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Policies

Our Policies and Terms & Conditions pages are being updated. Core, service specific, policies will be separated into their own pages and will be linked here. During this process, there is a chance for conflicting information between policy sources. In these situations, we will always reinforce the phrasing that best serves the customer.

Our mission is to make this information useful and easily understood. We respect your time and wish to ensure you have a positive experience with us as you shop and use our products. Most of our policies in regards to products and services are flexible; as they are guidelines to build consistency. They are meant to protect you and permit a building of trust.

PRIVACY

We take your privacy very seriously here at J&L. You are entrusting us with a lot of your personal information and we do not wish for it to end up in the wrong hands. Here are the key points of how we will preserve and protect your personal information.

We define personal information as: name, address, phone numbers, email addresses, credit card/payment information, order history, order details and social media information (when shared); or any other information you may provide that is connected to or descriptive of your identity.

We use 3rd party systems for payment verification and for shipping via the United States Postal Service. These systems only obtain the specific information absolutely necessary to perform the services they provide. We never have access to your credit card information, all details related to your payment is processed by Stripe Inc. for the sole purpose of verifying your identity and retrieve authorization to process payment. In turn, we only receive a transaction authorization code with your order information when payment is accepted. USPS (our chosen package carrier) only uses your provided address to provide accurate delivery of your order and does so in accordance with United States laws and regulations.

A note on Payment Processing: If your payment method is rejected for any reason, there is nothing we can do through our channels to override this action. As mentioned previously, we never see your payment details. Until payment is fully processed and accepted by our payment gateway, we cannot take any action to resolve a rejected payment. If there is an issue where your payment is being declined or failing to be accepted; please contact your card issuing bank. If the cause is not account balance related, it can be any number of fraud protection features being exercised to protect your credit and your bank will have more details than we can legally obtain. Situations we have learned about have related to a change of address after moving. Ensure your card’s billing address is fully up to date with your bank and matches the Billing address entered when ordering.

NEWSLETTERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS FROM J&L

Customers may also opt to be a part of our irregularly scheduled newsletters sent through MailChimp or directly through our internal Follow-Up email system. You can opt out at any time through the link at the bottom of a received email, through MailChimp directly or by contacting us through customer support. Information linked to your identity is only the name and email address as provided by you. You are free to use any name you wish so to not be easily identified. We strongly encourage first name only, last initial if you wish.

J&L Pogonotrophics has two core mailing lists used for bulk communications with our customers and interested parties. Currently we use MailChimp for maintaining our contact list to support sending any newsletters or broad canvass marketing to our customers, as noted above. This newsletter should not exceed 12 issues per year and are only sent when there is accumulative quantity of information we wish to share or to promote a major event in regards to marketing.

Our other mailing list is not genuinely a list; but consists strictly of customers who have made a purchase through our website. This list does not support broad canvassing, but serves to follow-up after an order has been placed to provide promotional discounts for future purchases or to request a review of an item you recently purchased. Emails you receive from this account is handled separately from our Newsletter list and is tied directly to our eCommerce platform serviced through our automated system. The order related discounts are auto-generated when triggered by your order or accumulative order history. These are considered “Order Related Communication” and are not part of any repeating email.

To be removed from either mailing list you must opt out by using the link provided within the respective emails. If you are unable to find such a link, please send us an email and we will manually remove you from any list.

Other communication you may receive from us would be directly related to a current order in processing or follow up from an inquiry you initiated. It is not possible to opt out of these forms of communication as they are essential to processing a transaction or are an exchange you created. If we are unable to interact with you in these situations we will have no means to obtain necessary information from you needed to process your order, and we reserve the right to cancel and refund your order if we cannot rely upon this means of communication.

We love hearing from you; our preferred method of communication is email. Often we are not able to take phone calls as we are in positions where we are away from a phone or are engaged in production of our products. Email allows us to reply promptly at our earliest opportunity. If you do call us, do expect to get our voicemail. Please leave a clearly spoken message and a number, date and time it is best for us to call you.

