Harbor Refund & Cancellation Policy

This policy is part of the Harbor Terms of Service. It explains what happens to a Brand's payment when a Deal is cancelled, isn't delivered, or is disputed. Every Deal on Harbor is payment-protected: the Brand's payment is held with our payment processor (Stripe) and is only released to the Community Manager when the Deal completes properly.

Before the Community Manager accepts

A Brand may cancel a pending offer at any time before acceptance. The payment is refunded automatically, in full, including all fees.

If an offer is not accepted within its stated expiry window, it expires and the payment is refunded in full automatically.

After acceptance, before delivery

Either side may propose cancellation in the deal room. If both sides agree to cancel, the held payment is returned to the Brand: the deal price and Harbor's fee, minus the card-processing cost described below.

If the Community Manager fails to deliver by the Deal deadline, the Brand is refunded automatically on the same basis: the deal price and Harbor's fee, minus the card-processing cost. Repeated non-delivery affects a Community Manager's standing on Harbor and can lead to suspension.

Once a Deal is funded, it is locked: neither party can cancel it alone. Either party may request cancellation, and if the other party agrees, the held payment is returned to the Brand. If no agreement is reached, the Deal continues to its outcome: delivery and review, the delivery deadline passing (automatic refund), or the dispute process.

Card-processing costs are not returnable. Card networks do not return their processing cost when a payment is refunded. Refunds for cancellation by agreement and for a missed deadline return the amount paid minus the card-processing cost the card network actually charged (typically 2.9% + $0.30 of the amount paid; international and premium cards run higher). This is shown before you pay. Harbor's own platform fee IS returned in these refunds. Refunds ordered through the dispute process are decided by the Harbor representative and are returned without this deduction.

After delivery: the review window

When the Community Manager submits proof of performance, the Brand has a review window of 5 business days to approve or dispute.

• Approve (or let the window pass): the payment is released to the Community Manager. No refund applies. Release does not end the Community Manager's continuing Deal obligations. If the content is taken down early or a written Deal term (such as exclusivity) is broken after release, the Terms of Service (Section 7, "Post-release breaches") provide for the return of 65% of the released payout.
• Dispute: the Brand opens a dispute in the deal room, stating specifically what did not match the Deal terms, with evidence.

How disputes are decided

Both sides submit evidence in the deal room within the timelines shown there. Harbor reviews in good faith against the Deal's written terms and decides one of three outcomes: full release to the Community Manager, partial refund (proportional to what was delivered), or full refund to the Brand, including all fees. Fabricated proofs or faked engagement always result in a full refund plus enforcement under the Acceptable Use Policy.

The Harbor representative's decision is final and binding on both the Brand and the Community Manager, as agreed in the Terms of Service (Section 7). Both sides agree to accept the outcome and not to relitigate the Deal disagreement in any other forum.

How refunds are paid

Refunds go back to the original payment method via Stripe, normally within 5–10 business days of the decision (bank timing varies). Harbor does not refund in cash, credits, or to a different card.

Subscription plans

This policy above covers Deal money, meaning funds held for a specific Deal. Brand subscription plans (Starter, Growth, Scale) are separate: they renew monthly, can be cancelled anytime from Manage billing effective at the end of the paid period, and fees for a billing period that has started are non-refundable. Cancelling a plan never touches Deal money; live Deals keep running and held funds follow the Deal rules above.

Chargebacks

Please use the dispute process before contacting your card issuer; it is faster and it is what the process is for. Chargebacks filed to bypass an active or resolved dispute, without good cause, are a breach of the Terms.

Questions

support@harborinfluence.com