Refund Policy

This Refund Policy explains when and how refunds are issued for bookings made on Amboi.my. It mirrors the actual mechanics of our booking and escrow system — what's written here is what the platform does. It forms part of, and should be read alongside, our Terms & Conditions.

Customer-friendly summary: your deposit is held in escrow, not the vendor's bank account, until the event is delivered. If something goes wrong, you have a real path to a refund — not a polite "sorry, no refunds" reply.

1. How money flows in a booking

1. You pay a deposit (typically 20–30% of the booking total). The money is held by our payment partner in an escrow account — the vendor cannot withdraw it.
2. The booking moves to confirmed. The vendor can now plan around your event.
3. Closer to the event date, you pay the balance. It also enters escrow.
4. On the event day, the vendor delivers the service. They mark the booking delivered.
5. An automatic hold window starts — 3 days by default — during which you can flag any issue. If you open a dispute in this window, auto-release is paused.
6. If no dispute is opened, funds release from escrow to the vendor's wallet. Refunds become harder (but not impossible) at this point — see §5.

2. Pre-confirmation cancellations — full refund

If you cancel before the vendor accepts your inquiry, the booking is treated as never having existed. Any deposit you may have paid is fully refunded.

If the vendor doesn't respond within their stated response window (default 48 hours), the inquiry auto-expires and any deposit is refunded automatically — no action needed from you.

3. Post-confirmation customer cancellations

Once the vendor has accepted and the booking is confirmed, the vendor has begun reserving your date, planning materials, and turning away other inquiries. Refunds in this state follow the vendor's published cancellation policy on their profile.

Most vendors use a sliding scale similar to this:

Some vendors offer more or less generous terms. The exact policy is shown on the vendor's profile and on the booking confirmation page, and we capture a snapshot at the moment of confirmation so it can't change retroactively.

4. If the vendor cancels or fails to deliver

You're not on the hook for problems on the vendor's side. Specifically:

1. Vendor cancels after confirmation → 100% refund (deposit and any balance paid). Plus a platform-funded apology credit toward a re-booking, at our discretion.
2. Vendor no-show on the event day → 100% refund. Open a dispute from the booking page and attach evidence (timestamped photos / messages). Admin resolves within 14 days; the refund typically clears within 48 hours of approval.
3. Vendor delivers a materially different service from what was promised → partial-to-full refund, depending on the severity. Resolved through the dispute path.

5. Dispute-based refunds (post-delivery)

You can open a dispute any time before the post-delivery hold window closes (default 3 days after the vendor marks delivered, or 14 days after the event date — whichever comes first). The dispute pauses auto-release so funds stay in escrow while we investigate.

1. Step 1: Both parties submit evidence + responses (photos, messages, receipts).
2. Step 2: If you can't agree, either side escalates to Amboi admin (or it auto-escalates after the response deadline).
3. Step 3: Admin reviews and resolves with one of these outcomes:
   • Resolved in favour of customer — partial or full refund issued from escrow.
   • Resolved in favour of vendor — funds release normally; no refund.
   • Partial resolution — admin specifies the refund amount.
4. Step 4 (optional): Either side can appeal once, within 7 days of resolution.
5. Step 5 (final recourse): If the dispute can't be resolved on-platform, it can be referred to TTPM (Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna Malaysia), an Islamic-finance arbitration body, or the relevant Malaysian court — depending on the nature of the claim.

6. What if the vendor doesn't have the money to refund?

If the vendor's funds have already released from escrow and their wallet doesn't have enough to cover an approved refund, Amboi advances the refund from platform funds so you get paid back without waiting. We then claw back the amount from the vendor's next payout cycle.

For large refunds (above RM 500 by default), admin approval is required before the platform advance — this is to protect against fraudulent refund requests targeting solvent platform funds. Small refunds process automatically.

7. How long do refunds take?

1. Approval: automatic for vendor-accepted refunds; up to 48 hours for admin-resolved disputes; up to 14 days for escalated disputes.
2. Processing back to your payment method: 3–5 business days for credit / debit card refunds (Stripe); 1–3 business days for FPX online banking (Billplz, ToyyibPay).
3. To your Amboi wallet (if you opt for credit): instant. Wallet credit can be used immediately for a future booking or withdrawn to your bank account.

We email you at each stage: refund initiated, refund approved, refund completed. The booking page shows live status too.

8. What is NOT refundable

1. Platform commission on completed bookings — once a service is delivered and accepted, the 8% platform fee is non-refundable. (If the entire booking is refunded due to vendor fault, the commission is also refunded.)
2. Payment gateway fees charged by Stripe / Billplz / ToyyibPay are typically not refundable by the gateway. Amboi absorbs these when the refund is due to vendor fault; you absorb them when you cancel late.
3. Custom-ordered goods already produced — e.g. printed invitation cards already shipped, custom-baked cakes, personalised decor — are non-refundable once the vendor confirms production has started. The vendor will note this on their listing.
4. Subscription fees paid by vendors for upgraded plans (Standard, Premium) are billed monthly and not refundable mid-cycle. You can downgrade and the change takes effect the next billing cycle.

9. How to request a refund

1. Best path: from your booking page on Amboi, click Open dispute or Request refund. The vendor and admin both see the request immediately.
2. Email path: send the booking reference (BK-YYYYMMDD-XXXXXX) and a description to contact@amboi.my. We open the dispute on your behalf.
3. What to include: the booking reference, what went wrong, when it happened, and any evidence (photos, message screenshots, receipts).

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Refund Policy as the platform evolves or as Malaysian law changes. We'll publish a new version with an updated effective date. Bookings made before a change continue to be governed by the policy version in effect at the time of confirmation — we never apply changes retroactively to your detriment.