Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Overview

• This Refund and Cancellation Policy ("Policy") governs all cancellation terms, refund eligibility, refund claims, chargeback obligations, and anti-fraud measures for Orders placed on the raagas Platform operated by Carnatic Foods Private Limited ("Company", "we", "us", or "our").
• This Policy is published in compliance with the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. This Policy is incorporated into, and forms an integral part of, the Terms and Conditions (raagas.co.in/legal/terms). By placing an Order on the Platform, You acknowledge that You have read and understood this Policy and agree to be bound by its terms.
• Capitalised terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Terms and Conditions.

2. No Cancellation by the User

• Once an Order is placed and confirmed on the Platform, it cannot be cancelled, modified, amended, or altered by the User under any circumstances. This policy is necessitated by the perishable nature of food products — food preparation commences immediately upon Order confirmation, and prepared food items are perishable, cannot be resold to another customer, repurposed, repackaged, returned to inventory, or retained for future sale.
• This is in accordance with the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, which recognise the exemption of perishable goods from standard return, exchange, and cancellation policies applicable to e-commerce transactions.
• Users are strongly advised to carefully review all aspects of their Order — including items, quantities, customisation options, add-ons, special instructions, delivery address, contact number, and payment method — before confirming the Order. The Company shall not be responsible or liable for Orders placed with incorrect details, wrong delivery addresses, or erroneous selections by the User.

3. Cancellation by the Company

• The Company reserves the right to cancel any Order, in whole or in part, at its sole discretion and without prior notice, under the following circumstances (without limitation):
• One or more Menu items in the Order are unavailable, out of stock, or cannot be prepared at the time of Order processing due to ingredient shortage, equipment failure, or other operational constraints.
• The delivery address provided by the User is outside the serviceable Delivery Area, or the address is incorrect, incomplete, ambiguous, or inaccessible.
• Payment failure, payment decline, payment reversal, insufficient funds, expired payment instrument, or suspected payment fraud.
• The Company's fraud detection or risk assessment systems flag the Order or the User Account for suspicious, irregular, or potentially fraudulent activity.
• Force Majeure Events or operational constraints — including but not limited to kitchen equipment failure, supply chain disruption, ingredient shortage, power outage, water supply disruption, or staff shortage — that prevent the Company from fulfilling the Order.
• The User is unreachable for Order verification or delivery coordination despite reasonable attempts by the Company or its delivery personnel.
• The raagas outlet is closed, closing imminently, or unable to fulfil the Order due to any operational reason.
• Regulatory, legal, or compliance reasons that prevent fulfilment of the Order.
• For all Company-initiated cancellations, a full refund of the amount paid by the User shall be processed automatically within the timelines specified in Section 8 of this Policy. The Company shall notify the User of the cancellation and the reason therefor via SMS, email, push notification, or in-app notification.

4. Refund Eligibility

5. Complaint Timelines

• To be eligible for a refund, complaints must be raised within the following strict timelines from the time of delivery (as recorded in the Company's delivery system):
• Missing or incorrect items: Within two (2) hours of delivery.
• Food quality issues (temperature, packaging damage, presentation defects): Within two (2) hours of delivery.
• Food safety issues (contamination, foreign objects, spoilage, adulteration, food-borne illness): Within twenty-four (24) hours of delivery.
• Non-delivery: Within four (4) hours of the estimated delivery time displayed on the Platform at the time of Order placement.
• Complaints raised after the expiry of these timelines may be considered at the Company's sole discretion on a case-by-case basis, but the Company shall be under no obligation to issue a refund for late complaints. The onus of demonstrating that the complaint was raised within the prescribed timeline rests with the User.

