Cancellation and refunds
Draft · what the demo shows
A working draft of the cancellation and refund policy, written to save a lawyer time. It is not legal advice, it has not been reviewed by a lawyer, and it does not claim that Vale complies with any law. Text like [PLACEHOLDER: this] is unknown or undecided. Boxes marked "Drafting note" are for the owner and the lawyer.
Nothing in Vale is real, so nothing real can be charged or refunded. The cancel buttons and refunds you see are simulated, or run in Stripe's test mode with test cards. A real policy does not exist yet and will have to be written, with a lawyer, before any real booking or payment.
1. What the demo does
- Each example option is marked "free cancellation" or "non-refundable". These labels are example data.
- On the Payments page, free cancellation ends 2 hours before an item that starts on the day you pay, or at 18:00 the day before an item on a later day. The time is fixed when the order is made and cannot slide.
- A non-refundable item cannot be refunded. An item whose free window had already passed when you paid is treated as non-refundable.
- An item is refunded as a whole, for what the person paying actually paid (their share, if the group split).
- The agent never books anything non-refundable by itself, and never pays without your own confirmation.
- Refunds in the demo are simulated, or are Stripe test refunds. No real money is paid out.
2. What a real policy will need to cover
None of this is in force. It is a list for the lawyer.
| Topic | What is known today |
|---|---|
| Who sells and who refunds | Undecided. Whoever sells the service owes the consumer information, the cancellation terms and any refund. Lawyer [PLACEHOLDER: Vale as link-out only, as agent, or as seller] |
| 14-day withdrawal right | EU and Spanish rules give consumers 14 days to withdraw from most distance contracts. They do not apply to services related to leisure activities (and catering) booked for a specific date or period, but the buyer must be told this before buying. Lawyer [PLACEHOLDER: which categories (restaurant, museum, bike hire, coworking day pass, haircut, taxi) fall where] |
| Withdrawal button | An EU rule requires an online "withdraw from contract" function for distance contracts that carry a withdrawal right, from 19 June 2026. Whether and how Spain has applied it is unconfirmed. Lawyer |
| Vale's own free-cancellation promise | A promise of free cancellation until a time is a contract term. It must match what each partner actually allows. [PLACEHOLDER: partner rules, no-show fees] |
| Refund timing and method | [PLACEHOLDER: days to refund, same payment method, who pays if a partner cancels] |
| Complaints and disputes | [PLACEHOLDER: contact, response time, ADR body if any]. The EU online dispute resolution platform closed on 20 July 2025, so Vale must not link to it. |
The cancellation times above come from the code of the Payments page (same day: 2 hours before; later day: 18:00 the day before). They are example rules, not partner rules. Full questions: legal/02-questions-for-the-lawyer.md, consumer-law section.