Refund policy

MicroTec USA Refund & Return Policy

Last Updated: October 7, 2026

This policy applies to purchases made at microtecusa.com, at the MicroTec USA showroom in Orange, California, and to returns from our authorized dealer network. A dealer return follows this policy unless the Dealer Agreement expressly says otherwise. See Section 13.

This policy covers returns, cancellations, arrival damage, and defects reported inside the windows below. It does not extend, replace, or add labor to the manufacturer warranty. Parts coverage after delivery is the 2-year manufacturer parts warranty in Section 12. Additional years, if purchased, are the MicroTec USA Equipment Protection Plan, which is a separate service contract and is not a return right. Full-value coverage for a lost, stolen, or transit-damaged shipment exists only if Shipping Protection was purchased at checkout. A standard shipment is not fully insured to the customer.

Days in this policy are calendar days, not business days, unless a sentence says “business days.”

1. Overview

MicroTec USA sells professional heat transfer equipment. If a product is not right for you, most new, unused, and uninstalled items may be returned within 30 calendar days of delivery.

This policy explains:

  • What can be returned, and what cannot
  • How to start a return
  • Who pays return shipping, and when a restocking fee applies
  • How refunds are issued
  • How damaged, lost, and defective orders are handled
  • When a shipment is insured to the customer, and when it is not
  • What the manufacturer warranty covers, and what voids it
  • When on-site labor is billed

A return is not the same as a warranty claim, and it is not a claim under an Equipment Protection Plan or Shipping Protection.

  • A standard return is a change-of-mind or unused-equipment return. The window is 30 calendar days from delivery. A 15% restocking fee applies. Return freight is not included.
  • A defective return is available only after you complete diagnosis with a MicroTec USA technician by phone or video, and the technician confirms that the machine should come back. The window is 10 calendar days from delivery. A confirmed defect has no restocking fee, and MicroTec USA covers return shipping. We do not send an advance replacement unit.
  • A standard outbound shipment is not fully insured to the customer. Lost, stolen, and transit-damage coverage for the merchandise price applies only if Shipping Protection was purchased at checkout. See Section 7.

After those windows, or once a machine has been installed or used beyond like-new condition, coverage is limited to the 2-year parts warranty in Section 12, and to an Equipment Protection Plan only if one was purchased and its Coverage Term has started. Labor is not included in a refund, an exchange, the manufacturer warranty, or an Equipment Protection Plan. A technician does not travel to your location as part of the warranty.

Nothing in this policy limits a right that cannot be waived under applicable U.S. or California law.

2. Return Windows

Return type Window Restocking Return freight
Standard return 30 calendar days from the delivery date shown by the carrier 15% Customer pays. Freight is not refunded.
Defective return 10 calendar days from the delivery date shown by the carrier, and only after a technician confirms it by phone or video None Covered by MicroTec USA

The clock starts on the delivery date, not the order date. A request opened after the window for that return type is declined. An Equipment Protection Plan does not reopen either window.

3. Standard Return Eligibility

A standard return request must be submitted within 30 calendar days of delivery.

Eligible items must be:

  • New, unused, and uninstalled
  • In like-new condition, with no damage, scratches, or excessive use
  • In original packaging, with all components, accessories, manuals, cables, and serial-numbered parts
  • Free of customer labels, tape, adhesive, or shop wear
  • In resalable condition

Eligible categories, if they meet the conditions above:

  • Heat press machines
  • Automatic and pneumatic heat press machines
  • Sublimation systems, if unopened and unused
  • Accessories, if unused and in original packaging
  • Consumables, only if the factory seal is intact

“Installed” means the machine has been bolted, plumbed to air, hard-wired, or placed into production use. Test-fitting a power cord in order to confirm the unit powers on, when done with our support team, does not by itself make a unit ineligible. Running production or mounting the machine does.

If the return does not match what you reported

The return portal answers are not the inspection. We inspect the unit when it arrives at Orange, California. If you report that the item is new and in its original package, and it arrives in a different box, used, scratched, damaged, or missing parts, the portal answers do not control.

  • Still new, complete, and undamaged, but packed in another box: we may accept it as a standard return. The 15% restocking fee still applies, and you still pay return freight. If the box is not our packaging, or it is destroyed, we also charge $30 for a replacement box. See Section 6.
  • New, but missing accessories, manuals, or serial-numbered parts: partial refund, or the return may be declined.
  • Used, scratched, damaged, or showing shop wear or excessive use: not the return you described. We may refuse it, return it to you at your expense, or issue a partial refund after the 15% restocking fee.
  • A different serial number than the unit we shipped: the return is refused.

