Cancellation and Refund Policy
Applies to: customers who book services through Like Magic. It forms part of the Customer Terms of Use.
Status: Soft-launch version: applies from the day bookings open. Document 4 of 11 in the Like Magic legal set.
In short
- Move or cancel for free in the app until 12 hours before the booked time. If you booked less than 12 hours ahead, you can cancel for free until the provider taps "On my way".
- After that, or if the provider cannot get in, you may pay a late-cancellation fee, which is never more than the call-out fee. It is shown before you book.
- You never pay a fee if the person the booking was for dies or is in hospital, if the provider is late, comes to the wrong place or cancels, or if the job cannot go ahead for reasons beyond your control.
- You may cancel an online booking within 7 days unless the service has already started with your consent.
- Refunds go back to the way you paid within 7 business days of our decision, and never later than 30 days. You get credit instead only if you ask for it.
This summary helps you find your way. The numbered clauses below are the actual policy.
Contents
1. At a glance
1.1 This table sums up what happens when a booking does not go ahead as planned:
| What happens | What you pay | What you get back |
|---|---|---|
| You move or cancel before 12 hours before the booked time | Nothing | Everything you paid |
| You booked less than 12 hours ahead and cancel before the provider taps "On my way" | Nothing | Everything you paid |
| You cancel after the free period | The late-cancellation fee (clause 4) | The rest |
| The provider arrives but cannot get in or no adult is there | The call-out fee (clause 6) | The rest |
| The provider is late or comes to a different place, and you cancel | Nothing | Everything, with interest |
| The provider cancels or does not arrive | Nothing | Everything, or a new booking if you prefer |
| The person the booking was for has died or is in hospital | Nothing | Everything |
| An event beyond anyone's control stops the job | Nothing for work not done | Payment for work not done |
| You stop a job after work has started | Approved work done and materials bought for you | The rest |
2. Moving or cancelling for free
2.1 You can move or cancel a booking in the app, free of charge, until 12 hours before the booked time.
2.2 If you booked less than 12 hours before the booked time, you can cancel free of charge until the provider taps "On my way".
2.3 Our office confirms each cancellation in the app. The time you cancelled in the app is the time that counts, even if we confirm it later.
2.4 After the free period you can still ask to move a booking. If the provider agrees to the new time, there is no charge. If not, it counts as a cancellation.
3. Your 7-day right to cancel an online booking
3.1 Under section 44 of the ECT Act you may cancel a booking you made online, without giving a reason and without penalty, within 7 days after you made it. We refund you within 30 days.
3.2 This right does not apply once the service has started with your consent before the 7 days are over. If you book a time within the next 7 days, the app asks you to agree that the service may start before the 7 days end.
3.3 The 5-business-day cooling-off right in section 16 of the CPA does not apply to bookings made in the app, because the ECT Act right in clause 3.1 applies instead.
4. Late-cancellation fee
4.1 If you cancel after the free period in clause 2, you pay a late-cancellation fee equal to the call-out fee for the trade. The fee is shown before you book and in your booking confirmation. The rest of your payment is refunded.
4.2 The fee covers the provider's reasonable cost of keeping the time free for you and travelling to you. In setting it we took into account how much notice is given, how likely the provider is to find other work for that time, and usual practice in the industry. It is never more than the call-out fee for the trade, and it is paid to the provider.
5. When you never pay a cancellation fee
5.1 You pay no cancellation fee, and get everything back, if:
- the person the booking was for has died or is in hospital (we may ask for reasonable proof);
- the provider arrives after the booked time or arrival window, or comes to a different place, without your agreement. You may then cancel and we refund you with interest at the prescribed rate from the date you paid;
- the provider cancels or does not arrive;
- we cannot honour the booking, for example because no provider is available. We refund you with interest at the prescribed rate from the date you paid;
- load-shedding, severe weather, civil unrest or another event beyond your control stops the job; or
- the job cannot be done safely for a reason you did not know and could not reasonably have known.
6. If the provider cannot get in
6.1 If the provider cannot get in at the booked time, or no adult is there, the provider contacts you through the app and waits at least 15 minutes.
6.2 If the provider still cannot get in or start the job, they may leave and you may be charged the call-out fee. The rest of your payment is refunded.
7. If the provider does not arrive
7.1 If the provider does not arrive, tell us in the app. You choose a full refund, or a new booking with priority.
7.2 If the provider is running late, they must tell you in the app. You may accept a new time or cancel for a full refund with interest (clause 5.1(b)).
8. Call-out and quote jobs
8.1 For a call-out booking, the call-out fee is the booking price, so clauses 2 to 7 apply to it. Once the visit has taken place, the call-out fee is not refundable because the inspection or diagnosis has been done. If you accept the provider's quote within its validity period, the call-out fee is credited against it.
8.2 You can withdraw a quote request at any time, free of charge. A visit to prepare a quote is free unless a fee was shown and you accepted it before the visit.
8.3 After you accept a quote, you can cancel free of charge until 12 hours before the work is due to start. After that the late-cancellation fee may apply, plus the cost of materials the provider bought specially for your job and cannot return, but only if the quote said so. If you pay for those materials, they are yours.
9. Stopping a job after work has started
9.1 You may stop a job at any time. You pay for the approved work already done and for materials used or bought for your job that cannot be returned. The provider must leave the site safe. The rest of your payment is refunded.
9.2 If you stop a job because the work is defective or unsafe, you do not pay for the defective work. Please tell us in the app so that we can deal with it under the Workmanship Guarantee and our Complaints Policy.
10. How refunds work
10.1 A refund of money we still hold for a job is paid from that held amount; the app shows you the refund reference. Refunds go back to the card or account you paid with, within 7 business days of our decision and never later than 30 days. Your bank may take a few more days to show it.
10.2 Where the law gives you interest (clauses 5.1(b) and 5.1(d)), we pay it at the prescribed rate from the date you paid until the date we refund you.
10.3 We give you credit instead of a refund only if you ask for it. Credit can be used for any booking, carries no fees and is valid for at least 3 years.
10.4 We charge no customer service fee at present. If we ever do, it is refunded whenever the booking price is refunded in full.
11. Chargebacks and other rights
11.1 If you are unhappy with a charge, please contact us first. We can usually sort it out faster than your bank. Your rights under your card or bank rules are not affected. If you do ask for a chargeback, we share the job report with your bank.
11.2 If we did not give you the information the ECT Act requires before you booked, or the chance to review and correct your booking, you may cancel within 14 days after receiving the service.
11.3 This policy does not take away any right you have under the CPA or the ECT Act.