging or discarding specialist packaging;
  • failing to return supplied accessories; or
  • use substantially beyond that necessary to inspect the equipment.

Where a consumer has handled the goods beyond what is necessary to establish their nature, characteristics and functioning, Lab Recycle may make a deduction from the refund reflecting the resulting reduction in value, where permitted by law.

No consumer restocking fee

Lab Recycle does not impose a standard restocking fee where a consumer is exercising a statutory right to cancel.

However, this does not prevent Lab Recycle from making a lawful deduction reflecting actual diminished value resulting from excessive handling, damage, missing components or other circumstances permitted by law.

Government/Trading Standards guidance is quite explicit that an ordinary cancellation or restocking fee should not be substituted for the legally permitted diminished-value deduction.

Refund amount

For a valid consumer cancellation, we will refund the price paid for the returned goods together with the cost of our least expensive standard delivery option, where required by law.

If you selected an enhanced, expedited, timed or other premium delivery service, we are not required to refund the additional amount above our standard delivery cost.

The customer's direct cost of returning the goods is not normally refundable in a change-of-mind cancellation where the customer was properly informed that they would bear that cost.

Any lawful deduction for diminished value may also be applied.

Refunds will normally be made using the same payment method used for the original purchase.

We may withhold the refund until we have received the goods back or you have supplied evidence that they have been returned, where permitted by law.

Faulty, damaged or incorrectly described goods

The above provisions concerning change-of-mind returns do not remove your statutory rights where goods are faulty, damaged, not as described or otherwise fail to conform to the contract.

If you believe equipment is faulty or materially different from its description, please contact us before arranging a return.

We may ask you to provide:

  • your order or invoice number;
  • equipment model and serial number;
  • photographs of the equipment;
  • photographs of packaging where transit damage is suspected;
  • a description of the fault;
  • relevant error messages; and
  • reasonable diagnostic information.

Please do not dismantle, modify or attempt unauthorised repairs to equipment after identifying a fault unless agreed with us.

Where the goods do not conform to the contract, your statutory remedies apply and we will not use this change-of-mind return policy to restrict those rights. GOV.UK specifically states that businesses must offer appropriate remedies for faulty, misdescribed or non-conforming consumer goods.

Business-to-business (B2B) returns

Where goods are purchased wholly or mainly for business purposes, the purchaser is treated as a business customer.

Business customers do not have the consumer 14-day change-of-mind cancellation right.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, B2B sales are final once the order has been accepted.

However, Lab Recycle may, entirely at its discretion, agree to accept the return of correctly supplied goods that a business customer no longer requires.

Any such return must be authorised by Lab Recycle before the equipment is returned.

B2B restocking charge

Where Lab Recycle agrees to accept a discretionary B2B return which is not the result of a fault or error by Lab Recycle, we may apply a restocking charge of 20% of the original purchase price.

I think 20% is defensible commercially for your type of stock because taking back a GC, HPLC or other scientific instrument potentially means inspection, testing, cleaning, photography, administration and relisting. I wouldn't go much higher without having the terms professionally reviewed.

The restocking charge may cover reasonable costs associated with:

  • receiving and inspecting the equipment;
  • functional testing;
  • cleaning;
  • repackaging;
  • administration;
  • restoring equipment configuration;
  • remarketing; and
  • relisting the equipment for sale.

Acceptance of a B2B return remains at Lab Recycle's discretion unless the return results from a contractual or statutory right that applies to the transaction.

B2B return transport

Unless the return results from an error by Lab Recycle or we expressly agree otherwise, the business customer is responsible for all costs associated with returning the equipment.

The customer is responsible for ensuring that equipment is appropriately packaged and protected for transport.

The customer bears the risk of loss or damage during return transportation until the equipment has been received by Lab Recycle, subject to applicable law and any separately agreed transport arrangements.

We strongly recommend that high-value laboratory equipment is returned using an appropriately insured service experienced in transporting scientific equipment.

B2B deductions

In addition to any agreed restocking charge, Lab Recycle may make a reasonable deduction where returned equipment:

  • has been damaged;
  • has been contaminated;
  • is incomplete;
  • has missing accessories;
  • has been modified;
  • requires repair;
  • requires additional cleaning or decontamination;
  • has missing or damaged packaging;
  • has had software or configurations materially altered; or
  • is otherwise returned in a materially different condition from that in which it was supplied.

Any such deduction should reflect the reasonable loss or cost incurred by Lab Recycle.

Items not normally accepted for discretionary B2B return

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, we may refuse discretionary returns of:

  • equipment sold For Parts / Repair;
  • equipment clearly sold Untested where its condition was accurately described;
  • consumables;
  • chromatography columns;
  • opened sterile or contamination-sensitive products;
  • software or licences once activated or transferred;
  • specially sourced equipment;
  • equipment modified at the customer's request;
  • custom orders; and
  • goods damaged or contaminated after delivery.

This does not remove any rights the business customer may have where goods have been materially misdescribed or an express contractual warranty applies.

Return authorisation

Please do not return equipment to our registered office without contacting us first.

All returns must first be authorised by Lab Recycle.

Once a return has been approved, we will provide the appropriate return address and any packaging or transport instructions.

Our registered office is a statutory correspondence address and is not our standard equipment returns or warehouse address.

Unauthorised returns may result in additional handling, storage or redelivery costs where legally permissible.

Contact information

Lab Recycle
A trading name of GC Doctors Limited

Website: labrecycle.co.uk

GC Doctors Limited
Company number: 17288210
Registered in England and Wales

Registered office:
71–75 Shelton Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9JQ
United Kingdom

Please contact us before returning any equipment. The registered office above should not be used as a returns address unless we expressly instruct you to do so.