4. Items Not Eligible for Return

We do not accept returns of:

  • Custom-built, OEM, or special-order equipment
  • Used, installed, or production-run machinery that is not in like-new condition
  • Opened consumables, including paper, tape, and media
  • Software, licenses, and training, once delivered
  • Extended protection or service plans once the covered machine has shipped, unless the plan itself states otherwise
  • Clearance, open-box, or final-sale items marked as such at purchase
  • Products damaged by misuse, modification, or improper packaging on the return trip
  • Items returned without an approved return authorization

Missing parts, a broken factory seal, or damaged original packaging can make an otherwise eligible item ineligible, or can reduce the refund.

Used equipment, including a fault found in use

A machine you have used is not a standard return unless it is still in like-new condition, with no damage, no scratches, and no excessive use.

Example: you have had the press for 20 calendar days, you have been running it, and the auto-open keeps failing. That use does not by itself create a return right. Finding a problem while using the machine is not a change-of-mind return. If the unit is scratched, shop-worn, or shows excessive use, we will decline the standard return even though you are inside 30 calendar days.

The controller records how many times the press has cycled. We may read that count on inspection. We do not publish a hard cycle limit. Excessive use is judged from the cycle count, visible wear, and whether the unit can be resold as like-new.

A fault found in use is a technician diagnosis, not an automatic refund. You must be willing to complete that diagnosis. See Defective returns in Section 6. If the 10 calendar day defective-return window has already closed, the path is the parts warranty in Section 12, not a refund. Parts may be covered. Labor is not. The machine does not come back for a refund solely because it was used and then developed a fault.

5. How to Start a Return

All returns must be authorized before anything is shipped back.

Start a standard return here: https://microtecusa.com/apps/returns-portal

You will need:

  • Order number
  • Email used at checkout
  • Reason for the return
  • Photos of the item and packaging, if we request them

A claim that the item is defective cannot be opened in the portal alone. Call (714) 261-9498 and complete diagnosis with a technician by phone or video. See Defective returns in Section 6.

We review standard requests within 2 business days. Returns shipped without an authorization number may be refused. Refused or unauthorized shipments are returned to the sender at the sender’s expense, or held and billed for storage.

Once approved, the item must ship back within 14 calendar days of the authorization, or the authorization expires.

Print the return confirmation. It includes your order number. Place that printout inside the box. Do not write on the product.

6. Return Shipping, Packaging, and Restocking

Standard returns

On every standard return:

  • A restocking fee of 15% applies
  • The customer pays return shipping
  • Return freight is not included in the refund
  • The customer chooses the carrier and insures the shipment for the full purchase price
  • Original outbound shipping is not refunded
  • On orders that shipped free, we may also deduct our actual outbound freight cost from the refund

The 15% restocking fee applies to all standard returns, including unopened equipment in original packaging. It is calculated on the item price, before tax and before outbound shipping.

Defective returns

A machine is not defective because you say it is. It is defective only if a MicroTec USA technician says so after diagnosis.

You must be willing to go through that diagnosis. The technician will get on a phone call or a video call, and may ask you to run checks while on the line. Email alone, a portal note, or a photo does not classify the machine as defective. If you will not complete the call, we will not authorize a defective return.

Call (714) 261-9498 within 10 calendar days of delivery. Have the order number, serial number, and a short description of the fault ready. Follow-up photos or video go to tech@microtecusa.com after the call.

What the technician can treat as a defect:

  • A fault in materials or workmanship that the technician confirms, such as a heating, electrical, pneumatic, or control failure that is not fixed by a simple reseat or adjustment
  • A part that fails under normal use inside the 10 calendar day window

What is not a defective-unit replacement:

  • A loose cable, hose, or connector that is easily reattached. That is a setup correction. It does not qualify for a replacement machine. The technician may have you reconnect it on the call.
  • Cosmetic issues, including scratches, scuffs, dents, and finish marks. Those are not a functional defect. Customer support or the technician may offer store credit. Store credit is discretionary. It is not required, and it is not a replacement unit.
  • Damage from shipping, unless Shipping Protection was purchased. See Section 7.
  • A fault found after you declined the diagnosis call

The technician decides whether the finding warrants parts or a return of the unit. Customer support decides whether a cosmetic issue warrants store credit. Neither decision is a promise of a new machine shipped in advance.

If the technician confirms a defect, one of two paths applies:

  1. Fixable. We send the required parts at no cost. You install them, or you pay for labor. Labor is not included. A loose connection or other easy correction stays on this path and does not become a unit return.
  2. Not a field fix. The machine may come back for a refund or an exchange. That return has no restocking fee, and we cover return shipping. We do not ship a replacement unit before we receive and verify the original.

