diff --git a/frontend/src/customer/Account.tsx b/frontend/src/customer/Account.tsx
index 6ea7181..3a0571c 100755
--- a/frontend/src/customer/Account.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/customer/Account.tsx
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
 import { Card, Typography, Switch, Button, Table, Modal, message, Space, Divider } from 'antd';
 import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom';
-import { fetchMyOrders, OrderHistoryItem, updateConsent, exportMyData, deleteMyAccount, logoutCustomer } from './customerApi';
+import { fetchMyOrders, OrderHistoryItem, updateConsent, exportMyData, deleteMyAccount } from './customerApi';
 import { useCustomerAuth } from './CustomerAuthContext';
 
 const { Title, Text } = Typography;
 
 export default function Account() {
-  const { customer, loading, refresh } = useCustomerAuth();
+  const { customer, loading, refresh, logout } = useCustomerAuth();
   const [orders, setOrders] = useState<OrderHistoryItem[]>([]);
   const navigate = useNavigate();
 
@@ -28,8 +28,15 @@ export default function Account() {
   }
 
   async function handleLogout() {
-    await logoutCustomer();
-    navigate('/');
+    try {
+      await logout();
+    } catch (err) {
+      message.error(`Couldn't log out — ${(err as Error).message}`);
+      return;
+    }
+    // replace, so Back doesn't return to the account page — which would only
+    // bounce to /login now that the session is gone.
+    navigate('/', { replace: true });
   }
 
   function handleDelete() {
diff --git a/frontend/src/customer/CustomerAuthContext.tsx b/frontend/src/customer/CustomerAuthContext.tsx
index cdff708..4f69f4d 100755
--- a/frontend/src/customer/CustomerAuthContext.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/customer/CustomerAuthContext.tsx
@@ -1,13 +1,19 @@
 import React, { createContext, useContext, useEffect, useState, useCallback } from 'react';
-import { Customer, fetchMe } from './customerApi';
+import { Customer, fetchMe, logoutCustomer } from './customerApi';
 
 interface CustomerAuthValue {
   customer: Customer | null;
   loading: boolean;
   refresh: () => void;
+  logout: () => Promise<void>;
 }
 
-const CustomerAuthContext = createContext<CustomerAuthValue>({ customer: null, loading: true, refresh: () => {} });
+const CustomerAuthContext = createContext<CustomerAuthValue>({
+  customer: null,
+  loading: true,
+  refresh: () => {},
+  logout: async () => {}
+});
 
 export function useCustomerAuth() {
   return useContext(CustomerAuthContext);
@@ -24,8 +30,22 @@ export function CustomerAuthProvider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }
 
   useEffect(() => { refresh(); }, [refresh]);
 
+  // Logging out has to clear the context, not just call the endpoint —
+  // otherwise `customer` stays set and the header keeps offering "My Account"
+  // until something happens to refetch. Clearing here rather than calling
+  // refresh() avoids a window where the session is gone but the UI still shows
+  // the customer as signed in.
+  //
+  // Rejects if the server did not accept the logout, leaving the customer
+  // signed in, because the session cookie is still valid in that case.
+  const logout = useCallback(async () => {
+    await logoutCustomer();
+    setCustomer(null);
+    setLoading(false);
+  }, []);
+
   return (
-    <CustomerAuthContext.Provider value={{ customer, loading, refresh }}>
+    <CustomerAuthContext.Provider value={{ customer, loading, refresh, logout }}>
       {children}
     </CustomerAuthContext.Provider>
   );
diff --git a/frontend/src/customer/customerApi.ts b/frontend/src/customer/customerApi.ts
index cd680b1..84697a7 100755
--- a/frontend/src/customer/customerApi.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/customer/customerApi.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,16 @@ export function verifyEmail(token: string): Promise<{ status: string }> {
 }
 
 export function logoutCustomer(): Promise<void> {
-  return fetch('/api/customers/logout', { method: 'POST' }).then(() => undefined);
+  // Not routed through handle(): logout answers 204 with no body, so parsing
+  // JSON would throw on success. The failure case still has to reject — the
+  // session cookie survives a failed logout, so reporting success would leave
+  // the customer logged in and silently signed back in on their next reload.
+  return fetch('/api/customers/logout', { method: 'POST' }).then(async (res) => {
+    if (!res.ok) {
+      const data = await res.json().catch(() => ({}));
+      throw new Error(data.error || 'Request failed');
+    }
+  });
 }
 
 export function fetchMe(): Promise<Customer | null> {
diff --git a/frontend/tests/e2e/auth.spec.ts b/frontend/tests/e2e/auth.spec.ts
index df21618..7fd81bd 100755
--- a/frontend/tests/e2e/auth.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/tests/e2e/auth.spec.ts
@@ -35,4 +35,73 @@ test.describe('Customer accounts', () => {
     await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log in' }).click();
     await expect(page.getByText('invalid email or password')).toBeVisible();
   });
+
+  test('logging out returns to the home page and resets the header', async ({ page }) => {
+    const email = uniqueEmail();
+    await page.goto('/register');
+    await page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Email' }).fill(email);
+    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('supersecret123');
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Create account' }).click();
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/account/);
+
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log out' }).click();
+
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/$/);
+    await expect(page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log in' })).toBeVisible();
+    await expect(page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign up' })).toBeVisible();
+    await expect(page.getByRole('button', { name: 'My Account' })).toBeHidden();
+  });
+
+  test('the logged-out header survives a reload', async ({ page }) => {
+    const email = uniqueEmail();
+    await page.goto('/register');
+    await page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Email' }).fill(email);
+    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('supersecret123');
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Create account' }).click();
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/account/);
+
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log out' }).click();
+    await expect(page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log in' })).toBeVisible();
+
+    // Proves the server session was actually destroyed, rather than the header
+    // merely being repainted from stale client state.
+    await page.reload();
+    await expect(page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log in' })).toBeVisible();
+    await expect(page.getByRole('button', { name: 'My Account' })).toBeHidden();
+  });
+
+  test('logging out does not leave the account page on the back stack', async ({ page }) => {
+    const email = uniqueEmail();
+    await page.goto('/register');
+    await page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Email' }).fill(email);
+    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('supersecret123');
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Create account' }).click();
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/account/);
+
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log out' }).click();
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/$/);
+
+    await page.goBack();
+    await expect(page).not.toHaveURL(/\/account/);
+  });
+
+  test('a failed logout says so instead of appearing to succeed', async ({ page }) => {
+    const email = uniqueEmail();
+    await page.goto('/register');
+    await page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Email' }).fill(email);
+    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('supersecret123');
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Create account' }).click();
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/account/);
+
+    await page.route('**/api/customers/logout', (route) =>
+      route.fulfill({ status: 500, contentType: 'application/json', body: '{"error":"internal error"}' })
+    );
+
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log out' }).click();
+
+    // The session cookie is still valid, so pretending to be logged out would
+    // silently log the customer back in on their next reload.
+    await expect(page.getByText(/couldn't log out/i)).toBeVisible();
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/account/);
+  });
 });