Zesday — Refund & Cancellation Policy

Version: 1.0 (DRAFT) Effective date: [[EFFECTIVE_DATE]]

⚠️ Draft for legal review against the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020. Not effective until reviewed.

This policy explains when you can cancel, when a charge applies, and how refunds work. It is part of the 01-customer-terms-of-use.md.

1. Cancellation by the customer

1.1 Before the restaurant starts preparation: cancel free of charge — full refund. 1.2 After preparation has begun / order dispatched: a cancellation charge up to the value of food already prepared and effort incurred may apply, because the restaurant and rider have committed real cost. The charge, if any, is shown before you confirm cancellation. 1.3 The cancellation window and any charge are always disclosed in the app at the time — never applied by surprise.

2. Cancellation / rejection by restaurant or platform

2.1 If a restaurant cannot fulfil an accepted order (e.g., item unavailable, closure) or we cancel (e.g., no rider, undeliverable address, suspected fraud, force majeure), you receive a full refund of amounts paid. 2.2 We do not force substitutions; any substitution needs your explicit consent.

3. Refund eligibility for quality/fulfilment issues

You may be eligible for a full or partial refund/credit for: missing or wrong items; materially incorrect quantity; spoiled/unsafe food (with reasonable evidence, e.g., a photo); or unreasonable delay attributable to the restaurant/rider. Report via in-app Help, ideally with a photo, promptly after delivery.

4. How refunds are issued

4.1 Method: to your original payment method or, at your option/where applicable, Zesday Wallet. 4.2 Timelines: Wallet refunds are typically instant; original-method refunds typically complete within [[REFUND_DAYS]] (e.g., 5–7) business days, subject to your bank/the payment aggregator. 4.3 COD orders: eligible refunds are issued to Zesday Wallet or bank transfer (as configured), since no card charge was made. 4.4 Tips are refunded only if the order itself is cancelled/failed before delivery.

5. Who funds the refund (transparency)

The party responsible funds the refund and it is disclosed on that party's statement:

restaurant-caused (wrong/missing/quality) → funded from restaurant settlement;
rider-caused (undelivered/tampered) → adjusted against rider payout;
platform-caused → borne by Zesday.

No party's money is silently used to fund another party's fault.

6. Abuse

Repeated or fraudulent refund claims (e.g., false "item missing" reports) are monitored; confirmed abuse may lead to denial of a claim, forfeiture of promo credit, or account action, consistent with the Terms.

7. Your statutory rights

This policy is in addition to your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. You may raise a grievance (08-grievance-redressal-policy.md) and, if unsatisfied, approach the appropriate Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

Prepared as a draft. Legal review is mandatory before use.