Refund policy

Hoofine stands behind every transaction processed on the platform. Refunds follow the rules below and are designed to protect buyers from misrepresentation while keeping sellers solvent against capricious cancellations.

Nothing in this policy reduces consumer rights you have under the laws of your country. Where local law mandates broader refund rights, those rights apply.

If you are a consumer resident in the EU or EEA, you have the right to withdraw from a contract for a paid Hoofine product (Featured Listing, Hoofine Verified/KYC, Hoofine Certificate, or Breeding Lead) within 14 days without giving any reason. The withdrawal period is 14 days from the day the contract was concluded (i.e., the day of purchase). This statutory right is separate from, and additional to, the product-specific rules below.

To exercise the right of withdrawal, you must inform us (Growvit GmbH, Hinterm Stern 24, 22041 Hamburg, Germany; [email protected]) of your decision by a clear statement (e.g., a letter or email). You may use the model withdrawal form below, but it is not obligatory. To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient that you send your communication concerning the exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of withdrawal: if you withdraw, we reimburse all payments received from you without undue delay and no later than 14 days from the day we are informed of your withdrawal, using the same means of payment you used, at no cost to you.

Early performance and loss of the right: for digital services, we begin performance only after you have expressly requested it AND acknowledged that you will lose your right of withdrawal once the service has been fully performed. Where you give that consent at checkout and we then fully perform within the 14-day period (for example, a Featured Listing placement that begins immediately, or a Breeding Lead delivered to your dashboard), the right of withdrawal is extinguished on full performance. If performance has begun but is not yet complete when you withdraw, you pay an amount proportionate to what has been provided up to that point.

Model withdrawal form — To Growvit GmbH, [email protected]: “I/We hereby give notice that I/We withdraw from my/our contract for the following service: ______. Ordered on: ______. Name: ______. Address: ______. Date: ______. Signature (only if this form is notified on paper): ______.”

Funds held in escrow remain refundable to the buyer until the buyer presses Release in the inspection window. If the buyer opens a dispute during inspection, the platform freezes the funds and our trust team reviews evidence from both parties before issuing a refund or release.

Once a buyer releases funds, those funds become non-refundable through the platform — disputes after release must be settled directly between the parties or through the dispute-resolution process described in our Terms.

Stripe network fees on the original charge are returned by Stripe alongside any platform-issued refund. The Hoofine platform fee on a refunded escrow is also returned to the buyer in full.

A Featured Listing fee ($39) buys 15 days of premium placement plus an automatic post on Hoofine's social channels. Subject to the EU/EEA right of withdrawal in §2, the fee is non-refundable once the placement begins, because the social-share value is consumed at the start of the period.

If a featured placement fails to publish for technical reasons attributable to Hoofine, we will either re-run the placement or refund the fee at our option.

The Hoofine Verified fee ($69.99) covers Stripe Identity verification of a single user. The fee is refundable in full if the verification cannot be completed for reasons attributable to Hoofine or Stripe (e.g., service outage, system error).

If you fail Stripe Identity for reasons within your control (poor document image, expired ID, mismatch with your profile), you may retry the verification using the same paid session at no additional charge. We do not refund failed verifications that were attempted with valid documents.

The Hoofine Verification Certificate fee ($199.99) covers a manual review of horse papers, ownership history, microchip and passport documentation. It is refundable in full if our team determines the horse is ineligible for certification before review begins, or if review cannot be completed within 30 calendar days.

If we determine after review that the horse does not qualify (e.g., paperwork defects, ownership cannot be confirmed), we refund 50% of the fee — the remaining 50% covers reviewer time already spent.

Subject to the EU/EEA right of withdrawal in §2, breeding lead purchases ($25 each) are non-refundable once the lead has been delivered to your dashboard. If a delivered lead turns out to be a duplicate of one you have already purchased within the previous 90 days, contact support and we will refund the duplicate.

If you initiate a chargeback through your card issuer for a transaction processed on Hoofine, your account will be suspended pending review. We strongly prefer to resolve disputes through the in-app process, which is faster, free, and more flexible than chargeback adjudication.

Where a chargeback is upheld against Hoofine for an escrow that has already been released to a seller, Hoofine may withhold future seller payouts to recover the loss.

Email [email protected] with your account email, the transaction ID, and a short description. We acknowledge requests within 1 business day and complete eligible refunds within 5 business days. Refunds return to the original payment method.