Refund Policy

Version 3.2 · Last updated: April 8, 2026

Scoutiq Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Version 3.2

This Refund Policy outlines the conditions under which Creator Scout processes refunds for subscription payments and campaign escrow transactions. The flowchart governing campaign lifecycle and cancellation stages is the operational reference document and is to be read alongside this policy.

1Subscription Fees

All subscription fees are strictly non-refundable. Once payment is processed for a billing cycle, no refund will be issued under any circumstances.

This applies regardless of reason — including but not limited to unused days, inactivity, feature dissatisfaction, downgrading plans, or early cancellation. You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings; cancellation will stop future renewals but will not trigger a refund for the current active period. You retain access to your plan until the billing cycle ends.

By purchasing a subscription on Creator Scout, you explicitly acknowledge and agree to this no-refund policy.

2Creator Non-Performance — Full Refund Guarantee

Creator Scout operates an escrow-based payment model to protect brands. Where a creator fails to fulfil their obligations under the circumstances listed below, the brand is entitled to a full refund with zero deductions. The entire payment amount, including the platform fee, will be returned to the brand in full with nothing withheld.

The following situations qualify:

Order not accepted or rejected

The creator does not accept the collaboration request within the 72-hour acceptance window, or explicitly rejects it. The full refund is processed automatically upon expiry or rejection.

Creator goes silent (ghosting)

The creator becomes unresponsive after accepting the order and fails to communicate or deliver for 5 consecutive days without explanation. The brand must raise a dispute from the order page. Creator Scout will review and, upon confirmation, initiate a full refund to the brand’s original payment source.

Missed deadline — no work submitted

The creator fails to submit any script or b-rolls and fails to deliver the agreed content by the confirmed deadline without an approved extension. The brand is entitled to a full refund. The brand may alternatively choose to extend the deadline from the order page.

Missed deadline — partial work submitted

Where the creator submitted script or b-rolls but failed to deliver the final content by the confirmed deadline without an approved extension, the brand may either extend the deadline or raise a formal dispute. Where a dispute is raised, the refund is not automatic and will be determined by Creator Scout on a milestone basis, proportional to the stage of work completed at the time of the missed deadline. The milestone reference is as follows: script submission corresponds to 30% of campaign value delivered; b-roll submission corresponds to 60% of campaign value delivered.

Substandard delivery

Where the creator submits work that materially fails to meet the agreed brief, the brand must raise a formal dispute from the order page. Creator Scout will mediate and issue a binding decision on fund disbursement based on a manual review of the deliverable against the agreed brief, the creator’s stated content standard, and platform quality benchmarks. No automatic refund is triggered by a substandard delivery claim alone. Raise a Type G dispute from the Order page.

Refunds under this clause, where automatic, will be processed within 7 business days. Dispute-based refunds under this clause will be processed within 3 business days of the final dispute decision.

Partial delivery — multi-deliverable orders

Where a package contains multiple deliverables and the creator delivers some but not all of them by the agreed deadline, the undelivered deliverables are treated as a missed deadline with no work submitted for that portion. The brand is entitled to a refund proportional to the value of the undelivered deliverable(s) as agreed and recorded at the time of booking. Each deliverable’s individual value is fixed at the point of order confirmation and is visible in the order details.

This refund is not automatic. The brand must raise a formal dispute from the order page. On dispute initiation, the entire order escrow is frozen. Creator Scout’s admin team will review the submission record against the booked deliverable values and issue a disbursement decision. The brand cannot self-initiate a partial cancellation for undelivered deliverables in a multi-deliverable order — the dispute route is the only available mechanism.

Delivered deliverables are not eligible for refund under this clause. Only the value attributable to genuinely undelivered deliverables will be assessed. Creator Scout’s decision on the disbursement split is final for escrow purposes.

3Campaign Escrow Refunds and Kill Fees

Campaign funds deposited into escrow are governed solely by the campaign milestone stage at the time of cancellation. Stage is determined by the approval status of submitted work — there is no time-based component. The following structure applies when a brand initiates a cancellation.

Stage determination for multi-deliverable orders

For orders containing multiple deliverables, the cancellation stage is determined by the highest milestone reached across any deliverable in the order at the time of cancellation. The kill fee rate applies to the creator’s total package price at that stage — there is no per-deliverable kill fee calculation. For example, if a script has been submitted for one deliverable but no work has been submitted for another, the order is at Stage 4 (script pending) and the 15% kill fee applies to the full creator package price.

If a brand cancels a multi-deliverable order at Stage 7 (final content submitted for any deliverable), no refund is available via cancellation regardless of how many deliverables remain outstanding. The brand’s recourse for undelivered deliverables in that scenario is to raise a dispute under Section 2 (Partial delivery — multi-deliverable orders).

Stage 1 — Order Not Accepted (Auto-Cancelled)

If the creator does not respond within the 72-hour acceptance window, or explicitly rejects the order, the order is cancelled automatically with no kill fee. The brand receives a full refund of the total amount paid, including the platform fee. No action is required from the brand.

