Refund and cancellation policy

This policy explains how cancellations, cooling-off rights, rescheduling, supplier charges and refunds are handled.

Subject always to rights that cannot lawfully be excluded, Riogrannde service fees are non-refundable once the agreed service has commenced. A refund is considered only where Riogrannde cannot provide the service purchased, where the service is not delivered in accordance with the contract and an applicable legal remedy requires a refund or price reduction, or where a separate written arrangement expressly permits one. For flights, hotels and other third-party bookings, refund eligibility and value depend entirely on the relevant supplier’s terms and on the amount actually recoverable from that supplier.

This policy applies to Riogrannde service fees for consultations, visa and passport documentary support, application-form assistance, document reviews, letter drafting, flight reservations, itinerary planning and travel logistics, together with sums we collect for third-party services. It does not reduce statutory consumer rights.

Nothing in this policy removes a cancellation, repeat-performance, price-reduction or refund right that cannot lawfully be excluded. Where UK consumer law gives a customer a 14-day cancellation period for an online or distance service, it normally begins when the service contract is made. To cancel, send a clear statement to hello@riograndetravels.com with the customer name, order reference, service and date of purchase.

If the customer expressly requests performance during that period and later cancels before the service is complete, Riogrannde may charge the proportionate value of work performed up to cancellation. If the service has been fully performed after the required express request and acknowledgement, the statutory cancellation right may be lost. Travel services booked for a specific date or period and passenger transport may be subject to statutory exceptions.

Visa and passport applications, urgent document reviews, form completion, supporting-letter preparation, appointment work, same-day flight reservations and other deadline-sensitive services commonly require work to begin immediately after payment. Once Riogrannde has begun the agreed work, the Riogrannde service fee is non-refundable as a matter of commercial policy, except where a mandatory legal remedy applies, Riogrannde cannot deliver the contracted service, or a separate written agreement expressly allows a refund.

At checkout you are asked to confirm: “I expressly request Riogrannde Travels to begin the service during any applicable 14-day cancellation period. I understand that I must pay for work completed before cancellation and that, once the service is fully performed, I may lose my statutory cancellation right.”

A consultation cancelled or rescheduled at least 24 hours before the appointment may be moved once without an administration charge or refunded, subject to statutory rights and any booking-platform fee clearly disclosed before purchase.

A cancellation within 24 hours, non-attendance or arrival too late to deliver the useful session may be non-refundable because the time was reserved and may not be resold. We consider exceptional circumstances fairly. If Riogrannde cancels, the client may choose a new appointment or a full refund of the consultation fee.

Visa applications, passport support, application forms, documentary reviews, checklists, cover letters, invitation letters, sponsorship letters, refusal explanations, interview preparation and appointment support are service-based work. The service is treated as commenced when a team member starts reviewing information or documents, preparing or completing a form, drafting a document, carrying out research, searching for an appointment, communicating with a relevant provider or authority, or otherwise performing the agreed instruction.

No discretionary refund after commencement: once any of that work has begun, the Riogrannde service fee is non-refundable merely because the customer changes their mind, changes travel plans, no longer wishes to apply, obtains assistance elsewhere, fails to provide information, misses a deadline or appointment, or is dissatisfied with a decision made by an authority.

• Riogrannde confirms that it is unable to provide the specific service contracted and paid for.
• Riogrannde fails to render the contracted service and a refund or price reduction is the appropriate remedy.
• The parties entered into a separate written agreement that expressly permits a refund.
• A mandatory consumer-law right applies.

A visa refusal, passport delay, appointment shortage, shortened visa, request for further evidence, border decision, changed rule or government processing delay does not mean that Riogrannde failed to render its service and does not create an automatic refund entitlement.

Where the customer requests urgent or priority handling, work may begin as soon as payment is confirmed. Such fees are non-refundable once work begins, including where the customer later supplies incomplete information, changes instructions or no longer needs the document.

If Riogrannde accepts an urgent instruction but later confirms that it cannot perform the contracted service within the specifically agreed deadline, the customer will be offered an appropriate refund for the undelivered work or another written arrangement. General estimated processing times controlled by an embassy, government or supplier are not Riogrannde delivery guarantees.

