Refund & Cancellation Policy

When a buyer pays into a GuardPe deal, the funds are transferred to a dedicated nodal account held by Cashfree Payments India Pvt. Ltd., an RBI-licensed payment aggregator. GuardPe does not hold or control these funds directly.

Funds remain in the nodal account until one of the following occurs:

• The buyer approves delivery and releases payment to the seller.
• The auto-release period expires and funds are automatically transferred to the seller.
• A dispute is resolved in the buyer's favour, triggering a refund.
• The deal is cancelled before funding, and no charge has been made.

You may be eligible for a refund in the following scenarios:

• Buyer approved delivery: Once the buyer explicitly approves a milestone or deal delivery, the payout to the seller is initiated immediately. This action cannot be reversed.
• Auto-release triggered: If the buyer does not review delivery within the holding period (default: 3 days; configurable up to 90 days per deal), funds are automatically released to the seller. This is disclosed at the time of deal acceptance.
• Dispute raised after release: Disputes must be raised before funds are released. GuardPe cannot claw back payments already settled to a seller's bank account.
• Platform fee: The GuardPe platform fee (and 18% GST on the fee) is non-refundable once a deal is funded, except in cases where the deal is cancelled before buyer acceptance.
• Change of mind: GuardPe cannot process refunds if the buyer simply changes their mind after a deal is funded and delivery has been submitted in good faith by the seller.

A deal can be cancelled in the following ways:

Note: Buyers cannot directly cancel a funded deal outside the dispute process. This protects sellers from bad-faith cancellations. If you have a genuine grievance, please raise a dispute or contact our support team.

When a refund is approved:

• UPI payments: Refunded within 2–3 business days to the originating UPI ID.
• Debit / credit card payments: Refunded within 5–7 business days to the originating card.
• Net banking: Refunded within 3–5 business days to the originating bank account.

Refund timelines are subject to Cashfree's processing schedule and your bank's settlement cycles. GuardPe is not responsible for delays caused by your bank or payment network.

If you believe you are entitled to a refund, follow these steps:

1. For active deals: Go to your deal page and click "Report a problem" to raise a formal dispute. Our team will review the evidence from both parties and determine the outcome.
2. For closed deals or platform issues: Email support@guardpe.com with your deal number, transaction reference, and a brief description of the issue.
3. For escalations: If your issue is not resolved within 7 business days, you may contact our Grievance Officer — see the Grievance Redressal Policy.

GuardPe issues GST-compliant invoices for its platform fee. Invoices are available on request from billing@guardpe.com. The invoice covers only the GuardPe service fee — it does not represent the underlying deal amount, which is a direct commercial transaction between the buyer and seller.