Refund Policy

What we refund

• Unused Balance on account closure.If you decide to stop using DeskBoot, we'll return any unused USD balance to the original card minus a $5 processing minimum (Paystack chargeback fees are real for us). Request via billing@deskboot.store.
• Outage credits. If we have a confirmed major outage (logged on /status) that materially affected your usage, we credit your Balance pro-rata for the affected hours. We do this automatically when we can identify affected users; otherwise email us and we'll look up your sessions.
• Billing errors. Wrong rate applied, double-charged, charged for a session that never provisioned — refunded in full to your original payment method, usually within 5 business days.
• Card verification holds.The ~$1 verification charge when you add a card is refunded automatically by Paystack as part of that flow. If you don't see it back within 7 business days, tell us.
• Fraudulent charges from a card not yours — open a dispute with your bank AND email security@deskboot.store. We'll work with you and Paystack to resolve.

What we don't refund

• Consumed compute time.If a session ran, the per-second meter applies. Forgot to stop a box and burned through your balance overnight? We can't refund that — but we can email you when balance drops below your threshold (default ON), and the service auto-stops at $0 to prevent runaway charges.
• Storage charges on stopped sessions. Stopped sessions preserve EBS disks at ~$0.08/GB/month. To stop the charge, terminate the session.
• Elastic IP monthly fees already deducted. EIPs cost $5/month, charged on allocation and at each renewal. Release the EIP to stop future charges. No partial-month refunds.
• Welcome credit.The $5 we add on first card verification (and launch promo credits like the $50 first-50 promo) are non-refundable and non-transferable — they're a gift to try the Service, not a stored balance you can withdraw.
• Voucher credits. If you redeemed a voucher, the credited Balance can be used on the Service but cannot be paid out as cash. Voucher-redeemed Balance is the last to be refunded on account closure — we refund your card-funded Balance first, then voucher Balance is forfeit.
• FX differences.Balance is denominated in USD. Paystack may charge your card in your local currency; FX rates and bank fees are out of our control. We don't refund the difference between what Paystack charged you in KES (or another currency) and what you got in USD at the time.
• Charges on a suspended account. If we suspend your account for AUP violations, fraud, or non-payment, the Balance is forfeit.

How to request a refund

1. Email billing@deskboot.store within 30 days of the charge. Include:
   • Your account email
   • The Paystack reference (visible in your billing history)
   • What happened and what outcome you'd like
2. We acknowledge within 1 business day, decide within 5 business days, and process approved refunds via Paystack within another 5 business days. Paystack itself can take up to 14 business days to reflect on your statement.
3. If we decline a refund, we'll explain why. You can appeal once by replying with new information — we'll re-review in good faith.

Chargebacks

We'd strongly prefer you talk to us first. A chargeback costs us a fixed Paystack fee on top of the disputed amount, takes weeks to resolve, and any future charges on that card get blocked by your bank. If you have a legitimate complaint, email us — we're fast and we'd rather refund directly than fight a dispute.

Chargebacks for legitimately consumed services (i.e., you used it and then disputed) are treated as fraud and may result in account termination per the AUP.

Closing your account

Email billing@deskboot.store from the account's email address with the subject “Close my account”. We'll:

• Terminate any active sessions (you'll be warned first)
• Release any allocated Elastic IPs
• Refund unused card-funded Balance per the rules above
• Delete personal data on the schedule in our Privacy Policy

Changes

Material changes to this policy will be announced by email and a dashboard notice. The date at the top of this page is the effective date.

Contact

Refund + billing questions: billing@deskboot.store. Everything else: /contact.