Cancellation & Refund Policy

Overview

This policy explains how cancellations and refunds work. Cancellation and refund are handled as separate states: a cancellation does not automatically mean a refund has happened. Refunds are never marked complete unless a payment provider confirms them or an administrator explicitly records a manual refund (clearly labelled). This policy is subject to applicable law and does not waive any mandatory consumer rights.

Accommodation — direct bookings

Each direct booking retains a cancellation policy snapshot at the time of confirmation: the policy id, version, name, rules and booking timestamp. Later changes to the policy do not retroactively alter your confirmed booking.

Policy templates AYAM may configure include Flexible, Moderate, Non-refundable and Custom. The labels carry no financial rules until AYAM configures them; the specific rules on your reservation are the ones recorded in your snapshot. The Guest Guide shows the applicable policy, deadline and, where it can genuinely be calculated, an estimated refund before you request cancellation.

Cancellation states (direct bookings)

• Not requested: the booking is active.
• Requested: you have requested cancellation; AYAM reviews it.
• Cancelled: cancellation is confirmed.

Refund states (separate from cancellation)

Not applicable · Not started · Calculated · Pending · Processing · Partially refunded · Refunded · Failed. "Refunded" is only set when a payment provider confirms it, or when an administrator records a manual refund (clearly labelled as manual).

Refund calculation

Where it can be calculated, the Guest Guide shows: accommodation paid, cancellation charge, any non-refundable amounts, and the refundable amount. Calculated values are labelled "Estimated refund" until confirmed. AYAM never refunds more than was actually collected and never treats a card authorization hold as collected revenue.

External-platform bookings (Airbnb, Booking.com)

Where payment and cancellation are controlled by the external platform, AYAM does not execute or impersonate the platform's refund. The Guest Guide explains that cancellation and refund are managed through the booking channel. AYAM may record known status and amounts where appropriate but does not create an AYAM refund transaction for money it does not control.

Security hold vs refund

A security hold release (releasing a temporary card authorization) is not a refund. A security deposit return may follow a different financial workflow. These are kept separate from refunds in AYAM's records.

Service cancellations

Each AYAM Service may define its own cancellation rules; there is no single universal cutoff.

• Airport transfer: cutoff may be based on the configured lead time.
• Stock My Fridge: cancellation may change once shopping has begun.
• Flowers / Make It Special: cancellation may change once a supplier order or preparation has begun.
• Personal Shopper: a request can be withdrawn before approval or purchase; once a quote is accepted, a supplier is committed, or an item is purchased, the applicable rule may differ. Submitting a request is not an order or purchase.

These are architectural examples, not auto-applied legal rules. The specific rule for a service is configured by AYAM and shown in the Guest Guide.

Guest cancellation experience

For eligible direct bookings, a controlled cancellation flow appears under your booking details — not as a prominent button on Guest Guide Home. You first see the policy, deadline and estimated refund, then confirm via "Request Cancellation". For bookings controlled by an external platform, the Guest Guide explains that cancellation is handled through the channel and does not offer an AYAM refund button AYAM cannot perform.

Service cancellation in the Guest Guide

For a cancellable service or order, the Guest Guide offers "Cancel request" or "Request cancellation" depending on the operational state. If a service is already being prepared, a "Contact AYAM" option is shown. A UI action never implies an automatic refund where one has not occurred.

Refund ledger

AYAM records refunds in a ledger that preserves the original payment amount (never overwritten), supports partial and full refunds, distinguishes provider-processed from manually recorded refunds, and links each refund to the original payment, order or booking.

Owner settlements

For properties managed for a third-party owner, refunds and cancellations may affect owner settlement. AYAM does not assume all refunds are AYAM cost or all are owner cost; allocation follows the relevant owner/property agreement. Settlement is not fabricated.

Changes

AYAM may update this policy. New versions apply to new bookings; confirmed bookings keep the snapshot that applied at confirmation.

DRAFT — for professional legal review. This document is a working draft prepared for AYAM. It is not legal advice and has not been marked as compliant, approved, or registered with any authority. Final wording must be reviewed by a qualified legal professional before production use. Where company or legal information is shown as "to be confirmed", it will appear once configured by AYAM in Admin → Settings → Legal & Privacy.