Refund policy

The Empty Bowl Guarantee

We know switching your dog onto a new food is a leap of faith. The Empty Bowl Guarantee is our promise that we’ll stand behind your first order — if it doesn’t work out for your dog, we’ll make it right.

In short:

One-time guarantee on your first order with Bowlsome
Claim within 30 days of delivery
We’ll work with you first to find a product your dog loves — and only refund if that doesn’t work
Your choice of refund: cash up to $100, or Bowlsome store credit at 110% on the full value of your order (no cap)
No return required — keep the food, share it with a friend, or donate it to a local shelter

Who’s eligible

The Empty Bowl Guarantee applies to:

New customers, on their first order with Bowlsome, including subscription starter boxes and one-off purchases
Claims raised within 30 days of the order being delivered
One claim per customer, ever — the guarantee can only be used once across the lifetime of a Bowlsome account

It does not apply to second or subsequent orders, repeat purchases of the same product, additional ranges added to an existing subscription, or orders placed under a different email or shipping address used to circumvent this rule.

Customers with rights under the Australian Consumer Law are unaffected by this limit — see the Your Australian Consumer Law rights section below.

How a claim works

We’d rather find a product your dog loves than refund and lose you as a customer — so the first step is a conversation.

Step 1 — Get in touch. Email us at contact@bowlsome.au within 30 days of your order arriving. Tell us what happened — what your dog rejected, any reactions, and anything else that might help.

Step 2 — We’ll send a sample pack. Our team will recommend an alternative product or protein based on what we learn, and send it to you at no charge. Many dogs who turn their nose up at one Bowlsome product will happily eat another — different protein, different texture, different format.

Step 3 — If the samples don’t work either, we’ll process your refund. No return required, no further questions asked.

What you’ll get back

When your refund is approved, you choose how it’s paid.

Option 1 — Cash refund (capped at $100)

A cash refund is returned to your original payment method, up to a maximum of $100. If your first order was worth more than $100, the cash refund is limited to $100 — the balance above the cap isn’t refunded under this option.

Option 2 — Bowlsome store credit (at 110% — no cap)

A store credit refund is paid as Bowlsome store credit on the full value of your refund, with a 10% premium on top. We add the premium as our way of saying thank you for staying with us — and so you can put it toward something your dog will love next time.

Store credit is valid for 3 years from issue and can be used on any future Bowlsome purchase. It cannot be transferred, sold, or exchanged for cash.

Worked example

Your first order was a Loyalty Bundle Large for $150. After samples didn’t work for your dog, you’re eligible for a refund. You choose between:

Option	What you receive
Cash	$100 returned to your original payment method
Store credit at 110%	$165.00 in Bowlsome store credit ($150 × 1.10)

Our customer service team will walk you through both options at the time of your claim.

What’s not covered

The Empty Bowl Guarantee does not cover:

Second or subsequent orders (the guarantee is one-time only)
Orders placed more than 30 days before the claim is raised
Orders where the product has been substantially used (more than 50% consumed) without prior contact with our customer service team
Claims our team reasonably determines to be fraudulent or abusive — including repeat claims under different accounts, false representations about a dog’s reaction, or patterns of behaviour inconsistent with genuine dissatisfaction

These exclusions apply only to the Empty Bowl Guarantee. Faulty, damaged, or incorrect orders are handled separately — see below.

Faulty, damaged, or incorrect orders

Separate from the Empty Bowl Guarantee, you’re always entitled to a remedy if:

A product arrives damaged in transit (split bag, leaking pouch, compromised packaging)
The product is faulty or spoiled when it arrives
You receive the wrong product or wrong quantity

In these cases, email us with a photo within 30 days of delivery. We’ll replace the item or refund it, at no cost to you, regardless of whether it’s your first order or your fortieth. These claims don’t count toward your one-time Empty Bowl Guarantee.

Returns

We don’t ask you to return the product. Bowlsome food is fresh, perishable, and chain-of-custody sensitive — once it’s left our warehouse, it can’t safely go back on the shelf.

If a refund is approved, please consider:

Sharing it with another dog parent
Donating to a local animal shelter or rescue (most welcome unopened food gladly)
Composting any product that can’t be re-homed

Subscriptions

If your refund is on a subscription order, the subscription itself isn’t automatically cancelled — let us know if you’d like us to pause or cancel it, and our team will sort that at the same time. Our Subscription & Cancellation Policy sets out the full subscription terms.

Existing customers

This policy applies to all refund claims raised on or after 25 July 2026, regardless of when the original order was placed. It supersedes all prior versions of the Bowlsome Refund Policy and Empty Bowl Guarantee.

Your Australian Consumer Law rights

Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and for compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.

Nothing in this policy — including the $100 cap, the 30-day window, the one-time limit, or the samples-first step — limits or replaces any right you have under the Australian Consumer Law.

If you believe a product hasn’t met an Australian Consumer Law guarantee, contact us at contact@bowlsome.au and we’ll resolve it in line with the law.

Anti-fraud and abuse

We reserve the right to refuse a refund where, in our reasonable opinion, a claim is fraudulent, abusive, or made in bad faith — including:

Claims supported by false or misleading information
Repeat claims raised by the same customer under different accounts, emails, or addresses
Claims where the pattern of orders and refunds is inconsistent with genuine dissatisfaction

This clause does not affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.