Refund Policy

1. Overview

ZuriPay processes payments on behalf of Merchants. When a Customer requests a refund for a product or service, the Merchant is responsible for determining whether a refund is appropriate and initiating it through their ZuriPay dashboard. ZuriPay facilitates the technical processing of the refund but does not make independent refund decisions on behalf of Merchants.

2. For Customers (Buyers)

If you made a payment through ZuriPay and wish to request a refund:

• Contact the Merchant first. Refund policies are set by the individual Merchant. Contact them directly to request a refund, providing your transaction reference and reason for the request.
• Timeframe: Most Merchants process refund requests within 7-14 business days. The Merchant's own refund policy governs eligibility and timing.
• Refund method: Refunds are processed back to the original payment method used for the transaction. Card refunds typically take 5-10 business days to appear on your statement. EcoCash refunds are processed within 24-48 hours. ZimSwitch refunds follow standard bank processing times.
• If the Merchant is unresponsive: If you cannot reach the Merchant or are dissatisfied with their response, you may contact us at [email protected] and we will attempt to mediate. For card payments, you may also initiate a chargeback through your card-issuing bank.

3. For Merchants (Sellers)

As a Merchant using ZuriPay, you are responsible for:

• Establishing and clearly communicating your own refund policy to your customers before they complete a payment.
• Processing legitimate refund requests promptly through the ZuriPay dashboard or API.
• Maintaining sufficient balance in your ZuriPay account to cover refunds.
• Responding to chargeback disputes within the required timeframe (see section 5 below).

3.1 How to Issue a Refund

Full or partial refunds can be initiated from your ZuriPay dashboard under the transaction details page, or programmatically via the API. Refunds can be issued for up to 180 days after the original transaction date.

3.2 Refund Fees

When you issue a refund, the original transaction fee paid to ZuriPay is not returned. For example, if a $100 card payment was processed (ZuriPay fee: $3.00), and you issue a full refund of $100 to the customer, you will bear the $3.00 processing fee. This is because payment network fees are non-recoverable once a transaction has been processed.

4. Refund Processing Times

Processing times are estimates and may vary depending on the customer's bank or mobile money provider.

5. Chargebacks and Disputes

A chargeback occurs when a Customer disputes a card transaction directly with their bank or card issuer. Chargebacks can result from unauthorised use, goods not received, or dissatisfaction with a purchase.

• Notification: When a chargeback is initiated, we will notify you via email and your dashboard with the details of the dispute.
• Response window: You will have 7-14 days (depending on the card network) to submit evidence to dispute the chargeback. Evidence may include proof of delivery, customer communication, signed contracts, or digital usage logs.
• Resolution: The card network (Visa/Mastercard) makes the final decision on chargebacks, not ZuriPay. If the chargeback is upheld, the transaction amount will be debited from your settlement balance.
• Excessive chargebacks: Merchants with a chargeback rate exceeding 1% of total transactions may face account review, additional monitoring, or suspension.

6. ZuriPay Service Fees

ZuriPay does not charge setup fees, monthly fees, or subscription fees. Since our pricing is purely per-transaction, there are no recurring charges to refund. If ZuriPay ever introduces subscription-based plans, refund terms for those fees will be detailed at that time.

7. Currency and Exchange Rates

Refunds are processed in the same currency as the original transaction. If exchange rates have changed between the time of the original payment and the refund, the Customer may receive a slightly different amount in their local currency. ZuriPay is not responsible for exchange rate differences.

8. Partial Refunds

Merchants may issue partial refunds for a portion of the original transaction amount. Multiple partial refunds can be issued against a single transaction, provided the total refunded amount does not exceed the original transaction amount. Each partial refund is treated as a separate refund transaction for record-keeping purposes.

9. Failed Refunds

In rare cases, a refund may fail — for example, if the Customer's card has expired, their bank account has been closed, or their EcoCash account is no longer active. In such cases, we will notify the Merchant and work to find an alternative method to return the funds to the Customer.

10. Consumer Protection Rights

Nothing in this policy limits or overrides rights granted to consumers under the Consumer Protection Act (Chapter 14:44) of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Cyber and Data Protection Act, or other applicable consumer protection legislation. Customers retain all statutory rights regardless of any Merchant refund policy.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Refund Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date. Material changes will be communicated via email to registered Merchants.

12. Contact Us

For refund-related inquiries: