Refund & Returns Policy

Mall of the World Online is a digital business discovery and online store platform operated by BOSSROSSY (Pty) Ltd (“BOSSROSSY”, “we”, “us” or “our”).

The platform enables businesses to establish online stores, showcase products, promote their businesses and connect with potential customers. It may also display external or scouted stores that direct customers to the relevant business’s own website.

This policy distinguishes between:

• Platform subscriptions: Fees paid to BOSSROSSY for access to platform features and services.
• Registered Mall Stores: Independent businesses that use Mall of the World’s platform tools to showcase or sell their products.
• External Stores: Businesses listed on Mall of the World that direct customers to their own websites to complete purchases.

BOSSROSSY does not generally act as the seller of products offered by independent vendors or external stores. Responsibility for product sales, fulfilment, delivery, returns and refunds depends on where the purchase was completed and who processed the payment.

Nothing in this policy excludes or limits a consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded under applicable law.

Subscription fees are paid to BOSSROSSY for its own platform services, features or subscription plans.

The applicable subscription price, billing frequency, renewal conditions and included features will be presented during the subscription or payment process.

Where a subscription is processed through a third-party payment provider, the transaction is also subject to that provider’s applicable terms and procedures.

Customers or subscribers who experience duplicate charges, unauthorised charges, incorrect billing or technical problems affecting a paid subscription should contact BOSSROSSY at support@malloftheworld.co.za.

2.1 Subscription Cancellations

Subscribers may cancel their subscriptions using the cancellation method made available by Mall of the World Online or by contacting support.

Unless otherwise stated at checkout or required by law, cancellation stops future renewals but does not automatically entitle the subscriber to a refund for a billing period that has already started or been paid.

Any refund request will be assessed according to the subscription terms shown at the time of purchase and applicable law, including any statutory cancellation rights.

2.2 When a Subscription Refund May Be Considered

A refund may be considered where:

• The subscriber was charged more than once for the same subscription.
• A payment was taken in error or without authorisation, subject to investigation.
• The subscription was cancelled or billed incorrectly due to a platform or billing error.
• A paid service was not supplied as agreed and the issue cannot reasonably be resolved.
• A refund is required under applicable law.

BOSSROSSY will assess each request individually. A refund is not guaranteed merely because a subscriber has changed their mind or has not used the service, unless the subscription terms or applicable law provide otherwise.

Approved refunds will normally be returned through the original payment method where technically possible.

Registered stores on Mall of the World may operate independently and may use their own payment gateways or other supported payment arrangements.

Where a customer purchases a product directly from a registered vendor, the vendor is generally responsible for:

• Supplying the product.
• Ensuring that product descriptions are accurate.
• Packing and dispatching orders.
• Managing delivery and fulfilment.
• Responding to product complaints.
• Assessing and processing eligible returns and refunds.
• Handling payment disputes through the relevant payment provider where applicable.

Customers should first contact the relevant vendor using the contact details displayed on its store page or order confirmation.

Mall of the World may provide reasonable platform-level assistance, such as helping the customer contact a vendor or addressing a technical issue with the platform. This does not mean that BOSSROSSY has received the purchase funds, is responsible for the vendor’s fulfilment, or can independently issue a refund for a payment processed by the vendor.

Subject to the applicable vendor policy and consumer-protection law, a customer may have grounds to request a refund, return, repair, replacement or other remedy where:

Item not received

The order has not arrived within the applicable delivery timeframe.

Damaged or defective item

The product arrives damaged, broken, faulty or unusable.

Wrong item received

The customer receives a materially different product from the one ordered.

Significantly not as described

The product materially differs from its description, specifications or representation.

Other legally recognised grounds

The circumstances give the customer a remedy under applicable law.

The appropriate remedy depends on the circumstances, the type of transaction and the applicable legal requirements. A refund is not necessarily the only remedy available.

Customers should report problems as soon as reasonably possible after discovering them.

Unless a different period is required by law or provided in the vendor’s policy, customers are encouraged to contact the vendor promptly, preferably within 3–7 days of receiving a damaged, incorrect or materially misdescribed item.

For non-delivery, customers should contact the vendor as soon as reasonably possible after the expected delivery date.

These suggested reporting periods do not remove or reduce any statutory consumer rights that continue to apply.

When making a request, customers should provide, where available:

• Order or transaction number.
• Name used when placing the order.
• Description of the problem.
• Date the order was placed or received.
• Relevant photographs, videos or other supporting evidence.

