Cancellation & Refund Policy

We want every experience on alt.style to be exceptional. Life happens — so we've designed a fair cancellation policy that protects both clients and stylists. All times refer to the scheduled appointment start time.

Client Cancellation Tiers

The following refund tiers apply when a client cancels a confirmed booking:

48+ hours before

100%

Full refund to original payment method

24–48 hours before

50%

50% refund; deposit held to compensate stylist

Under 24h / No-show

No refund; full amount released to stylist

Notes on Client Cancellations

Cancellation must be made through the alt.style platform (your bookings dashboard) to be logged with the correct timestamp. Verbal or message-only cancellations are not sufficient.
For the 24–48 hour tier, the 50% deposit is disbursed to the Stylist to partially compensate them for reserved time; the remaining 50% is refunded to the client within 5–7 business days.
Repeatedly cancelling bookings (3 or more cancellations within 90 days) may result in a temporary booking restriction on your account.

Stylist / Provider Cancellations

If a Stylist cancels a confirmed booking for any reason: the client receives a full 100% refund to their original payment method, plus a platform credit equivalent to 10% of the booking value to use on a future booking.

Stylists should cancel bookings only in genuine emergencies. Frequent cancellations will negatively affect a Stylist's search ranking and may result in suspension.
If a Stylist cancels fewer than 4 hours before the appointment, we reserve the right to apply an additional penalty to the Stylist's account.
Platform credits issued for Stylist cancellations are valid for 6 months and can be applied to any future booking on alt.style.

Virtual Session Issues

Virtual styling sessions depend on reliable technology. We have a fair resolution policy for tech-related issues:

Technology Failure (Client-side)

If you experience a technical failure (internet outage, device failure) and are unable to join, you should notify the Stylist via the platform as quickly as possible.
The Stylist, at their discretion, may offer to reschedule. If a mutually agreeable reschedule cannot be arranged within 7 days, you are entitled to a full refund.

Technology Failure (Stylist-side)

If the Stylist is unable to connect due to a technical issue on their end, the client is entitled to either a full reschedule at no additional cost, or a full refund — client's choice.

Poor Session Quality

If persistent technical issues substantially degraded the quality of a virtual session (e.g., chronic audio/video failure preventing meaningful consultation), please contact us within 48 hours with details and we will assess a partial or full refund on a case-by-case basis.

Refund Processing Time

Approved refunds are initiated within 1–2 business days of approval.
Funds typically appear in your original payment method within 5–7 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer.
UPI refunds are generally faster (1–3 business days).
alt.style does not charge any fees for processing refunds.

If your refund has not appeared after 10 business days, please contact your bank first, then reach out to us at hello@alt.style with your booking reference number.

Dispute Process

If you believe a refund is due but have not received it, or if you have a dispute related to the quality of a service, follow this process:

Email us within 48 hours of the appointment.
Send your dispute to hello@alt.style with the subject line: "Booking Dispute — [your booking reference]". Include your booking reference number, the date of service, a description of the issue, and any supporting evidence (photos, screenshots).
We'll acknowledge within 24 hours.
Our team will confirm receipt of your dispute and assign a case reference. Both the client and Stylist may be contacted for their account of events.
Review & resolution within 5 business days.
We will review the evidence and communicate our decision in writing. Our decisions take into account both parties' accounts, platform data, and our Terms of Service.
Refund issued (if approved).
Approved refunds are processed immediately following the decision. Processing time is 5–7 business days to your original payment method.

Important Notes on Disputes

Disputes must be raised within 48 hours of the scheduled appointment end time. We cannot adjudicate disputes raised after this window.
We act as a neutral mediator. alt.style's decision is final for the purposes of platform refunds, but does not affect your rights under Indian consumer law.
Abusing the dispute system (e.g., repeatedly claiming refunds without legitimate cause) may result in account suspension.
For consumer protection concerns beyond our platform, you may contact the National Consumer Helpline at 1800-11-4000.

Non-Refundable Items

Platform fees or service charges, where separately stated, are non-refundable once a booking is confirmed.
Travel costs or material costs incurred by a Stylist are not refundable through our platform (these are matters between client and Stylist).
Bookings cancelled after the service has been delivered are non-refundable, except where a legitimate dispute is raised within 48 hours per the process above.

Rescheduling

Rescheduling is treated as a cancellation of the original booking and a new booking at the new time. The cancellation policy above applies based on the timing of the reschedule request relative to the original appointment time. If the reschedule request is made with 48+ hours' notice, no penalty applies and the booking is simply moved.