Stage 2 — Brand Cancels Before Creator Accepts

If the brand initiates a cancellation before the creator has accepted the order, a 3% kill fee applies on the total order value. This is retained by Creator Scout as an operational charge. Creator Scout does not separately retain its platform fee — the only deduction from the brand’s total payment is the 3% kill fee. The creator receives no compensation as no work has been undertaken.

Stage 3 — Accepted, No Approved Submissions

This stage applies when the creator has accepted the order but there are no approved submissions on record at the time of cancellation. A 6% kill fee applies on the total order value, retained entirely by Creator Scout. The creator receives no compensation. Creator Scout does not separately retain its platform fee — the only deduction is the 6% kill fee applied to the total. The balance is refunded to the brand.

Stage 4 — Script Submitted, Awaiting Approval

This stage applies when the creator has submitted a script that is currently awaiting brand approval at the time of cancellation. A 15% kill fee applies on the creator’s package price. The entire 15% is paid to the creator as compensation for creative work submitted, subject to TDS deduction under Section 194-O. Creator Scout retains the platform fee, which is non-refundable from this stage onward. The remaining creator package balance is refunded to the brand.

Quality clause: Creator Scout reserves the right to withhold the 15% kill fee payment where it is found that the creator deliberately submitted work of materially substandard quality with the evident purpose of locking in the kill fee payout. Such conduct constitutes a platform policy violation and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Stage 5 — Script Approved

This stage applies when the brand has approved the creator’s script but brand-roll or final content has not yet been approved. A 30% kill fee applies on the creator’s package price. The entire 30% is paid to the creator as compensation for approved creative work, subject to TDS deduction. Creator Scout retains the platform fee, which is non-refundable. The remaining creator package balance is refunded to the brand.

Stage 6 — B-Roll Approved

This stage applies when the brand has approved the creator’s b-roll footage, but final content has not yet been submitted. A 60% kill fee applies on the creator’s package price. The entire 60% is paid to the creator, subject to TDS deduction. Creator Scout retains the platform fee, which is non-refundable. The remaining 40% of the creator package price is refunded to the brand.

Stage 7 — Final Content Submitted

This stage applies as soon as the creator submits final content — regardless of whether it has been approved, is pending review, or changes have been requested. Once final content is in Creator Scout’s system, the creator has fulfilled their creative obligation. No refund is issued to the brand. The creator’s full package price is paid to them, subject to TDS deduction. Creator Scout retains the platform fee.

No refund is available once final content is submitted. If the brand is dissatisfied with the deliverable, they must either use a revision request (within their revision allowance) or raise a formal dispute from the order page. Cancellation after final content submission is not a valid path to a refund.

Multi-deliverable orders: Stage 7 is reached as soon as the creator submits final content for any deliverable in the order. At that point, cancellation is no longer available regardless of how many other deliverables remain outstanding. For undelivered deliverables, the brand must raise a dispute — see Section 2 (Partial delivery — multi-deliverable orders). Additionally, the 72-hour auto-approval window begins only when all deliverables in the order have been submitted. Partial submission does not trigger auto-approval.

Quick Reference — Kill Fee Structure

Stage	When It Applies	Kill Fee	Creator Gets	Platform Fee	Brand Refund
Not accepted	Creator didn’t respond in 72h	None	Nothing	Refunded	100%
Pre-acceptance	Brand cancels before creator accepts	3% of total	Nothing	Refunded	97% of total
No work	Accepted; no approved submissions	6% of total order value → platform	Nothing	Refunded	94% of total order value
Script pending	Script submitted, awaiting approval	15% of creator price	15% (net of TDS)	Retained	85% of creator price
Script approved	Script approved, b-roll not yet approved	30% of creator price	30% (net of TDS)	Retained	70% of creator price
B-roll approved	B-roll approved, no final content yet	60% of creator price	60% (net of TDS)	Retained	40% of creator price
Final submitted	Final content submitted (any status)	100% of creator price	100% (net of TDS)	Retained	₹0

TDS under Section 194-O is deducted from the creator’s kill fee payment (0.1% with PAN, 5% without PAN). Platform fee on v2 (creator-monetised) orders is 12% inclusive of 18% GST, taken from the creator’s gross — never added on top of what the brand pays. Legacy v1 orders are settled per the original brand-paid markup terms agreed at booking.

Brands may initiate a cancellation at any stage directly from the order’s Payment & Refund page. The refundable amount applicable at the current milestone stage will be displayed before confirmation. No support ticket is required for standard cancellations.

!Creator-Initiated Cancellations

Creator-initiated cancellations are treated differently from brand cancellations. Where a creator cancels an accepted, in-progress order, the following policy applies regardless of the stage of work completed.

Brand refund: The brand receives a full refund of the total amount paid. No deduction is made — Creator Scout absorbs the payment processing cost.
Creator compensation: The creator receives no compensation regardless of the stage of work completed at the time of cancellation. Any partial work submitted prior to cancellation is not eligible for kill-fee treatment.
Repeated cancellations: Creators who cancel more than 3 orders in any rolling 6-month period will have their profile visibility reduced on Creator Scout. Deprioritised profiles continue to appear in marketplace search results but are shown after non-penalised creators.
Account suspension: Creator Scout reserves the right to suspend or permanently remove accounts that demonstrate excessive or abusive cancellation patterns, at its sole discretion.