6. Evidence Requirements

• To initiate a refund request, the User must submit the following through the Platform's in-app support feature or by writing to care@raagas.co.in:
• The Order ID and date of the Order.
• A clear, specific, and detailed description of the issue — including which item(s) are affected and the nature of the problem (missing, incorrect, quality defect, safety concern, etc.).
• Photographic and/or video evidence (MANDATORY for all quality, food safety, incorrect item, and missing item claims): (a) Photographs must clearly and legibly show the food item(s) in question, the original packaging, any visible defect or issue, and the delivery bag/container. (b) For missing item claims, photographs of the complete delivered Order showing all items received. (c) For food safety issues, close-up photographs clearly showing the contaminant, foreign object, or visible defect. (d) Photographs must be unedited, unfiltered, and taken at the time of discovery. Blurred, cropped, manipulated, digitally altered, AI-generated, or recycled (previously used) photographs shall be rejected. (e) Video evidence is encouraged for complex issues and may be required at the Company's discretion.
• For food safety issues: A description of any symptoms experienced (nausea, vomiting, allergic reaction, etc.), the time of onset, and any medical attention sought. The Company may request medical documentation to substantiate the claim.
• Refund requests submitted without the mandatory evidence described above, or with insufficient, unclear, or suspicious evidence, may be rejected by the Company.

7. Refund Review and Investigation

• Refund requests shall be reviewed and assessed by the Company within forty-eight (48) hours of submission of a complete request (including all required evidence).
• The Company reserves the right to conduct a thorough investigation of any refund claim. Investigation methods may include but are not limited to: review of Order records and preparation logs, examination of kitchen CCTV and packing station footage, review of delivery route GPS data and proof-of-delivery records, consultation with kitchen staff and delivery personnel, internal quality assurance checks, and analysis of the User's Order history and historical refund patterns.
• The Company's refund evaluation takes into account: the validity and strength of the evidence submitted, the nature and severity of the issue, the User's Account history (including frequency and pattern of previous refund claims), internal quality assurance records and production logs, delivery records and timestamps, and any other relevant factors.
• The Company's decision on refund eligibility and refund amount shall be final, subject to the User's statutory right to escalate under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and to seek redress from the appropriate Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

8. Refund Timelines and Methods

• Approved refunds shall be processed within the following timelines from the date of refund approval:
• Original payment method (credit card, debit card, UPI, net banking, digital wallet): Five (5) to seven (7) business days. The actual credit to Your account depends on the processing timelines of Your issuing bank, card network, or payment service provider, and may take additional time beyond the Company's control.
• Cash on Delivery (COD) Orders: Refund via bank transfer (NEFT/IMPS/UPI) within seven (7) to ten (10) business days from the date of refund approval. The User must provide valid bank account details (account holder name, account number, IFSC code, and bank name) or a UPI ID to receive the refund.
• Failed or declined transactions: Amounts debited for failed or unprocessed transactions are automatically reversed by the payment gateway or the User's issuing bank within five (5) to ten (10) business days. If the reversal does not occur within this period, the User should write to care@raagas.co.in with the Order ID, transaction reference number, and payment method details for investigation.
• Duplicate charges: Write to care@raagas.co.in with complete transaction details (both transaction reference numbers, amounts, dates, and payment method). Verified duplicate charges shall be refunded within five (5) to seven (7) business days after confirmation.
• Refunds for Orders placed using promotional discounts, coupon codes, cashback, or other Promotional Offers shall be calculated on the net amount actually paid by the User (i.e., the Order Value after deducting the proportionate discount or promotional benefit). The Promotional Offer, coupon code, or discount shall not be reinstated, reissued, or compensated on a refunded or cancelled Order.
• At the Company's sole discretion, refunds may be issued in the form of Platform credits (raagas wallet credits) that can be applied to future Orders. Platform credits, where issued, shall have a validity period specified at the time of issuance and are non-transferable and non-encashable.

