Because Home Bites sells freshly prepared, perishable food made by independent home bakers, this policy explains when an order can be cancelled and how refunds are handled. Payments are held safely until you confirm handover, which lets us resolve most issues fairly. Where a refund is approved, it is credited to your Home Bites wallet as spendable credit.
Cancelling an order
- Unpaid orders: if payment isn’t completed within the short payment window (currently 15 minutes), the order is cancelled automatically and any reserved items are released — nothing is charged.
- Before the seller accepts / starts preparing: you can cancel for a full refund of any verified payment (returned to your wallet).
- After preparation has started: cancellation may not be possible because ingredients and time have already been committed. The seller may offer a partial refund at their discretion.
- Deposits: if you paid a deposit, cancelling before preparation returns the held deposit to your wallet; the balance you would have settled on handover is simply not collected.
- Custom & preorder items (cakes, catering, made-to-order and fixed-date preorders) may be non-refundable once accepted or once preparation begins, as they are made specifically for you.
When you’re entitled to a refund
You can request a refund if:
- Your order was not delivered.
- The order was materially wrong or incomplete (e.g. missing items, wrong order).
- The food arrived in an unsafe or clearly unacceptable condition.
- You were charged incorrectly.
Because funds remain held safely until you confirm handover with your code, we can usually refund the buyer directly when a valid issue is reported before confirmation.
How to request a refund
- Open the order in the app and message the seller first — many issues are resolved quickly.
- If it isn’t resolved, contact Support with your order number and a short description (photos help).
- Report issues promptly — ideally within 24 hours of receiving your order, and before confirming with your code where possible.
How refunds are issued
- Approved refunds are credited to your Home Bites wallet as spendable credit — usually straight away once approved — which you can use on your next order.
- Where permitted, you may request a withdrawal of eligible wallet credit to your bank, subject to review; processing then depends on your bank.
- If you settled part of an order in cash on handover, that cash portion is arranged with the seller; amounts held by the platform are returned to your wallet.
- Any platform commission on a fully refunded order is reversed.
Disputes
If a buyer and seller disagree, Home Bites will mediate in good faith using order details, messages, and any evidence provided. While funds are held safely we may refund the buyer, release to the seller, or split the amount based on what happened. Our decision on platform-mediated disputes is final.
Seller no-shows & late handover
If a seller fails to deliver or hand over, or is significantly late without agreement, you’re entitled to a full refund of the held amount to your wallet. Repeated failures may lead to the seller being suspended.
Contact
Questions about a refund? Email support@homebites.app with your order number.
Related: Terms of Service · Support