YOUR USER ACCOUNT

You are invited to create an account to track your order history, save addresses and other personal information. This information is protected by a password you create to guard against unwanted viewing by others. We have limited access to information you provide within your account. The only information we can view is your billing and shipping addresses, name, phone number and email in relation to any orders placed under any account.

We cannot access your password and it is never viewable by us. If you are unable to access your account you must go through the process to reset your password provided during a failed login attempt. We can send you an email manually if you are not prompted to start the process when attempting to log in. Please contact support@pogonotrophics.com to initiate this process. An immediate response from us will not be received if outside normal business hours or when we are not in our business office due to events or production needs.

Your account information can be removed at any time by you or by contacting us through customer support. Any stored information is automatically removed after an account is dormant for 15 months.

We do offer you the opportunity to store your payment details. This is purely to support product subscriptions and as is required by our payment services provider for that purpose. Such information is not stored on our servers or in the servers of our eCommerce system, but within Stripe, Inc. (payment processor) servers. At no time will we have access to your payment details.

We may opt to process refunds to you through applying a credit to your User Account. This is a safe and easy means to allow you an easy way to exchange a purchase or replace an item that was damaged in shipping if you wish to select a different item. We will notify you through the email address associated with the order when a credit is applied to your account, if one exists. Gift card value and information can also be stored in this manner. Credits and gift card value can then be applied to future purchases online once linked to your account.

If you had made purchases under the same email address as a guest, it is possible for us to migrate those orders to another account that is in your name once it is established. This is a very manual process and requires you to contact customer service.

FRAUDULENT CHARGES – NON CUSTOMER or CUSTOMER

If you discover that your credit card was used to purchase products or services from us that you did not make, please contact the card issuing bank immediately. If they deem it necessary, they will contact us on how to handle the issue to accurately process your claim. We cannot take any action without working with your card issuing bank first. Nearly all debit and credit card issuing banks offer a level of fraud protection for their customers and will handle the issue quickly and professionally. This requirement further protects you as it prevents any further use of your credit once reported.

It is imperative that you file a claim with the bank that issued you the card. We cannot file that claim for you. If you are not a customer, we legally cannot provide any information to you in relation to any transaction or order you did not make which is not in your name. If your personal identification was inappropriately or illegally used to place an order with us, we can only work with the involved financial institutions for your security and our own. We have no means to authenticate your identity by phone or email.

In the event we can determine without any doubt that an order was placed in relation to your claim, and it has not been processed or shipped, we will place a hold on processing and notify that customer connected to the order there is a payment issue. We will not ship the order until the matter is resolved by the card issuing bank – including cancel or refund. To do this, we ask for you to inform us of the date and total value of the charge if your bank does not contact us fast enough to prevent a fraudulent order getting to a potential thief.

We will not directly issue refunds to the purchaser on record if the charge is contested. The card issuing bank will make the determination of whether the charge was fraudulent or not. The card issuing bank makes the final decision. Even if the bank sides in our favor and denies a refund.

Stripe Inc. is our payment processing gateway. They are very specialized in handling personal identity and payment security for online sellers like ourselves. If payment was authorized by them, that means whoever used your credit card, likely stole more details of your identity to allow this to happen. This makes it even more important to take action to file a claim with your bank first!

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

We respect intellectual property [IP] and will defend our intellectual property when violated. Our IP may or may not be fully registered but are still fully protected by US and International law. Use or application of our IP, no matter how innocuous or innocently done is still theft. At this time we have firmly established these Trademarks as we work to have them fully registered for the added protection it offers. We stand firm in protecting all our Trademarks whether they are registered [®] or not [™].

J&L Pogonotrophics, JÖL, and JÖL for Home are wholly owned trademarks. All images, product descriptions, product formulas, logos and original content are the property of J&L Pogonotrophics LLC. We retain our rights in all channels and when shared through social media.

Original Beard Butter, Junk Oil, Junk Grease, Quotidian, Bulwark, Oil Five and Clay Mask System are original properties of J&L Pogonotrophics LLC and cannot be replicated without permission. Their formulas, names (whole or in part) and characteristics are protected by applicable Trademarks and Copyrights where permitted. Any product that is not made by J&L Pogonotrophics LLC that uses the name or references to BEARD BUTTER is in violation of our Trademark and has not sought permission or paid for use. We consider these products to be a violation of our Intellectual Property and we may seek legal action and compensation for their unauthorized use.

