Refund Policy

Synkra Technologies

Version 1.0 Effective 3 October 2026 Last updated 3 October 2026

This policy explains how billing works for Synkra Chat. It covers how we charge, when we charge, how refunds work, and what happens if something goes wrong.

If you have a question that this document does not answer, contact hello@synkra.co.za.

1. Billing in Advance

Synkra Chat bills in advance. You pay for a billing period at the start of that period, not at the end.

• Plan subscriptions charge on the day you sign up and again on the same day each month afterward.
• Add on packs charge at the moment you buy them. The credits are granted as soon as the payment confirms.
• Extra seats and extra storage are the only exception. They are granted immediately, but the charge is deferred until your next plan renewal. This means if you buy extra seats the day after your renewal, you get the first month free. This is intentional and disclosed here.

When you pay, you are paying for access during the upcoming period. If you cancel, you keep access until the end of that paid period.

2. Renewal and Auto Renewal

Your subscription renews automatically on the same day each month, unless you cancel.

• On your renewal date, Paystack charges the card on file for the full amount of your current plan.
• If the charge succeeds, your billing period resets and you continue without interruption.
• If the charge fails, see Section 12 on Failed Payments.

The Free plan has no charge. It renews automatically at the end of each month without any payment action.

Accounts on a complimentary paid plan also renew automatically each month at no charge. Usage limits match the plan they are comped on.

To stop auto renewal, see Section 4 on Cancellation. Once cancelled, the subscription does not renew and does not charge again.

Sign in, go to Settings, then Billing. Your current period start and end dates are shown on the current plan card.

3. Upgrades and Proration

Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period.

Upgrading.

1. Go to Settings, then Billing.
2. Find the plan you want and click Upgrade.
3. Complete the payment through Paystack.
4. Your account switches to the new plan as soon as the payment confirms, usually within a few seconds.

When you upgrade, you pay the full price of the new plan. We do not credit unused time from your previous plan. This is intentionally simple and matches how most software services handle upgrades.

For example, you are on Starter at R299 and upgrade to Business at R599 on day 10 of a 30 day month. You pay R599 for the upgrade. Your new billing period starts on that day and will renew monthly from that date onward. The remaining 20 days on Starter are not credited.

Downgrades. Downgrades are scheduled. You keep your current plan until the end of the current billing period, then move to the lower plan on the next renewal date. This means you always get what you paid for.

For example, you are on Business at R599 and schedule a downgrade to Starter at R299 on day 5 of a 30 day month. You keep Business features until day 30. On day 30, your subscription switches to Starter and charges R299.

When you upgrade, your new plan limits apply immediately. If you were near your previous plan limits, you now have the headroom of the new plan.

4. Cancellation

You can cancel at any time from within Synkra Chat.

How to cancel.

1. Go to Settings, then Billing.
2. Click Cancel subscription.
3. Confirm in the dialog that appears.

When cancellation takes effect. Cancellation is scheduled for the end of your current billing period. You keep full access until then. On the next renewal date, your subscription ends, no further charge is made, and your account automatically moves to the Free plan.

For example, you cancel on day 12 of a 30 day billing period. You keep paid features until day 30. On day 30, your subscription ends and your account becomes a Free account.

Access after cancellation. Once cancelled, you have access to the Free plan. Your data is retained:

• Contacts: retained.
• Conversations: retained.
• Help center articles: retained.
• Uploaded files: retained.
• Labels, teams, macros: retained.

Free plan limits apply. If your usage exceeds Free plan limits, some features pause until you reduce usage or upgrade again. Nothing is deleted automatically.

Reactivating after cancellation. You can upgrade again at any time. Your existing data is still there and works with the paid plan immediately.

Full account deletion. Cancellation is not the same as deletion. If you want your account and data permanently deleted, contact hello@synkra.co.za or use the deletion request form in Settings, then Account. Deletion is subject to POPIA and our retention policy. We respond to deletion requests within 30 days.

5. Refunds for Plan Payments

We offer a refund only on the initial plan payment. Renewals are not refundable.

Initial plan payment. You may request a refund within 3 days of your first payment on any paid plan.

• Refund requested within 3 days of first payment and account has not exceeded Free plan usage: full refund.
• Refund requested within 3 days of first payment and account has exceeded Free plan usage: no refund.
• Refund requested after 3 days: no refund.

Free plan usage means the limits of the Free tier: 250 messages, 300 notification emails, 1 GB storage, 1 seat. If you have used more than those limits, the paid plan has already delivered value and no refund is issued.

Renewals. Renewal payments are not refundable. This applies in every scenario, including when you forgot to cancel before the renewal date, when you intended to downgrade but did not action it in time, when you no longer need the plan after renewal, or when you are switching to a competitor.

