Refund & Dispute Policy

Version 202605-IN · Applies to transactions processed through Payrok unless issuer or network rules require otherwise.

Policy Overview

This Refund and Dispute Policy (“Policy”) describes how refunds, reversals, and payment disputes are handled when you use Payrok (“Payrok”, “we”, “us”) to accept or disburse payments. It supplements our Terms of Service and any executed commercial agreements. Payrok provides technology and orchestration to initiate refunds and exchange dispute evidence with payment service providers (“PSPs”), acquirers, and banking partners; ultimate fund movement and network outcomes depend on those participants’ rules and timelines.

Merchants remain primarily responsible for customer satisfaction, order fulfilment, and first-line resolution of buyer complaints. This Policy sets baseline expectations for merchant-initiated refunds, payer disputes, chargebacks, duplicate credits, and internal escalation when operational issues arise on Payrok rails. Nothing herein limits statutory rights of consumers under Applicable Law, including grievance mechanisms before the Reserve Bank of India Ombudsman or other forums where applicable to your business category.

Merchant Responsibility

As a merchant, you must publish a clear refund and cancellation policy on your website, application, or point of sale, including contact details for support. You agree to honour valid refund requests in accordance with your policy, consumer protection law, and the nature of goods or services sold. Before initiating a refund through Payrok, you should verify order status, delivery proof, and whether partial fulfilment warrants a partial refund rather than a full reversal.

You are responsible for ensuring that refund amounts do not exceed the original capture, that currency and reference identifiers match the source transaction, and that you maintain adequate ledger records for tax and audit purposes. Refund fees, merchant discount rate treatment, and tax invoice adjustments follow your commercial schedule with Payrok and underlying PSP tariffs; unless expressly waived in writing, processing fees may be non-refundable when networks retain acquirer costs on reversals.

  • Respond to buyer inquiries before they escalate to chargebacks where possible.
  • Provide accurate product descriptions and delivery timelines to reduce service-related disputes.
  • Use dashboard or API refund tools only for legitimate reversals tied to real commercial activity.
  • Cooperate promptly when Payrok requests evidence for investigations or regulatory reviews.

Dispute Process

When a payer contests a charge, the dispute may appear as a retrieval request, chargeback, UPI dispute, or bank-initiated reversal depending on the payment rail. Payrok will notify you through dashboard alerts, webhooks, or email when dispute events are reported by partners, subject to network latency. You must submit compelling evidence-such as proof of delivery, service logs, signed receipts, communication records, and refund already issued-within deadlines specified in the notification. Late or incomplete responses may result in automatic liability assignment under network rules.

For non-card rails, dispute handling may follow NPCI or PSP-specific procedures. Merchants should not attempt to re-charge a disputed amount outside approved representment flows. If you believe a dispute is invalid, use prescribed representment channels only; retaliatory collection practices against payers may violate law and network policy. Payrok may debit upcoming settlements or reserves to cover provisional dispute amounts pending final outcome.

Timeline (T+45 days)

Refund and dispute lifecycles vary by instrument, issuer, and PSP. As a planning reference for merchants operating on standard Indian retail flows, Payrok targets the following indicative timelines, excluding force majeure, AML holds, and network extensions:

  • Merchant-initiated refund acknowledgement: API and dashboard requests are typically acknowledged in near real time during service availability; settlement of refunded funds to the payer’s source instrument depends on PSP and issuer processing, often within two to ten business days.
  • Buyer complaint to merchant: Merchants should acknowledge consumer complaints within two business days and aim for resolution within seven business days for digital goods and services unless a shorter statutory window applies.
  • Chargeback and dispute cycle: Many card and wallet disputes resolve within approximately forty-five (45) calendar days from initial dispute filing (often referenced as T+45), though complex cases, arbitration, and pre-arbitration phases may extend beyond this period.
  • Settlement adjustments: Provisional debits for disputes may appear on settlement statements before final network ruling; final netting occurs when the dispute is won, lost, or expired.

These timelines are illustrative targets, not guaranteed service levels. Actual dates appear in transaction and dispute records within your dashboard. Merchants requiring enterprise-specific dispute SLAs should refer to executed master service agreements.

Chargeback Handling

Chargebacks are governed by card network regulations distinguishing fraud, authorization, processing errors, and consumer disputes relating to goods or services. Liability allocation may depend on merchant category, authentication method (including three-domain secure flows), and underwriting arrangements documented at onboarding. Payrok facilitates evidence upload and status tracking but does not unilaterally overturn issuer decisions.

Elevated chargeback or dispute rates may trigger risk reviews, increased reserves, suspension of certain instruments, or termination under our Terms. Merchants engaging in high-risk categories may be subject to enhanced monitoring and shorter response windows. Friendly fraud and repeat abuse patterns should be documented; we may share anonymized fraud signals with consortium partners where lawful.

When a chargeback is lost, the transaction amount and applicable fees may be debited from settlement or invoiced. When won, provisional holds are released according to PSP reconciliation cycles. Partial wins or split liability follow network determinations.

Escalation

If you disagree with a refund failure, settlement adjustment, or dispute outcome processed through Payrok, follow the escalation path below. Include transaction identifiers, timestamps, screenshots, and correspondence with the payer to expedite review.

  1. Level 1 - Support: Email support@payrok.in. Target acknowledgement within four business hours during Indian Standard Time business days.
  2. Level 2 - Operations: Email ops@payrok.in for systemic duplicate settlements, widespread refund failures, or reconciliation breaks affecting multiple transactions.
  3. Level 3 - Compliance and risk: Escalate through your account manager or compliance channel when AML holds, sanctions screening, or regulatory freezes affect refunds.

For duplicate or erroneous credits identified after settlement, merchants must cooperate within two business days by providing ledger extracts and written confirmation of agreed recovery. Payrok may net recoveries against future settlements where permitted by agreement and law.

Payers with unresolved complaints may have rights to approach their issuing bank, NPCI dispute mechanisms, or statutory ombudsman schemes independent of this Policy.