Step 1 — Contact the responsible business

For a product purchase, contact the vendor or external store that accepted the order.

For a Mall of the World subscription, contact BOSSROSSY using the details in Section 14.

Step 2 — Allow reasonable time for investigation

The responsible business should be given a reasonable opportunity to review the request and respond. Mall of the World encourages registered vendors to respond within three business days where reasonably possible.

Step 3 — Request platform-level assistance if needed

If a registered vendor cannot be reached or a platform-related issue remains unresolved, the customer may contact Mall of the World at refunds@malloftheworld.co.za.

BOSSROSSY may review the information and, where appropriate, assist with communication or technical issues. Contacting Mall of the World does not guarantee that it can reverse a vendor’s payment or approve a refund on the vendor’s behalf.

For a platform subscription, an approved refund will normally be processed through the original payment method where technically possible.

For a product purchase, the responsible vendor or external business and its payment provider generally control the refund process.

The time taken for a refund to appear depends on the payment provider, bank, card issuer, payment method and any applicable processing periods. Mall of the World does not guarantee a specific settlement timeframe for payments processed by third parties.

Customers should retain their transaction reference and any confirmation of the approved refund.

Payments may be processed by third-party payment providers, including providers selected by registered vendors for their own transactions.

Where a vendor uses its own payment gateway, the vendor is generally responsible for managing product-payment refunds, chargebacks and disputes through that provider.

Where BOSSROSSY processes a platform subscription payment, subscription billing queries should be directed to BOSSROSSY, without limiting any dispute or complaint procedure available through the payment provider or under applicable law.

Customers should not submit false or misleading payment-dispute claims. Equally, contacting a payment provider or exercising a lawful dispute right does not by itself constitute abuse.

Where a product return is appropriate and permitted, the responsible vendor should explain the return procedure, return address and any applicable conditions.

Vendor error or defective goods

Where the vendor supplied the wrong item or the goods are defective, damaged or materially misrepresented, the vendor should address the problem and any return costs in accordance with applicable law.

Change of mind

Where a change-of-mind return is permitted by law or by the vendor’s published policy, the applicable policy should explain whether the customer must pay return shipping.

Customers should contact the vendor before returning an item. They should not send products to BOSSROSSY unless BOSSROSSY has expressly instructed them to do so.

Certain products or circumstances may be subject to lawful restrictions, including some personalised goods, perishable goods, digital content, or goods that have been used or altered by the customer.

Whether a restriction applies depends on the transaction, the vendor’s disclosed terms and applicable law. A vendor cannot rely on a “no refunds” statement or an exclusion in this policy to avoid a remedy that the law requires.

Mall of the World may display information about external businesses and link customers directly to their official websites.

Where a customer clicks through and completes a purchase on an external website:

• The purchase is made with the external business.
• The external business’s applicable terms, refund and returns policy, privacy policy, payment procedures and customer-service arrangements govern that transaction.
• The external business is responsible for handling product fulfilment and eligible refunds or returns.

BOSSROSSY does not ordinarily process or control payments made directly on external websites and cannot guarantee that an external business will approve a refund.

Customers should contact the external business or the payment provider that processed the transaction. Mall of the World may assist with reporting an inaccurate or problematic listing, but such assistance does not make BOSSROSSY the seller of the external business’s products.

BOSSROSSY and registered vendors may investigate credible concerns about fraudulent payments, manipulated evidence or deliberately false claims.

Any action taken in response must be reasonable, proportionate and permitted by applicable law. A genuine complaint, lawful refund request or good-faith payment dispute will not be treated as fraudulent merely because it is disputed or unsuccessful.

Registered vendors are responsible for maintaining accurate product information and complying with applicable consumer-protection, delivery, returns and refund requirements.

Vendors should clearly display their own:

• Delivery and shipping policy.
• Refund and returns policy.
• Cancellation terms, where applicable.
• Warranty information, where applicable.
• Contact details and business information.

A vendor’s policy must not unlawfully exclude consumer rights. Listing a vendor on Mall of the World does not, by itself, mean that BOSSROSSY has verified every product, transaction or claim made by that vendor.

BOSSROSSY may update this policy to reflect changes to Mall of the World’s platform, subscription services, payment arrangements or applicable legal requirements.

The latest version published on the Mall of the World website will apply from its stated effective date, subject to any legal requirements regarding notice or changes to existing agreements.