Refund Policy

1. Overview

Famlo provides a platform for homeschool groups to host, promote, and manage paid events. Refunds for event registrations are governed by the refund policy set by each event’s Group Organizer. Famlo acts as the payment facilitator but does not determine or guarantee refunds unless explicitly stated otherwise.

This Refund Policy is a legally binding component of the Terms of Service between the user and The Hive Network, LLC.

For full terms governing your use of the Platform, please review our Terms & Conditions.

2. Definitions

• Event Fee: The amount paid by a user to attend a specific event, set by the Group Organizer.
• Platform Fee: Famlo's fee (currently 10%) for providing the platform and payment processing services. It is deducted from the Group Organizer's payout and is not added to the price the member pays.
• Stripe Processing Fee: The fee charged by Stripe, our payment processor, typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. It is deducted from the Group Organizer's payout, not added to the member's price.
• Refund Cutoff Date: The deadline set by the Group Organizer after which refunds may be denied or limited. If the Group Organizer does not specify a custom refund cutoff, the Platform defaults to 24 hours before the scheduled event start time.
• Force Majeure: Unforeseeable circumstances such as natural disasters or acts of God that may affect event scheduling and refund policies.

3. What Fees Are Charged

• Members pay the event fee set by the Group Organizer — and nothing more. The price shown at checkout is the total amount charged to your payment method.
• Famlo's 10% platform fee is not added on top of your price. It is deducted from the Group Organizer's payout, so the amount the Organizer receives is the event fee less Famlo's 10% platform fee and payment processing.
• Stripe's payment processing fee (typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) is also deducted from the Group Organizer's payout, not added to your price.

3A. Scholarship & ESA Payments

Some Group Organizers accept scholarship and education savings account (ESA) funding — for example, Florida Step Up For Students and similar ESA programs — for event registrations or memberships. Scholarship payments work as an invoice flow, not a card payment, and are handled differently from the fees described above:

• When you choose a scholarship payment, Famlo reserves your seat and generates a downloadable invoice that you submit to your scholarship or ESA program for reimbursement.
• No funds are processed through Famlo for scholarship transactions, and no card is charged. Famlo does not collect, hold, or disburse scholarship or ESA funds.
• The scholarship or ESA program pays the Group Organizer directly, outside of Famlo. The Organizer then marks the payment as received in their dashboard.
• Because no money flows through Famlo on a scholarship transaction, Famlo's 10% platform fee does not apply — the Organizer keeps 100% of the scholarship payment.

Famlo is not a party to your scholarship or ESA program and does not determine, approve, guarantee, or expedite scholarship eligibility, funding, or disbursement. Approval and payment are governed solely by the rules of your scholarship or ESA program and the agreement between you, the program, and the Group Organizer. Scholarship payments are available only where the Group Organizer is an approved provider of the relevant program.

Because no payment is collected by Famlo for a scholarship seat, the card-refund process described in this policy does not apply to scholarship registrations. If a scholarship-held seat is canceled or an event does not occur, any reimbursement or reversal is handled directly between you, the Group Organizer, and your scholarship or ESA program, in accordance with that program's rules. Famlo can cancel the reservation and void the associated invoice but cannot return funds it never received.

4. Refund Control Responsibilities

Because you are charged only the listed event fee (see Section 3), any refund returns the amount you actually paid — the listed price. The platform and processing fees were borne by the Group Organizer's payout, not added to your charge, so they are reconciled on the Organizer's side and do not change what you receive back.

• Before the Refund Cutoff Date:
• The Group Organizer is responsible for approving or denying refund requests for the event fee you paid. When a refund is issued in the refund window, you receive the full listed price you paid; Famlo absorbs the Stripe processing fee on these refunds so you are made whole.
• After the Refund Cutoff Date:
• Whether a refund is issued remains at the sole discretion of the Group Organizer. Famlo may, at its discretion, reverse its own platform fee (the fee Famlo collected from the Organizer's payout) in connection with a refund, but this does not change the amount returned to you, which is the listed price you paid.

5. Refund Eligibility

• A full refund of the listed price you paid may be issued if a member cancels their RSVP before the event's refund cutoff date. When you cancel within the refund window, Famlo absorbs the Stripe processing fee so that you receive 100% of what you paid.
• If an event is canceled, a full refund of the listed price you paid will be processed automatically.
• Refunds requested after the cutoff are not guaranteed and may be partial or denied at the discretion of the Group Organizer.
• Because the platform fee is deducted from the Organizer's payout rather than charged to you, it is not part of what you paid; Famlo reconciles its platform fee on the Organizer's side when a refund is issued.
• Time Limitation: All refund requests must be submitted within 90 days of the original payment date. Due to payment processor limitations, refunds cannot be processed for transactions older than 90 days, regardless of other eligibility criteria.

6. Group Membership Subscriptions

This section governs refunds and cancellations for paid group membership subscriptions, which are separate from individual event registrations.

A. Merchant of Record

For group membership payments, the Group Owner (operating through their connected Stripe account) is the merchant of record. This means the Group Owner is responsible for processing subscription payments, their business name appears on credit card statements, and they are primarily responsible for refund and dispute resolution. Famlo facilitates the payment but does not control Group Owner refund decisions.

B. Member Cancellation and Refunds

Users may cancel their group membership at any time through their account settings (Account → Subscriptions). Cancellation stops all future charges. Whether a refund is issued depends on when you cancel:

• Within 7 days of your first payment (cooling-off period): You may cancel for a full refund of that first payment.
• After the 7-day cooling-off period: No refund is issued. Your membership remains active and you keep access until the end of the period you have already paid for; no further charges will occur.