9. Chargeback Policy

• A chargeback is a transaction reversal initiated by the User through their bank, card issuer, or payment service provider, disputing a charge made by the Company.
• The Company requires all Users to contact the Company's customer support at care@raagas.co.in or raise a complaint through the Platform's in-app support feature BEFORE initiating a chargeback with their bank or card issuer. The Company has established a fair and accessible refund process (described in this Policy) to resolve payment disputes directly and promptly.
• If a User initiates a chargeback without first exhausting the Company's complaint and refund process as described in this Policy, or if the Company determines that the chargeback is unjustified, fraudulent, or initiated in bad faith, the Company reserves the right to: (a) dispute and contest the chargeback with the User's bank or card issuer, providing all available evidence including Order records, delivery proof, GPS logs, kitchen CCTV footage, and communication records; (b) immediately suspend or permanently terminate the User's Account; (c) forfeit any pending refunds, credits, or promotional balances in the User's Account; (d) recover the chargeback amount and any associated fees or penalties from the User; (e) blacklist the User from the Platform; and (f) report the matter to appropriate law enforcement authorities if fraud is suspected.
• Systematic or serial chargeback initiation (two or more chargebacks within a twelve-month period) shall be treated as prima facie evidence of fraud and abuse, and shall result in permanent Account termination and potential legal action.

10. Fraudulent Claims and Misuse

• The Company employs sophisticated systems — including machine learning algorithms, pattern analysis, account behaviour monitoring, and manual investigation — to detect and prevent refund fraud and policy abuse. The following activities constitute material misuse of this Policy:
• Filing false, misleading, exaggerated, or fabricated refund claims.
• Submitting fabricated, manipulated, digitally altered, AI-generated, recycled, or falsified photographic or video evidence.
• Systematically raising refund requests on a disproportionate number of Orders (refund rate significantly exceeding the Company's average customer refund rate for a sustained period).
• Initiating chargebacks with a bank or card issuer without first contacting the Company through the prescribed complaint and refund process.
• Creating multiple Accounts to exploit the refund policy, circumvent Account restrictions or suspensions, or evade fraud detection measures.
• Colluding with delivery personnel, Company employees, or other Users to stage fraudulent delivery, quality, or safety issues.
• Consuming the entirety of a delivered Order and subsequently filing a quality or completeness complaint (except for verified food safety issues).
• Consequences of misuse shall include, without limitation and at the Company's sole discretion: immediate denial of the refund claim; suspension or permanent termination of the User's Account; forfeiture of any pending refunds, credits, promotional balances, loyalty points, or other benefits; permanent blacklisting from the Platform (including blocking of the associated mobile number, email address, device identifiers, and payment instruments); and referral to appropriate law enforcement authorities for criminal investigation and prosecution under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — including Section 318 (cheating), Section 319 (cheating by personation), and Section 336 (forgery) — the Information Technology Act, 2000, and any other Applicable Laws.

11. Consumer Rights

• This Policy is intended to supplement, and not to restrict, limit, waive, or prejudice, any rights available to the User under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, or any other Applicable Law that provides mandatory consumer protections.
• If You are dissatisfied with the resolution provided by the Company through its customer support or refund process, You may: (a) escalate the complaint to the Grievance Redressal Officer and Nodal Officer at care@raagas.co.in, who shall acknowledge within forty-eight (48) hours and resolve within thirty (30) days; (b) file a complaint with the National Consumer Helpline at 1800-11-4000 (toll-free) or 14404; (c) approach the appropriate Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission — District (for claims up to Rs. 1 crore), State (for claims between Rs. 1 crore and Rs. 10 crore), or National (for claims exceeding Rs. 10 crore) — having jurisdiction; (d) file a complaint through the e-Daakhil portal at edaakhil.nic.in; or (e) exercise any other right or remedy available under Applicable Law.

12. Contact Information

• For refund and cancellation queries: care@raagas.co.in
• Designation: Director, Grievance Redressal Officer, Nodal Officer, and Data Protection Officer
• Grievance Email: care@raagas.co.in
• Address: Carnatic Foods Private Limited, Plot No. 87, Sun Garden, Morattandi, Auroville, Vanur, Villupuram, Tamil Nadu 605101, India