Legal and policies
Refund and Cancellation Policy
Version 1.1 · effective 18 August 2026
Where we are today. On-platform payments are being introduced. Until they are switched on, deposits and balances are paid directly to the supplier and refunds are made by the supplier; the cancellation ladder below still applies to bookings agreed through EPlanit, and we will help both sides apply it fairly.
1. The rules in one page
| If this happens | This is the result |
|---|---|
| The planner cancels | The deposit is not refunded. A cancellation charge applies on a sliding scale depending on how close to the event date the cancellation is. See section 4. |
| The supplier cancels | The planner gets everything back, including the deposit, in full. The supplier may also be charged a cancellation fee and may lose their verified badge. See section 5. |
| The planner does not pay the balance on time | The supplier may treat the booking as cancelled by the planner, and the sliding scale in section 4 applies from that date. See section 3. |
| The event is postponed and both sides agree | The booking moves to the new date at no charge, once, if the supplier is available. See section 6. |
| Something outside everyone's control stops the event | The deposit is refunded less the supplier's proven unavoidable costs. Neither side pays a cancellation charge. See section 7. |
| The supplier turns up but does the job badly | This is not a cancellation. It is a quality complaint against the supplier, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. See section 9. |
2. Deposits
2.1 A deposit is payable when a booking is confirmed. The supplier sets the deposit level, which is shown on their profile before you book.
2.2 Deposits are non-refundable if the planner cancels. The deposit compensates the supplier for holding the date and turning other work away.
2.3 Deposits are refunded in full if the supplier cancels, or in the circumstances in section 7.
2.4 Where a supplier does not set a deposit level, the default is 25% of the booking value.
3. When the balance is due
3.1 The balance of the booking value is due 30 days before the event date. Where a booking is made fewer than 30 days before the event, the full booking value is payable at the point of booking.
3.2 We will remind the planner by email 7 days before the balance is due.
3.3 If the balance is not paid within 7 days of the due date, the supplier may treat the booking as cancelled by the planner. The cancellation charge in section 4 is then calculated by reference to the date the supplier cancels it, not the date the balance was due.
4. If the planner cancels
The cancellation charge depends on how many days before the event date the cancellation is received through the platform.
| Cancellation received | Cancellation charge | What the planner has usually paid by then | Net position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 days or more before | The deposit only | The deposit | Nothing further to pay, nothing refunded |
| 30 to 59 days before | 50% of the booking value | The deposit | The planner owes the difference |
| 14 to 29 days before | 75% of the booking value | The full booking value | The planner is refunded 25% |
| 13 days or fewer, or no-show | 100% of the booking value | The full booking value | Nothing refunded |
4.1 A worked example
A planner books a caterer for £1,200. The supplier's deposit is 25%, so £300 is paid at booking and the £900 balance falls due 30 days before the event.
| Cancels at | Charge | Paid so far | Refund or further payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days before | £300 | £300 | No refund, nothing more to pay |
| 45 days before | £600 | £300 | The planner owes a further £300 |
| 20 days before | £900 | £1,200 | The planner is refunded £300 |
| 5 days before | £1,200 | £1,200 | No refund |
4.2 How to cancel
4.2.1 Cancellation must be made through the platform, in the booking's messaging thread. The date of cancellation is the date the message is sent.
4.2.2 Telling the supplier verbally, or by a channel outside the platform, is not effective cancellation under this policy.
5. If the supplier cancels
5.1 The planner is refunded the full amount paid, including the deposit, without deduction. We will process the refund within 5 working days of the cancellation.
5.2 We do not charge the planner our commission or, on an EPlanit-led booking, retain the planning fee where the supplier we sourced has cancelled.
5.3 On an EPlanit-led booking we will try to source a replacement supplier at a comparable price. Where a replacement costs more, we will contribute towards the difference up to the greater of the planning fee you paid and £150.
5.4 Where the supplier cancels, we may:
-
recover from the supplier any sums already paid out on that booking;
-
charge the supplier a cancellation fee of the commission that would have been earned, or £50, whichever is higher;
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remove the verified badge, reduce search visibility, or suspend or remove the supplier.
