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:
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;
(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);
(e) Refund policies must include specific information in the Application Terms and FAQ 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 (see 1.3 Refund Process).
(f). Cancellation fees may not be more than 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 set forth above, festiVOL may (but has no obligation to) modify such refund policy such that it meets these minimum requirements. Such modification may take the form of prospectively making changes to the Organizer's posted refund policy on the applicable event page or retroactively applying such changes at the time of a dispute, chargeback and/or refund request.
(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. It is important that Participants cancel via this method, rather than requesting a cancellation via event admin, as the cancelation initiation on their Event Home Page will delineate applicable cancellation fees and properly cancel their participation in accordance with Organizer’s own cancellation fees and active dates. However, should a Participant request a refund via Organizer, it is Organizer’s responsibility to respond within a reasonable timeframe to ensure that Participant does not fall into a higher, more expensive cancellation period gained by awaiting Organizer response.
(l) festiVOL Application Processing Fees are generally nonrefundable. However, an Organizer may request application processing be refunded due to extenuating circumstances and if Organizer believes refund of application processing fee is fair and necessary. Similarly, festiVOL may refund an application processing fee, but is not obligated to, for any of the following reasons:
i. Application Terms misrepresented application or terms required by Organizer, and Participant was not aware of certain terms they are not able to reasonably perform, prior to applying and paying the processing fee (this includes receipt of a high number of chargebacks for reasons stated above)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 – in giving Participants the information and tools necessary to make informed decisions concerning applying, whether Participants can reasonably meet Terms expectations, sign in/arrival requirements, and other program stipulations ahead of the event. festiVOL understands that plans change and emergencies arise that prevent Participants from fulfilling duties and Participants are required to Cancel. As Participants have access to their own event account including Application, Terms, FAQ, and Ticket Purchase, festiVOL mandates that all Participants cancel within their own home page account, rather than contacting event admin or festiVOL to process a cancellation.
Cancelling can be completed by the Participant anytime prior to the Event End Date, or the last day of the event, 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, as set by the Organizer, and what remaining portion of the Reimbursable Ticket will be returned once cancelled. The Participant can then click “Cancel” button to process the cancellation and associated refund, when applicable.
festiVOL understands there may be circumstances in which Organizers would like to bypass cancellation fees for a Participant or set of Participants. Organizers may process full refunds in the Transaction Management tool, available in admin Events Tab, Single Transaction Refund Manger. Within this tool, admin may search for a ticketed Participant and process a full refund, an emergency cancellation, or a custom refund amount. Note this is for one-off refunds and should never be used for Completed Obligation Bulk Reimbursements (See Reimbursement Policies & Administration).
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 by festiVOL Contracted Participant. Participants should note that if an Organizer has selected a facilitated payment EPP method for an event, festiVOL will not have control of the funds and festiVOL will need the provider of the facilitated payment method to cooperate in order to obtain a refund, which may not happen. All determinations of festiVOL with respect to these Refund Policy Requirements, including without limitation the orders to be refunded and the size of any refund, 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 the performance of or to guarantee the performance of any and are not a guarantee that refunds or reimbursements will be issued in any given situation.