Cancellation & Refund Policy

1.Scope of this policy

This Cancellation & Refund Policy forms part of our Terms and Conditions and applies to every booking made through the TrueHostel platform, and to subscriptions purchased by Hostel Partners.

TrueHostel is a marketplace. The tariff you pay for a stay belongs to the Hostel Partner, and we collect it as its payment-collection agent. The convenience fee is our own charge for the Platform Services. This policy explains what happens to each of them when a booking is cancelled.

This policy is published in compliance with Rule 4(3) of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, which requires an e-commerce entity to display the cancellation and refund terms that apply to a consumer before the transaction is completed.

2.Cancellation by a Guest

You can cancel a confirmed booking from your dashboard at any time before check-in. The refund depends on when you cancel.

Why the convenience fee is not refunded

The convenience fee of 2% is consideration for the Platform Services, which have already been performed by the time a booking is confirmed. The payment aggregator additionally retains its transaction charge even when a payment is refunded, so this is a cost we actually bear. Rule 4(3) of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 permits a charge to be retained on cancellation where the entity bears a comparable charge itself.

Where a booking is cancelled because of something we or the Hostel Partner did wrong, the convenience fee is refunded in full — see Section 3.

3.Cancellation by a Hostel Partner, or failure to provide the stay

If a Hostel Partner cancels a confirmed booking, cannot provide the accommodation booked, or refuses check-in for a reason that is not your fault, you are entitled to a full refund of everything you paid, including the convenience fee and any taxes on it. No cancellation charge applies.

In these situations we will also, at your option and where we can:

• arrange alternative accommodation of comparable standard and location, with any difference in tariff borne by the Hostel Partner; or
• process the full refund immediately.

The following also qualify for a full refund, once verified:

• the property materially differs from its Listing in a way that affects your decision to book — for example the room type, occupancy, or a material amenity is not as described;
• the property is not habitable or is unsafe on arrival;
• the Hostel Partner demands a payment that was not disclosed on the Platform before you booked, and you decline to pay it;
• a duplicate charge, or a charge for a booking that was never confirmed.

Raise these within 24 hours of check-in through the Platform or by writing to Info@truehostel.com, with photographs or other evidence where possible. Reporting early matters, because a claim made after you have stayed for several days is much harder to verify.

4.Security deposits, monthly rent and other charges

Caution deposits, monthly rent instalments, mess and food charges, electricity charges, maintenance charges, late fees and damage recoveries are charges of the Hostel Partner. Where these are paid directly to the Hostel Partner, refunds are governed by your agreement with it and not by this policy.

A caution deposit is refundable by the Hostel Partner at the end of the stay, after deduction for damage beyond fair wear and tear, unpaid dues, or breach of house rules. The Hostel Partner must give you an itemised account of any deduction.

Notice periods for vacating, and any lock-in period, are set by the Hostel Partner and disclosed in the Listing or in the agreement you sign at check-in. Read them before you check in — they determine whether rent for the notice period remains payable if you leave early.

If a Hostel Partner unreasonably withholds a deposit, raise a complaint with us under Section 7. We will take it up with the Hostel Partner and may suspend its Listings, but we cannot compel a refund of money we never held. You retain your remedies under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the tenancy law of your state.

5.How refunds are processed

• Refunds are made to the original payment method only. We cannot remit a refund to a different card, account or UPI ID.
• We initiate an approved refund within 2 working days of approving it.
• Your bank or card issuer then takes a further 5 to 7 working days to credit it. This part is outside our control.
• Refunds are made in Indian Rupees. Where a payment was made in another currency, any exchange difference or foreign transaction fee charged by your bank is not reimbursed.
• You will receive an email confirmation with the refund reference when we initiate it. Quote that reference in any follow-up.

If a refund has not reached you within 5 to 7 working days of our confirmation email, write to Info@truehostel.com with the booking ID and refund reference and we will trace it with the payment aggregator.

6.Hostel Partner subscriptions

Hostel Partners begin with a free trial of 1 month. After that, listing requires a paid subscription:

Subscription fees are non-refundable once the subscription period has started, including where a Partner stops using the Platform, delists its property, or is suspended for breach of the Terms. Unused time is not carried forward except where a new plan is purchased while an existing one is still active, in which case the new months are added to the existing end date.

We will refund a subscription fee, pro-rated for the unused period, only where the Platform was unavailable for a prolonged period attributable to us, or where a payment was taken in error.

GST is charged on subscription fees at 18%. A tax invoice is issued to the GSTIN on file; input tax credit depends on your own registration status.

7.Disputed and fraudulent transactions

If you believe a payment was taken from you fraudulently, report it to us at Info@truehostel.com and to your bank immediately. Under Reserve Bank of India directions on customer liability in unauthorised electronic banking transactions, prompt reporting to your bank significantly limits your liability, so do not delay that step.

We will cooperate with your bank and the payment aggregator in any chargeback investigation. Where a chargeback is raised for a stay that was actually provided, we may recover the amount from you and may suspend your account pending resolution.

Repeated cancellations that indicate misuse of the free-cancellation window may lead us to withdraw that facility from an account.

8.If you are not satisfied

Refund complaints go first to Info@truehostel.com. If your complaint is not resolved, escalate it to our Grievance Officer at Info@truehostel.com.

Consumer complaints are acknowledged within 48 hours and redressed within one month of receipt, as required by Rule 4(5) of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020. Complaints about content or platform conduct are acknowledged within 24 hours and disposed of within 15 days under Rule 3(2)(a) of the IT Intermediary Guidelines, 2021.

Full contact details for the Grievance Officer are in the Terms and Conditions. You may also approach the appropriate Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, or the National Consumer Helpline, at any time.