Lay-By Terms & Conditions

1. What a lay-by is

A lay-by lets you secure equipment and pay it off in instalments. A lay-by is an agreement between you and The Cheff (Pty) Ltd, trading as The Food Business Collective (FBC). It is not credit, and submitting an application is not a payment.

2. Application and approval

You submit an application at checkout. We review it and may approve or decline it. Until we approve it in writing, no lay-by exists and no payment is due. Submitting an application does not take a payment and does not make the lay-by active.

3. Acceptance of these terms

When you apply, you accept these Lay-By Terms. The version you accepted, with the date and time, is recorded with your application. Later changes to these terms do not change an agreement you have already accepted.

4. Agreed total and instalments

The lay-by total, deposit and instalment amounts are fixed when your lay-by is created and are shown in your account. Later changes to product prices do not change the agreed total of an existing lay-by.

Our standard lay-by is a 20% deposit followed by the balance in 3 or 6 monthly instalments, chosen by you before you apply. No interest or finance charges are added. The deposit is paid first, and the instalment schedule begins after the deposit is verified. You see the full deposit and instalment schedule before you submit your application.

5. Payments and verification

Payments are recorded only once verified. Card payments are processed by our payment provider and we do not store full card details. A payment shown as pending is not a payment received.

6. Your account and balance

You can see your lay-by, the payments made and the outstanding balance under My Account. Statements and documents we issue are available there.

7. Missed payments

If an instalment is missed we will contact you to arrange payment. Any consequence of continued non-payment, including cancellation and any fees, is governed by the terms shown on your agreement and by applicable law.

8. Cancellation and refunds

If you cancel, or if the lay-by is cancelled, amounts paid are dealt with in line with your agreement and applicable law, including any reasonable charges we are entitled to deduct. We will explain the calculation to you in writing.

9. Goods and collection

Goods are reserved for you once the lay-by is active. Ownership passes to you, and goods may be collected or delivered, once the lay-by is paid in full and any delivery arrangements are settled.

10. Contact

Lay-by queries: hello@the-fbc.co.za.