Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Scope and current status

This policy applies to donations and other voluntary contributions made to the Foundation. The Foundation is currently under registration and does not accept donations. This policy will apply from the date donations open, and we will update the website when that happens.

2. General rule: voluntary gifts are non-refundable

Donations are voluntary gifts made without any expectation of goods, services or return benefit. Once a donation is completed, it is generally non-refundable. We use donations for charitable and programme purposes, and a refund reduces the funds available for those purposes.

This general rule does not limit any right you may have under applicable law, including rights relating to unauthorised, fraudulent or defective transactions.

3. Limited exceptions we will review

We will review a refund request where there is a genuine payment problem, including:

• A duplicate payment for the same donation.
• A payment that failed but was still debited from your account.
• An unauthorised payment made without your consent.
• A clear technical or processing error, such as an incorrect amount caused by our systems or a gateway fault.
• A donation made by mistake where the request is made promptly and the funds have not already been committed or spent.

A refund is not automatic. We will verify the transaction, check with the payment gateway or bank where needed, and decide in good faith. We may decline a request that is not supported by evidence or that falls outside these limited circumstances.

4. How to request a refund

Write to contact@sangathya.org within 7 days of the transaction with: your full name, email, phone number, donation date and amount, transaction reference or receipt number, the reason for the request and any supporting evidence. If you believe the payment was unauthorised, also contact your bank or card issuer immediately.

5. Processing and timelines

We aim to acknowledge a refund request within 3 working days and complete our review within 10 working days after receiving the necessary information. Approved refunds are processed through the original payment method or the payment gateway. The gateway, bank or card issuer may take additional time to credit the amount, typically 5 to 10 working days.

We may deduct non-recoverable gateway or bank charges where the law permits and where the deduction is clearly explained to you.

6. Recurring donations

If you have set up a recurring donation, you can stop future payments by writing to us or using the cancellation option provided by the payment gateway. We will stop future debits as soon as reasonably possible. Please allow enough time before the next scheduled debit.

Stopping a recurring donation does not refund payments already made. Those payments remain subject to this policy.

7. Chargebacks and disputes

If you raise a chargeback or dispute with your bank or card issuer, we will cooperate with the payment gateway and provide transaction records. While a chargeback is being investigated, we may pause related recurring donations. We ask that you contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue quickly.

8. Statutory rights

Nothing in this policy excludes or limits any right you may have under applicable law. If a statutory right applies, it will prevail over this policy to the extent of the inconsistency.

9. Contact

For payment and refund queries, contact contact@sangathya.org. Our Grievance Officer is yet to be appointed. Postal address: Registered address will be published once registration is complete.