Dispute, Payout, Refund & Tax Policy
Last updated: 17 October 2025
This Policy forms part of the Terms of Service of Guruu (“the Platform,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). It explains how payments, booking fees, disputes, refunds, and taxes are handled for transactions processed through Stripe, our third-party payment provider.
1. Payment Handling
All payments are processed securely through Stripe. When a Buyer books a Service, the full amount is charged immediately and held in temporary escrow by Stripe on behalf of the Platform.
Funds are not automatically paid to the Service Provider upon booking. They remain on hold until one of the following occurs:
- The Buyer confirms the Service has been completed;
- The Buyer takes no action within the review period (see Section 3); or
- A dispute is raised in accordance with this Policy.
2. Platform Commission, Booking Fee & Processing Fees
For each confirmed booking:
- The Platform charges a non-refundable booking fee of USD $3.00, applied to every transaction. This fee covers payment-processing, administrative, and platform operating costs.
- The Platform deducts a 15 % service commission from the gross booking amount.
- Stripe card-processing fees are also deducted from the payout. These currently equal 2.9 % + USD $0.30 per domestic transaction and 4.4 % + USD $0.30 for international transactions (subject to Stripe’s pricing changes).
Accordingly, the Service Provider receives the net amount after deduction of the Platform’s commission, card-processing fees, and any applicable taxes.
3. Buyer Review Period
After a Service is completed, the Buyer has a [3- to 5-day] review period to confirm or dispute the transaction.
- Confirmation: If the Buyer confirms completion, the Platform releases payment to the Service Provider (less commission, booking fee, and processing costs).
- No action: If the Buyer takes no action during the review period, funds are automatically released once the period expires.
- Dispute: If the Buyer raises a dispute within the review period, funds remain on hold pending internal review (see Section 4).
4. Internal Dispute Resolution
Disputes must be submitted through the Platform’s dispute function within the review period. The Platform will assess relevant materials (communications, proof of delivery, cancellation terms, etc.) and make a good-faith determination.
The Platform’s internal decision is final for Platform purposes. Buyers retain the right to initiate a formal card-network dispute (chargeback) through their issuing bank (see Section 5).
5. Card Disputes and Chargebacks
If a Buyer’s bank reverses a payment:
- Stripe will debit the disputed amount from the Platform’s balance.
- The Platform will provide supporting evidence (e.g., proof of service completion).
- If the Platform prevails, funds will be reinstated.
- If the Buyer’s bank upholds the dispute, the Buyer will be refunded, and the Platform may recover the amount from the relevant Service Provider if the issue results from their non-performance.
6. Refunds
Refunds are evaluated case-by-case.
If a refund is approved, it will be processed for the amount received less any non-refundable processing fees and the USD $3.00 booking fee incurred at the time of payment. Stripe does not return processing fees on refunded transactions; therefore, those costs are retained by the Platform.
Where applicable, the Platform’s commission may also be retained to cover administrative and gateway costs.
Example: If you paid USD $100.00 and card fees totaled USD $3.20, your refund would be USD $96.80.
7. Cancellation by Service Provider
If the Service Provider cancels a confirmed booking for any reason, the Buyer will receive a full refund, including the booking fee and any card-processing costs.
The Platform may apply penalties or account restrictions to Service Providers who cancel confirmed bookings.
8. Cancellation by Buyer
If the Buyer cancels a booking:
- The refund amount is governed by the Service Provider’s cancellation policy, displayed at the time of booking.
- Buyers should review the cancellation policy carefully before confirming a booking.
- Any refund processed under that policy will exclude the Platform’s non-refundable booking fee and non-refundable payment-processing costs, unless otherwise stated by the Provider’s policy.
9. Taxes
The Platform may be required by law to collect and remit applicable taxes (including but not limited to sales tax, GST, or VAT) once statutory thresholds are met.
Any such taxes collected are held on behalf of the relevant tax authority and are not Platform revenue.
The Platform reserves the right to:
- Adjust prices, booking fees, or displayed totals to include applicable taxes;
- Collect and remit taxes automatically using Stripe’s integrated tax features; and
- Modify this Policy to reflect future tax obligations in jurisdictions where the Platform operates.
10. Fraud and Unauthorized Payments
Stripe provides card verification, 3-D Secure authentication, and fraud-screening tools (Radar). While these measures reduce risk, no system guarantees absolute protection.
The Platform is not liable for fraudulent or unauthorized card use beyond the protections offered by Stripe and the card networks.
11. Finality of Payouts
Once funds are released to a Service Provider and the Buyer’s review period has expired, the transaction is considered final unless reversed by a valid card-network chargeback.
12. Acceptance
By using the Platform, Buyers and Service Providers acknowledge and agree to this Dispute, Payout, Refund & Tax Policy, which forms part of the Platform’s Terms of Service.
For any payment issues, contact help@guruu.co.
Last updated 17 October 2025.