Refund Policy
Effective Date: June 16, 2025
Governing Law: Laws of India | Jurisdiction: Delhi, India
Applies to: Students, Consultants, ConsulTOpen
1. Student Cancellation – Refund Schedule
When a student cancels a booked session, the refund depends on how far in advance the cancellation is made:
| Cancellation Window | Refund Entitlement | Processing Time | Platform Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Within 30 minutes of booking confirmation | 100% refund of the session fee | 5–7 business days | Automatically initiated |
| More than 24 hours before the session | 90% refund (10% retained as an administrative charge) | 5–7 business days | Consultant notified; session slot released |
| Between 12 and 24 hours before the session | 50% refund of the session fee | 5–7 business days | Consultant notified; consultant's share credited during the next settlement cycle |
| Less than 12 hours before the session | No refund | — | Student encouraged to reschedule instead of cancelling |
2. Distribution of the Retained / Compensation Amount
Whenever a portion of the session fee is not refunded to the student, the retained amount is divided between the consultant and ConsulTOpen according to the standard 70:30 revenue-sharing ratio.
| Tier | Refunded to Student | Amount Retained | Consultant's Share | Platform's Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within 30 minutes of booking | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| More than 24 hours before | 90% | 10% | 7% of gross fee | 3% of gross fee |
| Between 12 and 24 hours before | 50% | 50% | 35% of gross fee | 15% of gross fee |
| Less than 12 hours before | 0% | 100% | 70% of gross fee | 30% of gross fee |
Example based on a ₹1,000 session fee:
| Tier | Student Refund | Consultant Receives | Platform Retains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Within 30 minutes | ₹1,000 | ₹0 | ₹0 |
| More than 24 hours before | ₹900 | ₹70 | ₹30 |
| Between 12 and 24 hours before | ₹500 | ₹350 | ₹150 |
| Less than 12 hours before | ₹0 | ₹700 | ₹300 |
3. Additional Conditions
- A cancellation is valid only if submitted through the ConsulTOpen platform. Verbal or informal cancellation requests are not accepted.
- The 30-minute period for a full refund is calculated from the payment confirmation timestamp, not from the booking time.
- Refunds are credited only to the original payment method. Cash refunds and transfers to third-party accounts or wallets are not permitted.
- Actual credit timelines may vary depending on the student's bank, card issuer, or payment provider and are outside the control of ConsulTOpen once the refund has been initiated.
- ConsulTOpen will send a refund confirmation through the registered email address within 24 hours of initiating the refund.
- No refund will be processed for disputes raised more than 48 hours after session completion unless there is proven technical failure on the part of ConsulTOpen.
4. Consultant-Initiated Cancellation – Refund
- If a consultant cancels a confirmed session for any non-emergency reason, the student is entitled to a 100% refund of the session fee. The refund is initiated and credited within 1–2 business days, subject to manual approval by the ConsulTOpen team.
- The consultant receives no payment for that session.
- The student may instead reschedule with the same consultant at no additional charge, subject to mutual availability.
- ConsulTOpen will notify the student by email and in-app notification within 2 hours of confirming the consultant's cancellation.
5. Platform-Initiated Cancellations
- ConsulTOpen reserves the right to cancel any session due to consultant credential fraud, active misconduct investigations, platform-wide technical failures, court or regulatory orders, or the death, incapacitation, or licence revocation of the consultant.
- Students will receive a 100% refund within 5–7 business days.
- Where possible, ConsulTOpen will offer a replacement consultant.
- If a mental health or therapeutic counselling session is cancelled because of the consultant's regulatory non-compliance, the student will be informed immediately and advised to seek services from a licensed professional. ConsulTOpen does not assume clinical liability in such cases.