Customer Grievance Redressal Policy - Cashfree Payments

Introduction

Cashfree Payments India Private Limited is a company incorporated under the Companies Act 2013, with its registered office at Building No. 7, 10th Floor, Ecoworld, Sarjapur Marathalli Outer Ring Road, Bellandur, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 560103. Cashfree provides payments solutions including payment aggregator and gateway services that help businesses collect and disburse payments.

Cashfree facilitates a variety of Business Institutions ("Merchants") to collect payments from their end customers through its powerful, scalable, tailor-made payments platform for both domestic and international transactions. Cashfree offers multiple products to its Merchants, allowing them to collect payments in a secure, transparent, affordable, and convenient manner from their end customers.

As a service-oriented financial services company, satisfaction of Merchants and Customers using Cashfree is of prime importance to maintain lasting relationships and to encourage digital transactions in a safe and secured way.

This Policy has been approved by Cashfree's Board of Directors to define mechanisms that:

Objective and Scope

This Customer Grievance Redressal Policy aims to:

This Policy is applicable to all regulated products and services offered by Cashfree.

Governance and Oversight

Board Responsibilities

The Board shall oversee the implementation of Cashfree's Grievance Redressal framework and be responsible for:

Nodal Officer Responsibilities

The Nodal Officer shall, on a quarterly basis:

Senior Management shall include the Business Unit heads of functions contributing to the majority of grievances during the period under review.

Record Keeping

The records pertaining to customer complaints shall be maintained for at least five years after the business relationship is ended. Timely backup of system data of complaints shall be taken to ensure availability of data at all times.

Definitions

Customer(s)

An end-customer who will be purchasing goods or services from the Merchants by making payment via different payment instruments, or an individual or entity who is an end-user of the PPI wallet-based products and services offered by Cashfree.

Merchant(s)

A user of Cashfree's services for accepting various payment instruments from the Customers for completion of their payment obligation.

Complaint(s)

Service deficiency or error on the part of Cashfree in offering any service and/or non-conformance in any of Cashfree's product/process leading to a dispute/grievance by the Merchant or the Customer.

Examples of complaints include:

Grievance Redressal Framework

How to File a Complaint

Merchants or Customers having any Query, Feedback or Complaint pertaining to transactions they may have processed or attempted to process using Cashfree's platform, or regarding products or services offered by Cashfree, may directly reach out to Cashfree via the following channels:

Support Page:

Transaction Status Check:

Initial Response Process

Upon receipt of the query, feedback or complaint from the Customer or Merchant:

  1. A ticket is generated
  2. A unique reference number is allotted
  3. The reference number is communicated via email
  4. The Cashfree Support team shall respond to the grievance within 10 business days from the date of receipt of such complaint

Alternate Channels

Customers may also reach out to Cashfree through:

Escalation Matrix and Turnaround Time for Disposal of Complaints

Level 1: Escalation to Support Team

Contact: [email protected]

Response Time: Cashfree shall attempt to respond within 5 business days from the date on which grievance was filed.

Status Tracking: Cashfree shall provide an option to Customers/Merchants to seek/track the status of their grievances throughout the lifecycle of a grievance via email and/or through the merchant dashboard.

Updates: The Merchant/Customer may request an update on the grievance in case any grievance requires more than the specified time period. The Merchant/Customer shall be kept updated on the status of their complaint(s).

Next Steps: If the Merchant/Customer is not satisfied with the response provided, they can proceed to the next level of escalations.

Level 2: Escalation to Grievance Officer

Nodal Officer (Grievance Redressal): Vaibhav Kaushal

Address: Cashfree Payments India Pvt Ltd, Building No. 7, 10th Floor, Ecoworld, Sarjapur Marathalli Outer Ring Road, Bellandur, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 560103

Email: [email protected]

Response Time: The Grievance Officer shall attempt to respond within 5 business days from the date on which grievance was filed.

Updates: The merchant/customer may request an update on the grievance in case any grievance requires more than the specified time period. The Merchant/Customer shall be kept updated on the status of their complaint(s).

Level 3: RBI Integrated Ombudsman

If the Merchant/Customer is not satisfied with the resolution provided by Cashfree, or has not received a reply within 30 days of filing the complaint with Cashfree, they can file the complaint with the RBI's Integrated Ombudsman.

Complaint Portal: https://cms.rbi.org.in/

Toll-Free Phone: 14448

Email: [email protected]

Address: Centralised Receipt and Processing Center, Reserve Bank of India, 4th Floor, Sector 17, Chandigarh, PIN – 160017

More Information: For more details about the RBI's Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, refer to: https://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/content/pdfs/RBIOS2021_121121.pdf

Public Display of Grievance Redressal Mechanism

Cashfree shall display the Grievance Redressal Mechanism on its website at https://www.cashfree.com/support/ to increase awareness among its Merchants and Customers.

Regulatory Reporting

Cashfree shall:

Dispute Management and Chargebacks Mechanism

What is a Chargeback?

A dispute, also known as 'chargeback', arises when a Customer raises a claim with the Issuing Bank for a purchase/transaction that was made on their account.

Card networks and regulated entities such as National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) provide the rights to the cardholder/consumer to claim a chargeback for various reasons such as:

The timeline(s) for raising such disputes may vary from card association to card association.

Chargeback Process

The chargeback process involves parties such as the cardholder, the issuer, the acquirer, the processor, and the merchant who renders the goods or services, each of which has different responsibilities in the life cycle.

Process Overview:

When a customer has reached out to the Issuing Bank/other institution and has disputed the transaction made by them using their payment mode/mechanism on the merchant site:

  1. Dispute Notification: The acquiring partner sends Cashfree a dispute notification to determine the validity of the transaction. Cashfree creates a dispute corresponding to such transaction(s) in the system.

  2. Merchant Notification: Upon receiving such notification from the bank, Cashfree notifies the merchant with the dispute details to submit supporting documents.

  3. Document Submission: Once the Merchant uploads such documents for evaluation, Cashfree further submits them to the banks for their review.

  4. Bank Analysis: The banking partner analyses the evidence/documents and determines whether the services are delivered by the Merchant as promised.

Chargeback Resolution Outcomes

A chargeback case may have one of the following outcomes:

Outcome Description
Acceptance When the Customer's chargeback is valid, the Merchant may choose to accept the chargeback. An acceptance will result in a credit to the Customer's account as per the network timelines and a permanent debit to the Merchant's account.
Contestation/Representation When services/goods are rendered against the said payment, the Merchant can upload relevant documents such as proof of delivery, service utilisation proofs etc. The documents hence submitted are further represented to the acquiring banks and subsequently to the issuers and networks.
Deemed Accepted In the event a chargeback is not represented/accepted by the Merchant within the given timeline, the chargeback is deemed as accepted and the decision is not reversible. As in the case of acceptance this too shall have a permanent debit to the Merchant's Cashfree account.

Refunds

Refund Process

Customers may request a refund from the Merchant due to reasons such as:

Merchants can initiate refunds against transactions with Cashfree payments, which are posted to the original method of payment unless otherwise agreed by the end Customer. Credits for such refunds or reversals shall be routed back through Cashfree's PA escrow account.

Refund Processing Timelines

Refund Request Window: Refund requests are not accepted after a period of 120 days from the date of the transactions unless the acquiring banking partners support such a request.

Processing Time: Once the refund is initiated with the bank, it generally takes about 5 to 7 working days to get reflected on the customer's account/card statement. However, actual timelines may differ given the dependencies of multiple stakeholders involved during the process.

Failed Transactions and Reversals

As per RBI's Notification on Harmonisation of Turnaround Time (TAT) and customer compensation for failed transactions:

Definition of Failed Transaction

A 'failed transaction' is a transaction which has not been fully completed due to any reason not attributable to the customer such as:

Failed transactions shall also include credits which could not be affected to the beneficiary account on account of:

Domestic transactions (where both the originator and beneficiary are within India) are covered as part of the circular.

Cashfree's Commitment

Cashfree shall ensure that the reversals happen within the TAT prescribed in the guidelines, corresponding to the payment mode used, or provide compensation to the customer wherever there is a delay.

Fraud Alerts from Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA)

LEA Alert Process

In the event Cashfree receives an alert from Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) through:

Regarding unauthorised transaction in the Customer's account, Cashfree shall:

Dedicated LEA Support Team

Cashfree has laid down a dedicated team to handle such requests, along with a Nodal Officer.

Nodal Officer (LEA Support)

Address: Cashfree Payments India Pvt Ltd, Building No. 7, 10th Floor, Ecoworld, Sarjapur Marathalli Outer Ring Road, Bellandur, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 560103

Email: [email protected]

Details of the Nodal Officer shall be updated on Cashfree's website.

