Last updated: 11 November 2026
Every AV Box T-Top is handmade to order by Andries Visser in Roodepoort, Johannesburg. We want you to love your drum. If something isn’t right, here is how returns, repairs and refunds work.
1. Handmade to order
Each T-Top is built when you order it, so please allow 14 working days for your drum to be made before it is shipped. Because every drum is handmade from natural wood, small differences in grain, colour and finish are part of its character and are not defects.
2. Changed your mind? 7-day returns on online orders
If you bought online, you may cancel and return your order within 7 days of delivery, for any reason, as long as:
- the item is unused apart from trying it out, and is in its original packaging
- there is no damage or playing wear on the drum (including the veneer playing surface), the carry bag or the microphone
- you contact us before sending it back, so we can give you return instructions
- you pay the courier cost of returning it to us
Once we receive the item and check its condition, we refund the full purchase price.
3. Faulty or damaged items
All our products carry the 6-month warranty of quality under the Consumer Protection Act. If your item is faulty or arrives damaged, contact us within 6 months of delivery and we will repair it, replace it or refund you, whichever you choose. We cover the courier cost both ways for faulty items.
If your order arrives damaged, please tell us as soon as you can, ideally within 48 hours, and keep the packaging. It helps us claim from the courier, but it does not limit your rights.
4. What isn’t covered
- Natural variations in wood grain, colour and finish
- Damage from misuse, accidents, neglect, or exposure to water or extreme heat, including veneers cracked by playing with excessive force
- Normal wear from regular playing
- Items repaired or modified by someone other than AV Box Cajons
A note on the veneer playing surface
The playing surface of a T-Top is a thin wood veneer glued to the drum. It is thin on purpose: that is what gives the T-Top its tone and volume, and a thicker veneer would lose that sound. The veneer is made to be played with your hands at normal playing strength. If it cracks because it was hit too hard, that is damage from use and not a manufacturing fault, so it is not covered by the warranty or the 7-day return.
Replacing a veneer means removing the old one, sanding the drum, gluing on a new veneer and varnishing it again. Cracked veneers are replaced as a repair at R550 (excluding courier, within South Africa), as listed in our FAQ.
5. The online T-Top Course
If you change your mind about the online T-Top Course, you can ask for a full refund within 7 days of purchase, as long as you have not opened any lessons. Once lessons have been opened, the course is not refundable.
The same applies to the Full Combo with Online Course: you can return it under the 7-day rule above as long as you have not opened the course. Once the course has been accessed, the Combo with Course is not refundable.
6. Custom orders and repairs
Custom finishes or specifications made specially for you can only be returned if they are faulty. Repair and upgrade work, including electronic parts we fit, carries a 3-month warranty on the work done and the parts used.
7. How to return an item
- Contact us at info@avboxcajons.co.za or on WhatsApp at +27 72 323 2220 with your order number, what the issue is and, for faulty or damaged items, clear photos.
- We reply within 2 working days with return instructions and the return address.
- Pack the item securely in its original packaging.
- We inspect it within 5 working days of receiving it and confirm the repair, replacement or refund.
Please don’t send items back before we have confirmed the return, so they don’t go missing.
8. Refunds
Approved refunds are paid back to your original payment method (card or EFT through Payfast) within 14 working days of us receiving the returned item. Your bank may take a few extra days to show the money in your account.
9. Contact us
AV Box Cajons, Roodepoort, Johannesburg
Email: info@avboxcajons.co.za
Phone and WhatsApp: +27 72 323 2220
Hours: 08:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday
See also our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.