We do not offer an advance replacement for a defective machine. If you want a machine right away, place a new order and pay for it. After we receive the original machine and verify the defect, we refund 100% of the original order. Until that verification, the new order is a separate sale. If verification fails, the original return follows the mismatch rules in Section 3.

If the technician does not confirm a defect, the request is a standard return only if it still qualifies under Section 3: 30 calendar days from delivery, like-new condition, 15% restocking, and customer-paid freight.

Report a defective return within 10 calendar days of delivery. A standard return is 30 calendar days from delivery.

Replacement packaging

Replacement packaging is sold only for an approved return in the contiguous United States, the 48 states and the District of Columbia. It is not offered for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, other U.S. territories, or any international address. We do not ship replacement packaging to those destinations. A customer there must supply packaging that will survive the return trip.

If you need packaging from us:

  • Cardboard box: $30, plus shipping
  • Foam packaging: $30, plus shipping

The $30 fee is the material only. Shipping is extra. Neither fee replaces the requirement to pack the unit so it arrives undamaged.

If the machine came in a crate, contact us before you ship. We will recommend how to crate or pack it. We do not sell a $30 crate. A return that arrives damaged because it was not packed for freight can be declined or refunded only in part.

If a machine arrives back and the box is destroyed, we charge you $30 for a new replacement box. That charge applies even if you used your own carton. It is deducted from the refund or billed if no refund is due.

Standard or free outbound shipping does not apply to Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico on models that are not offered with free shipping to those destinations. Outbound freight to those locations is quoted at checkout. On a standard return, that outbound freight is not refunded, and we may deduct the actual outbound freight cost from the refund. Return freight from Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and any international shipment we agreed to send is the customer’s responsibility on a standard return. On a technician-confirmed defective return, we cover return shipping.

We do not accept COD or freight-collect returns. Packages that arrive collect will be refused.

Missing accessories, damaged packaging, or shop wear can reduce the refund, or the return may be declined, in addition to the 15% restocking fee on a standard return.

7. Freight, Insurance, and Shipping Protection

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. If you refuse a shipment outside those hours, we cannot respond until the next time we are in the office. Do not refuse a shipment without calling us first during those hours, unless the crate is visibly unsafe to receive.

A standard shipment is not fully insured to the customer. Carrier liability on a parcel or freight shipment is the carrier’s standard limit unless Shipping Protection was purchased at checkout. That standard limit is often far below the purchase price. MicroTec USA does not insure a standard shipment to you for the merchandise price.

Full-value coverage for the events below exists only if Shipping Protection, plan identifier MT-SHIP-PROTECT, was purchased at checkout before the label or bill of lading was created:

  • Lost / never arrived
  • Stolen / porch piracy
  • Damaged in transit

Shipping Protection cannot be added after the order has shipped. It is not included with free shipping, freight, or a showroom pickup. The plan terms are the MicroTec USA Shipping Protection Plan. If it was not on the order, a later loss, theft, or transit-damage claim is limited to what the carrier pays, and we do not promise a replacement or a refund of the purchase price.

Heavy and automatic machines ship by freight from Orange, California. Freight without Shipping Protection moves on the carrier’s standard liability. It is not fully insured to the customer.

At delivery:

  • Inspect the crate or carton before the driver leaves
  • Note any crush, tilt, broken banding, or puncture on the delivery receipt
  • Photograph the crate, labels, and any damage before it is opened
  • Do not refuse a shipment without calling us first during office hours, unless the crate is visibly unsafe to receive

Concealed shipping damage must be reported within 48 hours of delivery, with photos of the packaging and the machine. Keep all packaging until we tell you it can be discarded. Carrier claims, and Shipping Protection claims, are difficult or impossible if the packaging is thrown away.

Reporting times, in calendar days and hours:

  • Visible freight or parcel damage: note it on the delivery receipt, then contact us the same day
  • Parcel or concealed shipping damage: within 48 hours of delivery
  • Stolen after a delivery scan: within 48 hours of the delivery scan
  • Lost / never arrived: when tracking has stopped, or when the carrier marks the shipment lost
  • Defective return: phone or video diagnosis with a technician within 10 calendar days of delivery
  • Standard return: within 30 calendar days of delivery

Email for follow-up after the call: tech@microtecusa.com Phone: (714) 261-9498

A freight machine is not eligible for a standard change-of-mind return once it has been uncrated and installed, except where a technician confirms a defect inside the 10 calendar day defective-return window.