5.5 Repeated cancellation by a supplier is a material breach of the Terms of Service.
6. Moving the date
6.1 If the planner asks to move the event and the supplier is available and agrees, the booking moves at no charge. Sums already paid transfer to the new date.
6.2 A booking may be moved once at no charge. A second change is treated as a cancellation and rebooking.
6.3 The supplier is not obliged to agree. If they are not available on the new date, the planner may either keep the original booking or cancel it, and if they cancel, section 4 applies by reference to the original event date.
6.4 Where the new date is more than 12 months after the original, the supplier may re-quote.
7. Events outside anyone's control
7.1 This section applies where the event cannot go ahead for reasons outside the control of both parties, including a government prohibition on gatherings, a national period of mourning, severe weather making travel unsafe, a venue becoming unusable through no fault of the planner, or the serious illness or death of the supplier or an immediate family member of the planner.
7.2 In those circumstances the parties will first try to move the date under section 6.
7.3 If the date cannot be moved, the booking is cancelled and the planner is refunded everything paid, less the supplier's reasonable, evidenced and unavoidable costs already incurred, such as ingredients bought, flowers ordered or non-refundable hire.
7.4 Neither party pays a cancellation charge under section 4 or section 5.
7.5 Our commission is refunded proportionately. Our planning fee on an EPlanit-led booking is not refunded where the shortlist has already been delivered, because that service has been performed.
8. Our fees on a cancellation
| Scenario | Our commission | The 10% planning fee, EPlanit-led only |
|---|---|---|
| Planner cancels | Charged on the cancellation charge actually retained by the supplier | Not refunded once the shortlist has been delivered |
| Supplier cancels | Not charged | Refunded in full |
| Outside anyone's control, section 7 | Refunded proportionately | Not refunded once the shortlist has been delivered |
| Booking moved to a new date | Not charged again | Not charged again |
9. If the supplier turns up but the work is poor
9.1 This is not a cancellation and this policy does not apply to it.
9.2 Where the planner is a consumer, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires the service to be performed with reasonable care and skill. If it is not, the planner may be entitled to a repeat performance or a price reduction. That claim is against the supplier.
9.3 Raise it in the platform messaging thread first, and tell us at hello@eplanit.co.uk. We will provide the messaging record and the booking confirmation, and on an EPlanit-led booking we will actively help resolve it.
9.4 Where we still hold funds relating to the booking, we may hold them until the dispute is resolved.
10. Consumer cancellation rights
10.1 Where a planner is a consumer, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 normally give a 14-day right to cancel a contract made online.
10.2 That right does not apply to contracts for services connected with leisure activities which provide for a specific date or period of performance. Most event bookings made through EPlanit are for a specific date and fall within that exception, so the 14-day right does not apply to them.
10.3 The 14-day right may apply to our own planning fee on an EPlanit-led brief, because that is a service we sell directly rather than an event on a fixed date. If the planner asks us to start work within the 14 days and then cancels, they must pay for the work done up to that point.
10.4 Nothing in this policy affects a consumer's statutory rights.
11. How refunds are paid
11.1 Refunds are made to the original payment method through Stripe.
11.2 We will process a refund within 5 working days of it becoming due. The time it takes to reach the account depends on the card issuer, usually a further 3 to 10 working days.
11.3 Where funds have already been paid out to a supplier, a refund may take longer while we recover them. We will keep the planner informed.
11.4 Please raise a refund with us before starting a chargeback with your bank. A chargeback started while we are already processing a refund can delay it and may result in the money being recovered twice, which we will then have to reverse.
12. Questions
Contact us at hello@eplanit.co.uk. We acknowledge within 2 working days.
Equipment hire
The cancellation ladder above applies to equipment hire bookings in the same way as to services, measured against the first day of hire. Damage deposits are separate from the booking price: they are refundable in full within 7 days of return unless the supplier reports loss or damage, with evidence, within 48 hours of return. Until on-platform payments are live, damage deposits are paid to and returned by the supplier directly, and we will help both sides apply these rules fairly.