1. Distinction Between Free and Paid Services
1.1. Free Services: Browsing the VEDLIST directory, searching for businesses, submitting customer Enquiries, reading or posting authentic reviews, and creating or claiming a standard Free Business Listing are provided free of charge and do not require any payment method.
1.2. Paid Platform Services: VEDLIST offers optional paid upgrades for Vendors and Advertisers, which may include:
- (a) Paid Subscription Plans: Tiered plans displayed on Our Pricing Page (
/pricing) and Vendor Dashboard (/dashboard/subscription) that unlock enhanced profile features, higher listing limits, priority visibility, or ecosystem integrations; - (b) Paid Advertisements & Sponsored Placements: Self-serve or managed promotional banners and sponsored listings billed via
/billing/advertisements; and - (c) Custom Services / Invoiced Packages: Custom onboarding, digital marketing, or enterprise packages billed via custom payment links (
/payment/custom) or direct invoices (/pay/invoice/{token}).
1.3. Third-Party Vendor Transactions Excluded: VEDLIST does not collect payments on behalf of listed Vendors for their goods, consultations, courses, bookings, or services. Any refund or cancellation request regarding money paid by a User directly to a listed Vendor must be resolved exclusively with that Vendor.
2. Subscription Payments and Renewal
2.1. Upfront Billing: All paid subscription plans and advertising campaigns are billed in advance for the billing cycle (monthly, annual, or custom term) or campaign duration selected by You at the time of checkout.
2.2. Renewal Terms: Subscriptions may be renewed at the end of the active billing period via Your Vendor Dashboard. Where recurring billing or auto-renewal is enabled and explicitly authorized by You during checkout in accordance with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) e-mandate guidelines, renewal charges will be processed at the end of the current billing term unless cancelled prior to the renewal date.
3. Cancellation Requests
3.1. How to Cancel a Subscription: You may cancel Your active subscription at any time through either of the following methods:
- (a) Self-Serve Dashboard: By navigating to Your Vendor Dashboard (
/dashboard/subscription) and selecting the Cancel Subscription option (/billing/cancel); or - (b) Email Request: By sending a cancellation request from Your registered email address to [email protected] with Your Account ID or Invoice Number.
3.2. No Dark Patterns in Cancellation: In strict compliance with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, VEDLIST ensures that cancelling a subscription is straightforward and does not subject You to deceptive obstacles or forced retention loops.
3.3. Effect of Cancellation:
- (a) Unless a refund is approved under Section 4 below, cancellation stops future billing renewals, and Your paid subscription benefits will continue to remain active until the end of Your current paid billing period.
- (b) Upon expiry of the paid billing period, Your account and Listing(s) will automatically revert to the standard Free Tier limits without deleting Your core public Listing data.
4. Refund Eligibility and Non-Refundable Services
4.1. General Rule for Activated Digital Subscriptions & Campaigns: Because paid subscription features, search visibility boosts, and advertisement impressions are provisioned digitally upon payment activation:
- (a) Activated Subscriptions: Once a paid subscription plan is activated and its premium features have been provisioned to Your account, subscription fees for the current billing cycle are generally non-refundable, except where a material technical defect attributable solely to VEDLIST prevents access to the subscribed features and remains unresolved for more than seven (7) business days after written notice to Us.
- (b) Advertisement Campaigns: Once a sponsored placement or banner advertisement has been approved and has begun serving impressions or clicks on the Platform, charges for the consumed campaign period or delivered impressions/clicks are non-refundable. If a self-serve advertisement is rejected during moderation or cancelled by You prior to approval and publication, You may request a full refund or account credit.
4.2. Statutory & Operational Exceptions (When Refunds Are Always Provided): Nothing in this Policy restricts Your statutory rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. You are always eligible for a full or proportionate refund in the following cases:
- (a) Duplicate Transactions: Where You were accidentally charged twice or more for the exact same subscription plan, invoice, or advertisement due to a technical or payment gateway error;
- (b) Failed Provisioning / Unfulfilled Service: Where Your payment was successfully debited and settled to VEDLIST, but VEDLIST failed to activate the purchased subscription or service within a reasonable time and could not rectify the failure upon notification; or
- (c) Erroneous Billing After Valid Cancellation: Where a renewal charge was debited by Us after You had already submitted a valid cancellation request prior to the renewal cut-off.
4.3. Termination for Policy Violation: If Your account, Listing, or advertisement is suspended or terminated by VEDLIST due to Your material breach of Our Terms and Conditions, Vendor / Business Listing Policy, or User Conduct Policy (such as posting fraudulent listings, illegal services, or prohibited content), You shall not be entitled to a refund of fees for the remaining period, to the extent permitted by law.
5. Failed Payments and Debited-but-Pending Transactions
5.1. Automated Reconciliation: Occasionally, a payment transaction via UPI, Net Banking, or Card may display as “Failed” or “Pending” on the checkout return screen (/billing/return or /billing/status) even though the amount was debited from Your bank account.
5.2. Resolution of Failed Debits:
- (a) If the amount did not settle with VEDLIST’s payment gateway (PayGlocal or partner bank), the acquiring bank typically auto-reverses the amount to Your source account within 5 to 7 working days in accordance with RBI turnaround time (TAT) norms.
- (b) If the funds are confirmed as settled to VEDLIST’s merchant account during webhook/callback reconciliation, We will either immediately activate Your subscription/invoice or, if You have already completed an alternate payment, refund the duplicate settlement in full.
6. Refund Processing Timelines and Method
6.1. Review Timeline: All refund requests submitted to Our billing support team are acknowledged within 24 to 48 hours, with a final decision communicated within 5 business days.
6.2. Refund Disbursement Timeline: Once a refund is approved, VEDLIST will initiate the refund through the payment gateway within 5 to 7 business days. Depending on Your bank or card issuer’s settlement cycle, the refunded amount typically reflects in Your original source payment account within 7 to 10 business days from initiation.
6.3. Original Payment Method Only: For anti-money laundering and financial security compliance, all refunds are credited strictly back to the original payment instrument (bank account, UPI ID, or credit/debit card) used for the transaction. We do not issue cash refunds or transfer refunds to alternate third-party bank accounts.
6.4. GST Credit Notes: Where a refund is issued against a transaction for which a GST Tax Invoice was previously generated, VEDLIST will issue a corresponding Credit Note in accordance with Section 34 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.
7. Billing Dispute and Grievance Procedure
7.1. Contact Billing Support First: If You notice an unrecognized charge, duplicate debit, or billing discrepancy, please contact Our Billing Support Desk with Your registered email/phone, Invoice Number or Transaction Reference ID, date, and amount:
- Billing Support Email: [email protected]
- Phone: +91-7408094200
- Support Tickets: Open a Support Ticket
7.2. Escalation to Grievance Officer: If Your billing dispute is not satisfactorily resolved by Customer Support within 7 business days, You may escalate the matter to Our designated Grievance Officer under Our Grievance Redressal Policy.