How does the Switchback Apparel return policy actually work?

Switchback Apparel is the merch and technical tee shop in the Cairn Holdings family. I pack and ship the orders, and I answer the returns mailbox when a customer writes in. The policy is short. Most of the questions we get are not about what it says but about where the edges are.

When does the 30-day window start?

Section 1 of the policy says a customer may request a return within 30 days of delivery, and that the clock starts when the carrier records delivery. It does not start when the order is placed, and it does not start when the shipping notice goes out.

This matters more than it sounds. Orders sometimes sit at a depot for a few days. A customer who counts from their order confirmation can believe they are over the window when they are not. When I reply, I quote the carrier's recorded delivery date and count from there, so the customer and I are working from the same day.

What if the carrier scan is wrong?

Then the scan is a documented problem with the shipment, and that is a different section. A missing or clearly wrong delivery scan is handled with the carrier, not with the return rule. I do not stretch the return window to cover it, and I do not tell the customer the window has started if I cannot see a delivery record.

What condition does the product need to be in?

Section 2 asks for three things: unworn, clean and accompanied by the order number. The order number is the one people forget. It is what lets me match a returned parcel to a payment without guessing.

Unworn and clean are judged when the parcel arrives. I do not ask customers to photograph anything in advance. If a returned tee has clearly been worn and washed, I say so in plain words and explain which part of Section 2 it did not meet.

Is a fit consultation the same as a return?

No. If someone is unhappy with the fit, I can offer a fit consultation: a conversation about sizing against our measurements before they buy again. Section 3 lets me offer that at any time, including after the window has closed. It is help, not a refund, and I keep those two words separate in every reply.

What happens after the 30-day window?

Section 3 is the one that generates the hard conversations. A request after the 30-day window is not eligible for a standard refund. I may offer a fit consultation. I must not promise an exception.

Exceptions exist, but they are not mine to grant. Only Avery can approve one, and only in writing. So when a customer writes on day 40 with a reasonable story, my reply does two things. It says clearly that the request falls outside the window, and it says that I can pass the request to the owner without any promise about the outcome. That second sentence is the honest version of "let me see what I can do."

Why can't support just make a call?

Because a promise made at the counter becomes the policy, whether or not it was ever written down. One well-meaning exception becomes the story a customer tells a friend. Keeping approvals with the owner, in writing, keeps the written policy and the practised policy the same document.

How are defects handled differently?

Section 4 is the part customers are usually relieved to hear. Defects and incorrect shipments are reviewed separately. If the seam is split, or we sent a medium when the order said large, the 30-day discretionary rule does not apply. That is our mistake to fix, on its own track.

The separation protects the customer. A documented defect does not get rejected because it was noticed on day 35. It also protects the shop, because a discretionary return is never dressed up as a defect to get around the window.

What counts as documented?

A photograph of the fault, the order number and a short description. For an incorrect shipment, the packing slip against the item received. I record what was sent in and what I decided, so the next person to open the thread can see the reasoning without rereading everything.

Why does every reply name a policy section?

Two reasons. The first is for the customer. "Section 3 says a request after 30 days is not eligible for a standard refund" is something they can check. "Sorry, policy" is not.

The second is for us. The policy also says a support reply must not claim that a credit has already been issued. Refunds are processed in a separate step, by a separate person. If my reply says "your refund is on its way" before that step has happened, I have made a promise on someone else's behalf. So I describe what will happen next and who does it, and I leave the word "issued" to the person who actually issues it.

Does this slow replies down?

A little, the first week. After that the sections are memorised and the replies are faster, because there is nothing to decide. The decision was made when the policy was written. My job is to apply it kindly and say which part I applied.

Q&A

The short answers to the returns questions we are asked most.

Last updated 30 September 2026.