Legal Policies

Want A Service is a two-sided marketplace connecting Clients (people who need services) with independent Providers (tradespeople, professionals, and freelancers). There are no subscription fees for Clients. Providers list their services for free.

Clients pay the Provider's stated price at the time of booking. Prices are set entirely by the Provider and may be structured as:

• •Hourly rates — charged per hour of work
• •Fixed price — a flat fee for a defined scope of work
• •Call-out fee — a minimum attendance fee, plus hourly or materials
• •Per-project — custom quote agreed between Client and Provider before payment
• •Other pricing models as displayed on the Provider's profile

All prices are displayed in USD (United States Dollars) at checkout before any payment is taken. No hidden fees are charged to Clients beyond what is shown at checkout.

Want A Service adds a 12% platform service fee on top of the Provider's listed price. This fee:

• •Is added on top of the Provider's stated price at checkout
• •Is paid by the Client — Providers receive 100% of their listed price
• •Is displayed transparently at checkout before any payment is taken
• •Is non-refundable on ordinary customer cancellations, including early cancellations within the free-cancellation window. It is refunded in full only on verified provider-fault cancellations
• •May be adjusted with 30 days' advance notice to registered users

Providers receive 100% of their listed price. The platform fee is charged separately to the Client on top of the Provider's price. Payouts are made after service completion via PayPal to the PayPal email address the Provider enters and verifies in their account. There are no upfront listing fees, subscription costs, or hidden charges for Providers.

Clients may post a job request for free. Providers submit quotes at no charge. Payment is only collected once the Client accepts a quote and proceeds to checkout. The quoted amount plus any agreed adjustments forms the final billable amount.

Some Providers set scenario-based surcharges that are automatically applied on top of the base price based on when the job takes place. These surcharges are always itemised at checkout before payment is taken:

• •Weekend surcharge — applied automatically when the booking date falls on a Saturday or Sunday
• •After-hours surcharge — applied automatically when the booking time falls outside the Provider's standard hours (default after 6pm and before 7am)
• •Public-holiday surcharge — applied automatically on recognised public holidays
• •Custom surcharges — optional, manually-selected add-ons the Client can toggle at checkout (e.g. emergency callout, high-rise access)

Each surcharge shows as a labelled line item in the price breakdown at checkout, on the receipt, and in any dispute context. Surcharges are set entirely by the Provider and may vary by listing.

Discount codes may be issued at Want A Service's discretion and applied at checkout. Discounts apply to the service fee only, not to the platform fee. Expired or invalid codes will not be applied.

We don't have one generic "refund policy." Cancellations, refunds, disputes, no-shows, rescheduling, payment release, and safety issues are each handled explicitly and fairly — the same way mature marketplaces like TaskRabbit, Upwork, and Fiverr handle them. Here's what happens in each situation. Full details are in the Refund Policy, Cancellation Policy, and Dispute Resolution sections below.

The outcome depends on the specific situation. Here's the quick reference:

• •Customer cancels well in advance (within the Provider's free-cancellation window) — the service price is refunded. The 12% platform fee is non-refundable
• •Customer cancels close to the appointment (outside the free window) — 75% of the service price is refunded; the provider receives 25% of the service price as cancellation compensation; the 12% platform fee is non-refundable
• •Provider cancels the booking — customer receives a full refund including the platform fee
• •Provider no-show — full refund including platform fee, plus a trust strike against the Provider (3 strikes = warning, 5 = listing paused)
• •Customer no-show — Provider is compensated for their time; booking marked complete with a trust note
• •Provider arrives but can't do the job due to incorrect info from the customer — case review; a call-out fee may be retained
• •Provider hasn't started work yet — normally refundable
• •Work partially completed — partial refund or dispute mechanism applies
• •Customer unhappy with quality — dispute filed, not an automatic refund; investigated by our team
• •Work materially different from the agreed quote — dispute eligible; the accepted quote (amount, inclusions, exclusions) is preserved as evidence
• •Provider demands unexpected additional money — customer can decline and report; no surprise charges are possible through the platform
• •Safety issue — job stopped immediately with a dedicated reporting route and admin alert
• •Property damage — dedicated incident/damage claim handled through the dispute process
• •Customer refuses to confirm completed work — held payment auto-releases after 48 hours unless a dispute is filed
• •Provider says complete but customer disagrees — funds are frozen pending dispute resolution
• •Both parties agree to a partial refund — partial refund supported; the retained amount and reason are recorded
• •Duplicate payment — automatic full refund of the duplicate charge
• •Fraudulent transaction — funds and account frozen immediately pending investigation

Not every disagreement is an all-or-nothing cancellation. Want A Service explicitly supports partial-refund resolutions — where both parties agree (or our team decides) that a portion is refunded and a portion is retained. The exact refund type (full, partial, or none), amount refunded, amount retained, and reason are recorded on every payment and visible on the refund receipt.