Riogrannde may agree a different refund or cancellation arrangement for a particular customer or service. Any exception must be recorded in writing by an authorised Riogrannde representative and must identify the payment, circumstances, amount or calculation and any deadline. A conversation or expectation that is not confirmed in writing does not vary this policy.

Because a reservation is personalised and commonly created immediately, the Riogrannde service fee becomes non-refundable when reservation work starts. The underlying reservation may itself be non-refundable or may expire or be cancelled under airline or booking-system rules.

A reservation expiring, being cancelled by an airline or not being accepted by an authority is not automatically refundable if the reservation matched the written order and was valid or verifiable when supplied. If Riogrannde supplies materially incorrect passenger or itinerary information despite receiving correct instructions, it will correct the error where reasonably possible or provide the remedy required by law.

Where Riogrannde purchases or arranges a flight, hotel, transfer, driver, tour, attraction, insurance product or other service from a third-party merchant, all cancellation and refund rights relating to that purchase are determined by the third party’s fare rules, booking conditions and refund policy.

A refund is available only to the extent that the third party permits the booking to be cancelled and actually returns a refundable amount. Non-refundable fares, deposits, amendments, no-show fees, cancellation charges, currency differences and supplier administration charges may be deducted. Riogrannde cannot refund money retained by a merchant. Once received, any supplier refund due to the customer will be passed on, less a separately disclosed and lawful Riogrannde administration charge where applicable.

Where the relevant flight reservation, itinerary, transfer, tour, logistics product or other purchase is supplied directly by Riogrannde rather than by a third-party merchant, refund eligibility depends on the sales terms disclosed for that product when purchased. If those terms state that the product is non-refundable once booked, created, allocated or delivered, no discretionary refund will be available after that point.

Government, embassy, passport, consular, visa-centre, biometrics and courier fees are controlled by the receiving authority or provider and are commonly non-refundable after payment or submission. Riogrannde cannot refund sums retained by that authority or provider. If a recoverable amount is returned to Riogrannde for the customer, it will be accounted for promptly, subject to any lawful disclosed deduction.

No discretionary refund is due for work or loss caused by incorrect names, dates or documents; undisclosed refusals or circumstances; missed deadlines or appointments; failure to respond; changed travel plans; or a decision not to proceed after work has commenced. Any new or repeated work may require an additional fee.

If Riogrannde confirms before commencement that it cannot deliver the specific service purchased, the Riogrannde service fee for that undelivered service will be refunded in full. If only part cannot be delivered, the parties may agree a proportionate refund, replacement service or credit.

Tell us promptly if a service does not match its written description or was not performed with reasonable care and skill. Where required by law, Riogrannde may repeat performance within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience. If repeat performance is impossible or is not completed appropriately, the customer may be entitled to a price reduction, potentially up to the full service fee.

Email hello@riograndetravels.com and include:

• Your full name, telephone number and email address.
• Order, invoice, payment or booking reference and the payment date.
• The service purchased and the date Riogrannde was instructed to begin.
• The reason for the request and the resolution you would like.
• For third-party purchases, the supplier’s cancellation response and refundable amount, if known.
• Please never send your full payment-card number.

We aim to acknowledge a refund request within five working days and communicate the decision within 10 working days after receiving the necessary information. Third-party claims may take longer because the supplier controls review and payment. Approved refunds will normally be returned to the original payment method within 14 days after approval or receipt from the supplier, subject to bank processing times.

Please contact us first so we can investigate. A chargeback does not remove the parties’ contractual rights, and a customer must not obtain both a refund and a chargeback for the same payment. We may provide accurate transaction and service records to a payment provider when responding to a dispute.

We may offer a reschedule, credit or refund as goodwill or under a private written arrangement without admitting liability. A decision in one case does not create an entitlement in another.

Refund and cancellation requests: Riogrannde Travels, 26 Clement Street, Birmingham, B1 2SL, United Kingdom. Email hello@riograndetravels.com. Telephone 0333 090 3019.