Legal
Cancellation & Refund Policy
When you can cancel, what gets refunded, and how long the money takes to reach you — for businesses paying for HeyMachi, and for customers ordering through it.
All policies
In short
- Businesses: the first 30 days are free. A monthly plan can be cancelled any time and you are never charged for later months. A yearly plan runs for the full year you paid for. Duplicate or wrong charges are always refunded.
- Customers: cancel free before the merchant accepts your order. If the merchant cancels or your order never arrives, you get everything back.
- Refunds go back to the original payment method. UPI usually takes 1 to 3 working days, cards and net banking 5 to 7.
1. Who this Policy applies to
This Policy is issued by Hey Machi AI Private Limited (“HeyMachi”, “we”, “us”). It has two parts:
- Section 2 covers the subscription fees that businesses (“merchants”) pay HeyMachi for using the HeyMachi software. Here HeyMachi is the seller and makes the refund.
- Sections 3 to 10 cover orders and bookings that customers place with a merchant through the HeyMachi customer app, a merchant storefront or a QR table ordering page powered by HeyMachi. Each such order is a contract between the customer and the merchant named on the order. HeyMachi runs the technology and requires every merchant to follow at least the rules below. A merchant may be more generous, but not less.
Your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 are not affected by this Policy.
2. HeyMachi subscriptions (businesses)
Free first 30 days
New businesses use HeyMachi free for their first 30 days. We do not collect card or payment details during this period and nothing is charged unless you choose a plan; billing starts from the second month. If you do not choose a plan, your account moves to read-only mode and you can still export your data.
Monthly plans — cancel any time
- You can cancel a monthly plan at any time in the HM Business app, or by emailing sales@heymachi.ai from your registered email address.
- You pay only for the month you are in. Cancellation takes effect at the end of that month: your account works normally until then, automatic renewal (including any UPI Autopay or card mandate) is stopped, and you are not charged for any later month.
- The month already paid for is not refunded.
Yearly plans — a commitment for the year
- A yearly plan is paid upfront at a discount (one month free) in return for a commitment to the full year. It cannot be cancelled part-way and the unused months are not refunded, except in the cases listed in the table below.
- You can turn off renewal at any time, so that the plan ends at the end of the year and you are not charged for the next one.
When we refund subscription fees
| Situation | Refund |
|---|---|
| Charged twice, charged the wrong amount, or charged after you cancelled | Full refund of the amount charged in error. |
| Charged during your free first 30 days | Full refund. |
| We end your subscription for our convenience | Pro-rata refund of the unused prepaid period. |
| We materially reduce the core features of your paid plan | You may cancel and receive a pro-rata refund of the unused prepaid period. |
| You reject a change to our prices or terms before it takes effect | You may cancel and receive a pro-rata refund of the unused prepaid period. |
| The service does not work as described and we cannot fix it within a reasonable time | You may cancel the affected plan and receive a pro-rata refund of the unused prepaid period. |
| Monthly plan cancelled part-way through a month | No refund for that month; no charge for later months. |
| Yearly plan, any other reason | No refund for the remaining months; you keep access until the year ends. |
| Moving to a cheaper plan | Takes effect from your next billing cycle; no refund for the current one. |
Add-on and usage charges (such as WhatsApp and SMS messages already sent) follow the same rules. Where we refund a fee that included GST, we issue a GST credit note for it.
How to ask for a subscription refund
Email sales@heymachi.ai with your business name and invoice number. We acknowledge within 48 hours and give you a decision within 7 days. Approved refunds are initiated within 5 working days to the original payment method; Section 7 explains how long they take to arrive.
3. Orders and bookings (customers)
- Cancellation window shown before you pay. Each merchant sets a cancellation window for its orders and bookings. The window, and any cancellation charge, is shown on the menu or product page and again at checkout before you pay. No cancellation charge applies unless it was shown to you before you ordered.
- Before the merchant accepts. You can cancel any order free of charge until the merchant accepts it. You get a full refund, including any platform fee and delivery charge.
- Food orders. Once the merchant has accepted a food order and started preparing it, it usually cannot be cancelled, because prepared food cannot be resold. If you cancel after preparation has started, the merchant may keep up to the value of the items prepared, as shown in the cancellation terms at checkout. Any delivery charge for a delivery that has not started is refunded.
- Other goods. For groceries, electronics and other goods, you can cancel until the order is dispatched or handed to the rider, unless the merchant’s terms shown at checkout allow cancellation later.
- Bookings and appointments. You can cancel or reschedule a booking within the window shown when you booked. A deposit or no-show fee may be kept only if it was clearly shown before you booked.
- How to cancel. Use the Cancel button on the order or booking screen, or contact the merchant. The cancellation time recorded by the platform decides whether you cancelled within the window.
4. Cancellation by the merchant or the platform
If the merchant declines or cancels your order or booking for any reason (for example an item is out of stock, the kitchen is closed, or your address is outside its delivery area), or the platform cancels it because of a technical failure, you get a full refund of everything you paid, including any platform fee, packing and delivery charges.
If only some items are unavailable, the merchant must ask you before substituting anything. You can accept a substitute, accept a partial order with a refund for the missing items, or cancel the whole order with a full refund.
