Refund Policy
v1.0 · Last updated: 2026-05-16 · Index & changelog
This page explains when you get your money back, when you do not, and how to ask for a review if you disagree with a decision.
Summary
| What happened | Refund | When |
|---|---|---|
| The referrer declined your request | 100%, automatic | Same business day |
| 14 days passed and the referrer did not submit you | 100%, automatic | At day 14 |
| The referrer submitted you, but you dispute that the submission was real | Up to 100%, after review | Decision within 48 hours; processing within 5 business days |
| You changed your mind after the referrer submitted you | No refund | — |
| The referrer was banned for fraud after submitting you | 100%, platform-funded | Within 5 business days of the ban |
| You were banned for fraud | No refund | — |
The rest of this page explains each case in plain language.
1. The principle behind these rules
The platform holds your fee in escrow from the moment you make a request. The fee is released to the referrer only when something real has happened — a submission with reasonable proof. If nothing real has happened, your money comes back.
In Year 1 we err on the side of refunding generously. Reputation matters more to us than the unit economics of any single transaction.
2. Automatic refunds
2.1 Referrer declined
If the referrer declines your request, the funds in escrow are released back to your original payment method on the same business day. No action from you is required.
2.2 No submission within 14 days
If the referrer accepted your request but did not submit you within 14 calendar days of accepting, the funds are released back to you automatically on the morning of day 15. No action from you is required.
These two refunds together cover roughly 80% of the cases we expect — no human review involved.
3. Manual review
If the referrer marks you as submitted but you dispute that — for example, the target employer has no record of receiving your candidacy — you can request a manual review.
How to request:
- Email info@zamala.net with the subject line "Refund review: REQ-XXXXXX" (your request ID).
- Tell us what happened in your own words.
- Provide any evidence you have — an email from the target employer's HR confirming they have no record of your application, screenshots of your candidate portal, etc.
What we do:
- We acknowledge within 24 hours.
- We ask the referrer to provide their proof of submission (typically a screenshot of the internal referral portal showing your name and date).
- We compare the two accounts and decide within 48 hours of receiving both sides.
- If we cannot reach the referrer within 48 hours, we side with you and refund.
If we side with you, the refund goes to your original payment method within 5 business days of the decision.
If we side with the referrer, we explain why. You may ask us to reconsider within 14 days; we will look at it once more.
4. No-refund situations
We do not refund:
- Change of mind after submission. The referrer did the work — they used their time, their relationship, and a slot in their employer's internal referral system. The referral was the service. The hire was never promised.
- Candidate fraud bans. If you are banned for misrepresenting your identity, credentials, or experience, any pending fees are forfeited.
- Repeated frivolous disputes. If you have raised disputes that were judged unfounded multiple times, we may decline to take new disputes from you and we may close your account.
5. Platform-funded refunds
If a referrer is banned for fraud after taking your fee, the platform refunds you out of its own pocket and pursues the referrer separately. You should not have to pay for someone else's misconduct.
6. Currency and amount
Refunds are made in Saudi Riyals (SAR), the same currency in which the fee was paid, to the same payment method that was used to pay. If your original payment method is no longer valid, we will work with you to find an alternative.
We refund the exact fee paid, including the platform's 28% cut. We do not deduct payment processing fees from the refund — the platform absorbs those.
7. Processing time
Once a refund is approved (automatically or by manual review), the timing is:
| Where the money goes | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Original card | 5–10 business days, depending on your card issuer |
| Bank transfer | 1–3 business days within KSA; 3–7 business days for international |
| Wallet (Mada / STC Pay / Apple Pay) | 1–3 business days |
If a refund has not arrived in the typical window, email info@zamala.net with the request ID and we will trace it.
8. Tax
If VAT or similar tax has been added to the fee at the time of payment, the same VAT is refunded. The platform does not retain tax that has not been remitted.
9. Contact
- Email: info@zamala.net
- WhatsApp: per the number shown in the website footer
10. Where this policy fits
This Refund Policy is part of our Terms of Service. The Terms govern your overall relationship with the platform; this page is the specific procedure for refunds.
Changelog
- v1.0 (2026-05-16): Promoted from v0.1 to operational policy. Founder elected to proceed without engaging independent legal counsel at this stage; recommended future-review items captured in README.
- v0.1 (2026-05-16): Initial draft.