Transit loss, theft, and transit damage are not claims under the manufacturer warranty or an Equipment Protection Plan. Without Shipping Protection, they are a carrier claim only. With Shipping Protection, they are handled under that plan. If Shipping Protection was not purchased, we may help open a carrier claim, and recovery is limited to what the carrier pays. We do not replace or refund a standard shipment solely because it was lost, stolen, or damaged in transit.

Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico are not on the free-shipping program for models that exclude those destinations. Quoted freight to those destinations is not Shipping Protection, and it does not insure the shipment to the customer unless MT-SHIP-PROTECT was purchased at checkout.

8. Refund Processing and On-Site Labor

After the return arrives at our Orange, California facility, we inspect it within 5 business days.

If the return is approved:

  • Refunds are issued to the original payment method
  • We submit the refund within 5 to 7 business days after inspection
  • Once approved and submitted, the credit can still take several days to appear on your account. Banks and card networks, not MicroTec USA, control that posting time
  • On a standard return, the 15% restocking fee is deducted, and original outbound shipping is not refunded
  • On a technician-confirmed defective return, there is no restocking fee, and return freight is not charged to you
  • A verified defective return, where you already placed a new order under Section 6, is refunded at 100% of the original order after we receive and verify the unit
  • We may issue a partial refund if parts, packaging, or manuals are missing, or if the item is not in original condition
  • A destroyed return box is charged at $30, deducted from the refund

We do not ship a replacement machine in advance of receiving and inspecting the original unit.

Store credit may be offered instead of a refund when you ask for it, or at our discretion for a cosmetic issue. Store credit is not required in place of a refund on an eligible return.

Labor is not refunded. Labor is not part of the refund, the exchange, the manufacturer warranty, or an Equipment Protection Plan.

On-site labor

Under no circumstance will a technician go to your location as part of the warranty. Warranty service is phone or video diagnosis, and parts shipped to you. You install the parts, or you pay for labor.

If a technician needs to go to your location, labor and travel are billed. That billing applies to out-of-warranty work and to labor to change parts. It is not included in a refund.

  • Out of state, upon request: inquire for a quote
  • California: $60 an hour. Travel time is included in the total hours. The size of the job determines how many technicians are sent
  • In the showroom: $40 an hour

A trip is scheduled only after you accept the quote. We do not dispatch a technician as a warranty entitlement.

9. Order Cancellations

You may request a cancellation within 12 hours of purchase by email or phone, if the order has not shipped.

After 12 hours, we will still cancel the order if it has not entered the carrier network. Once a tracking number is created and the order is in the carrier network, it has shipped. Shipped orders follow this return policy, including return freight and the 15% restocking fee on a standard return.

Custom and special-order equipment cannot be canceled after production has started. An Equipment Protection Plan or Shipping Protection cannot be canceled under this policy once the covered machine has shipped, except as that plan’s own cancellation section allows.

10. Exchanges

Exchanges follow the same eligibility rules as returns. If you want a different model, we can refund the eligible amount after inspection and you may place a new order, or we can apply an approved exchange toward the new invoice. Price differences are collected or refunded at that time. We do not hold exchange inventory before the original unit is approved.

A technician-approved defective exchange has no restocking fee, and we cover freight on the unit coming back. We still do not ship the exchange unit before the original is received and verified. A standard exchange is charged the 15% restocking fee, and the customer pays freight on the unit coming back.

11. Manufacturer Warranty

Warranty coverage is separate from the return windows. The manufacturer warranty is a 2-year parts warranty, measured from the delivery date. It covers defects in materials or workmanship under normal use. It does not cover labor or installation.

Labor, installation, removal, reinstallation, hard-wiring, air plumbing, and electrician work are the purchaser’s responsibility. Phone and video support during posted business hours is support. It is not labor coverage, and it is not an on-site visit. On-site rates are in Section 8.

The 2-year term applies to the machine. It is not a lifetime warranty, and it is not extended by series, model, or heating element. TITAN, APEX, VECTOR, ATLAS, and every other current series carry this same 2-year parts warranty unless a product page at the time of purchase states a different parts term. If a product page states a different parts term, that page controls for that component only. It still does not cover labor.

Parts remain available for purchase after the 2-year warranty ends. After that date, a replacement part for a later mechanical or electrical failure is covered only if an Equipment Protection Plan was purchased and the failure occurs during that plan’s Coverage Term. The plan supplies the part. It does not cover labor, and it does not create a refund right. An extended warranty or Equipment Protection Plan applies only to the original purchaser and does not transfer.

