Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy

PART A: CANCELLATION

A.1 Student Cancellation

Please refer to the Refund Policy for the complete refund schedule and revenue distribution rules. The cancellation outcomes are as follows:

• If a student cancels within 30 minutes of booking, the student is entitled to a full refund.
• If a student cancels 24 hours or more before the scheduled session, 90% of the session fee will be refunded. The remaining 10% will be retained and distributed between the consultant and ConsulTOpen in a 70:30 ratio.
• If a student cancels between 12 and 24 hours before the scheduled session, 50% of the session fee will be refunded. The remaining 50% will be retained and distributed between the consultant and ConsulTOpen in a 70:30 ratio.
• If a student cancels less than 12 hours before the scheduled session, no refund will be provided. The entire session fee will be retained and distributed between the consultant and ConsulTOpen in a 70:30 ratio.

A.2 Consultant Cancellation

A.2.1 Standard Cancellation

• The student is entitled to a 100% refund, processed within 1–2 business days (manual approval).
• As an alternative, the student may reschedule the session with the same consultant at no additional charge.
• The consultant receives no payment for the cancelled session.
• A written cancellation notice must be submitted through the platform at least 4 hours before the scheduled session. Cancellations made less than 4 hours before the session are treated as no-shows.
• Consultants who cancel more than 5 sessions within a rolling 30-day period will face temporary suspension pending review. The cancellation count resets after 30 days.

A.2.2 Emergency Cancellation

• Valid emergency grounds include a verified medical emergency, accident or hospitalisation, bereavement of an immediate family member, severe internet or power outage outside the consultant's control, or documented government-mandated restrictions.
• The consultant must notify ConsulTOpen Support through the designated emergency channel as soon as reasonably possible and submit supporting documentation within 72 hours.
• The student will be offered either a full refund or a priority rescheduled session.
• Verified emergency cancellations will not count towards the consultant's cancellation tally.
• Unverified emergency claims will be treated as standard cancellations.

A.3 Platform-Initiated Cancellation

ConsulTOpen may cancel sessions due to consultant credential fraud, misconduct investigations, platform-wide technical failures, or regulatory or court orders. In such cases, students will receive a 100% refund within 5–7 business days, and a replacement consultant will be offered wherever possible.

PART B: RESCHEDULING

B.1 Student Rescheduling

• A student may reschedule a confirmed booking up to 2 times per session, subject to consultant availability.
• The rescheduled session must take place within 30 days of the original booking date.
• No additional fee will be charged within the permitted rescheduling limit.
• A third rescheduling request will be treated as a cancellation, and the applicable refund rules will apply.
• Students cannot reschedule a session that has already been marked as completed or as a no-show.

B.2 Consultant Rescheduling

• A consultant may reschedule a confirmed session only once per student booking.
• A consultant may have a maximum of 5 total reschedules across all bookings in a single calendar month.
• The student must be informed and must agree to the new schedule. If the student does not consent, they are entitled to a full refund under the Consultant Cancellation Policy (Part A.2).
• Any additional rescheduling beyond the one-per-booking limit requires written approval from ConsulTOpen Support and will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

Monthly Cap Escalation — the monthly consequences for consultant reschedules/cancellations are:

• 1 occurrence: No action; within normal limits.
• 2 occurrences: Formal warning issued.
• 3–5 occurrences: Continued warning and flagged for performance review.
• More than 5 occurrences: Temporary suspension pending review.

B.3 Platform-Managed Rescheduling

• ConsulTOpen may proactively reschedule sessions due to verified platform outages or regulatory compliance requirements.
• Both the student and consultant will be notified at least 2 hours in advance wherever possible.
• If either party is unable to attend the rescheduled session, a full refund will be provided.

B.4 Rescheduling – Mental Health / Counselling Sessions

• ConsulTOpen strongly advises against last-minute rescheduling of mental health sessions due to their sensitive nature.
• Consultants providing licensed mental health services must comply with all applicable professional ethics codes, including RCI and IACP, regarding continuity of care and client welfare.
• If a mental health session is rescheduled, the consultant must ensure that the student has access to emergency support resources until the new session takes place.