Payments are held securely by the platform and only released when the job is confirmed complete, auto-released after 48 hours of silence, or resolved through dispute. No funds reach the Provider until the work is done or the dispute is settled.

Want A Service operates as a marketplace. All service agreements are directly between Clients and Providers. Refunds are governed by this policy and the individual Provider's stated cancellation terms.

The 12% platform fee is non-refundable on ordinary customer cancellations — whether the customer cancels within the Provider's free-cancellation window or outside it (late cancellation). It is refunded in full only on verified provider-fault cases, where the Provider cancels, no-shows, or fails to deliver the service. This fee covers marketplace infrastructure, payment processing, and support costs. Nothing in this policy limits any statutory consumer rights that cannot legally be excluded — see the Consumer Rights section below.

A Client may be eligible for a full or partial refund of the service fee (excluding platform fee) in the following cases:

• •The Provider cancels the booking before the scheduled service date
• •The Provider fails to show up without notice ('no-show')
• •The service was not delivered as described in the Provider's listing
• •The Client cancels within the Provider's stated free-cancellation window
• •A technical error resulted in a duplicate charge

To request a refund:

• •Contact us at our Contact form (/contact) within 48 hours of the scheduled service date
• •Include your booking reference, description of the issue, and any supporting evidence (photos, messages, etc.)
• •We will investigate and respond within 3–5 business days
• •If approved, refunds are processed within 5–10 business days to the original payment method

Refunds will NOT be issued for:

• •Change of mind after service has been completed
• •Dissatisfaction with results where the service was delivered as described
• •Cancellations outside the Provider's stated cancellation window
• •Chargebacks initiated without first contacting us
• •The 12% platform fee on ordinary customer cancellations (early or late) — refundable only on verified provider-fault cancellations

Initiating a chargeback or payment dispute with your bank or card issuer without first contacting Want A Service is a violation of these Terms. We reserve the right to suspend accounts where bad-faith chargebacks are initiated. If you believe a charge is unauthorized, contact our Contact form (/contact) immediately.

Once approved, refunds are processed within 5–10 business days. The actual credit date depends on your financial institution. We will send an email confirmation once a refund has been initiated.

Depending on the cancellation reason, refunds may be partial. In certain scenarios a Provider's call-out fee or the platform fee is retained while the remainder is refunded to the Client. The specific retained amount and reason are recorded on the payment record and shown on the refund receipt. Examples include:

• •Provider cancellation or no-show — full refund including platform fee
• •Client change of mind outside the free-cancellation window — 75% of the service price is refunded; the provider receives 25% of the service price as cancellation compensation; the 12% platform fee is non-refundable
• •Client did not provide materials or access needed for the job — call-out fee retained, remainder refunded
• •Force majeure (e.g. weather) — full refund, no penalty to either party

The exact refund type (full, partial, or none), amount refunded, amount retained, and reason are visible on each refunded payment record.

Each Provider sets a free-cancellation window (default 48 hours), shown on their listing and at checkout. Cancellations are handled as follows:

• •Cancel before the free-cancellation window closes (i.e. more than the window's hours before the appointment): the service price will be refunded. The 12% platform fee is non-refundable
• •If you cancel within 48 hours, 75% of the service price is refunded. The provider receives 25% of the service price as cancellation compensation (compensating them for blocked time). The 12% platform fee is non-refundable
• •Same-day cancellation or no-show by Client: not eligible for a service-fee refund; the Provider may retain the service fee

Providers may choose a shorter or longer free-cancellation window, which is displayed on their listing and at checkout. That stated window supersedes the default above.

If a Provider cancels a confirmed booking:

• •The Client will receive a full refund of the service fee
• •The platform fee will also be refunded as an exception (Provider-cancellation only)
• •The Client will be notified by email immediately

Providers who fail to confirm bookings or do not arrive ('no-shows') are tracked automatically. The following progressive consequences apply:

• •3 confirmed no-shows — a formal warning email is sent to the Provider
• •5 confirmed no-shows — the listing is automatically paused (set to inactive) and placed pending admin re-review before it can go live again
• •A Provider's no-show count is visible to administrators and factors into search ranking and trust signals

A no-show is recorded when a Provider fails to confirm a booking within the required timeframe, or when the Client reports that the Provider did not arrive. Client no-shows (where the Provider arrived but the Client was not present) are handled separately — the booking is marked complete and the Provider is compensated for their time, but a trust note is recorded.

Clients can cancel a booking by:

• •Visiting their Bookings dashboard and selecting 'Cancel Booking'
• •Emailing our Contact form (/contact) with the booking reference

Providers can cancel by logging into their Provider Dashboard and updating the booking status, or by contacting us at our Contact form (/contact).

