CheckRideMarket

Refund Policy

Effective date: 2026-05-08 Last updated: 2026-05-08

Founder's note. This document was drafted by the platform founder, not by qualified legal counsel. It mirrors how the Platform's cancellation and refund logic actually behaves today. Counsel review is planned before public launch. If you spot something wrong, email hello@checkride.o11r.com.

1. The free-cancel window

Each DPE on the Platform sets their own free-cancel window as part of their cancellation policy. Typical windows are 24 to 48 hours before the scheduled checkride start. The exact policy in effect for your booking is displayed to you at Gate 3 of the booking flow, and you must check "I accept" before proceeding.

Cancellations made inside the free-cancel window (i.e., earlier than the cutoff) carry no fee. Any uncaptured authorization on your card is voided automatically.

2. The "policy snapshot" principle

When you accept the cancellation policy at Gate 3, the exact policy text in effect at that moment is snapshotted to your booking. That snapshot governs your booking, even if the DPE later changes their published policy.

This is intentional: you should never be surprised by a policy you didn't agree to. The trade-off is that if the DPE softens their policy later, your booking still uses the original policy unless we manually update it on your behalf at the DPE's request.

The policy snapshot is the basis on which any late-cancel fee is calculated and captured.

3. Late-cancel fee (pilot-initiated)

If you cancel after the cutoff specified in the snapshotted policy, the Platform may automatically charge a fee to the payment method you saved at Gate 3.

Specifically:

  • We compute the hours of notice between the cancellation and the scheduled start.
  • If that's less than the free-cancel hours in the snapshotted policy, the late-cancel fee applies.
  • If the DPE has completed their Stripe Connect KYC, and the platform's FF_CANCEL_FEE_CAPTURE switch is on, we capture the fee:

- If a payment authorization exists on your card (typically when the DPE's policy was "cancellation hold"), we capture the exact fee amount against that authorization. - If no usable authorization exists (e.g., when the DPE's policy was "card on file"), we create a one-off off-session charge against the saved payment method.

  • If the capture fails for any reason — card declined, expired authorization, technical error — we don't silently retry. Instead, an admin alert is queued and we contact you and the DPE directly to resolve.

If the DPE has not completed Stripe Connect KYC, we will not capture a late-cancel fee — even if the policy specifies one. The DPE will be notified that the fee was not collected. (We're not in the business of collecting funds we can't actually pay out to the DPE.)

4. No-show by pilot

A pilot no-show is treated as a maximum-late cancellation. The full late-cancel fee specified in the snapshotted policy applies, captured per the same path described in Section 3.

If the snapshotted policy treats a no-show specifically (e.g., "100% deposit forfeit on no-show"), that wording governs. Otherwise the policy's late-cancel terms govern.

5. No-show by DPE

If the DPE no-shows, you are entitled to a full refund, including any deposit captured at booking and any travel fee paid in advance. Email hello@checkride.o11r.com as soon as you can confirm the DPE failed to appear.

In addition:

  • We will help you find another DPE for the same checkride type, in your region, as quickly as we can.
  • The founder personally handles DPE no-show incidents during the closed-beta launch period.

We may also cover any chargeback fees that arise from a DPE no-show, at our own discretion, where the pilot was clearly not at fault.

6. Reschedules

A reschedule is not a cancel-and-rebook. If both parties agree to move the checkride to a new date, you can use the in-app reschedule flow (/api/booking/[id]/reschedule):

  • Within the snapshotted free-cancel window, a reschedule carries no fee.
  • Outside the free-cancel window, a reschedule is at the DPE's discretion. Typically there's no fee for a single reschedule, but the DPE may decline if you've already used your reschedule allowance (the Platform limits each booking to 2 reschedules by default).
  • A reschedule does not trigger waitlist roll-forward or fee capture.

If you cancel rather than reschedule outside the free-cancel window, the late-cancel rules in Section 3 apply.

7. Discontinuance during a checkride

If the DPE discontinues the practical test mid-flight or mid-ground:

  • For safety reasons — for example, weather, aircraft airworthiness, or applicant fitness — no refund is owed. Safety is non-negotiable, and DPEs are encouraged to discontinue rather than press on when something is wrong.
  • For non-safety reasons — for example, unexpected scheduling conflict, equipment problem on the DPE's side, or other reasons not related to safety or applicant performance — refund handling is at the DPE's discretion. Most DPEs will offer a full or partial refund or a free reschedule. If you and the DPE disagree, contact hello@checkride.o11r.com and we will mediate.

When a discontinuance is recorded as result='discontinued' on the booking, our retest workflow allows you to schedule a continuation checkride that links back to the original (parent_checkride_id). That continuation booking is a fresh booking with its own payment method and policy.

8. Disputes and chargebacks

If you believe you were charged in error, or you have any concern about a fee that was captured:

  1. Contact us first at hello@checkride.o11r.com. Most issues resolve within 1-2 business days. We have a complete audit trail (policy snapshot, acceptance timestamp, cancellation timestamp, capture path) and can review and refund directly.
  2. If you initiate a chargeback with your card issuer, we will respond with the evidence package described in our Dispute Response runbook (booking confirmation, snapshotted policy, acceptance timestamp, and any DPE attestation). We may also reach out to you to attempt to resolve the issue informally.
  3. The chargeback process and timeline are governed by Stripe and your issuing bank, not by us. You and the DPE will both be notified when a dispute opens.

We do not punish pilots for raising disputes. We do investigate them.

9. How to request a refund or cancellation

During the closed-beta period:

  • Cancel a booking: use the cancel button on your booking page or the equivalent in the DPE workspace. The Platform handles the policy snapshot, fee logic, and notifications automatically.
  • Request a refund of an already-captured fee: email hello@checkride.o11r.com with your booking ID and a brief description. We will review and respond within 2 business days during the closed-beta period.

A self-serve refund request flow is planned for V1.5. Until then, the email path is the supported route.

10. Contact

  • Refund requests, dispute issues, and DPE no-shows: hello@checkride.o11r.com
  • General support: hello@checkride.o11r.com

Reminder. This document was drafted by the platform founder. Counsel review pending before public launch. Mistakes happen — email us at hello@checkride.o11r.com if you spot one.