1. Refund Policies and Administration.

1.1 Minimum Requirements.

We understand that refund policies vary depending on the type of event and the Organizer. We provide flexibility for Organizers to post their own policies with respect to their events, so long as they meet the following minimum requirements. Nothing in these minimum requirements limits any right a Participant may have under the mandatory consumer protection laws of their jurisdiction, including without limitation the Australian Consumer Law, the EU Consumer Rights Directive, and the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015, which may provide additional mandatory refund rights that supersede these minimum requirements.

1.2 Refunds (Application Processing Fee & Ticket Fee).

A refund policy is a policy governing the refund of Event Registration Fees for cancellation initiated by the Participant or the Organizer/Event.

(a) Refund policies must be posted on the applicable event Application TERMS and FAQ pages;

(b) "No refund" policies are permissible, but must be clearly identified as such and must otherwise comply with these minimum requirements. Note that "no refund" policies may not be enforceable to the extent they conflict with mandatory consumer protection laws applicable to the Participant's jurisdiction;

(c) Refund policies (including "no refund" policies) must provide for a refund for complete failure to provide the advertised goods and services (e.g., event cancellation);

(d) Refund policies must be in accordance with all applicable local, state, provincial, national and other laws, rules and regulations, including all requirements imposed by Card Schemes or Alternative Form of Payment Frameworks (each as defined in the Merchant Agreement), and applicable consumer protection legislation including without limitation the Australian Consumer Law, EU Consumer Rights Directive, and UK Consumer Rights Act 2015, and, where required by applicable law, must provide that refunds include any VAT, GST, or similar indirect tax charged on the refunded amount;

(e) Refund policies must include specific information on any cancellation fees and any applicable tiers of cancellation fees, including activation dates of each fee level. Instructions on how a Participant may initiate a cancellation for refund must also be included;

(f) Cancellation fees may not be more than the initial ticket fee;

(g) Refund policies may not be changed with respect to purchases made prior to the date of such change and its posting to the applicable event page;

(h) Refund policies must set out a specific time frame within which refund requests will be responded to, which should not exceed five (5) business days for a first response; and

(i) Refund policies and cancellation fees must otherwise be fair and reasonable, as compared to industry standards.

(j) If a refund policy is not posted or does not meet these minimum requirements, festiVOL may (but has no obligation to) modify such refund policy such that it meets these minimum requirements.

(k) The festiVOL system is designed in a way that encourages Participants to cancel within their own Event Home Page, by clicking the "Cancel" link in the Confirm Step. However, should a Participant request a refund via Organizer, it is Organizer's responsibility to respond within a reasonable timeframe.

(l) festiVOL Application Processing Fees are generally nonrefundable. However, an Organizer may request application processing be refunded due to extenuating circumstances. festiVOL may refund an application processing fee for the following reasons: (i) Application Terms misrepresented the application or terms required by Organizer; (ii) The Event is cancelled; (iii) The application processing fee is a duplicate charge.

1.3 Refund Process.

festiVOL is designed with personal responsibility in mind. Participants may cancel within their own event account at any time prior to the Event End Date by clicking the "Cancel" link available in their Step 3: Confirm Step. Upon clicking the "Cancel" link, a pop up will advise the Participant on any applicable Cancellation Fees and what remaining portion of the Reimbursable Ticket will be returned once cancelled.

Organizers may process full refunds, emergency cancellations, or custom refund amounts in the Transaction Management tool, available in admin Events Tab, Single Transaction Refund Manager. This tool should never be used for Completed Obligation Bulk Reimbursements.

1.4 festiVOL Review.

In the event that Organizer fails to honor a refund that a Participant believes is due under the applicable refund policy and/or the minimum requirements set forth above, that Participant may request that festiVOL initiate a refund by contacting us. festiVOL will review the facts and circumstances and determine whether or not a refund is due in accordance with the applicable refund policy and the minimum requirements set forth above. festiVOL will endeavor to complete its review within thirty (30) days of being contacted. All determinations of festiVOL with respect to these Refund Policy Requirements shall be final and binding on both Organizer and Participant.

2. No Insurance or Guarantee.

These Refund Policy Requirements are not intended to be and do not constitute an offer to insure or guarantee the performance of any event, and are not a guarantee that refunds or reimbursements will be issued in any given situation. Nothing in these Refund Policy Requirements limits any rights available to Participants under applicable mandatory consumer protection laws.