Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Who we are and who sells your meal

MealMesh is an online ordering platform operated by CAG TRADING (PTY) LTD trading as MealMesh, a private company (registration number 2024/202080/07). Registered office: 1 Midas Avenue, Olympus, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0081. Postal: P O Box 39027, Moreletapark, Pretoria, 0044. Email: info@mealmesh.co.za. Phone: 079 883 6307. CAG Trading (Pty) Ltd is not VAT-registered; prices include no VAT. Information officer: Ludwig Traut.

Each meal is prepared and sold by the independent kitchen shown on the order (the "Kitchen"). The Kitchen is the seller and is responsible for the food, its preparation, labelling, allergen information and food safety. MealMesh provides the ordering platform. For kitchens that opt in, CAG Trading (Pty) Ltd collects the full meal payment from the customer through PayFast and pays the kitchen's portion out once a week, minus commission (R2 per meal). Kitchens that do not opt in are paid directly by the customer. MealMesh keeps order records and handles complaints under this policy. Nothing in this policy limits your rights under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA) or the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA).

1.1 How payment works

Payment is opt-in per kitchen. When a kitchen opts in, CAG Trading (Pty) Ltd collects the full meal payment from the customer through PayFast and pays the kitchen's portion out once a week, minus commission (R2 per meal). Kitchens that do not opt in are paid directly by the customer, as before.

2. Why there is no 7-day "change of mind" return

Meals are perishable and made for a specific day. The ECTA 7-day cooling-off right does not apply to food for everyday consumption or goods that deteriorate rapidly (ECTA s42(2)), and food cannot be returned and resold for public-health reasons. You cannot return a meal because you changed your mind. You keep all your rights if a meal is unsafe, defective, wrong or not supplied (CPA ss55–56).

3. Cancelling an order

3.1 Before the Kitchen's cutoff (shown on the order): free. Choose a refund to your original payment method or MealMesh credit for that Kitchen.

3.2 After the cutoff: the Kitchen has already bought ingredients and started preparing, so the order is charged in full as a reasonable cancellation charge (CPA s17).

3.3 No cancellation charge applies if you cannot collect because of the death or hospitalisation of the person the meal was for (CPA s17(5)). Send us reasonable proof.

3.4 If the Kitchen cancels, is closed, runs out, or significantly changes the meal or the pickup time/place, you get a full refund (including any delivery fee), or credit if you prefer.

4. Collection (pickup) and delivery

4.1 Pickup: collect at the pickup point in the time window shown. Orders not collected by the end of the window, without notice to the Kitchen, are a no-show and are not refunded; the Kitchen may dispose of the food for safety reasons.

4.2 If you arrive in the window and the Kitchen is not there or the meal is not ready within 30 minutes, report it within 2 hours for a full refund.

4.3 Delivery (where a Kitchen offers it): the delivery fee, area and time slot are shown before you pay. If delivery is more than 45 minutes late, or doesn't happen, you may refuse the order and get a full refund. If no one is at the address and the Kitchen cannot reach you on the number given, the order is treated as a no-show.

4.4 Collect or receive food promptly and keep it at a safe temperature. Neither MealMesh nor the Kitchen is responsible for food spoiled by poor storage after handover.

5. Problems with your meal: how to claim

5.1 Report through your order page or to info@mealmesh.co.za within 24 hours of the pickup or delivery time (within 2 hours for missing items or a wrong order). Include your order number, a description and clear photos of the meal and packaging/label. Keep the food if you can.

5.2 Late claims will still be considered fairly where the problem could not reasonably have been seen earlier, but quick reporting lets us check with the Kitchen.

5.3 Outcomes (refunds are capped at what you paid for the order): - Missing item or wrong meal: refund for that item, or a replacement if the Kitchen can provide one the same day. - Not as described, spoiled, undercooked, contaminated or foreign object: full refund for the affected meals. - Short portion or minor issue: a fair partial refund. - Meal not supplied at all: full refund including any delivery fee.

5.4 Who pays: if the Kitchen caused the problem, the refund is taken from the Kitchen's payout or charged to the Kitchen. If MealMesh's system caused it (for example a technical fault or wrong price shown by the platform), MealMesh pays. Either way, you deal with us and we sort it out with the Kitchen.

6. Allergens and illness

6.1 Kitchens must list allergens for each meal. Home kitchens handle many ingredients, so we cannot guarantee any meal is free of traces. If you have a severe allergy, contact the Kitchen before ordering.

6.2 If a meal contained an allergen that was not disclosed, you get a full refund.

6.3 If you believe a meal made you ill, seek medical help first, then tell us as soon as possible. We will record the report, ask the Kitchen to preserve records and remaining food, suspend the meal or Kitchen while we look into it if needed, and tell the municipal environmental health office where required. We will refund the meal. Claims for medical costs or other harm are dealt with under the CPA (including s61); this policy does not limit them.

6.4 Health information you send us is used only to handle your complaint and is shared only with the Kitchen and the authorities as needed (see our Privacy Policy).

7. Pricing errors

You pay the price shown when you placed the order. If a price was obviously wrong by mistake (for example R5 instead of R50), we or the Kitchen may cancel the order before it is prepared and give a full refund, or offer it to you at the correct price.

8. How and when refunds are paid

8.1 Card/PayFast payments are refunded to the same card or account, normally within 5 business days of approval; your bank may take up to a further 7–10 business days to show it.

8.2 EFT payments made directly to a Kitchen are refunded by EFT to your account within 7 business days; if the Kitchen doesn't pay, contact us and we will follow up.

8.3 You may choose MealMesh credit instead. Credit is linked to the Kitchen, is valid for at least 3 years from issue (CPA s63), and on request we will refund unused credit to your original payment method. If you close your account, we will refund unused credit first rather than forfeit it.

8.4 MealMesh does not charge customers a service fee. Delivery fees are refunded whenever the delivery failed or the whole order is refunded.

9. Fair use and fraud

We may refuse a claim, ask for more evidence, or suspend an account where there is evidence of abuse, for example repeated claims without evidence, altered photos, or claims for meals that were collected and eaten in full. We will tell you why. This does not affect valid claims.

10. Chargebacks

Please contact us first. We aim to resolve most issues within 3 business days, faster than a bank dispute. If you open a chargeback, we will give the bank the order record, collection confirmation and messages. If the chargeback is upheld, we do not also refund the same order.

11. Response times and escalation

11.1 We acknowledge complaints within 1 business day and aim to resolve them within 5 business days.

11.2 If you are not satisfied, you may escalate to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (www.cgso.org.za, 0860 000 272), then the National Consumer Commission (www.thencc.gov.za). Privacy complaints go to the Information Regulator.

12. Kitchens

Kitchens agree to this policy when they register. They must honour refunds for problems they cause, respond to complaints within 24 hours, and keep their R638 Certificate of Acceptability valid. No commission is charged on orders cancelled before cutoff or fully refunded because of a Kitchen fault.

13. Contact

info@mealmesh.co.za · 079 883 6307 · 1 Midas Avenue, Olympus, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0081. Postal: P O Box 39027, Moreletapark, Pretoria, 0044

info@mealmesh.co.za