Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Our Refund Promise

• If The Genius Donkey or the assigned service provider is unable to deliver the agreed service and the issue cannot reasonably be resolved, the customer may be eligible for a full refund of the affected order, subject to this policy and applicable law.
• Our objective is to ensure that customers do not pay for a service that we are unable to deliver as agreed.

2. Payment Goes to The Genius Donkey

• Payments for orders are made to The Genius Donkey rather than directly to the assigned freelancer.
• This allows us to coordinate the project and assist with delivery issues, cancellations and refunds.
• Customers should never be required to pay a freelancer directly for an order placed through The Genius Donkey.

3. Cancellation Before Work Begins

• If you request cancellation before the assigned freelancer has started work, you will generally be eligible for a full refund.
• Any non-recoverable third-party charges, where applicable and permitted by law, may be excluded from the refund.

4. Cancellation After Work Begins

If work has already started, the refund will depend on the circumstances. We may consider:

• Work already completed and original scope.
• Customer-provided requirements and communication.
• Third-party costs already incurred.
• Whether usable work has already been delivered and the reason for cancellation.
• A customer changing their mind after substantial work has begun does not automatically qualify for a full refund.

5. Freelancer Cannot Complete the Project

If the assigned freelancer informs us that they cannot complete the project, we may:

• Ask the freelancer to continue or revise the work.
• Assign another suitable freelancer to take over.
• Extend the delivery timeline with the customer's agreement.
• Cancel the order and issue an applicable refund.
• If the agreed service ultimately cannot reasonably be delivered, the customer may receive a full refund for the affected order.

6. Problems With Delivered Work

• If you believe that the delivered work does not meet the agreed requirements, please raise the issue through the project communication channel.
• The freelancer should normally be given a reasonable opportunity to correct issues that fall within the original scope.
• If the issue cannot be resolved, The Genius Donkey may review the project to determine an appropriate resolution (Revision, Rework, Reassignment, Cancellation, Partial refund, or Full refund).

7. Refund Requests From Freelancers

• A freelancer may request or recommend a refund if they determine that they cannot complete the project.
• The freelancer does not independently control the customer's money. All refunds are reviewed and processed by The Genius Donkey.

8. Customer-Requested Changes

• A refund may not be available where the customer substantially changes the project after work has begun.
• For example, requesting an entirely different website design, changing the project objective or adding substantial functionality may constitute a new requirement rather than a failure to deliver the original service.

9. Customer-Caused Delays

A customer may affect the delivery timeline by:

• Not providing required content or access credentials.
• Delaying feedback or becoming unavailable.
• Changing requirements repeatedly or providing incomplete/inaccurate information.
• Customer-caused delays do not automatically qualify for a refund.

10. Refund Options

When a refund has been approved, eligible customers may generally choose between:

11. Genius Donkey Credit

• Is available for purchases of eligible services from The Genius Donkey.
• Is not cash, cannot be transferred, sold, or withdrawn, and cannot be used to pay freelancers directly.
• Is not a bank account or general-purpose payment instrument.
• Unless otherwise stated when issued, Genius Donkey Credit does not expire.
• If applicable law requires a refund through the original payment method, that right will not be removed by the availability of Genius Donkey Credit.

12. Currency and Refund Amounts

• Where a customer paid in a foreign currency, transaction amounts received after processing or currency conversion may differ due to exchange-rate movements or bank policies.
• Where Genius Donkey Credit is selected, the approved credit amount will be recorded in the applicable account currency/value communicated to the customer.

13. Third-Party Costs

• Some projects may involve third-party purchases such as Domains, Hosting, Shopify subscriptions, Plugins, Stock media, Fonts, APIs, or Software licences.
• Third-party fees already incurred may not be refundable. Where possible, we communicate such costs before they are incurred.

14. Duplicate Payments

• If you accidentally pay for the same order more than once, contact us as soon as possible. After verification, duplicate payments will be refunded.

15. Chargebacks

• We encourage customers to contact The Genius Donkey before initiating a payment dispute or chargeback so that we have an opportunity to resolve the issue.
• Fraudulent or abusive chargebacks may result in account restrictions, subject to applicable law.

16. How to Request a Refund

To request a refund or report a delivery issue:

• Contact the assigned freelancer through the project communication channel where applicable.
• Explain the issue and allow a reasonable opportunity for resolution.
• If the issue cannot be resolved, contact The Genius Donkey through our Contact Us page.
• Provide your order number and relevant information. We may review project requirements, communications and delivered work before determining resolution.

17. Refund Processing

• Once approved, refunds to the original payment method are processed through the applicable payment provider.
• Genius Donkey Credit may be issued faster where technically available.

18. Fair Use

• Our refund policy is designed to protect customers when a service cannot be delivered as agreed. It is not intended to allow a customer to receive and retain completed work without paying for it.
• Where work has been substantially completed according to scope, a refund may not be available simply because the customer no longer wants the service.

19. Changes to This Policy

• We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will be published on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date.