5. Problems with your order
You are entitled to a refund, or at your choice a replacement where the merchant offers one, in these situations:
| Situation | What you get | Report within |
|---|---|---|
| Order not delivered, or marked delivered but not received | Full refund, including any platform fee and delivery charge | 24 hours |
| Wrong items delivered | Refund for the wrong items, or a correct replacement | 2 hours for food; 48 hours for goods |
| Missing items | Refund for the missing items | 2 hours for food; 48 hours for goods |
| Food spilled, damaged, tampered with or unsafe to eat (including foreign objects) | Full refund for the affected items; full order refund if the whole order is affected | 2 hours |
| Goods damaged, defective or not as described | Refund, replacement or repair under the merchant’s return and warranty terms shown on the product page, and at least what the law requires | 48 hours for damage in transit; the warranty period for defects |
| Charged a higher price than shown at checkout | Refund of the difference | 7 days |
| Booking not honoured by the merchant | Full refund of any deposit or prepayment | 7 days |
To report a problem, use Help on the order screen. You may be asked for a photo of the items and packaging. We will not ask for more evidence than is reasonable, and a refund will not be refused only because you could not provide a photo. The merchant must respond within 24 hours; if it does not, or you disagree with its decision, you can escalate to us (Section 10).
6. Platform and convenience fees
Where a platform or convenience fee applies to an order, it is shown on the merchant page or cart from the start and again in the checkout breakdown before you pay.
- It is refunded in full where the merchant or the platform cancels the order, you cancel before the merchant accepts, the order is not delivered, or the whole order is refunded for a problem listed in Section 5.
- It is not refunded where you cancel after the merchant has accepted the order, or where only part of the order is refunded, unless the refunded part is more than 50% of the order value.
7. How and when refunds are paid
Refunds are paid to the original payment method: the same UPI account, card, net-banking account or wallet. We do not refund to a different account or in cash unless you ask and the law and payment rules allow it. Where you paid a merchant at the counter or on delivery, the merchant refunds you by bank transfer or UPI to an account you give, or in store if you prefer.
For customer orders, the merchant must approve or reject a refund request within 24 hours (48 hours where an item must be inspected). Payment for an order is settled to the merchant by an RBI-authorised payment aggregator, so the refund is made from the merchant’s side through that payment aggregator; HeyMachi initiates or facilitates it through the platform. Once approved, the refund is initiated within 1 working day. After that, the time for the money to reach you depends on your bank or payment provider:
| Payment method | Typical time after the refund is initiated |
|---|---|
| UPI | 1 to 3 working days, usually faster |
| Debit or credit card | 5 to 7 working days (may take longer to show on a credit card statement) |
| Net banking | 5 to 7 working days |
| Wallets | 1 to 3 working days |
| Loyalty points redeemed on the order | Returned to your points balance at once, with the original maturity date |
You will receive a refund reference number (such as an RRN or ARN) that you can quote to your bank. If a refund has not reached you within 10 working days after it was initiated, contact us and we will trace it with the payment provider. If a merchant does not refund within the time this Policy requires, we will act under our merchant terms, which can include suspending the merchant’s online ordering, and we will support your claim.
8. Failed, pending and duplicate payments
If money is debited but the order or subscription is not confirmed (the payment “failed” or is “pending”), or you are charged twice for the same thing, the payment is reversed automatically. You do not need to raise a request.
Reversals follow the turnaround times set by the Reserve Bank of India in its circular on harmonisation of turnaround time and customer compensation for failed transactions (DPSS.CO.PD No.629/02.01.014/2019-20, 20 September 2019). For example, where your account is debited for an online card or UPI payment but the merchant does not receive confirmation, the amount must be reversed within T+5 days (T being the transaction date). If the reversal is late, your bank or payment system participant must pay compensation of ₹100 per day of delay under that circular.
If a failed payment has not been reversed in time, contact your bank first. You may also contact us with the transaction reference and we will help. Unresolved payment complaints can be escalated to the RBI Integrated Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in.
9. Chargebacks
If you raise a chargeback or dispute with your bank, the payment provider will ask the seller for evidence such as proof of delivery. Please try to resolve the issue through this Policy first, because a chargeback can take much longer than a refund. If you receive a refund through a chargeback, you must not also claim a refund for the same order or invoice from us. Repeated unjustified chargebacks may lead to restrictions on your account under our Customer Terms of Use.
10. Disputes and escalation
- Merchant. Report the problem through Help on the order screen or contact the merchant using the details shown on the order. The merchant must respond within 24 hours.
- HeyMachi. If the merchant does not respond or you are not satisfied, choose “Escalate to HeyMachi” on the order screen or write to sales@heymachi.ai. We acknowledge within 48 hours with a ticket number, review the order records and give you a decision within 7 days.
- Grievance Officer. If you are still not satisfied, write to our Grievance Officer at sales@heymachi.ai. Complaints are resolved within one month of receipt.
You can also approach the National Consumer Helpline (1915 or consumerhelpline.gov.in), the appropriate Consumer Commission (including online through e-Jagriti), or, for payment issues, the RBI Integrated Ombudsman.
11. Changes
We may update this Policy. The version in force when you placed an order, or when a subscription period began, applies to that order or period.