Cancellation & Refund Policy
5. Cancellation & Refund Policy
Last Updated: [Date]
5.1 Customer Cancellation Rights
Standard Cancellation Timeline:
- Free Cancellation: Up to 24 hours before tour start time
- Partial Refund (50%): 12-24 hours before start time
- No Refund: Less than 12 hours or no-show
Flexible Cancellation Options: Some tours offer enhanced cancellation terms:
- Free cancellation up to 2 hours before
- Full refund for weather-related cancellations
- Rebooking options within 12 months
5.2 Special Circumstances
Full Refunds Provided For:
- Tour guide cancellation
- Severe weather conditions
- Force majeure events
- Platform technical issues preventing booking
- Medical emergencies (with documentation)
Natural Disasters/Force Majeure:
- Full refund or rebooking option
- Includes pandemics, natural disasters, civil unrest
- Government travel restrictions
- Infrastructure failures
5.3 Refund Processing
Refund Timeline:
- Approved refunds processed within 5-10 business days
- Returns to original payment method via Stripe Connect
- Currency conversion rates may vary from original transaction
- Bank processing times vary by institution and country
Processing Fee Policy for Refunds:
- Stripe Connect processing fees are non-refundable (2.9% + $0.30 base fee)
- International card fees (additional 1.5%) are non-refundable
- Currency conversion fees (1%) are non-refundable
- Refund processing fee: Additional $0.30 charged to partner
- Platform fees may be refunded based on circumstances and partner tier
Refund Methods:
- Credit card refunds: 5-10 business days via Stripe
- PayPal refunds: 3-5 business days
- Bank transfers: 7-14 business days
- Gift credits: Immediate (valid 12 months)
- International refunds may take longer due to banking requirements
Fee Breakdown Example (€100 booking refund):
- Original booking: €100.00
- Original processing fee paid by partner: €3.20 (2.9% + €0.30)
- Customer refund amount: €100.00
- Additional refund processing fee to partner: €0.30
- Partner total fee cost: €3.50 (original + refund processing)
- Platform fee handling: Varies by refund reason and timing
5.4 Dispute Resolution
Refund Disputes:
- Contact customer support within 24 hours
- Provide booking details and reason for dispute
- Investigation within 48 hours
- Resolution communication within 72 hours
- Escalation process available
5.5 Guide Cancellation Policy
Guide-Initiated Cancellations:
- Customer receives full refund
- TripnCity assists with rebooking
- Guide may face penalties for late cancellation
- Alternative tour recommendations provided
5.6 No-Show Policy
Customer No-Show:
- No refund provided to customer
- Tour considered completed for platform fee purposes
- Partner receives full payment minus platform fee (10-13%)
- All processing fees retained by Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 + any additional fees)
- Future booking restrictions may apply to customer account
Guide No-Show:
- Full customer refund processed immediately
- Partner responsible for all processing fees including:
- Original transaction fees (2.9% + $0.30)
- International card fees if applicable (additional 1.5%)
- Refund processing fee ($0.30)
- Currency conversion fees if applicable (1%)
- Platform fee penalty may apply
- Partner account review initiated
- Potential account suspension
- Customer compensation consideration for inconvenience
Processing Fee Implications: Partners should understand that no-show situations result in processing fee costs regardless of outcome, as these fees cover Stripe's payment network costs and cannot be recovered.