Cancellation and Refund Policy

 

This Cancellation and Refund Policy (the "Policy") explains when you can cancel a Service ordered through AdvoAssist and how refunds are calculated. AdvoAssist is owned and operated by ADVOASSIST PORTAL L.L.C. In this Policy, the company and the service it operates are both referred to as "the Platform". This Policy is part of the Platform's Terms and Conditions, and words defined there have the same meaning here.

As a general principle, all payments shall be made in advance. If the relevant services have not been performed, the corresponding amount shall be refundable. However, any amounts attributable to services already performed or paid to third parties on the Client’s behalf shall be non-refundable.

1. WHEN THIS POLICY APPLIES

1.1        This Policy applies to every Service paid for through the Platform, whether ordered online, through the chat bot, through the Platform's call centre or by a manager on your behalf.

1.2        If you bought a Service inside the Platform's mobile app through the Apple App Store or Google Play, the refund is processed by Apple or Google under their own rules. The Platform will support your request where this Policy gives you a right to a refund.

1.3        Specialists who pay subscription or other fees to the Platform are covered by section 12 and by their own Specialist Agreement.

2. BEFORE WORK BEGINS

2.1        You can cancel an Order free of charge at any time before a Specialist has accepted it. You will receive a full refund.

2.2        If the Platform cannot find a suitable Specialist for your request, it will cancel the Order and refund you in full.

2.3        If a Specialist declines your Case because of a conflict of interest or another professional reason, the Platform will offer you another Specialist. If you do not want one, or the Platform cannot offer one, you will receive a full refund.

3. CONSULTATIONS

3.1        You can cancel or reschedule a paid consultation through your account or the chat.

When you cancel	What happens
24 hours or more before the booked time	Full refund, or a free change of time
Less than 24 hours before the booked time	One free change of time, or a refund of 50% of the consultation fee
You do not attend and do not tell the Platform	No refund

 

3.2        If the Specialist cancels, does not attend, or is more than 15 minutes late without agreeing a new time with you, you may choose a full refund or a new booking at no extra cost.

3.3        The free 15-minute consultation with a duty lawyer and the chat bot are free of charge, so no refund arises. Please cancel if you cannot attend so that the slot can be given to someone else.

3.4        A consultation that has taken place is treated as delivered. If you are unhappy with how it was conducted, you can open Arbitration under section 8.

4. CASE HANDLING AND FIXED-PRICE SERVICES

4.1        You can cancel a Case at any time, including after work has started. The Platform will then stop the work and refund the amount you paid, less:

(a)        the value of the work already done by the Specialist up to the date of cancellation; and

(b)        any government, court, translation, courier or other third-party fees already paid on your behalf.

4.2        The value of the work done is calculated from the stages of the Service completed and the work recorded in the Case (for example a draft prepared, a claim filed or a hearing attended). The Platform will send you a written breakdown with the refund.

4.3        If you disagree with the breakdown, you can open Arbitration within 7 days of receiving it.

4.4        Once a Service has been fully completed, and the guarantee period under section 7 has ended, it can no longer be cancelled.

5. Quotation Request AND PAY MINIMUM

5.1        Quotation Request. Publishing an auction is free. You pay only when you accept a Specialist's proposal, and from that point the Order is treated like any other Case under section 4. You can withdraw an auction at no cost before accepting a proposal. This function is released in stages, as described in the Terms and Conditions; until it is available in automated form, a Platform manager collects price proposals from Specialists manually and presents them to you for selection, with the same effect for the purposes of this Policy.

5.2        Pay Minimum. If, after the Specialist's first assessment, you do not agree to the final price proposed, you may cancel. The Platform will refund your minimum payment less the value of the assessment already carried out.

5.3        If you do accept the final price, the minimum payment is set off against it.

6. EMERGENCY SERVICES AND ADDITIONAL INVOICES

6.1        You can cancel an Emergency Service free of charge until a Specialist has been assigned and set off to attend. After that, the attendance fee shown at booking is not refundable, because the Specialist's time has been committed. If the Platform is unable to arrange attendance, you will receive a full refund.

6.2        Where the Platform issues an additional invoice during a Case (for example for government or court fees, translations or extra work), the rules in this Policy apply to that invoice separately. Fees already paid to a government body, court or other third party cannot be refunded by the Platform, unless that third party refunds them.

