InstantLocalPro is a contractor coordination and acquisition platform. The platform itself does NOT perform plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, or field-labor services — contractors are independent operators. This policy governs platform-fee refunds; service-work refunds are between you and the independent contractor, with the platform offering structured dispute mediation.
Platform coordination, dispatch, subscription, and service fees are generally NON-REFUNDABLE once fulfillment has begun. Refunds are issued only when: (a) duplicate billing occurred, (b) a verified platform processing failure prevented service, (c) confirmed fraud, or (d) a booking went unfulfilled due to platform error.
Money paid by a customer DIRECTLY to a contractor for service work is NOT processed by the platform. Any refund or partial refund for contractor-performed work is negotiated between the customer and the contractor. The platform offers a governed mediation workflow but does NOT guarantee or auto-issue contractor service refunds.
Every dispute submitted is automatically classified into one of three buckets. ELIGIBLE: duplicate billing, platform processing failure, confirmed fraud, unfulfilled booking caused by platform error. REVIEW: contractor dissatisfaction, service-quality disputes, pricing disagreements, scope disputes. NOT ELIGIBLE: completed and fulfilled services, customer cancellations after dispatch, abuse, and fraud attempts.
The platform actively detects and blocks duplicate invoices for the same user, plan, and amount within a deduplication window. If a duplicate charge still occurred (e.g., upstream processor error), it is automatically classified as ELIGIBLE and refunded after verification.
Refund requests flow through a governed dispute workflow with the lifecycle: pending → under review → resolved / denied / refunded / escalated. Each transition is timestamped, logged with the acting administrator, the previous state, the new state, and any notes. The audit trail is append-only.
Customers can submit disputes from any request or invoice they own. They see live dispute status, classification, requested evidence, and resolution. Customers may not edit or delete audit-log entries.
Eligible classifications: a decision is targeted within 5 business days. Review classifications: up to 10 business days. Escalations: additional 5 business days as needed. Timelines are commitments to action, not guarantees of outcome.
Where appropriate, an administrator may issue a partial refund covering the affected portion of a coordination fee, while preserving the remainder. Partial refunds are logged with their exact amounts in the audit trail.
Filing a chargeback without first using the platform's dispute workflow MAY result in account suspension or contractor freeze. We strongly prefer resolving issues in-platform.
Contractors are responsible for the quality, fitness, and safety of their service work, including warranties they offer. Service-warranty refunds are between the contractor and the customer.
The platform is responsible for fair dispatch, accurate billing on coordination fees, transparent audit, fraud prevention, and responsive dispute mediation. The platform is NOT responsible for outcomes of independent contractor work.
Approved refunds are returned to the original method of payment, where supported, within standard processor timelines. Refunds for non-processor channels (manual review, gateway hosts) follow each adapter's settlement cycle.