“Be You: Be Epic!” is a Trademark of J&L Pogonotrophics LLC.

Sharing or use of any of our intellectual property for financial gain is a violation of our intellectual property rights and the law. If you wish to secure rights to use or share our IP, please contact us in writing. Those who are currently using any of our Trademarks can be penalized, forced to remove their offending products from the public market and pay restitution to us unless a licensing arrangement can be created. Do note, a trademark does not require registration to protect nor does lack of registration remove our rights. Registration of trademarks only make it easier for us to obtain injunctions and compensation.

ORDER PROCESSING & FULFILLMENT

ORDER PROCESSING

Orders are processed in chronological order in which they are received. That means, first in – first out.

We process orders for shipping Monday through Friday (unless closed for holidays or in the event where we are not in our offices). Please follow us on Facebook to track if or when there are exceptions to our business hours. All current orders available at the start of our business day will be processed that day to be shipped within 2 days from that point. Please allow an extra day for Expanded Assortment or Customized items. Full custom orders will be given a quoted ship date as part of a Sales Order. Pick up from Carrier can be up to 2 business days after we have marked your order as COMPLETE. We strive to be as efficient and quick as possible in getting your order out the door.

ORDER GROUPING: If we receive more than 1 order from a single customer, shipping to the same address, we will ship the orders in the same package at the time of order fulfillment & shipping if possible. If we are able to combine the orders we will refund the difference from the appropriate maximum shipping rate based upon product shipping class. If an order contains any item that is in the Heavy Class, the heavy rate will be charged even in the event that another order includes FREE shipping. Heavy Class items are generally excluded from Free Shipping events as a policy.

There is no guarantee on delivery dates, processing times or transit time. Once an order is set as complete and given to the carrier for shipping we have no control over the time it may take from there. We do our best to process orders within 1 business day of receipt of your order. All orders are shipped insured for our protection.

If there are any special instructions related to your order – such as helpful instructions for the carrier, reasonable packaging requests or pertinent information – please utilize the notes/comments field at checkout. There is no guarantee that the carrier will follow these instructions. USPS offers the ability for you to set preferences and be notified of the shipping process by creating an Informed Delivery account with the USPS.

LOCAL CURBSIDE PICKUP

ALL Local Curbside Pickup orders will require an appointment for pickup to be scheduled at time of checkout. You are welcome to choose any available appointment window. We must require appointments due to the nature of our location and staffing limitations. It is expected that your order is picked up within your appointment window to ensure proper service. If you cannot arrange to pick up your order during your appointment, please contact us at support@pogonotrophics.com

  • Curbside Pickup is open to every US customer when shopping. This is a setting that cannot be changed. Do not select Curbside Pickup if you are not intending to actually pickup the order.
  • Once payment is applied, the fulfillment method is locked. As the appointment scheduling is done before finalizing your order and beginning the payment process; if you are in a position to select a date and time for an appointment it means you have selected Curbside Pickup – change your fulfillment method top changing before sending your order for payment.
  • Local Curbside Pickup orders not picked up will be cancelled and a refund issued minus bank processing fees.
  • We cannot convert your order to be shipped unless the value would qualify for Free Shipping. We do not have means to securely charge you for any changes to your order. Any order that is set for Pickup that is not picked up, will NOT automatically ship – we must receive validation initiated by the customer before we will ship the order.
  • We cannot add items to your order for you to pay for at the time of Pickup – we do not have the means to securely charge you for any changes to your order.
  • If you place a second pick-up order, you may not be able to select the same pick up time. Please contact us for a solution after you placed your order.
  • Pickup will not be available same day. All orders will require a minimum of a full business day to process. Earlier appointment times will not be available. If a time is not showing being available, it is not available.
  • If you cannot make your scheduled appointment, we will offer a new scheduled date and time for your scheduled Pickup. If the second scheduled appointment is not able to be met, we will cancel and issue a refund (minus bank fees).
  • Pickups will literally be CURBSIDE. Your order confirmation will include details on how and where to obtain your order, as well as any other steps that may need to be taken due to current health situations.

The only way we can offer this service, especially during a busier time for business, is by setting such policies. Please honor this system so we can continue to offer this service for everyone in our area.

ORDER CHANGES

There is a limited window where we can make changes to your order. Any changes that would increase the charges for the order will require payment via an invoice emailed to you before the order is shipped. Once an order has been shipped, no changes can be applied.

USPS SHIPPING and RELATED ISSUES

Since we use the United States Postal Service for all order shipping, we cannot ship on any holiday they are closed or in the case of extreme weather that restricts the ability to transport or deliver your package. USPS has more freedom to make sure the package gets to your door over other carriers, but there are still limitations. It is your responsibility to work with your local carrier if there are any issues that would prevent them from gaining access to your mailbox or home. We are not responsible for packages that cannot be delivered because of missing mailboxes, obstructed doors, unsafe entry ways, etc. If a package is returned to us undelivered for such situations we will refund the cost of goods but not the shipping charge as that service was provided. If your package is stolen, please report this to your carrier through USPS website as well as file a police report, then contact us with confirmation that these steps were taken. It is important that you have reported your item as missing/stolen to ensure we can process an insurance claim. If you refuse to report your package as missing/stolen to proper authorities, we cannot process a replacement or refund for this situation.

LIMITATIONS

  • We cannot send a single order to more than 1 address – contact us directly for custom orders if necessary, we can arrange all your needs and can possibly save you on shipping charges if your order qualifies. We are looking into creating this flexibility during order creation.
  • We do not offer express delivery options – USPS is as fast as or faster than FedEx & UPS ground in most situations, with 3 business or less being the usual time to get the package to you.
  • The window to cancel an order is very narrow – we cannot cancel orders marked as SHIPPED. To be fully refunded for the order you must ensure the package is returned with goods in sellable condition. We will not refund the initial shipping fee as the service was provided and cancellation was after a reasonable period of time.
  • If an incorrect address was given for delivery causing a return of the package to us we will require a shipping fee payment of the actual rate to re-ship the package. If you opt to accept a refund we will not refund the shipping fee and may apply a restocking fee for the inconvenience.

SHIPPING FEES

Shipping fees as charged by J&L are LESS THAN the actual costs we pay to ship. They are to offset the cost of postage, packaging and added labor to process an order for shipping. Our shipping fees help us keep our overall pricing lower while also offering a lower shipping charge that seen by like. You will find that your total price paid, including shipping, is likely lower than many of our direct competitors for like items, even when they offer free shipping.

  • Shipping Fee/Postage is a separate charge for a specific service that is provided. If the service was completed per reasonable expectation the Shipping Fees will not be available for refund under any circumstance.
  • Shipping rates charged are posted at the point of checkout. It is your obligation to select the preferred method and rate that is available to you when a choice is presented. We cannot alter your shipping method after we have received your order and payment has been processed.
  • Shipping costs have increased exponentially every year. Because of this we must find a balance to shipping fees versus individual product price increases.
  • Shipping is charged based upon the item with the highest Rate Class in the order. Heavier items lead to higher rates.

INCOMPLETE OR INCORRECT ORDERS

Despite being as thorough as possible, simple errors happen. If you receive an incorrect item we will reship the correct item at no charge. The shipping cannot be expedited. If you are missing an item, please report it immediately so we can analyze the situation and determine a quick resolution.

  • Discrepancies must be reported within 24 hours of receipt to be processed efficiently.
  • Item packaging cannot show any signs of being tampered with for a refund. If tampering is evident, we will process as a damaged shipment (see below).
  • If you receive more than you ordered, enjoy the free gift.

TO CONTACT US FOR ANY ORDER RELATED ISSUE:

CUSTOMER SUPPORT  or  FACEBOOK MESSENGER

RESTOCKING FEES

Such fees are only applied to orders that were undeliverable, by no fault of ours, due to providing an incorrect address, left unclaimed at Post Office, or knowingly returned to us as being unwanted/refused.

