Refund Policy

Document Overview & Legal Intent

This Refund Policy outlines the terms and conditions governing cancellations, returns, refunds, and financial compensations across all services operated through the Zappmit platform (website and mobile applications). This policy is framed in strict compliance with:

• The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020.
• Guidelines, directives, and turnaround timelines mandated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for digital payment reversals and failed transactions.
• Applicable regional and central indirect taxation statutes (GST laws) concerning credit notes and invoice adjustments.

Nothing in this policy limits, restricts, or waives any statutory rights or remedies available to a consumer under Indian law that cannot be lawfully waived by agreement. Where the law provides a superior remedy or mandatory timeline, statutory provisions shall prevail.

Section 1: General Refund Principles & Timelines

• Processing Gateway & Timelines: Zappmit processes eligible refunds immediately upon verification and approval. However, refunds for online payments are routed through third-party payment gateways (e.g., PayU, Cashfree) and the customer’s issuing bank. Consequently, refunds typically reflect in the customer’s original payment instrument within 5 to 7 working days, subject to the participating bank’s or payment gateway’s clearing cycle.
• RBI Compliance & Delays: Turnaround times for failed transactions or technical glitches are governed by RBI guidelines. While Zappmit assists in expediting tracking, delays caused by banking intermediaries or payment rails are outside Zappmit’s direct operational control.
• Audit and Verification: When an order is cancelled or an eligible dispute is raised, a refund request is generated automatically or via support channels. All manual refunds undergo a mandatory dual-verification protocol (checked by one authorized staff member and approved by a separate supervisor) to prevent fraudulent claims.

Section 2: Category-Specific Refund Eligibility

A. Failed Online Payments

Where a digital payment fails, times out, or errors out after funds have been debited from your account, the amount is expected to be automatically reversed by the payment provider or issuing bank. If a reversal does not occur within standard banking windows, support may be raised with transaction references.

B. Duplicate Charges

If a customer is charged multiple times for the exact same order reference due to a technical glitch, gateway error, or network timeout, the duplicate transaction amount is fully eligible for an unconditional reversal once verified.

C. Order Cancelled Before Fulfilment

Where an order is successfully cancelled in accordance with the Zappmit Cancellation Policy before a merchant, service provider, or delivery partner begins preparation or transit, any pre-paid amounts are fully eligible for a refund.

D. Merchant Cancellation

Where an accepted order is unilaterally cancelled by the merchant or service provider due to stock unavailability, shop closure, or unforeseen operational bottlenecks, 100% of the pre-paid value associated with the order is eligible for refund.

E. Delivery Partner / Logistics Failure

Where an order fails to reach the destination due to a fault, negligence, or abandonment on the part of the logistics process or assigned delivery partner (excluding customer unavailability or an intentionally incorrect address provided by the user), the pre-paid amount is eligible for a full refund or re-fulfillment.

F. Product / Service Mismatch or Quality Defect

Where goods received or services performed materially differ from what was catalogued and ordered (e.g., wrong variant, stale/expired goods, defective items), the user is eligible for a full or partial refund subject to photographic or verbal evidence review.

G. Missing, Incorrect, or Damaged Items

• Missing Items: Items confirmed as billed/ordered but missing from the delivery package are eligible for a prorated refund of the item’s value.
• Incorrect Items: Items that do not match descriptions or specifications are eligible for a refund or replacement (where offered by the merchant).
• Damaged Items: Perishables, or consumer goods received in a damaged or unusable state—reported promptly with supporting evidence—are eligible for item-level refunds.

Section 3: Calculation & Monetary Adjustments

• Partial vs. Full Refunds: Where only a subset of an order is impacted by a quality defect or delivery error, a prorated partial refund will be processed. Full orders affected by systemic failures qualify for 100% refunds.
• Delivery Charge Treatment: Delivery fees are generally refundable if the order cancellation or service failure is attributable to Zappmit, the merchant, or the delivery partner. Delivery fees are non-refundable if a customer cancels an order after preparation has commenced or post-successful delivery due to personal change of mind.
• Coupons and Promotional Discounts: If a discounted or coupon-applied order is refunded, the refund amount will reflect the actual net monetary value paid by the customer after discount application. The restoration or reissuance of promotional vouchers remains governed by individual campaign rules.

Section 4: Cash on Delivery (COD) & Cash Refunds

• If a Cash on Delivery order is cancelled prior to dispatch, no financial exchange occurs.
• In the event a cash refund is approved for an offline adjustment (e.g., post-delivery dispute reconciliation), physical cash is never refunded by delivery personnel. Approved cash refunds are channeled exclusively through secure bank or UPI payouts executed digitally after compliance checks.

Section 5: Tax Adjustments & GST Credit Notes

When a refund is processed (partial or full), statutory Goods and Services Tax (GST) adjustments are executed in compliance with tax laws:

• For supplies invoiced directly by Zappmit, adjustments are handled via official Credit Notes.
• For merchant-supplied items where Zappmit acts as an electronic commerce operator or collection agent, invoice adjustments are coordinated through the respective merchant tax filings. The applicable tax component is reimbursed alongside the principal base price.

Section 6: Refund Status, Disputes, and Escalations

• Tracking Status: Order history logs within the app display payment settlement and refund triggers. For deep-level tracing references, users may query support.
• Customer Support Desk: All refund claims, queries, or status requests must be directed to contact@zappmit.com.
• Grievance Redressal Escalation: If a refund request is declined and a customer wishes to dispute the outcome, the matter can be escalated via the Zappmit Grievance Redressal mechanism. Valid escalations will be formally acknowledged within 48 hours and resolved within 30 days of receipt.