Refunds & Community Guidelines
These two policies go together because they protect the same thing: a marketplace where clients and providers can trust each other. The first half explains when you get your money back. The second half explains what is and isn't allowed on Umsiyeti.
Part A: Refund & Cancellation Policy
1. How refunds work on Umsiyeti
Umsiyeti is an intermediary platform: bookings are between you and the service provider. We hold the payment until the service is delivered and we will refund you, in full or in part, when the rules below apply. Stripe payments are refunded to the original card; B-PAY (Bankily) payments are refunded to the wallet that paid. Cash paid directly to a provider is outside our scope.
2. Cancellation by the client
If you cancel more than 7 days before the event or service date, you get a full refund minus a small payment-processor fee. Between 7 days and 48 hours, 50% of the booking is refunded. Less than 48 hours, the booking is non-refundable except in the cases listed in section 4. Some providers offer a more flexible window. When they do, the provider's policy on the listing wins.
3. Cancellation by the provider
If a provider cancels for any reason (overbooked, illness, equipment failure), you receive a 100% refund and Umsiyeti may apply a service-reliability penalty to the provider. We will also try to help you find a replacement at the same price.
4. No-show, late arrival, or service not delivered
If the provider doesn't show up, arrives more than 60 minutes late without warning, or fails to deliver the service you booked, contact us within 7 days with photos, messages, or other evidence. Confirmed cases get a full refund. Force-majeure events (severe weather, road closure, government action) that prevent delivery are also fully refunded, and neither side is at fault.
5. Service quality disputes
If what you received is materially different from the listing (wrong size, missing items, broken equipment, food quality far below the description), open a ticket within 7 days with evidence (photos, videos, messages). We mediate between you and the provider and may issue a partial or full refund depending on what we find. Subjective taste disagreements are generally not grounds for a refund.
6. How to request a refund
Open the booking in the app → tap 'Contact support' → choose a reason and attach evidence (photos, screenshots, videos). You can also email hello@umsiyeti.com with your booking ID. We acknowledge every request within 48 hours and aim to decide within 7 business days.
7. Refund processing times
Once approved, Stripe refunds appear on your card statement within 5 to 10 business days depending on your bank. B-PAY (Bankily) refunds usually settle in your wallet within 1 to 3 business days. Any delay beyond that is on the payment provider. We will share the refund reference so you can follow up.
8. Non-refundable items
Promo-code discounts and ambassador referral discounts are not refundable separately. They reduce the refundable amount accordingly. Optional add-ons explicitly marked 'non-refundable' on the listing (custom-made items, deposits paid to reserve specific dates during high season) are not refundable once the work has started. Payment-processor fees may be deducted on cancellations made by the client more than 48 hours before the event.
Part B: Community Guidelines
9. Be respectful to clients, providers, and staff
Umsiyeti is a community. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect: clients, providers, ambassadors and support agents, regardless of religion, gender, ethnicity, age, language, disability, or background. Harassment, threats, slurs, hate speech, sexual content directed at someone without consent, or doxxing are not tolerated and will get you banned. This applies to messages, reviews, AI-assistant chat, and any other surface in the app.
10. Honest listings and authentic reviews
Providers must list services they actually offer, with prices, photos, and descriptions that reflect reality. Clients must leave reviews that describe their actual experience. No paid reviews, no reviews from fake accounts, and no reviews left in retaliation for a service problem you didn't first try to resolve through the dispute process in section 5. We remove fake or coordinated reviews and may suspend the accounts behind them.
11. Prohibited content and behaviour
You cannot use Umsiyeti to: list or request illegal services; share content that sexualises minors; advertise alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or controlled substances; promote scams, pyramid schemes, or fake services; upload someone's personal information without consent; impersonate another person, brand, or institution; circumvent platform fees by trying to move transactions off-platform; or build automated tools to scrape, spam, or attack the service.
12. Reporting and blocking
If a user breaks these rules, tap the menu on their profile, message, or listing and choose 'Report' (with a reason) or 'Block'. Reports go to our moderation team and reviewed within 48 hours. Blocked users cannot message you and you won't see their content. False reports made to harass another user are themselves a violation and may lead to action against the reporter.
13. Enforcement and appeals
Depending on severity, our moderation team may: hide the offending content, issue a warning, restrict an account's ability to post or message, suspend the account temporarily, or permanently ban it. Repeated or severe violations skip the earlier steps. If you believe an action was taken in error, reply to the email we send when we take action. Appeals are reviewed by a different team member, normally within 7 days.
Questions or disputes? Email hello@umsiyeti.com with your booking reference, or open a ticket from Profile → Help & support → Customer service.