Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Overview

This policy explains how payments, cancellations, refunds, and disputes work on Citovelo. We aim to be fair to both Posters and Concierges while keeping the marketplace trustworthy. It works together with the Poster Terms of Service and the Concierge Independent Contractor Agreement.

2. How Payments Work

Payments are processed by Stripe. Holding a payment until completion protects both sides, but it is not insurance.

3. When a Poster Cancels

• Cancellation fees are paid in full to the Concierge for their reserved time.
• The amounts are shown before you book.
• If the Concierge had already completed part of the work, the final amount is decided through dispute review based on the work done.

Reasons we will usually waive the fee and refund in full or in part:

• The Concierge did not show up or was significantly late without telling you;
• The Concierge lacked the skills or equipment the task needed;
• A safety concern;
• An emergency, such as a hospital visit or sudden illness (contact support).

4. When a Concierge Cancels

• Before checking in: the Poster receives a full refund, including the Insurance & Platform Fees, and the task is reopened for other Concierges. Please cancel as early as you can. Repeated late cancellations may lead to coaching or limits on your account, but we never charge a Concierge a fine.
• After checking in: contact the Poster right away and report it in the app. Payment is adjusted through dispute review based on the work completed.

5. No-Shows

• Concierge no-show. If a Concierge has not arrived within 15 minutes of the scheduled time and has not communicated, the Poster receives a full refund, including the Insurance & Platform Fees, and the task is reopened for other Concierges. The Concierge's account may be reviewed.
• Poster no-show. If the Poster is unreachable or does not provide the access the Concierge needs, the $17.98 cancellation fee applies and is paid to the Concierge. The task is marked incomplete.

6. Refunds

• How long: refunds are issued within 5-10 business days. The time it takes to appear depends on your bank or card issuer. If a booking is cancelled before the payment is captured, the hold is simply released.
• How: refunds go to your original payment method. If it is no longer available, we may issue Citovelo credit, and you can ask for another method instead.
• Stripe processing fees: these are covered by Citovelo's Insurance & Platform Fees. We do not pass them on to Posters or Concierges.
• Refunded amounts are never taken out of a Concierge's base payout for work they completed properly.

7. Disputes

When to file. Within 48 hours of the issue or of the Concierge tapping Complete, whichever is later, if a task was not completed as described, the quality was poor, there was misconduct by either side, you disagree about whether it was completed, or there was a safety issue or policy violation.

How it works

1. File within 48 hours of the issue, through the app.
2. We review the evidence, such as in-app messages, check-in and check-out records, location data during the job, and photos (of property, not of people). If the report is made before the Concierge taps Complete, the payment stays held while we review. If it is made after, the Concierge has already been paid. Citovelo then refunds the Poster from its own funds when the review supports it, and recovers that amount from the Concierge only if the Concierge was at fault, after telling them why and giving them a chance to respond.
3. Initial proposal within 24 hours. We may use automated tools to organize the evidence, but a person reviews it before a decision is made.
4. Appeal. Either side may ask for a second review by a different person.
5. Final decision. Citovelo's decision after the appeal settles the payment dispute within the app. It does not take away any legal rights you have, including the arbitration and small-claims options in the Terms.

Possible outcomes: a full refund to the Poster (task not done or a serious problem); full payment to the Concierge (task completed satisfactorily); or a partial refund and partial payment (partly completed or mixed fault).

Outcomes are based on the work and the evidence, not on ratings. A Concierge's base payout is never reduced because of a rating. We do not retaliate against anyone for filing a dispute in good faith.

8. Memberships and Subscriptions

• Monthly plans: cancel any time. Your access continues until the end of the paid period, and the plan will not renew. We do not refund the current period.
• Annual plans: if you cancel within 30 days of purchase or renewal, you receive a pro-rated refund. After 30 days, you can cancel the renewal but we do not refund the current term.
• You will see the price, billing period, and renewal terms before you subscribe, and you can cancel in the app at any time.

9. Tips

Tips are voluntary and are paid in full to the Concierge's Stripe account, with no fee taken from them. They are not refundable once given, except in cases of fraud, an unauthorized charge, or a mistake in the amount. Contact support within 48 hours.

10. Weather and Emergency Cancellations

For severe weather, natural disasters, or emergencies:

• Full refunds are provided regardless of the task's status, with no cancellation fee;
• There are no penalties for either side; and
• The task can be rescheduled at no charge. Contact support for help.

11. Chargebacks

Please contact us before disputing a charge with your bank so we can fix the problem quickly. If a chargeback is filed instead, we may pause the account while we investigate, and the chargeback will be resolved through Stripe's process. Misuse of chargebacks may lead to account removal.

12. Concierge Onboarding Screening Fee

Concierges pay a one-time $25 Onboarding Screening Fee toward the cost of their background screening. It is shown and charged to the Concierge's card through Stripe before screening starts, and it is never taken out of a task payout.

A job counts when the Concierge taps Complete and our review does not find that the Concierge failed to perform it as booked. Ratings do not matter. "Good standing" means the account is active with no substantiated safety or conduct violation. Full terms are in the Concierge Independent Contractor Agreement.

13. Contact

Refund and cancellation questions: support@citovelo.com · 1-877-248-6889. We respond within 24-48 hours.

14. Changes

We may update this policy. We will give at least 30 days' notice of material changes by email and in the app. The new version applies to tasks booked after the effective date.