Refund & cancellation policy

Last updated: 26 May 2026

This policy explains when you can get your money back on TutorPool, how cancellations are handled, and how to raise a dispute. It forms part of our Terms of Service.

1. How payments are held

Students pay upfront when a booking is confirmed. Funds are held in TutorPool’s trust account until the lesson is completed (or auto-completed), plus a 24-hour dispute window, before the tutor’s share is released. This means a refund is straightforward while funds are still held.

2. Cancellations

• More than 24 hours before the lesson start: full refund to the Student.
• Within 24 hours of the lesson start: the Tutor receives 50% of the booked amount as a cancellation fee; the remaining 50% is refunded to the Student.
• No-show by the Tutor: full refund to the Student, plus a R50 credit for the inconvenience.
• No-show by the Student: no refund; the Tutor is paid in full.
• Reschedules made more than 24 hours before the original start time are free and incur no penalty.

3. Requesting a refund

Students have 24 hours after a lesson is marked complete to request a refund through their dashboard (Bookings → the relevant lesson → “Request refund”). Tell us briefly what went wrong so we can review it fairly.

Approved refunds are processed within 5 working days back to the original payment method. Depending on your bank or card issuer, it can take a few additional days to reflect in your account.

4. When a refund may be granted

• The lesson did not take place because the Tutor failed to attend.
• The Tutor was materially unprepared or the lesson did not match the subject or level booked.
• Technical failure on the platform prevented the lesson from taking place.
• The booking was a duplicate or made in error and cancelled within the timeframes above.

5. When a refund is not granted

• The Student did not attend a lesson the Tutor delivered as booked (no-show).
• The refund request falls outside the 24-hour window after completion.
• Dissatisfaction with learning outcomes where the lesson was delivered as described (tutoring cannot guarantee results).
• The Student sought to arrange or continue the engagement off-platform.

6. Disputes

If you and the other party disagree about whether a lesson was delivered, raise a dispute from your dashboard within the 24-hour window. TutorPool will review the booking record, session logs, and any messages between the parties, and will make a reasonable determination. Where a dispute is upheld in the Student’s favour, the Tutor’s payout is withheld or reversed and the Student is refunded. Where it is upheld in the Tutor’s favour, the payout is released.

Our determination is made in good faith. If you remain unsatisfied, the dispute-resolution process in our Terms of Service (mediation and arbitration through AFSA, seated in Johannesburg) applies.

7. Chargebacks

If you believe a payment was made in error or without your authorisation, please contact us first at support@tutorpool.co.za so we can resolve it quickly. Raising a chargeback with your bank before contacting us may delay resolution.

8. Contact

Refund and billing queries: support@tutorpool.co.za