The warranty covers manufacturing defects under normal use, including heating elements, control electronics, and electrical faults from normal operation. It does not cover consumable wear items, cosmetic wear, shop damage, labor, or installation.

The warranty is void if any condition in this table applies. The same condition voids an Equipment Protection Plan for the related failure. If the condition occurs inside a return window, it also ends return eligibility. A voided warranty does not by itself create a refund right.

Void condition Refund & Return Policy 2-year manufacturer warranty Equipment Protection Plan
Customized in any way other than as the manual describes Return eligibility ends if this happens inside the return window Voids the warranty Voids the Plan for the related failure
Damaged by natural causes Not a defect and not a covered return Voids the warranty Voids the Plan for that damage
Damaged by an accident Not a defect and not a covered return Voids the warranty Voids the Plan for that damage
Vandalized or stolen Not a warranty event. Transit theft is Shipping Protection only if that plan was purchased at checkout Voids the warranty Voids the Plan. Not a transit-theft claim
Does not get proper or periodic maintenance as the manual describes Can make the unit ineligible for return Voids the warranty Voids the Plan for the related failure
Used in a manner it was not intended for, or beyond its published electrical, air, temperature, or duty rating Not a defect Voids the warranty Voids the Plan for that use
Modified, including controller, wiring, platen, air, or frame changes we did not authorize, or repaired by anyone other than MicroTec USA or a technician we authorize. A missing, altered, or removed serial number is treated as a modification Can reduce or deny the refund Voids the warranty Voids the Plan for the related failure
Taken out of the United States, or used on a non-U.S. power system or with an improper voltage, phase, or converter Not covered Voids the warranty Voids the Plan
Sold or transferred by the original purchaser during the warranty period. The warranty cannot be transferred Return right stays with the original purchaser Voids the warranty Voids the Plan. The Plan is not transferable

The warranty is valid only for the original purchaser. Proof of purchase and the original serial number are required.

Consumables and wear parts are not covered. That includes platens’ non-stick surfaces, silicone pads, mug-press elements subject to the product page, fuses blown by incorrect power, and external cosmetic parts.

To start a warranty claim, call (714) 261-9498 and complete diagnosis with a technician by phone or video. Email may be used after that call, at tech@microtecusa.com, for the order number, serial number, photos, or a short video. The technician determines whether the fault is fixable with parts or whether any return right still exists. If it is fixable under warranty, the replacement part is sent at no cost. You pay shipping to us on a returned part unless we confirm a covered defect, in which case we cover the replacement part and its shipping. Defective parts may need to be returned before a replacement is finalized. You pay any labor to install the part.

12. Equipment Protection Plan and Shipping Protection

An Equipment Protection Plan is optional. It is a service contract, not the manufacturer warranty, and not a return policy.

If purchased, it adds 1, 2, or 3 years of the same parts-only coverage after the 2-year manufacturer warranty ends. The plan does not cover labor or installation. It does not cover a failure during the manufacturer warranty. It does not cover shipping damage, loss, or theft. It does not extend the 10 calendar day defective-return window or the 30 calendar day standard-return window. Cancellation of the plan is governed by the plan, not by Section 9 of this policy. The plan applies only to the original purchaser and does not transfer.

Shipping Protection is also optional, and it is separate. It covers only lost / never arrived, stolen / porch piracy, and damaged in transit, and only if it was purchased at checkout. It does not cover a factory defect, a change-of-mind return, or labor. A standard shipment without it is not fully insured to the customer.

The plan terms that apply are the terms for the product purchased:

  • Shipping Protection, MT-SHIP-PROTECT
  • Equipment Protection, 1 additional year
  • Equipment Protection, 2 additional years
  • Equipment Protection, 3 additional years

13. Dealers and Wholesale

Returns from the authorized dealer network are accepted under this policy. Dealer and wholesale orders follow MicroTec USA’s policies unless a different term is expressly written into the Dealer Agreement. A verbal exception does not change this page.

An extended warranty, and an Equipment Protection Plan, applies only to the original purchaser. Neither transfers with a resale. Unauthorized resale does not transfer the manufacturer warranty.

14. Contact

Customer Support Email: tech@microtecusa.com Phone: (714) 261-9498

Returns portal: https://microtecusa.com/apps/returns-portal

Showroom (by appointment) MicroTec USA Showroom 1220 W Barkley Ave Orange, CA 92868

Corporate office MicroTec USA 1230 W Barkley Ave Orange, CA 92868

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Defect diagnosis and warranty diagnosis are by phone or video with a technician during those hours. We do not respond to a refused shipment outside those hours until we are back in the office.