Refund Policy

1. Overview & General Principles

Cirota prepares and delivers fresh, home-style meals on a subscription basis. Because meals are freshly cooked to order on a daily schedule, refunds are governed by strict timelines that reflect the perishable nature of food and the operational costs incurred before and during preparation.

Our general approach to refunds:

• Refunds are only considered for scenarios explicitly listed in this Policy
• No refund is granted for meals already prepared, dispatched, or delivered
• No refund is granted for modification or skip requests submitted after the applicable cutoff time
• Refunds, where approved, are processed exclusively through Razorpay to the original payment method
• Cirota's determination of refund eligibility is final and shall not be subject to dispute

2. Meal Cutoff Times — Critical Deadlines

Refund and modification eligibility is directly tied to the cutoff times for each meal slot. These cutoff times are hard operational deadlines — once crossed, kitchen preparation begins and no changes, skips, or cancellations are possible for that meal.

3. Subscription Refunds

3.1 Monthly Subscription Plans

Monthly subscriptions cover 1, 2, or 3 meal slots per day for 30 days. Upon payment, kitchen resources are planned, ingredients sourced, and delivery personnel allocated in advance. For this reason, refunds on active monthly subscriptions are severely limited.

3.1.1 Before First Delivery

If you cancel your subscription before your first delivery has been dispatched and your request is received at least 24 hours before your scheduled start date, you may be eligible for a full refund minus a processing fee of ₹99 (to cover Razorpay gateway charges and administrative costs). This is the ONLY scenario in which a full refund may be granted.

3.1.2 After First Delivery Has Commenced

3.1.3 Mid-Subscription Cancellation

If you cancel your active subscription mid-cycle, no refund will be issued for days already consumed. A partial credit (not cash refund) for verified unused future days may be considered purely at Cirota's sole and absolute discretion. Such consideration requires a formal written request via the in-app support ticket system and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Cirota is under no obligation to grant any credit or refund for mid-subscription cancellations.

3.2 15-Day Trial Plans

• Cancellation before Day 1 dispatch: eligible for refund minus ₹99 processing fee
• Cancellation after Day 1 dispatch: NO refund for remaining days
• Trial plans cannot be converted to monthly plans mid-cycle for a refund differential

3.3 Subscription Pause

The Pause feature allows customers to temporarily suspend deliveries without forfeiting their subscription balance. Pause requests must be submitted before the applicable meal cutoff time. Meals for which preparation has already begun will be delivered and charged. Paused days are credited as delivery days, not as cash refunds. No cash refund is issued for any pause.

4. Trial Orders (Per-Tiffin / Single Delivery)

Trial single-meal orders (ordered at the per-tiffin trial rate) are prepaid at the time of order. Once an order is confirmed and accepted by Cirota:

• Orders cannot be cancelled after confirmation
• No refund is provided for trial orders under any circumstances once the order is placed
• If the delivery fails due to reasons attributable to the customer (wrong address, unavailability), no refund or re-delivery is provided

5. Special Deliveries & Add-On Items

Special delivery orders and add-on items ordered outside the base subscription are subject to the same no-refund principle once the preparation cutoff has passed:

• Special delivery orders: non-refundable once confirmed by Cirota
• Add-on items: non-refundable once the meal cutoff for the associated delivery slot has passed
• Pricing for special deliveries and add-ons is final at the time of order and cannot be disputed post-delivery

6. Delivery Failures & Missed Deliveries

6.1 Failed Delivery — Customer's Fault

6.2 Failed Delivery — Cirota's Fault

If a delivery fails due to a confirmed error on Cirota's part, Cirota will at its discretion either arrange a re-delivery on the next available slot or issue a meal credit for the missed delivery toward a future delivery. A cash refund via Razorpay is NOT the default remedy and will only be considered if re-delivery and credit are not feasible.

6.3 Delivery Delays

Delays in delivery due to traffic, weather, delivery partner issues, or other operational reasons do not qualify for a refund. Delivery times are estimates, not guarantees.

7. Food Quality Complaints

7.1 Valid Quality Complaint Process

• A quality complaint must be raised via the in-app Support ticket within 2 hours of delivery
• Photographic evidence of the defective/substandard meal must be provided
• Complaints raised after 2 hours of delivery will not be entertained
• Cirota reserves the right to verify all quality claims and may request additional evidence

7.2 Remedies for Valid Quality Complaints

If a quality complaint is verified and accepted by Cirota, the remedy will be at Cirota's sole discretion and will be ONE of the following: a meal credit for one delivery slot or a partial deduction from the next billing cycle. Cash refunds for quality complaints are only considered in exceptional, verified cases of gross quality failure.

7.3 No Refund for Subjective Dissatisfaction

8. Cancellation by Cirota

• Subscription cancellations by Cirota without customer fault: pro-rata refund for verified undelivered future meals via Razorpay
• Cancellations due to customer violation of Terms and Conditions: no refund
• Force majeure cancellations: Cirota will endeavour to provide a credit for affected days but is under no obligation to issue a cash refund
• Service zone changes (Cirota ceasing operations in your area): pro-rata refund for undelivered days at the per-tiffin rate

9. Holidays & Non-Delivery Days

Cirota observes operational holidays which are declared in advance through the Platform. On declared holidays, no deliveries will be made and no charges are levied — holiday days are simply not billed. No cash refund is provided for holiday days. Holidays not declared in advance due to emergency closures will be addressed on a case-by-case basis at Cirota's discretion.

10. Payment & Refund Processing via Razorpay

10.1 Payment Gateway

All payments and refunds are processed through Razorpay Software Pvt. Ltd. Cirota does not store your card number, CVV, net banking credentials, or UPI PIN. All payment data is managed exclusively by Razorpay under their PCI-DSS compliant infrastructure.

10.2 Approved Refund Timeline

10.3 Refund Mode

Refunds are always processed to the original payment method used for the transaction. No refund will be issued in cash, UPI to a different account, or any mode other than the original payment source.

10.4 Razorpay Delays & Failures

10.5 Gateway Charges

Where a refund is approved by Cirota, a processing fee of ₹99 or the actual Razorpay gateway charge (whichever is higher) may be deducted from the refund amount to cover transaction costs.

11. Pricing Disputes

All pricing displayed on the Platform at the time of subscription is final. Pricing disputes must be raised within 7 days of the transaction date. Disputes raised after 7 days will not be considered under any circumstances. Price changes effective after your subscription start date do not apply retroactively to your current cycle.

12. How to Request a Refund

13. Chargeback Policy

14. Exceptional Circumstances & Goodwill Gestures

Cirota may, at its absolute and sole discretion, make exceptions to this Refund Policy in cases of documented severe personal hardship, serious verifiable medical emergencies, or gross service failure clearly attributable to Cirota. Such goodwill gestures do not constitute a precedent or waiver of this Policy for future situations. Customers may not cite previous exceptions as grounds for future refund requests.

15. Limitation of Liability

16. Quick Reference — Refund Eligibility Summary

17. Amendments to This Policy

Cirota reserves the right to amend this Refund Policy at any time without prior notice. Changes take effect immediately upon posting to the Platform. Continued use of Cirota's services after any amendment constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.

18. Governing Law

This Refund Policy shall be governed by the laws of the Republic of India. Any disputes relating to refunds that cannot be resolved through Cirota's support process shall be subject to arbitration as specified in Cirota's Terms and Conditions. The Consumer Protection Act 2019 (India) applies to the extent applicable.

19. Contact Us