When a member cancels, the Stripe processing fee on a refunded first payment is absorbed by Famlo so that an eligible cooling-off refund returns the full amount the member paid.

C. Cancellations by the Group Owner or by Famlo (Prorated)

If the Group Owner (or a group leader) removes a member, or if Famlo cancels a membership for system or compliance reasons, the member receives a prorated refund for the unused portion of the current billing period. Famlo absorbs the Stripe processing fee on these membership refunds so the proration is not reduced by it. This prorated treatment applies only to owner/leader and system-initiated cancellations — not to ordinary member-initiated cancellations, which follow the cooling-off rule in Section 6.B above.

D. Automatic Renewal Notice

Group membership subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period until canceled. Before an annual renewal, users will receive email notification approximately 30 days in advance; before a monthly renewal, users will receive a reminder several days in advance. Each notice includes the renewal amount, the renewal date, and cancellation instructions. Users may cancel at any time before the renewal date through their account settings to avoid the next charge.

E. Dispute Resolution

For disputes regarding group membership payments, users should first contact the Group Owner directly. If unresolved, users may contact Famlo at support@famlo.co. Famlo will facilitate communication but cannot compel Group Owner refund decisions.

7. Processing Timeline

Approved refunds are processed through Stripe and may take 5–10 business days to appear on your original payment method. A refund will not exceed the listed price you originally paid.

8. Fee Transparency

You are charged exactly the listed event fee — there is no add-on platform fee or processing fee at checkout. For a $20 event, the total charged to you is $20.00. Famlo's 10% platform fee (e.g., $2.00) and Stripe's processing fee (typically 2.9% + $0.30) are deducted from the Group Organizer's payout, not from you. Accordingly, in any full refund the amount you receive back is the full listed price you paid (for a $20 ticket, $20.00).

9. Force Majeure and Dispute Escalation

A. Force Majeure Events

Famlo is not responsible for refunding payments when event cancellations or modifications result from force majeure events, including but not limited to natural disasters, severe weather, power outages, pandemics, acts of God, civil unrest, government orders, or other circumstances beyond reasonable control. Refund decisions for events affected by force majeure are at the sole discretion of the Group Organizer.

B. Dispute Escalation Process

If a user disagrees with a refund decision:

• Step 1: Contact the Group Organizer directly through the Platform messaging system.
• Step 2: If unresolved within 10 business days, submit a dispute to Famlo at support@famlo.co with documentation of prior communications.
• Step 3: Famlo will review the dispute and may, at its discretion, mediate between parties or issue a platform fee refund where appropriate.

C. Platform Decisions

Famlo reserves the right to issue platform fee refunds in exceptional circumstances, including but not limited to verified technical failures, material event misrepresentation, or repeated organizer misconduct. Such decisions do not obligate the Group Organizer to refund event fees.

10. Refund Recordkeeping

Famlo retains refund transaction records for a minimum of 3 years to ensure regulatory compliance and auditability.

11. Requesting a Refund

Disputes regarding payments should be directed to Famlo support. We encourage users to resolve issues directly with the Group Organizer before initiating chargebacks.

12. Refund Denial Scenarios

Refund requests may be denied in situations including, but not limited to:

• The request is submitted after the refund cutoff and does not meet exception criteria.
• The event was attended in full or partially by the member.
• The refund request is abusive, fraudulent, or lacks sufficient justification.
• The Group Organizer is no longer active on the platform and event verification is not possible.

We encourage you to contact us before initiating a chargeback with your card issuer, as we may be able to resolve your concern more quickly through the dispute resolution process outlined above. Please note that chargebacks initiated without prior communication may delay resolution. Famlo reserves the right to recover costs associated with fraudulent or abusive chargeback claims through appropriate legal channels.

13. Legal Disclaimers

This Refund Policy does not constitute a warranty or guarantee of service. Famlo is not responsible for errors, omissions, or disputes involving the Group Organizer, including misrepresentation of event details or refund terms not listed on the platform.

All determinations of refund eligibility are final once rendered by the responsible party (Organizer or Platform, as outlined).

14. Policy Integration

This Refund Policy is incorporated by reference into Famlo’s Terms of Service and should be read in conjunction with the Privacy Policy and Acceptable Use Policy.

15. Time Zone and Currency

All dates, deadlines, and cutoff times referenced in this policy are based on Eastern Time (ET), United States. All monetary values are in U.S. Dollars (USD) unless otherwise noted.

16. Platform Fee Refund Criteria (Post-Cutoff)

Famlo considers platform fee refund requests after the cutoff on a case-by-case basis, considering:

• Whether the event was materially changed or misrepresented.
• Whether the user was blocked from attending due to technical or platform errors.
• Evidence of extenuating circumstances (e.g., emergency, bereavement).
• History of user refund abuse or prior reversals.

Decisions are final under this policy, though this does not affect your statutory rights under applicable consumer protection laws.

17. Third-Party Services

Famlo relies on third-party providers for payment processing, email communications, and virtual event infrastructure. We are not responsible for refunding charges resulting from outages, errors, or service failures caused by those third parties.

18. Governing Law and Venue

All refund-related disputes shall be governed by the laws of the State of Florida, United States. Any claim or dispute arising under this Refund Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Lee County, Florida.

Effective Date

This Refund Policy is effective as of December 3, 2025. Continued use of Famlo after changes are made indicates your acceptance of the revised terms.