There are hidden costs to doing business online and we must have a policy that protects us from unreasonable losses. Even if the product was not opened, it may be required to destroy the product for health and safety reasons. We cannot simply place the item back on the shelf to re-sell at full price.There are also charges applied to us for refunding payment and there is no refund to us for a completed delivery by USPS. There is the possibility of lost sales on goods that are awaiting return from cancelled sales to consider as well. For this reason, we may opt to apply a restocking fee for those times we are forced to take back product that was sold and shipped in good faith as reasonably expected. In essence, Restocking Fees are a cushion to protect us from “Buyer’s Remorse” and abuse of our return policies.

Our restocking fee is as much as 10% of the charged total for goods sold that are being cancelled or returned. Minimum restocking fee will be equal to the bank fees charged to us for issuing a refund. At our discretion we may waive all or part of the restocking fee based upon mitigating circumstances with an order or customer.

DAMAGED OR DEFECTIVE PRODUCT

  • We do our best to ensure you are sent a quality product. When dealing with natural products there can be inconsistencies and unexpected changes to the product after production. It is a situation we must accept as a maker/seller. And there are even times that our products may not look right due to our methods of packaging, but are perfectly normal and fine to use.
  • First, do not use a questionable or damaged product until you have contacted us and assured that the product is safe to use. Contact us via support@pogonotrophics.com or Facebook Messenger
  • Our items can be very temperature and humidity sensitive. Air, heat, moisture, cold can all have very negative effects on appearance or consistency. Most are short term and can easily be corrected, others may require replacement of your item if the damage was extreme.
  • We will suggest some tips on how to correct environmental causes that affect the state of the product. For example, a wax or butter may be very soft or fully melted when transported under periods of higher temperatures. These items are best suited to be chilled lightly before opening. Easy fixes like this will not warrant a replacement or refund as it is very normal and expected; relating directly to the natural characteristics of the product.
  • If you smell rancidity of any of our oils, we will replace it or give credit within 1 week from purchase. Rancid oil will not look any different, but will have a very strong “nutty” or “fried food” smell that is quite noticeable and will overpower the intended fragrance of an item. This can be caused by prolonged exposure to heat or can happen over time while being stored. Sometimes it happens randomly for no known direct cause. It is often unpredictable and impossible for us to recognize in a closed container before shipping.
  • Replacements are always shipped at no charge and as immediately as possible. Please share with us as many details as you can to help us identify a cause, if possible, which can lead to correcting the issue for the future.
  • A damaged package will lead to a claim filed with USPS. Please retain packaging for this claim to be processed. Your assistance may be required in the processing of this claim. We anticipate that you will cooperate with any requests of the United States Postal Service in their investigation.

Concealed damage from shipping can occur, we ask that you open and inspect your package immediately upon arrival. Report receipt of a damaged package immediately and before opening. If you see signs of liquid damage to your package it is possible that something inside leaked. Here are some things to do:

  • Contact us immediately! support@pogonotrophics.com
  • Take pictures of the package.
  • Carefully open the package on a solid non-porous surface (like a kitchen counter or over a plastic sheet).
  • Wear gloves – caution: some items are in glass bottles and may have broken. Protect yourself!
  • Look through the package to determine if there are open or damaged items; or if the liquid is from an external source.
  • Take more pictures; Of the package and the contents.
  • Any external damage will require us to file a claim with USPS. Your pictures will be of tremendous help.
  • If item(s) leaked because a lid was not tight or cap popped open, then that is wholly our fault and we will replace affected items.
  • Wash unaffected items with soapy warm water and they should be good to use.
  • Report within 24 hours of receipt to start the process. We cannot process claims on packages or products after that time as it presents too many variables and can lead to an immediate denial of claim by the carrier.

Failure to report damage within a reasonable period of time can result in denial of claim. We will not process any claims for damage that are filed 5 days after receipt.

TO CONTACT US FOR ANY ORDER RELATED ISSUE:

CUSTOMER SUPPORT  or  FACEBOOK MESSENGER

Please have your order number ready to assist in processing.

