Refund Policy

Effective Date: 13 April, 2026
Last Updated: 13 April, 2026

This Refunds, Chargebacks, Replacements and Payment Disputes Policy (“Policy”) explains how refunds, payment reversals, chargebacks, replacements, and related complaints are handled on the Kinu platform operated by [Kinu Africa Limited] (“Kinu”, “we”, “us”, or “our”).

This Policy forms part of the Kinu Terms of Use, Vendor Terms, Affiliate Terms, and Privacy Notice. By using Kinu as a customer, vendor, affiliate, or other user, you agree to this Policy.

1. Kinu’s Role

Kinu is a digital commerce and affiliate platform that enables vendors to sell digital products and enables affiliates to promote those products.

Unless Kinu expressly states otherwise in writing for a specific transaction, the vendor is the seller of record for the underlying digital product, and the vendor remains primarily responsible for:

• the product itself;
• product descriptions and promises;
• delivery and access;
• customer support;
• refund eligibility for the product; and
• compliance with applicable law.

Kinu may assist with checkout, payment routing, complaint intake, fraud review, chargeback handling, refund administration, settlement support, and communication between users, but Kinu does not automatically assume full liability for every vendor refund.

2. Scope of This Policy

This Policy applies to:

• customer requests for refund of a digital product purchased through Kinu;
• failed, duplicated, or unauthorized payments;
• chargebacks and payment reversals initiated through a bank, card issuer, mobile money provider, wallet provider, or payment processor;
• complaints relating to non-delivery, failed access, defective links, duplicate billing, or materially misleading checkout issues; and
• the effect of refunds and reversals on vendor balances and affiliate commissions.

This Policy does not create any guarantee that every purchase is refundable in all circumstances.

3. General Refund Principle

Refund rights may arise from:

• the vendor’s stated refund policy;
• the checkout terms displayed before payment;
• mandatory rights under applicable law; or
• Kinu’s intervention under this Policy where necessary to protect users, payment integrity, or platform trust.

Where there is a conflict between a vendor’s refund policy and mandatory law, mandatory law prevails.

4. Product-Specific Refund Rules

4.1 Vendor-Set Refund Window

A vendor may set a refund window for a product, provided that the refund terms are clearly disclosed before purchase and do not unlawfully exclude mandatory consumer rights.

The product page, checkout page, or order confirmation should clearly state:

• whether the product is refundable or non-refundable;
• the refund window, if any;
• any conditions for refund;
• how support is obtained; and
• whether access will be revoked after refund.

4.2 Digital Products Already Accessed or Consumed

Because Kinu is designed for digital products, refund eligibility may be restricted where the customer has already received substantial benefit from the purchase, including where:

• a file has been downloaded;
• course access has been granted and materially used;
• software, templates, prompts, documents, or digital assets have been delivered or exported;
• login credentials have been issued and used;
• services have already started with the customer’s consent; or
• the product is clearly personalized or made to the customer’s specifications.

However, such restrictions do not limit any non-excludable right available under applicable law.

4.3 Misrepresentation, Non-Delivery, or Defective Access

A customer may be eligible for refund where:

• the product was not delivered within the stated or reasonable time;
• access credentials do not work and the issue is not cured promptly;
• the product materially differs from the description at checkout;
• the customer was charged more than the displayed price;
• there was duplicate billing;
• there is credible evidence of fraud or unauthorized payment; or
• refund is otherwise required by law or payment-provider rules.

5. Customer Refund Process

To request a refund, the customer should first use the support channel identified on the order confirmation, receipt, or product access page.

A refund request should, where possible, include:

• order number or transaction reference;
• purchaser name and email or phone number used at checkout;
• date of purchase;
• product name;
• reason for refund request; and
• any supporting screenshots or evidence.

Kinu may accept a refund request directly where:

• the vendor is unresponsive;
• the payment appears unauthorized or fraudulent;
• there is a platform error;
• the vendor has been suspended or removed;
• there is a systemic access issue; or
• Kinu reasonably believes direct intervention is necessary.

6. Response Times

Kinu or the vendor will aim to acknowledge a refund complaint within [2 to 5 business days].

Where a refund is approved, the refund will be initiated within [7 business days], but the time for the customer to actually receive the funds may depend on the relevant bank, card issuer, mobile money operator, wallet provider, or payment processor.

Where applicable law requires a shorter or more specific timeline, that timeline will prevail.

7. Method of Refund

Refunds will ordinarily be returned to the original payment method used for the purchase, unless:

• the payment provider does not support reversal to that method;
• the original payment method is unavailable;
• the refund is blocked by law, sanctions, fraud controls, or payment-provider rules; or
• Kinu authorizes another lawful refund method.

Kinu may refuse requests to refund to a different person, different wallet, different bank account, or different mobile number unless satisfactory verification is completed.

8. Platform Fees and Third-Party Fees

Where a refund is approved:

• the vendor may remain responsible for the commercial impact of the refund;
• Kinu may reverse or return platform fees in whole or in part, in its discretion or as set out in vendor commercial terms; and
• third-party processor, bank, card, foreign exchange, mobile money, or gateway fees may be non-refundable where already incurred and not recoverable by Kinu.

Any non-refundable third-party fee should be disclosed as clearly as reasonably possible in vendor or platform commercial terms.

9. Chargebacks and Payment Reversals

If a customer files a chargeback, reversal, dispute, or payment complaint through a bank, card issuer, mobile money operator, wallet provider, or payment processor:

• Kinu may immediately place the transaction under review;
• Kinu may temporarily suspend related payouts;
• Kinu may request information from the vendor, affiliate, and customer;
• Kinu may debit, reverse, or set off the disputed amount and related costs from vendor balances, reserve balances, or future settlements; and
• Kinu may reverse any associated affiliate commission.

Where Kinu incurs chargeback fees, investigation fees, scheme penalties, fraud losses, or processor deductions connected to a transaction, Kinu may recover those amounts from the responsible vendor and, where appropriate, from the responsible affiliate or other user who caused or contributed to the loss.

10. Effect on Affiliate Commissions

Affiliate commissions are earned only on valid, settled, compliant transactions.

If a transaction is refunded, reversed, cancelled, disputed, found to be fraudulent, or not finally settled, Kinu may:

• cancel the pending commission;
• reverse an approved commission;
• offset the commission against future commissions;
• place the affiliate account under review; or
• suspend payout until investigation is complete.

No affiliate is entitled to retain commission generated from:

• self-referrals;
• fake or duplicate orders;
• stolen cards or unauthorized mobile money payments;
• misleading promotion;
• prohibited traffic; or
• transactions later refunded or charged back.

11. Replacement Policy

Because Kinu primarily supports digital products, “replacement” usually means one of the following rather than shipment of a new physical item:

• re-issuing an access link;
• re-sending login credentials;
• restoring course or membership access;
• re-providing a downloadable file;
• replacing a corrupted or incomplete file; or
• providing the correct version of the purchased digital product.

A replacement may be offered instead of a refund where the issue is purely technical and can be cured promptly, unless a refund is required by law or the customer reasonably rejects replacement.

12. Vendor Obligations

Each vendor using Kinu must:

• publish a clear and lawful refund position for each product;
• provide accurate support contact details;
• respond to Kinu requests for evidence, support logs, and refund decisions promptly;
• honor refund decisions required by law, payment rules, or Kinu’s platform integrity procedures;
• maintain sufficient balances, reserves, or settlement coverage for anticipated refunds, reversals, and chargebacks; and
• avoid unfair, misleading, or hidden refund restrictions.

Kinu may suspend or remove a vendor that shows repeated patterns of:

• non-delivery;
• excessive chargebacks;
• refusal to honor legitimate refunds;
• misleading refund representations; or
• unresponsive customer support.

13. Fraud, Abuse, and Refund Misuse

Kinu treats fraud and refund abuse seriously.

Kinu may reject, delay, or investigate a refund request where there is reasonable suspicion of:

• friendly fraud;
• account takeover;
• repeated abusive refund behavior;
• collusion between customer, vendor, or affiliate;
• use of stolen identities or payment instruments; or
• any attempt to exploit the platform’s refund system dishonestly.

Kinu may share necessary information with payment providers, banks, mobile money operators, regulators, or law-enforcement agencies where legally required or reasonably necessary to investigate fraud, recover losses, or comply with applicable law.

14. Complaint Escalation

If a customer is dissatisfied with how a refund complaint has been handled, the customer may escalate the complaint to Kinu through support@kinu.africa or through the Kinu dashboard.

The escalation should include:

• the original order reference;
• the date of the original complaint;
• the vendor’s response, if any; and
• the customer’s reasons for challenging the outcome.

Kinu may review the matter and issue a final platform decision for purposes of platform administration, payout control, and risk management.

15. Payout Holds and Reserves

Kinu may place a temporary hold, reserve, or delayed release on vendor proceeds or affiliate commissions where reasonably necessary to manage:

• refund exposure;
• chargeback exposure;
• fraud risk;
• suspicious transactions;
• incomplete KYC or compliance issues;
• legal or regulatory holds; or
• processor-imposed reserve requirements.

Kinu does not guarantee instant withdrawal of every balance where a transaction remains within a refund, dispute, or chargeback risk period.

16. Currencies

For domestic Tanzania transactions, Kinu may require that prices, refunds, and settlement amounts be displayed and processed in Tanzanian Shillings (TZS) unless a lawful exception applies.

Where currency conversion occurs, the final refunded amount received by the customer may differ from the original debit due to exchange-rate movements, bank charges, mobile money charges, processor charges, or conversion fees outside Kinu’s control.

17. Data and Privacy

Kinu will process personal data connected with refunds, complaints, reversals, and fraud investigations in accordance with its Privacy Notice and applicable law.

Users must not submit unnecessary personal data when making refund or complaint requests.

Kinu may retain refund and dispute records for compliance, audit, fraud prevention, and legal defense purposes.

18. No Waiver of Mandatory Rights

Nothing in this Policy excludes any consumer right, payment right, or legal remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under applicable law.

19. Changes to This Policy

Kinu may update this Policy from time to time. Material changes may be notified through the platform, by email, or by other reasonable electronic means.

20. Contact

Questions or complaints about this Policy may be sent to:

Kinu Africa Limited
[Physical Address]
[Legal Email Address]
[Support Email Address]