We send a reminder email 3 days before every renewal. If you do not want the subscription to renew, cancel before your renewal date. Once the charge is made, it is not refunded.

How to request a refund. Email hello@synkra.co.za within 3 days of your initial payment with your account email, the charge reference found in Settings, then Billing, then History, and the reason for the refund. We respond within 2 business days. Approved refunds are processed within 5 business days. See Section 11 for refund method and timing.

Why we cap the window at 3 days. Usage is metered and cannot be un metered. Once AI operations are consumed, emails are sent, or messages are delivered, those costs are real and unrecoverable. The 3 day window is enough to catch genuine mistakes without creating an accounting mismatch for actual usage.

6. Refunds for Add On Packs

Add on packs include message packs, AI operation packs, and notification email packs.

All add on packs are not refundable. This is absolute.

When you buy an add on pack, you are buying prepaid credits. Those credits are not refundable under any circumstances, including change of mind, accidental purchase, unused credits, account cancellation, downgrade, service interruption, or renewal disputes. There is no refund window for add on packs. There is no partial refund for unused credits. There is no exception path.

What happens to unused credits.

• You cancel your subscription: credits remain on the account, still usable if you resubscribe.
• You downgrade to a lower tier: credits remain and continue to work.
• You upgrade to a higher tier that includes the same credit type: credits remain and are consumed after the new plan included allowance is exhausted.
• You delete your account: credits are forfeited.
• You never use the credits: they remain on your account indefinitely.

Credits never expire. Whether you use them this month or in two years, they stay on your account.

Why add ons are not refundable. Add on packs are prepaid credits. Once purchased, they represent a service commitment on our side that has already been accounted for. Refunding them would create an accounting mismatch, and prepaid credits are not refundable across the software industry. We disclose this clearly at the point of purchase.

Before you buy a pack. The purchase dialog shows the exact number of credits and the exact price. Confirm the amount and the tier before you click Buy. If you are unsure, contact us first. We will not refund a pack you bought by mistake, so please check before you confirm.

7. Seat and Storage Changes

Extra seats and extra storage can be added at any time. They can also be removed.

Adding extra seats or storage.

1. Go to Settings, then Billing.
2. Click Buy next to Seats or Storage.
3. Enter the quantity.
4. Confirm.

Your seats or storage increase within seconds. The charge is deferred until your next plan renewal.

Removing extra seats or storage.

1. Go to Settings, then Billing.
2. Click Manage next to Seats or Storage.
3. Reduce the quantity.
4. Confirm.

Removal takes effect immediately. Your billable quantity drops now. The next renewal charges the reduced amount.

There is no refund for the current period. Seats and storage are already granted for the current billing period. Reducing the quantity part way through a period does not refund the unused portion. This is because seats and storage are billed at the next renewal, not the current one.

Extra seats and nonpayment. If the next cycle seat charge is not paid, the extra seat is automatically removed. You are never in arrears for extra seats.

Guard rails. You cannot reduce extra seats below your current excess seat usage. If you have 3 extra seats purchased and 3 users over your plan limit, you cannot reduce below 3. If you try to reduce below your current usage, you see a message explaining why, along with the option to remove a user first.

Storage cannot be reduced below used storage. If you have used 8 GB and purchased 5 extra GB, you cannot reduce the extra 5 until you delete files down to the base allowance.

8. Discounts and Eligibility

We offer two discount programmes: the Student discount, at 35 percent off the standard plan price, and the Community Access discount, at 60 percent off the standard plan price. Both are subject to eligibility review.

Applying for a discount.

1. Go to Settings, then Billing.
2. Click Apply next to the programme you want.
3. Complete the application.
4. We review within 48 hours.

When the discount takes effect. Once approved, the discount applies to your next renewal. Any current period charge is not retroactively discounted.

Eligibility expiry.

• Student discount: valid until the end of the calendar year in which you were verified. You can reapply for the following year if you are still studying. You must be 18 or older.
• Community Access: valid for 12 months from approval. You can reapply at the end of that period. The applicant must be 18 or older.

Expiry warnings. We send a warning email 14 days before your discount expires. If you do not reapply, your subscription moves to standard pricing on the next renewal after expiry.

Revoked eligibility. If we discover that a discount was applied based on incorrect information, we revoke the discount. This happens in the following situations:

• Student status ended, whether through graduation or dropping out.
• The community organisation no longer operates or no longer qualifies.
• Documentation provided was incorrect or falsified.
• Verification credentials were shared with someone else.