A cancellation reason is required at the point of cancellation. The brand is notified immediately and the refund is initiated automatically. Referral commissions associated with a cancelled order are reversed upon cancellation.

4Processing Time

Automatic refunds are processed within 7 business days from the date the refund is triggered. Dispute-based refunds are processed within 3 business days of the final dispute decision being issued. Refunds are credited to the original payment method — bank account, UPI, or card. Creator Scout is not responsible for delays caused by banks or payment gateways once the refund has been initiated from our end.

5Non-Refundable Items

The following are explicitly non-refundable under all circumstances:

Platform fee once the cancellation stage is script_pending or later (i.e., once a script has been submitted for review)
Kill fees already disbursed to a creator as compensation at any stage
All subscription fees without exception
Extra revision payments once the offer is confirmed (status: Booked) — regardless of whether the revision has been submitted or used
Add-on features or one-time purchases once activated
Any GST or taxes collected and remitted to the government
Payment gateway or processing charges incurred at the time of the original transaction

6How to Request a Refund

Refunds on Creator Scout are self-serve and do not require contacting support for standard campaign cancellations.

Open the Order Details page for the order you want to cancel.
Tap Cancel Order. The platform will automatically calculate and display the refundable amount based on the current stage of the collaboration.
Confirm the cancellation. The refund is initiated immediately and credited to your original payment method.

If you believe the creator has not met the brief or there is a disagreement, tap Raise a Dispute on the Order Details page — or visit the dedicated dispute page for that order. No support ticket or email is required.

For billing errors, duplicate charges, or issues that cannot be resolved from the order page, contact contact@creatorscout.in with your registered email and transaction ID. Our team will acknowledge within 2 business days.

7Extra Revision Payments

When a brand purchases additional revision rounds beyond the original package allowance, payment is processed immediately and is non-refundable once the offer is confirmed (status: Booked). This applies regardless of whether the extra revision has been submitted or used.

Extra revision payments are separate from the original package payment. If an order is cancelled after extra revisions have been purchased, the refund calculation applies only to the original package amount. The extra revision payment is retained by the creator and is not affected by the cancellation stage or kill-fee structure.

Extra revision payments are non-refundable. If you have concerns about revision quality or the brief not being followed, use the dispute process from the order page. Our team will review and mediate on your behalf.

8Rights & Cancellations

Content rights (ad rights, usage rights, exclusivity) are tied to order completion status. The following rules apply:

Rights are only granted when an order reaches ‘completed’ status. If an order is cancelled at any stage before completion, no content rights are granted to the brand — regardless of how much was paid or how much work was submitted.
If an order is cancelled after completion and a refund is issued under our dispute process, any rights previously granted are considered revoked from the date of the refund decision.
Partial refunds issued under dispute resolution do not affect already-granted rights unless explicitly agreed otherwise in the dispute decision.

If you received a refund on a completed order through the dispute process, you must immediately cease all use of the creator’s content covered by the revoked rights. Creator Scout will notify both parties of the rights revocation.

Version history

Version	Summary of Changes
1.0	Initial release
1.1	Minor amendments
2.0	Full rewrite. Aligned with campaign lifecycle flowchart. Added milestone-based refund logic for partial submissions. Separated Stage 2 into three sub-cases. Corrected creator compensation to 0% where no work submitted. Updated auto-approval window to 72 hours. Substandard delivery clarified as dispute-triggered, not automatic. Ghosting defined as 5 consecutive days. Processing timelines standardized.
2.1	Removed Scout Wallet as refund destination. Kill fees unified to bank-refund rates. Stage 1 (pre_accept) always applies 3% kill fee to bank. Stage 2A (post_accept_early_no_script) always applies 6% kill fee to bank.
3.0	Removed 24-hour time window from cancellation stage logic. Stages are now determined entirely by the approval status of submitted work. Collapsed 8-stage model to 6 stages: no_accept, pre_accept, no_work, script_pending, script_approved, post_broll. no_work (6% platform kill fee) distinguished from script_pending (15% creator kill fee). Added quality clause for script_pending payout. Added quick reference summary table.
3.1	Added Stage 7 (final_submitted): any final content submission — regardless of approval status — results in 0% brand refund and 100% creator payout (net of TDS), with platform fee retained. Stage 6 (post_broll) narrowed to b-roll approved only. Brands seeking recourse after final content submission must use the revision allowance or raise a dispute.
3.2	Added multi-deliverable order clauses. Section 2: partial delivery rule — undelivered deliverables treated as missed deadline; refund proportional to booked deliverable value; dispute-only route; admin decides split. Section 3: stage for multi-deliverable orders determined by highest milestone reached across any deliverable; kill fee applies to total package price at that stage. Stage 7: auto-approval window starts only when all deliverables submitted; Stage 7 reached on first final submission regardless of remaining deliverables.

Billing or refund queries?

Email us at contact@creatorscout.in

Scoutiq Technologies Pvt. Ltd., India

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