Our Guarantee

This guarantee covers manufacturing defects — that is, defects in materials and workmanship — in your hand-crafted EARTHLINE product. It does not cover normal wear and tear, misuse, or the natural characteristics of the materials used, as explained below. Please keep this document for future reference.

YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT

This guarantee is in addition to, and does not limit, replace, or reduce, your rights under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 ("the CPA"), including your right under section 56 to return defective goods within six (6) months of delivery for repair, replacement, or refund at your choice, and your rights under sections 55 and 61. Nothing in this document should be read as excluding or limiting those statutory rights.

FRAME

5 YEAR GUARANTEE

EARTHLINE guarantees the frame of its

hand-crafted products to be free from manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship for five 5 years from the date of delivery to you, assuming normal household use.

2 YEAR GUARANTEE

2 YEAR GUARANTEE: EARTHLINE guarantees that the leather and fabric coverings on its hand-crafted products will be free from manufacturing defects causing tearing or splitting under normal use for two 2 years from the date of delivery to you.

COVERINGS INCLUDING LEATHER AND FABRIC

FOAM

2 YEAR GUARANTEE

EARTHLINE guarantees the foam used in its hand-crafted products to be free from abnormal loss of flexibility or resiliency, caused by a manufacturing defect, for two 2 years from the date of delivery to you.

2 YEAR GUARANTEE

Where a product incorporates a recliner action (the mechanism attached to the wooden frame that enables the reclining function), EARTHLINE guarantees the recliner action to be free from manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship for two (2) years from the date of delivery to you. The recliner action is guaranteed separately from, and does not form part of, the frame guarantee in this Section 1.

RECLINER ACTION

POWER RECLINER MOTOR AND ELECTRONICS

2 YEAR GUARANTEE

WEIGHT CAPACITY

EARTHLINE recliner products (manual and power) are guaranteed for use by persons weighing up to 120 kg per seat. Mechanical, motor, or frame failure shown to have been caused by use of a recliner seat by a person exceeding 120 kg is not covered by this guarantee (see Section 3).

For clarity: this is a manufacturing-defect guarantee. It does not cover damage, deterioration, or characteristics arising from normal use, ageing, or the natural properties of the materials, as set out below.

IMPORTANT — POWER RECLINERS AND SOUTH AFRICA'S ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

South Africa's electricity supply can be unstable, including power surges, dips, and outages (such as during load-shedding). Power surges can damage the motor and electronic components of a power recliner. The guarantee on the motor and electronics in Section 1 does not cover damage caused by power surges or supply fluctuations where you have not taken reasonable steps to protect the product, such as by using a suitable surge protector. This exclusion applies only where EARTHLINE can show that the power supply

issue actually caused the defect and does not affect your rights in respect of a genuine manufacturing defect in the motor or electronics.

Natural Characteristics and Normal Wear (Not Manufacturing Defects)

Most leather used in EARTHLINE products is full-grain, full-aniline leather. As a natural material, it will show variation in grain, texture, colour, and tone between hides, and may include natural markings such as insect bites, healed scars, veining, or wrinkling. These variations are characteristic of genuine leather and are not manufacturing defects.

As a natural material, full-grain leather will also stretch and settle to some degree with normal seating use, particularly across seat cushions and backrests. This is most noticeable in the first three (3) to six (6) months of use, as the leather fibres relax and the covering conforms to the shape of the cushioning beneath it, and typically stabilises thereafter. This natural settling is not a manufacturing defect. It is distinct from tearing, splitting, or seam failure, which is covered under Section 1.

Full-grain leather will also crease and wrinkle at points of repeated flexing, such as the junction between the seat and backrest, arm folds, and headrest hinges. These creases typically deepen with continued use and are a natural characteristic of genuine leather, not a manufacturing defect. This is distinct from cracking or flaking of the leather's surface finish, which is covered under Section 1.

Some variation in colour and sheen between hides, and gradual changes in tone over time due to exposure to light and normal use (including a change in sheen on high-wear areas such as seat fronts and arm tops), are characteristic of full-aniline leather and are not manufacturing defects.

Foam and fibre cushioning will naturally soften, contour, and flatten with ordinary use over time, including softening by up to 20% within the first six (6) months of use. This gradual softening is expected and is not a manufacturing defect. It is distinct from an abnormal or premature loss of resiliency, which is covered under Section 1.

Where cushioning includes a feather or fibre wrap, the feather or fibre fill may migrate or redistribute within the cushion with normal use, causing temporary unevenness that can be corrected by fluffing or plumping the cushion. This is a natural characteristic of feather and fibre-wrapped cushioning and is not a manufacturing defect.

GUARENTEE EXCLUSIONS

This guarantee applies to normal household use of EARTHLINE products. It does not cover:

Damage resulting from misuse, abuse, neglect, accidents, burns, fire, water, or other hazards;
Damage occurring during transport after original delivery to you;
Discolouration, cracking, or peeling caused by exposure to direct sunlight, extreme heat, or similar environmental conditions;
Damage caused by cleaners, conditioners, treatments, or other chemical products not approved in writing by EARTHLINE, where such damage is shown to have caused the defect complained of;
Damage caused by the transfer of haircare, cosmetic, or personal-care products onto the leather or fabric, including hair oils, hair relaxers and other alkaline hair treatments, pomades, lotions, and similar substances, whether transferred directly or through contact with treated hair, wigs, or skin, where such transfer is shown to have caused the damage complained of;
Mechanical, motor, or frame failure of a recliner seat caused by use of that seat by a person weighing more than 120 kg, as set out in Section 1, where such use is shown to have caused the failure complained of;
Damage to the motor or electronic components of a power recliner caused by power surges, dips, or other electricity supply fluctuations, where no reasonable step (such as use of a suitable surge protector) was taken to protect the product, and where EARTHLINE can show this caused the defect; and
Products used predominantly in a commercial or business environment rather than for household use.

These exclusions apply only where they are the actual cause of the issue in question. They do not override your rights under sections 55 and 56 of the CPA where a genuine manufacturing defect exists, and EARTHLINE bears the onus of showing that an exclusion applies.

YOUR REMODY

Within six (6) months of delivery: If your EARTHLINE product has a manufacturing defect, you may choose, at your own discretion as required by section 56(2) of the CPA, to have EARTHLINE either:

repair the defect;
replace the product or the defective part; or
refund the price you paid for the product, upon return of the product. Where a refund is the chosen or required remedy, the refund will be processed by the retailer from whom you purchased the product, and not by EARTHLINE directly.

After six (6) months and for the remainder of the applicable guarantee period set out in Section 1: EARTHLINE will remedy a valid manufacturing-defect claim by repair, replacement, or refund, with the choice of remedy made by EARTHLINE acting reasonably, taking into account the nature of the defect and the practicality of each option. As above, where a refund is the chosen remedy, it will be processed by the retailer from whom you purchased the product.

Where a remedy is provided, the guarantee period for the repaired or replacement item continues from the original delivery date and does not restart.

Liability

To the extent permitted by law, EARTHLINE's liability under this guarantee is limited to the repair, replacement, or refund remedies described in Section 4. Nothing in this document excludes or limits: (a) EARTHLINE's liability for death, injury, or damage caused by defective goods under section 61 of the CPA; or (b) liability arising from EARTHLINE's gross negligence, which cannot be excluded under section 51(1)(c) of the CPA.

How to Claim

Step 1 — Contact the retailer: In the first instance, please discuss your claim with the retailer from whom you purchased the product. Provide the retailer with:

clear photographs of the alleged defect;
a written description of the issue; and
a dated proof of purchase.

The retailer must also provide EARTHLINE with proof of delivery of the goods, confirming the date on which EARTHLINE delivered the product, to support the assessment of your claim.

The retailer will assist you in referring the claim to EARTHLINE for assessment. Only in the event that the retailer from whom you purchased the product is no longer trading should EARTHLINE be contacted directly, using the details on our website, www.earthline.co.za. Nothing in this procedure limits your right under the CPA to claim directly against EARTHLINE as producer of the goods.

In assessing a claim, either the retailer or EARTHLINE may require the product to be assessed by an independent, suitably qualified third-party expert. Where this is necessary, you will be advised accordingly, and the outcome of that independent assessment will be taken into account in determining your claim.

Please raise claims as soon as reasonably possible after discovering a defect. Claims raised within the guarantee periods set out in Section 1 will not be refused solely on the grounds of the time taken to notify EARTHLINE after discovery, provided you have acted reasonably.

If EARTHLINE assesses a claim and determines that the issue is not a manufacturing defect covered by this guarantee, EARTHLINE will provide the retailer with a written rejection letter setting out the reasons for that decision.

This rejection letter, and any related internal correspondence between EARTHLINE and the retailer, is supplied to the retailer for the retailer's own internal assessment process. The retailer must not forward this letter, or any related emails from EARTHLINE, directly to you. Instead, the retailer must run its own internal process and communicate the outcome, and the reasons for it, to you directly. This is to protect personal information handled during the assessment process in line with the Protection of Personal

Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA"), and applies to EARTHLINE and its retailers, not to your own rights as a consumer. It does not limit your right to request reasons for a rejected claim, or to dispute that outcome through the retailer, EARTHLINE, or the National Consumer Commission.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your claim, you may refer the matter to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO), an accredited industry ombud scheme under the CPA, at www.cgso.org.za. If your complaint is not resolved through the CGSO, or falls outside its jurisdiction, you may lodge a complaint with the National Consumer Commission (NCC) at www.thencc.gov.za.

Who Is Covered

This guarantee is available to the original purchaser and to any other person who lawfully possesses or uses the product (for example, a subsequent owner or a household member), consistent with the definition of "consumer" under the CPA.

This guarantee does not need to be registered in order to be valid.

Earthline Guarantee