Drop In Refund Policy

This Refund Policy explains how refunds are handled for Drop Ins. By hosting or attending a Drop In, you agree to this policy in addition to our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and applicable Host/Attendee Agreements.

1. General Principles

• Refunds are processed automatically by the Drop In platform, with Stripe handling payment transfers.
• All refunds are subject to the timelines and conditions outlined below.
• Platform and payment processor fees are non-refundable, as costs are incurred at the time of payment.

2. Attendee Cancellations

If an attendee cancels/drops out before the event:

• A partial refund is issued for the amount the host received.
• Platform and Stripe fees are not refunded.
• Cancelling/dropping out after an event has ended is not possible.

3. Host Cancellations

If a host cancels their Drop In before the event:

• Attendees automatically receive a partial refund for the amount the host received.
• Platform and Stripe fees are not refunded.

If a host attempts to cancel after the event has ended:

• Cancellation is not possible, as payouts are already in progress or completed.
• Instead, hosts may choose to unpublish the event (making it invisible to attendees but still accessible to the host in their dashboard).

4. Refund Timelines

• Refunds are generally processed within 5–10 business days, depending on the attendee's bank or payment provider.
• Notifications are sent by email and visible in dashboards whenever refunds are issued.

5. Disputes & Chargebacks

• In rare cases, an attendee may dispute a payment directly with their bank (a chargeback).
• During a chargeback, the disputed funds are temporarily held until resolved by the bank.
• Drop In and Stripe provide evidence to support hosts, but the final decision rests with the attendee's bank.

6. Special Cases

• Insufficient Funds: If a payout is delayed because Stripe has not yet cleared funds, refunds may also be delayed until processing is complete.
• Permanent Failures: If payouts or refunds fail after retries, Drop In support will intervene manually to resolve the issue.

✅ The Bottom Line

• Refunds are partial: only the host's share is returned.
• Platform and Stripe fees are non-refundable.
• Cancellations after an event has ended are not eligible for refunds.
• Refunds are processed automatically, with clear notifications at every step.