Returns, Replacements & Refunds
Every Shoyuzuke product is fresh, chilled, perishable food. Each Shoyuzuke order is prepared fresh on demand for the customer and is meant to be eaten straight away — not stored like a shelf-stable grocery item. That shapes this policy: we cannot take food back once it has left our cold chain, and in return we put right anything that reaches you wrong, damaged, spoiled or unsafe.
Cancelling an order
If you need to cancel, contact us immediately. We will always try to help, and a change of mind is not refused outright the moment you place an order.
Whether we can still cancel depends on how far your order has progressed:
- whether preparation of your order has begun
- whether ingredients have already been committed specifically to your order
- whether your order has been dispatched for delivery or collection
If none of those has happened yet, we can normally cancel your order and refund it in full. Once preparation has begun or ingredients have been committed specifically to your order, that food cannot be sold to anyone else, so a cancellation may not be possible or may be partial — we will tell you honestly which applies. Once an order has been dispatched we cannot cancel it, and the sections below apply instead.
When we cannot offer a return, refund or exchange
Because every Shoyuzuke order is prepared fresh and shipped chilled, we are not able to resell or re-verify a product once it has been delivered. We therefore do not offer returns, refunds or exchanges for:
- a change of mind once the order has been delivered
- not liking the taste, texture or level of spice
- ordering the wrong flavour, size or quantity by mistake, once the order has been prepared or dispatched
- a change in your own schedule or plans after the order has been prepared or dispatched
- refusing the delivery, or not being available to receive it
- storing the product incorrectly after it was delivered to you in good condition
This is a food-safety limit on specific situations, not a blanket refusal. If something is genuinely wrong with what we sent you, the next section applies and you are covered.
When you are entitled to a remedy
You are entitled to a remedy whenever the problem is with the order itself. That includes when:
- the wrong item, flavour or size arrived
- part of your order is missing
- the packaging or can arrived damaged, crushed or leaking
- the product arrived warm, or the cold chain was clearly broken in transit
- the product was spoiled, off, or unsafe when it reached you
- the product was defective in any other way
What remedy you receive
Once we have verified the issue, you choose the remedy: an appropriate replacement of the affected product, or a refund. Tell us which you would prefer and we will arrange it, subject to your rights under Philippine law.
If the replacement you ask for is unavailable, we will refund the affected product instead.
No restocking fee applies to an approved defective-product claim. You are never charged a handling or restocking fee for an order that was wrong, damaged, spoiled or otherwise defective.
How soon to tell us
Please check your order as soon as it arrives. Shoyuzuke is meant to be eaten straight away, so the sooner we know about a problem, the sooner we can put it right.
Visible problems
Damage, leaking, a crushed or split container, a missing or incorrect item, or a package that arrives warm are all apparent the moment you open it. Please report visible problems as soon as possible — ideally within 2 hours of delivery and, where reasonably possible, within 24 hours.
Reporting quickly is what lets us check the cold chain with the courier while that record still exists, which is usually the strongest evidence for your claim.
These are guidelines to help us investigate, not deadlines that cancel your rights. Reporting later than suggested does not automatically remove any mandatory right you have under Philippine law, and we will still look at your claim.
Hidden quality problems — up to 7 days
Some problems only become apparent once a product is opened. You may report a hidden product-quality issue at any point within the product’s stated safe-storage period, up to a maximum of 7 days from delivery — provided the product was kept continuously according to our published storage instructions: refrigerated at or below 4°C, or frozen at or below −12°C, and not refrozen after thawing.
Beyond that window, or where the product was not stored as instructed after being delivered in good condition, we are not able to assess a quality claim — but your rights under Philippine law still stand, and you are welcome to raise it with us anyway.
What to send us
So we can assess a claim quickly and fairly, please give us:
- your order number
- a short description of what is wrong
- clear photos or a short video of the product and its packaging, where you can reasonably take them
If you cannot safely or reasonably photograph the product, tell us and we will work with the description you can give.
We will acknowledge a properly submitted claim within 1 business day. You will not be left wondering whether your message reached us.
Please do not eat anything you think may be unsafe. If a product looks, smells or tastes wrong, stop immediately and contact us. Do not taste it again to check.
You do not need to post anything back to us
Never mail perishable food back to Shoyuzuke. We do not ask you to, and we do not operate a postal return address for chilled products — sending chilled perishable food through the post is neither safe nor useful as evidence.
Instead, we may ask you to keep the product and its packaging refrigerated for a short time while we investigate, so that we can either arrange a pickup or give you instructions for disposing of it safely. We will always tell you which, and we will not leave you holding something indefinitely.
How refunds are paid
Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method where technically possible. If the original payment channel cannot receive the refund, Shoyuzuke will coordinate an equivalent refund through a verified account belonging to the customer. We will initiate an approved refund within two business days. Most refunds appear sooner, but please allow up to five business days for your payment provider to post the funds. If it takes longer, contact us and we will help trace the transaction.
We do not charge a fee to process a refund.
Your rights under Philippine law
Nothing in this policy limits or replaces any mandatory right you have under the Consumer Act of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 7394) or any other applicable consumer protection law. Where this policy and your legal rights differ, your legal rights prevail.
How to reach us
Message Shoyuzuke on Instagram (@shoyuzukemnl) or Facebook with your order number and a description of the problem. These are our official customer channels, and they are the fastest way to reach the team that can resolve your order.