ABUSE OF POLICIES

Sadly, such liberal policies can be abused. We do log all customer interactions so we can provide better service as well as to track potential patterns. Abuse of our policies leads to an increase in costs, directly affecting the price everyone will pay. Each reported issue is treated case-by-case with acknowledgement of past issues. We reserve the right to refuse to enact our stated policies when there is significant evidence of abuse or questionable activity.

TO CONTACT US FOR ANY ORDER RELATED ISSUE:

CUSTOMER SUPPORT  or  FACEBOOK MESSENGER

ALLERGIES AND SENSITIVITIES

A NOTE ON ALLERGIES

We strive to list every ingredient that we use in each of our products. A full and current list of ingredients is posted on the product page on the website. We deeply encourage you to read and review all product information, most importantly the ingredients we use. None of our products are for internal use with the exception of Lip Balm which is non-toxic and safe when used as intended. Always wash your hands before and after applying our products, and please don’t eat them or dare someone to eat them. If there is any question on an ingredient, please contact us or do outside research before deciding to purchase.

It is important that you do not attempt to purchase or use a product that you may have had an allergic reaction to any of the listed ingredients at any time in the past. Your health is important to us and we wish for you to safeguard it as much as possible. Do not risk “seeing if it your allergy went away”. Allergic reactions can be fatal. We strongly encourage personal responsibility when it comes to selecting what products to apply to your body and not risk use of items that have been previously known to cause irritation, or worse. We cannot be held liable if you were aware of your allergy and used the product with full knowledge of your potential reactions.

Although a product may not contain a known allergen, we do make all of our products in an environment where other ingredients are stored. Although cross-contamination is strictly avoided we must disclose this fact to you for your safety.

It is highly possible a person can be allergic or demonstrate sensitivities to any of our natural ingredients. Organic plant-based components all carry the ability to cause a negative reaction with your body. Even if you have shown no previous reaction in the past. We strongly suggest performing a patch test of any new product formula you use.

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICIES

Like many other entities, we maintain a social media presence to promote our activities and products as well as engage the public at large. There are many positives to the use of Social Media channels but there is also an underlying issue that prevents it from always being a positive experience for everyone.

The assumption of anonymity along with the removal from real repercussions for harmful actions create a huge problem for all when some individuals do not act in a respectful or reasonable manner. It is too easy for one to use a hateful tone in conjunction with hyperbole to react or to solicit a reaction from others.

We will not tolerate such behavior in any form. Derogatory, inflammatory, strongly impolite or unprofessional speech within our social media accounts will be reported to the service provider as well as be removed/blocked by us wherever possible. False claims, inaccurate depictions and insulting behavior when commenting on our company, our products or employees and representatives can result in legal action as well. If you have an issue with a service or product we would expect you to come directly to us before creating a social media post on your negative experience. There are numerous means of contacting us through every profile and through our website; and that is expected to always be your first course of action. We can not act upon Social Media, only react. We are certain you would prefer us to contact you directly when there is an issue, please do the same for us.

By accepting these Policies and Terms at Point of Sale/Time of Purchase, you agree to bring any issues, complaints or problems to us before posting to any social media outlet. Any communication with you is considered personal and private; and should be handled as such by all involved parties. We pride ourselves on our positive reviews of our brands and our products; and to not give us a chance to make things better before you make your issue public is not how we would handle your issue, please treat us in kind. If you create a harsh negative complaint on social media before contacting us, not giving us reasonable time to respond, we will handle your complaint as hostile and process in kind. We will handle your issue and then delete you account and block you from future purchases as well as the ability to access our social media wherever possible. We will not tolerate abusive, hostile or antagonistic actions by anyone. This also goes for when you do contact us first. There are some who feel that yelling, insulting, making threats and acting in a hostile manner is a means to get a favorable result. Once we receive any of this behavior targeted towards us publicly, or privately, it will result in your matter being placed on hold until it is demonstrated that you can act respectfully and professionally.

Please understand we do not assume our customers would act in such a way. The reality is that there is always at least one person who will. It is necessary to lay some base level expectations as well as strongly stated responses to protect us and respect all our awesome customers who are always a joy to communicate with.

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