7. THE GUARANTEE PERIOD

7.1        When the Specialist has finished the work, the Platform may review the result. The Case then stays open for 7 days so that you can ask questions, get clarifications and point out anything that is missing or incorrect. This is included in the price.

7.2        If you need more time, you can ask Support to extend the guarantee period before it ends.

7.3        If a problem you raise during the guarantee period is not resolved, you can open Arbitration. After the guarantee period ends, the Case is closed and treated as accepted, although you may still contact Support in cases of hidden defects in the work that you could not have noticed earlier.

7. 4     The Client can ask Support to extend the guarantee period before it ends, or to reopen it after it has ended by explaining and confirming the reason for the delay. 

8. UNHAPPY WITH THE RESULT OR THE SPECIALIST

8.1        First, please raise the problem with your Specialist in the chat. Many issues can be sorted out quickly this way.

8.2        If that does not work, open Arbitration from your dashboard. Choose the Case, state the reason, describe what went wrong and attach any supporting documents. While the review is ongoing, work on the Case may be paused.

8.3        The Arbitration team, which is not involved in your Case, will decide on one or more of the following:

(a)        the Specialist completes or corrects the work at no extra cost;

(b)        your Case is moved to a new Specialist at no extra cost for the remaining work;

(c)        a partial or full refund;

(d)        a credit to your Platform account, if you prefer it to a refund; or

(e)        no change, if the complaint is not upheld, with written reasons.

8.4        Replacing a Specialist is only possible through Arbitration.

8.5        A refund will not be given only because a court or authority decided against you. No lawyer can guarantee an outcome, and a Service is judged on whether it was delivered properly, not on the result of the proceedings.

9. PRICE REASSESSMENT BY A SPECIALIST

9.1        If your Specialist tells you that the work will cost more than the price you paid (for example because of new facts or complications), you are not obliged to accept.

9.2        If you decline, you can either continue with the original scope, cancel the rest of the Case under section 4, or open Arbitration if you think the reassessment is not justified.

9.3        No extra amount will be charged unless you have accepted and paid a separate invoice.

10. CANCELLATION BY THE PLATFORM

10.1        The Platform may cancel an Order if a conflict of interest is found, if it cannot lawfully continue, or if you seriously breach the Terms and Conditions (for example by abusing a Specialist or trying to take the Case off the Platform).

10.2        If the Platform cancels for a reason that is not your fault, you will receive a full refund of any part of the Service not yet delivered. If the Platform cancels because of your breach, the refund will be calculated under section 4.

11. HOW REFUNDS ARE PAID

11.1        To cancel, use the cancel option on your Case or write to Support. Disputes about results or prices go through Arbitration.

11.2        The Platform will confirm the refund amount within 5 working days of your request, or of the Arbitration decision.

11.3        Refunds are paid to the original method of payment. Card refunds are sent to the same card, and it can take up to 30 days for your bank to show the refund. Bank transfer refunds are paid to an account in the name of the person who made the payment. The Platform does not refund in cash.

11.4        Refunds are made in AED for the amount received by the Platform. The Platform is not responsible for differences caused by exchange rates or bank charges applied by your bank.

11.5        If you paid for a Service for someone else, the refund goes back to you as the payer, unless you both agree otherwise in writing.

11.6        If you prefer, the Platform can give you a credit to your account instead of a refund. A credit is valid for 12 months.

12. SPECIALIST SUBSCRIPTIONS

12.1        A Specialist may cancel a subscription at any time from his or her account. The cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and access to paid features continues until then.

12.2        Subscription fees for a period that has already started are not refunded, unless the Specialist Agreement says otherwise or the law requires it. Subscriptions bought through the Apple App Store or Google Play must be cancelled through the store account, under the store's rules.

13. CHARGEBACKS

13.1        If something has gone wrong with a payment, please contact Support before contacting your bank. Most problems can be resolved faster that way.

13.2        If a chargeback is raised for a Service that was delivered, the Platform will provide the payment provider with the records of the Case. The Platform may suspend an account where chargebacks are used to avoid paying for Services that were properly delivered.

14. YOUR STATUTORY RIGHTS

14.1        Nothing in this Policy takes away any right you have under UAE law, including Federal Law No. 15 of 2020 on Consumer Protection.

15. CONTACT

ADVOASSIST PORTAL L.L.C

E-mail: support@advoassist.com

Phone: +971 56 996 2815

Address: Office 012-301, Building 301 – Control Tower, Al Hebiah First, Dubai, United Arab Emirates