Refund
Policy

01 The Two Kinds of Money on GigVault

Deposits — paid directly, not refundable through GigVault

A deposit is paid straight to the artist and is released to them as soon as it clears. It is not held in escrow and cannot be recovered through GigVault. The promoter confirms this — twice — before paying any deposit. A deposit compensates the artist for preparing for your event.

The balance — held safely in escrow

The balance is held in secure escrow by our licensed payment processor and is only released after the event, or refunded according to this policy. Every refund described below concerns the escrowed balance.

02 Cancellations Before the Artist Travels

• The artist cancels: the escrowed balance is refunded to the promoter automatically and in full. No process, no questions.
• The promoter cancels, and a deposit was paid: the booking closes immediately — the artist keeps the deposit (their preparation was already compensated) and the escrowed balance is refunded to the promoter automatically and in full.
• The promoter cancels, and no deposit was paid: the artist is asked to confirm they were notified of the cancellation and agreed to it. Confirming — or not responding within 24 hours, which is treated as confirmation — refunds the escrowed balance to the promoter in full. Declining opens a dispute over the artist's preparation costs.

03 Cancellations After Travel Has Begun

Once the artist is travelling, a cancellation needs the artist's confirmation; once the artist has checked in at the venue, a cancellation opens a dispute immediately — at that point the artist has fully performed their side of showing up.

Refunds at these stages follow the dispute process: a full refund, a full release, or an agreed split of the artist's net fee — whatever the parties both formally confirm, or a competent authority instructs. GigVault never decides who is right; it executes what is agreed or lawfully ordered.

04 Fees Are Not Refundable

The GigVault service fee is earned for the escrow and administration service rendered and is not refunded, except where a booking is cancelled through GigVault's own error.

Where a dispute was opened, the dispute administration fee is additionally non-refundable — even if the parties later settle — because the evidence record and case administration have already been performed. It is tiered by the amount in dispute (minimum R100):

This fee covers the administration and technology required to manage the dispute. It is not a legal fee, not an arbitration fee, and not a determination of liability — GigVault remains a neutral escrow platform.

05 Where Your Refund Goes

Refunds are returned toward the payment method or account the funds originally came from, wherever the payment rails permit.

Where the rails instead credit the refund to your GigVault wallet (held with our licensed payment processor), the money sits safely in the regulated escrow environment until you withdraw it — and a withdrawal can only be paid to banking details you have verified on GigVault, belonging to the same person or business that paid. Withdrawals are authorised with a live selfie. Refunds are never paid to a third party or to unverified account details. This is a deliberate anti-fraud and anti-money-laundering protection.

06 Timelines

• Refund processing by the payment processor typically takes 3–10 business days to reflect, depending on your bank.
• Wallet withdrawals are paid out on business days; expect your bank to reflect the same or next business day after release.
• If no dispute is opened within 10 days of check-out, the escrowed balance releases automatically to the artist — after that, no refund path exists for that booking.

07 Force Majeure

Neither party is liable for cancellation caused by events beyond reasonable control (natural disasters, government-mandated restrictions, venue destruction, and similar). The parties are encouraged to negotiate directly — including through the amicable resolution tools on the Platform. GigVault may facilitate communication but does not adjudicate force majeure claims.

08 Contact

Questions about a refund, or a refund that hasn't arrived in the expected window:

Email: support@gigvault.co.za

GigVault is a product of uMncube (Pty) Ltd (Reg No: 2022/772917/07), a private company registered in the Republic of South Africa.