Refund Policy

§1 Overview

This Refund Policy applies to payments made to SSZone for platform subscriptions, and where applicable, to transactions facilitated through the SSZone marketplace. SSZone is a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) platform providing digital school management services and is operated as a sole proprietorship under Indian law.

This policy is in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act 2019, RBI Payment Aggregator Guidelines 2020, and relevant Indian e-commerce regulations.

§2 Platform Subscription Refunds

2.1 Annual Subscription Plans

If you have purchased an annual subscription plan, you are eligible for a full refund if the following conditions are met:

• Refund request is submitted within 7 calendar days of the initial purchase date
• Your account has not been used to generate ID cards, process student records, or perform any substantive operational activity beyond initial setup and onboarding
• No data exports have been performed from the platform

After 7 days from purchase, no refund will be issued for annual subscription fees as the service has been made available and the contractual obligation fulfilled.

2.2 Monthly Subscription Plans

Monthly subscriptions are billed at the start of each 30-day billing cycle. Once a monthly billing period has commenced, no refund will be issued for that period. You may cancel your subscription at any time; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle and you will continue to have full access until that date.

2.3 Mid-Plan Cancellation

SSZone does not offer pro-rated refunds for partial-period cancellations. If you cancel an annual plan after the 7-day window, you will retain platform access until the subscription expiry date, but no refund will be issued for the unused period.

2.4 Plan Upgrades & Downgrades

If you upgrade your plan mid-cycle, the difference in cost will be billed immediately on a pro-rated basis. If you downgrade, the lower rate applies from the next billing cycle. No refund is issued for the difference in a downgrade during a current period.

§3 School Fee Collections — Not SSZone's Liability

Schools that use the SSZone interface to collect student fees, tuition, or other institutional payments through their own integrated payment gateway are conducting those transactions independently.

• SSZone is not a party to fee transactions between a school and its students or parents
• SSZone is not responsible for processing, managing, or approving refunds for school fee collections
• Schools are solely responsible for defining and honouring their own refund policy for parents and students
• Any disputes between a school and a parent/student regarding fee refunds must be resolved directly between those parties

§4 Vendor Marketplace Purchases

Products purchased from vendors through the SSZone marketplace are subject to each vendor's individual return and refund policy, which must be displayed on the product listing page before purchase.

• SSZone facilitates the marketplace but is not the seller of marketplace products
• Refund, return, and exchange requests for marketplace products must be directed to the respective vendor first
• If a vendor refuses a valid refund claim that is covered under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, you may escalate the matter to SSZone Support who will mediate with the vendor
• In cases of non-delivery, counterfeit products, or vendor fraud, SSZone will initiate payment reversal through the payment gateway within its technical capability

§5 Failed & Duplicate Payments

In the event of a technical failure resulting in a payment being deducted without service activation, or a duplicate charge:

• SSZone will investigate and confirm the failure within 3 business days of a reported claim
• Confirmed failed or duplicate payments will be fully refunded with no deduction
• The refund will be processed to the original payment instrument (bank account, UPI, card) within 5–7 business days of confirmation
• If the payment gateway initiates an automatic reversal, this timeline may vary based on the gateway and your bank's processing time

§6 Service Disruption Credits

If SSZone experiences a platform-wide outage that results in the service being unavailable for more than 24 consecutive hours during your active subscription period (outside scheduled maintenance windows), you may be eligible for a service credit:

• Credit is calculated as a pro-rated extension of your subscription for the number of days of confirmed downtime exceeding 24 hours
• Credits are applied to your next billing cycle or account balance — they are not paid as cash refunds
• Outages caused by third-party infrastructure, force majeure, or user-side connectivity issues are not eligible for credits

§7 GST Treatment on Refunds

All subscription fees on the SSZone platform are charged inclusive of GST at the applicable rate (currently 18% for SaaS/IT services under the Indian GST framework). In the event of an eligible refund:

• The full amount including GST will be refunded
• SSZone will issue a Credit Note as required under Section 34 of the CGST Act 2017
• The original tax invoice will be adjusted accordingly for compliance purposes

§8 How to Request a Refund

§9 Chargebacks & Payment Disputes

We encourage you to contact us directly before initiating a chargeback through your bank or payment provider. Unresolved chargebacks may result in account suspension pending resolution.

• If you initiate a chargeback for a legitimate SSZone charge, we reserve the right to suspend your account and contest the chargeback with full transaction evidence
• Fraudulent chargebacks may be reported to appropriate authorities under the IT Act 2000 and the Indian Penal Code
• We are committed to resolving legitimate disputes quickly — please reach out first

§10 Contact & Escalation

For refund requests, payment disputes, or questions about this policy, contact us: