Refund & Cancellation Policy

Version 1.0 · Last updated 2026-10-05

1. Overview

Each order on Cater Market is a contract between you and the caterer. Cancellation and refund rights depend on the caterer policy shown at checkout and the timing of your request. This policy explains how requests are submitted, reviewed, and paid.

2. Cancellation Before Preparation

Most orders can be cancelled for a full refund before the caterer begins preparation. The exact free-cancellation deadline is shown at checkout and on the order page. After the free-cancellation window, a partial fee may apply, and once preparation has begun an order is generally non-refundable.

3. Caterer-Specific Terms

Some caterers publish specific cancellation terms, for example a 50% fee after a certain date or a non-refundable deposit. These terms are displayed before you pay so you can review them before placing the order.

4. Requesting a Refund

From your order, select Get Help to open a refund or support request. Choose a reason, select the affected items, add an explanation, and upload photos where relevant. Your request is sent to our support team and the caterer for review.

5. Refund Reasons

Supported reasons include: order never arrived, missing items, incorrect items, food quality issue, damaged order, significant delivery delay, incorrect charge, allergy or food safety concern, cancel order, and other.

6. Review Process

Refund requests move through these statuses: Submitted, Under Review, Approved, Partially Approved, Denied, Refund Processing, and Refunded. Every administrative decision is recorded with a reason and an audit trail. You will be notified as the status changes.

7. Refund Amounts

We may approve a full or partial refund depending on the circumstances, evidence, and caterer response. Approved refunds are paid to your original payment method through the payment provider.

8. Payment Provider Confirmation

Cater Market never displays a Refunded status until the payment provider confirms the refund. Refund timing depends on your bank and the payment provider and may take several business days to appear on your statement.

9. What We Record

For each refund we store the original payment transaction, the refund transaction ID, the amount, the reason, the date, and the status, along with an immutable audit history of the decision.

10. Abuse Prevention

Submitting fraudulent refund requests, coordinating with caterers to evade fees, or abusing the refund system may result in account suspension and forfeited refund rights. We may retain records of refund activity for fraud prevention.

11. Disputes

If you disagree with a refund decision, you can reply on the request or contact support. Cater Market acts as a marketplace facilitator and resolves disputes in good faith based on the evidence provided.