Cancellation & Refund Policy

Gulfwaves Express

This Cancellation & Refund Policy applies to shipments booked with Gulfwaves Express, a division of Gulf Waves Shipping LLC. By confirming a booking and/or making payment, the customer acknowledges and accepts the following terms.

1. Cancellation Before Shipment

Cancellation requests must be submitted to Gulfwaves Express in writing.

Where a shipment is eligible for cancellation, a cancellation fee equivalent to 25% of the invoice amount, subject to a minimum charge of AED 250, will apply.

Any other costs already incurred in connection with the shipment, including collection, handling, documentation, storage, payment processing, or third-party charges, may also be deducted from the refundable amount.

Approved refunds may take up to 30 days from the date the complete refund request is received and approved.

2. Cancellation After Cargo Has Been Handed Over for Shipping

If the shipment has already been handed over to the carrier, consolidator, warehouse, or shipping partner but remains at origin and can still be retrieved, Gulfwaves Express will make reasonable efforts to place the shipment on hold and arrange its return.

The return is subject to operational feasibility and approval by the relevant carrier or service provider.

The customer will be responsible for all charges incurred in stopping and returning the shipment, including but not limited to:

• Carrier or warehouse handling charges
• Return transportation or collection charges
• Storage charges
• Documentation or administrative charges
• Any other third-party costs incurred

These charges, together with the applicable cancellation fee, will be deducted from any amount eligible for refund.

3. Non-Refundable Shipments

Once the shipment has entered the shipping or consolidation process and can no longer reasonably be withdrawn or returned, no refund will be issued.

This includes, but is not limited to, shipments that have:

• Been consolidated or loaded into a container;
• Entered a container yard, terminal, port, or carrier facility;
• Been manifested or processed for export;
• Been loaded or scheduled for loading onto the vessel; or
• Already departed or are in transit to the destination.

Once the above stage has been reached, the shipping service will be considered committed and non-refundable.

4. Shipment Rollover

Gulfwaves Express operates consolidated shipments, and sailing schedules are subject to cargo readiness, container loading schedules, carrier availability, port operations, vessel schedules, and other operational factors.

Where a shipment misses the intended consolidation or vessel schedule, it may be transferred or rolled over to the next available shipment or sailing.

The first and second rollovers will not incur a Gulfwaves Express rollover fee.

From the third rollover onwards, an additional charge of AED 25 per rollover may apply where the rollover is caused by the customer's delay, including failure to hand over the cargo on time, incomplete documentation, unpaid charges, or other customer-related reasons.

Any third-party charges imposed by the carrier, terminal, warehouse, or other service provider will be charged separately where applicable.

5. Credit/Debit Card Refunds

For payments made by credit or debit card, applicable payment processing or transaction fees are non-refundable.

A minimum transaction deduction of 3.79% of the refundable amount or AED 10, whichever is greater, will apply to card refunds.

The final refundable amount will therefore be calculated after deducting the applicable cancellation fee, transaction fee, and any other charges already incurred.

6. Tabby Payments

For bookings paid through Tabby, applicable merchant/payment processing charges are non-refundable and will be deducted from the amount eligible for refund.

The applicable deductions are:

• Tabby Payment Link: 9%
• Tabby Card: 14%

All Tabby refunds are subject to verification and approval by the Gulfwaves Express Accounts Department.

Once the approved refund has been processed through Tabby, the refund or adjustment will be reflected in the customer's Tabby account in accordance with Tabby's processing procedures.

7. Refund Eligibility & Shipment Status

Before any refund is approved, Gulfwaves Express must verify the current status of the shipment.

Refund eligibility will depend on the stage of the shipment at the time the cancellation request is received, together with any services already performed and costs already incurred.

Submitting a refund request does not automatically guarantee a refund.

The refundable amount, if any, will only be confirmed after operational and accounts verification.

8. Payment Upon Collection

Payment must be settled on or before collection of the box/shipment.

Where payment is made by cash, card, approved payment link, Tabby, or another authorized payment method, the corresponding proof of payment or receipt will be issued subject to payment confirmation.

For bank transfers, payment will only be considered received once the funds have been successfully credited and verified in Gulfwaves' bank account.

The shipment may be placed on hold and will not be released for consolidation or dispatch until the required payment has been confirmed.

9. Refund Processing

All refund requests are subject to:

• Verification of the shipment status;
• Confirmation of the amount paid;
• Deduction of applicable cancellation, processing, return, storage, handling, carrier, or other incurred charges;
• Accounts Department approval; and
• Processing through the original or approved refund method.

Approved refunds may take up to 30 days to process, depending on the payment method, bank, payment gateway, or third-party provider.

10. Important Notice

Shipping schedules, consolidation dates, vessel departures, and transit times are estimates and may change due to carrier schedules, port congestion, customs procedures, weather, operational requirements, or circumstances outside the reasonable control of Gulfwaves Express.

A change in sailing date or estimated transit schedule does not automatically constitute grounds for cancellation or a full refund where the shipment has already been processed or costs have been incurred.

Gulfwaves Express reserves the right to deduct all actual costs and non-refundable third-party charges incurred before determining the final refundable amount.

This is a template based on the content provided and is not legal advice. Please have a UAE-qualified lawyer review this policy before publishing.