The platform applies specific refund logic based on the reason selected for the cancellation. The reason and resulting refund are recorded on the booking and payment records:

• •Weather / force majeure — full refund to the Client, no penalty to either party
• •Provider cancels, is late, or no-shows — full refund to the Client (including platform fee), and a trust flag applied to the Provider's listing
• •Provider could not supply materials — full refund to the Client
• •Client did not supply materials or provide access — call-out fee retained by the Provider, remainder refunded to the Client, and the booking flagged as a client no-show
• •Client change of mind — within the free-cancellation window: the service price will be refunded. The 12% platform fee is non-refundable. Outside the window: 75% of the service price is refunded, the provider receives 25% of the service price as cancellation compensation, and the 12% platform fee is non-refundable

Rescheduling can be proposed by either party through the booking change request system. If the Provider proposes a reschedule with a price change (extra charge or refund), the Client must accept and, where an extra charge applies, complete the additional PayPal payment before the new date is applied. Refund-based reschedules are processed automatically to the Client's original payment method. Rescheduling is subject to Provider availability and is not guaranteed. Rescheduling does not constitute a cancellation.

In the event of cancellations due to circumstances beyond either party's reasonable control, ${COMPANY} will review refund requests on a case-by-case basis and endeavour to issue a fair resolution. Extenuating circumstances include:

• •Natural disasters, severe weather, or declared states of emergency
• •Serious illness or hospitalisation (with supporting documentation)
• •Death of an immediate family member
• •Government-mandated closures, curfews, or travel restrictions
• •Significant utility outages (e.g. water, electricity) that make the service impossible to perform

Extenuating circumstances may override the standard free-cancellation window. Clients and Providers requesting an extenuating-circumstances refund should file a dispute with supporting documentation within 14 days of the scheduled service date.

If a Client creates a booking but does not complete payment, the booking is automatically cancelled when the booking expiry window passes. The default expiry is 24 hours, though Providers may set a shorter or longer window (displayed on their listing). When a booking expires, the reserved time slot is freed back onto the Provider's calendar so it remains available to other Clients. No payment is taken and no charge applies to either party.

Want A Service takes disputes seriously. Our goal is to ensure fair outcomes for both Clients and Providers while maintaining the integrity of the marketplace. All disputes are handled in a timely, transparent, and impartial manner.

We strongly encourage Clients and Providers to resolve disputes directly first:

• •Use the in-platform messaging system to communicate about the issue
• •Clearly describe the problem and proposed resolution
• •Most disputes are resolved this way within 24–48 hours

If direct resolution fails, either party may escalate to Want A Service by emailing our Contact form (/contact) with:

• •Booking reference number
• •Full description of the dispute
• •Relevant evidence: screenshots, photos, messages, receipts
• •Your preferred resolution (refund, partial refund, re-do, etc.)

We will acknowledge the dispute within 1 business day and aim to reach a decision within 5 business days.

When we investigate a dispute, we:

• •Review all platform messages between Client and Provider
• •Examine booking records, payment history, and listing details
• •Request additional information from both parties if needed
• •Make a fair, evidence-based determination
• •Communicate the outcome to both parties by email

When a dispute is filed, any held payment on the booking is automatically frozen (status moved to 'disputed') for the duration of the investigation. This prevents the held funds from being released to the Provider while the dispute is open. If the dispute is dismissed ('no action'), the payment reverts to its prior state.

When a dispute is filed, the platform automatically captures a snapshot of the booking's payment status, the accepted quote (amount, inclusions, exclusives, duration), and the full message history between Client and Provider at the time of filing. This context is preserved so it remains available even if messages are later deleted. The filing party may also upload supporting evidence such as photos, documents, and screenshots.

Based on our investigation, we may:

• •Issue a full refund to the Client (including platform fee)
• •Issue a partial refund to the Client and release the remainder to the Provider
• •Release full payment to the Provider
• •Issue a split resolution (partial refund + partial payout)
• •Dismiss the dispute ('no action') and release or revert the payment to its prior state
• •Request the Provider to redo the service
• •Escalate to law enforcement in cases of suspected fraud
• •Suspend or ban either party's account for policy violations

Where a refund is issued through dispute resolution, a PayPal refund transaction ID is recorded on the dispute and payment records.

Disputes must be raised within the following windows:

• •Non-delivery / no-show: within 48 hours of the scheduled service date
• •Quality disputes: within 7 days of service completion
• •Billing errors or duplicate charges: within 30 days of the transaction

Disputes raised outside these windows may not be eligible for a refund.

For disputes between a user and Want A Service itself (not between Client and Provider) that cannot be resolved informally, both parties agree to binding arbitration administered by the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA) under its Commercial and Consumer Arbitration Rules, with the seat of arbitration in Johannesburg, South Africa. Users located outside South Africa may be subject to jurisdiction-specific consumer-protection laws in their country of residence; nothing in this section overrides any non-waivable statutory consumer rights you may have.

Dispute submissions: our Contact form (/contact)

Legal / formal notices: our Contact form (/contact)