Refund / Payment Policy

1. Scope

This Refund and Payment Policy applies to all payments made to CloudColleague for services including listings, subscriptions, featured placements, and other paid features.

This policy does not apply to payments between Clients and Professionals, which are governed by their own agreements and escrow terms where applicable.

2. Australian Consumer Law

Nothing in this policy excludes, restricts, or modifies your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

Major Failure

If a service has a major failure, including where it is significantly different from what was described or unfit for purpose, you may be entitled to:

• Cancel the service; and
• Obtain a refund for the unused portion, or compensation for the reduced value.

Minor Failure

If the failure is minor, we may choose to remedy the failure within a reasonable time.

3. Platform Fees (Listings, Subscriptions, Featured Placements)

3.1 General Rule

Platform fees are generally non-refundable once the relevant service has been delivered, except where required by law, including under the Australian Consumer Law.

3.2 Exceptions

Refunds may be issued at our discretion, or where required by law, in the following circumstances:

3.3 Refund Deductions

Where a refund is approved:

• Stripe processing fees will be deducted from the refund amount; and
• Stripe fees are generally not recoverable once a transaction has been processed.

3.4 Subscription Cancellation

• You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings.
• Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle.
• No refunds are provided for partial months or unused portions, unless required under Australian Consumer Law.

4. Escrow Transactions

4.1 General

Funds held in escrow are released according to the agreed transaction flow and any applicable platform processes.

4.2 Disputes

If a dispute arises:

• Funds remain in escrow until the dispute is resolved;
• CloudColleague may assist with dispute resolution; and
• Where CloudColleague is involved in a dispute resolution process, we may consider relevant information including:

CloudColleague does not act as a court or arbitrator and does not guarantee outcomes in disputes between users.

4.3 Cancellation

If a transaction is cancelled, funds paid into escrow may be returned to the Client, less any non-refundable Stripe fees or other third-party processing costs where applicable.

5. Chargebacks

If you dispute a charge with your bank or credit card provider without first contacting us to try to resolve the issue:

• Your account may be suspended immediately;
• We may provide relevant evidence to the financial institution to contest the chargeback;
• If the chargeback is resolved in our favour, account reinstatement may require payment of a reinstatement fee of $25 AUD; and
• Repeated chargebacks may result in permanent account termination.

6. Processing Time

• Approved refunds are credited to the original payment method used for the transaction;
• Refund processing times are typically 5–10 business days, depending on your financial institution; and
• We will notify you by email once the refund has been processed.