When a discount is revoked, we notify you by email, the discount is removed from your account, your next renewal charges the standard plan price, and we do not retroactively charge for past discounted periods.

Appealing a revocation. Email hello@synkra.co.za with supporting documentation. We review appeals within 5 business days.

Corrected admin decisions. If a discount was incorrectly applied by us in error, we correct it. You are notified in advance. Your next renewal reflects the corrected price. We do not retroactively charge for periods where an incorrect discount was applied.

9. Duplicate, Erroneous, and Unauthorised Charges

If you believe you have been charged incorrectly, we resolve it. All disputes are investigated thoroughly.

Duplicate charges. A duplicate charge is when you are charged twice for the same service or the same period.

• Same reference charged twice: the second charge is reversed in full within 5 business days.
• Two charges within 1 hour for the same plan: investigated. If confirmed duplicate, reversed in full.
• Charged twice for the same add on pack: the second charge is reversed in full.

Erroneous charges. An erroneous charge is when the amount, currency, or plan is wrong.

• Charged the wrong amount: difference reversed or charged, depending on the direction.
• Charged the wrong plan: correct plan applied. Difference reversed if overcharged.
• Charged in the wrong currency: investigated case by case. Usually the charge is reversed in full and re attempted correctly.

Unauthorised charges. An unauthorised charge is when a card was used without the cardholder consent.

1. Contact us immediately at hello@synkra.co.za.
2. We freeze the account pending investigation.
3. We reverse the charge in full.
4. We report the incident to Paystack fraud team.
5. If the account is suspected of fraud, it is terminated.

How to raise a dispute. Email hello@synkra.co.za with your account email, the charge reference number found in your billing history, the date and amount of the charge, and a short description of what went wrong. We acknowledge receipt within 1 business day and resolve within 5 business days.

The reversal of duplicate, erroneous, and unauthorised charges is a correction, not a refund under Section 5 or Section 6. It does not create a right to a refund for other charges.

10. Service Credits for Outages

If Synkra Chat experiences an outage, we issue service credits according to the schedule below. Service credits are bill credits only. They are never refundable in cash.

What counts as an outage. An outage is a period during which Synkra Chat is materially unavailable to a significant number of users. Minor degradations, delayed messages, or individual account issues are not outages for the purpose of service credits.

Credit schedule.

• Under 4 hours: no credit.
• 4 to 24 hours: 1 day of service credited.
• 24 to 72 hours: 1 week of service credited.
• Over 72 hours: full month of service credited.

Credits are applied to your next renewal. If you cancel before your next renewal, remaining credits are forfeited, as they are bill credits only.

Planned maintenance. Planned maintenance that we announce at least 48 hours in advance does not count as an outage. We schedule maintenance during low traffic periods and post advance notice on our status page and by email.

How credits are issued. Credits are issued automatically for outages of 4 hours or more. You receive an email within 5 business days of the outage ending, notifying you of the credit and its value. If you believe an outage was not properly credited, email hello@synkra.co.za within 30 days of the outage.

Other credit scenarios.

• Account suspended for nonpayment: no credit.
• Account suspended for terms violation: no credit, no refund.
• We discontinue a plan or feature: 30 days notice, pro rated bill credit of unused time on request.
• We close our business entirely: 90 days notice, pro rated bill credit of unused time, and data export available until shutdown.

Service level commitments by tier.

• Free and Starter: best effort, no service level agreement, no credits.
• Business: 99.5 percent monthly uptime. Pro rated bill credit for hours below the target.
• Pro: 99.9 percent monthly uptime. Pro rated bill credit plus service credit for extended breaches.

For Business and Pro service levels, credits are automatically calculated from your tier target. Full details are provided at the time of subscribing to Business or Pro.

11. Refund Method, Timing, Currency, and Fees

Every approved refund follows a consistent process.

Refund method. Refunds are issued via Paystack to the original payment method. We do not issue refunds by bank transfer, cash, or any other channel.

Timing.

• Refund requested by customer: immediate.
• Refund reviewed by Synkra: within 2 business days.
• Refund approved and issued by Synkra: within 5 business days of approval.
• Refund reflected on the customer card: an additional 5 to 10 business days, depending on the card issuer.

Currency. All refunds are issued in South African Rand, in the same amount as the original charge. We do not adjust for exchange rate differences. If your original charge was processed in Rand and you paid via an international card, your bank may have applied an exchange rate that differs from the refund rate. We do not control this.

Fees. Paystack charges a processing fee on every transaction. Where refunds are issued, the following applies:

• Approved initial plan refunds: Paystack processing fee is deducted from the refund.
• Duplicate or erroneous charges: reversed in full, including Paystack fee.
• Unauthorised charges: reversed in full, including Paystack fee.
• Service credits: issued as a bill credit on the next renewal, not as a cash refund.

