This policy explains how refund requests are handled on Elmatajer. It distinguishes between two situations that differ both in who is responsible and in how a refund is carried out: amounts paid to the platform for a subscription, and amounts a customer pays to a store hosted on the platform.
Scope
This policy covers:
- Subscription and service fees paid to the platform.
- Payments for orders placed in stores hosted on the platform.
Who is responsible for which funds
Payments for orders placed in stores pass through the payment gateway account that the merchant connects in their own name, and reach the merchant's account with that payment provider directly. The platform does not hold or handle those funds. A decision to refund an order is therefore the merchant's decision, and it is carried out from the merchant's own payment account.
Subscription fees, by contrast, are paid directly to the platform and are covered by the section on subscriptions below.
Refunding order payments
The platform provides a tool to refund a paid order, in full or in part. Whether a refund can be carried out depends on the payment method used for that order:
- Card payment through a supported payment provider — full and partial refunds are supported and are carried out through the provider's own interface.
- Payment from the platform wallet — the amount is returned to that same wallet.
- Cash on delivery — this does not pass through any payment gateway, so there is nothing to reverse electronically; it is settled directly between the customer and the merchant.
- Manual transfer (a bank transfer or mobile wallet specified by the merchant) — this takes place outside the platform and is settled directly between the customer and the merchant.
An order with no completed payment recorded against it cannot be refunded.
Who can issue a refund
A refund may be initiated by the merchant who owns the store, by one of their authorised team accounts, or by platform administration. No account can refund an order that does not belong to its own store.
Cancellations and returns
Cancelling an order, or moving it to a cancelled or returned state, is done by the merchant. Changing an order's state does not by itself move any money: a refund is a separate action, carried out according to the payment method as set out above.
Failed and duplicate payments
If a payment attempt fails, the order is not treated as paid and no amount is recorded against it as refundable on the platform.
If you notice a duplicate or incorrect charge on an order from a store, contact the merchant who owns that store; the transaction is reviewed and corrected with them and their payment provider.
Shipping charges
Shipping charges and delivery areas are set by each merchant for their own store, and how they are treated in a refund follows that store's own policy.
Platform subscription fees
Subscription refunds are not processed automatically by the platform. What the platform does provide for a subscription today is:
- Cancellation — stops renewal; the store keeps working until the end of the period already paid for.
- Upgrade — the value of the days remaining on the current plan is credited against the cost of the higher plan. This is a credit against the upgrade, not a cash refund.
- Downgrade — takes effect at the start of the next cycle, and does not produce a refund for the current period.
For any refund request concerning subscription fees, please get in touch through our contact page; each case is considered individually.
Merchant responsibilities
A merchant should publish a clear refund policy for their store, honour it, and respond to their customers' requests. The platform provides the tools and does not take the merchant's place in that responsibility.
Customer responsibilities
When you buy from a store hosted on the platform, raise your refund request with the merchant who owns that store first: they are the party you contracted with and the one who decides on your order.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the supported payment methods change or legal requirements develop.
Contact
For any question about this policy, please get in touch through our contact page.