Policy Review

This Policy is subject to review by the Board of Directors of Cashfree as and when deemed necessary. The Board of Directors shall annually review the functioning of the grievance redressal mechanism.

Obligation of Secrecy

Customer Information Protection

Cashfree shall maintain secrecy regarding the Merchant/Customer information which arises out of the contractual relationship between Cashfree and the Merchant.

While considering requests for data/information from the Government and other agencies, Cashfree shall satisfy themselves that the information being sought is not of such a nature that will violate the provisions of the laws relating to secrecy in banking transactions.

Exceptions to Secrecy Rule

The exceptions to the secrecy rule shall be:

Cross-Selling Restrictions

Customer information shall not be divulged for the purpose of cross selling, or for any other purpose without the express permission of the Customer.

Applicable Regulations and Guidelines

This Policy shall be subject to applicable laws including but not limited to the rules, regulations, guidelines, directives and instructions issued by the RBI, from time to time and shall supersede the earlier version of the Policy, including:

Any change/amendment in applicable laws with regard to the maintenance of an appropriate grievance redressal mechanism shall be deemed to be incorporated in this Policy by reference and this Policy shall be deemed to have been amended and revised accordingly.

Regulatory Authorizations

RBI Authorised Payment Aggregator License Certificate of Authorisation No. 266/2025

RBI Authorised Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) Provider Certificate of Authorisation No. 209/2024

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the response time for grievances filed with Cashfree?

The Cashfree Support team shall respond to the grievance filed by the Merchant or Customer within 10 business days from the date of receipt of such complaint. For Level 1 escalations to [email protected], Cashfree shall attempt to respond within 5 business days. For Level 2 escalations to the Grievance Officer at [email protected], the response time is also 5 business days.

Who is the Nodal Officer for Grievance Redressal at Cashfree?

The Nodal Officer (Grievance Redressal) is Vaibhav Kaushal. Contact details: Email: [email protected], Address: Cashfree Payments India Pvt Ltd, Building No. 7, 10th Floor, Ecoworld, Sarjapur Marathalli Outer Ring Road, Bellandur, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 560103.

How long does a refund take to process?

Once the refund is initiated with the bank, it generally takes about 5 to 7 working days to get reflected on the customer's account or card statement. However, actual timelines may differ given the dependencies of multiple stakeholders involved during the process. Refund requests are not accepted after a period of 120 days from the date of the transactions unless the acquiring banking partners support such a request.

What can I do if I'm not satisfied with Cashfree's resolution?

If the Merchant or Customer is not satisfied with the resolution provided by Cashfree, or has not received a reply within 30 days of filing the complaint with Cashfree, they can file the complaint with the RBI's Integrated Ombudsman. Complaint lodging portal: https://cms.rbi.org.in/, Toll-Free Phone: 14448, Email: [email protected], Address: Centralised Receipt and Processing Center, Reserve Bank of India, 4th Floor, Sector 17, Chandigarh, PIN – 160017.

How do I check the status of my transaction?

Customers may check the status of their transactions using the reference number provided by Cashfree at https://www.cashfree.com/en/report-issue/

What is a chargeback?

A dispute, also known as 'chargeback', arises when a Customer raises a claim with the Issuing Bank for a purchase/transaction that was made on their account. Card networks and regulated entities such as NPCI provide the rights to the cardholder/consumer to claim a chargeback for various reasons such as fraud transactions, product/services not delivered, defective product or services delivered, or duplicate payments/double debits.

How long are customer complaint records maintained?

The records pertaining to customer complaints shall be maintained for at least five years after the business relationship is ended.

Who handles fraud alerts from Law Enforcement Agencies?

Cashfree has a dedicated team to handle requests from Law Enforcement Agencies. The Nodal Officer (LEA Support) can be reached at [email protected]. Address: Cashfree Payments India Pvt Ltd, Building No. 7, 10th Floor, Ecoworld, Sarjapur Marathalli Outer Ring Road, Bellandur, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 560103.

Contact Information Summary

General Support

Escalation Contacts

Level 1 Escalation:

Level 2 - Grievance Officer:

Law Enforcement Support:

RBI Integrated Ombudsman (Level 3):

Cashfree Registered Office

Cashfree Payments India Pvt Ltd Building No. 7, 10th Floor, Ecoworld Sarjapur Marathalli Outer Ring Road, Bellandur Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, 560103