The current Paystack processing fee is applied per their published rates. This is passed through at cost.

Taxes on refunds. Synkra is not currently registered for Value Added Tax and does not charge VAT. If this changes, VAT will be refunded proportionally with any approved refund.

How to check your refund status. The refund appears in your billing history in Synkra Chat. It also appears on your card statement once your bank has processed it.

12. Failed Payments and Grace Period

If a payment fails, we do not immediately cut off access. You get a grace period of 5 days.

What happens on failed payment.

• Day 0: Paystack attempts the charge. It fails.
• Day 0: We send you an email notifying you of the failed payment and asking you to update your card.
• Day 1: Paystack retries the charge automatically.
• Day 3: We send a second reminder. Paystack retries again.
• Day 5: If still failed, we send a final reminder.
• Day 6: Your account is marked as restricted.

What restricted means.

• Inbound customer messages still arrive. Customers can always reach you. This never changes.
• Outbound agent messages and paid features pause. You cannot send replies, generate transcripts, or use AI features.

How to fix a failed payment.

1. Sign in to Synkra Chat.
2. Go to Settings, then Billing.
3. Click Update payment method.
4. Enter a new card.
5. We charge the outstanding amount immediately.

Restoration. Once the outstanding charge succeeds, everything resumes. The account returns to active status immediately. Inbound and outbound messaging resumes. AI operations, transcripts, and all paid features work again.

Card retry schedule. Paystack handles retries on their own schedule, which is typically every 24 hours for the first three attempts. If all attempts fail, we do not retry beyond the grace period.

Avoiding restriction. Update your card before the grace period ends. We send multiple reminders during the grace period, and the process is designed to give you plenty of time.

13. Tax and Currency

Currency. All prices are quoted and charged in South African Rand. The US Dollar display option in your billing settings is for convenience only. The actual charge is always in Rand.

Exchange rate treatment. If you pay with an international card, your bank converts the Rand amount into your local currency at their rate. We do not control this rate and cannot guarantee a specific conversion.

Value Added Tax. Synkra is not currently registered for Value Added Tax. No VAT is charged. If we become registered for VAT in the future, VAT at the applicable South African rate will apply to all charges for South African customers. VAT will be displayed separately on your invoice and receipt. If you are registered for VAT in South Africa, your VAT number can be added to your account for record keeping. VAT will be charged in addition to the listed plan price. We will update this policy and notify account administrators before any VAT is charged.

Invoices. Every charge generates an invoice automatically. Invoices are available in Settings, then Billing, then History. Invoices contain your account name and billing address, the charge amount in Rand, any VAT amount, the total amount, the plan or add on being charged, and the invoice date and reference number.

Non South African customers. If you are based outside South Africa, specific VAT rules may apply. Contact hello@synkra.co.za before you subscribe if you need to confirm your tax treatment.

Receipts. Every charge also generates a receipt with the same information as the invoice, in a more compact format.

14. Price Changes

We may change prices for our plans. When we do, we follow a clear process.

Notice period. Minimum 45 days for existing customers. We aim for 60 days when possible.

How you are notified.

• Email to all account administrators.
• In app announcement banner.
• Update to the pricing page on synkra.co.za.

When the new price takes effect. On your next renewal after the notice period has elapsed. Never mid period. Never retroactively.

For example, on 1 November we announce a price increase effective 1 January. You have a monthly subscription that renews on the 15th of each month. Your 15 November renewal charges the old price. Your 15 December renewal charges the old price. Your 15 January renewal charges the new price. This gives you two full renewals at the old price after the announcement.

New signups. New customers who sign up after the announcement pay the new price immediately, even if their subscription starts before the effective date.

Your right to cancel. If you do not accept the new price, you can cancel before your first renewal at the new price. Access continues until the end of your current paid period.

Founding customer pricing. If you were given a locked in price or a founding customer discount at any point, that arrangement is documented in your account. Locked in prices are not affected by general price changes unless the arrangement itself explicitly stated an expiry.

What we never do.

• Retroactively charge for a past period.
• Change price mid period.
• Change price without the 45 day notice period.

15. Contact

For billing questions, refund requests, disputes, or anything else covered by this policy:

• Email: hello@synkra.co.za
• Response time: we respond within 2 business days.
• Business hours: Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00 South African Standard Time.
• For urgent issues: mark your email as urgent. We aim to respond to urgent billing issues within 4 hours during business hours.

If your issue is about your account being restricted, you can also restore access at any time by updating your payment method in Settings, then Billing.