Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Overview & Quick Reference

GigWheels is a weekly car rental service. When you reserve a vehicle, we take that vehicle out of our available inventory and dedicate it to you. That commitment is why our refund policy is structured the way it is: we can't easily re-rent a last-minute cancellation, but we also want to be fair when circumstances are outside your control.

At-a-glance summary:

2. Reservation Cancellations

2.1 Standard cancellation window

• More than 24 hours before your scheduled pickup: Full refund of any prepaid rental amounts. Security deposit fully refunded if paid.
• Within 24 hours of your scheduled pickup: NO REFUND on prepaid first-week rent. Your $1,000 security deposit (if paid) will be refunded to your original payment method within 5–10 business days.

2.2 How to cancel

1. Send an email to rent@gogigwheels.com with the subject line "Cancellation Request — [Your Name] — [Pickup Date]"
2. Include: your full name, the phone number on your reservation, the vehicle class you reserved, and the scheduled pickup date/time
3. You will receive a written confirmation of cancellation within 1 business day
4. Refund (where applicable) is processed within 5–10 business days to your original payment method

3. No-Shows

If you do not appear for your scheduled pickup and do not communicate with us within 24 hours after the scheduled pickup time, your reservation is automatically cancelled and:

• The first week's prepaid rent is forfeited (no refund)
• Any $1,000 security deposit paid is refunded within 5–10 business days
• You may not use "no-show" as a substitute for advance cancellation — this rule exists to keep vehicles available for other drivers

4. Early Returns (Mid-Rental)

4.1 Current week is not refundable

GigWheels bills in weekly cycles. If you return a vehicle mid-week (for example, after 4 days of a 7-day rental cycle), the current week's rent is not refunded — that time was already committed to you when the vehicle left our lot.

4.2 Future weeks are refunded

If you prepaid for multiple weeks (e.g., 4 weeks in advance) and return the vehicle at the end of week 2:

• Weeks 1 and 2 → not refunded
• Weeks 3 and 4 → fully refunded at the same weekly rate you originally paid
• Any add-on fees for weeks 3 and 4 → fully refunded (proportional)

4.3 Vehicle must be returned in acceptable condition

Refunds under this section are contingent on the vehicle being returned:

• Undamaged (beyond normal wear)
• With the same fuel level as at pickup
• Clean and free of trash
• Free of unpaid tolls, citations, or traffic violations incurred during your rental

Damage, cleaning, fuel, toll, or citation charges will be deducted from your refund and/or security deposit before the balance is returned to you.

5. Security Deposit Refunds

Every gig vehicle rental requires a $1,000 refundable security deposit (or a $50/week Zero Deposit fee in lieu of the deposit — the weekly fee is not refundable). All add-on deposits ($500 maintenance deposit, if applicable) follow the same rules as the security deposit.

5.1 When you get your deposit back

• Vehicle returned undamaged, on time, and in acceptable condition → full deposit refund within 5–10 business days
• Application denied → full deposit refund within 5–10 business days
• You cancel your reservation (any timeframe) → full deposit refund within 5–10 business days

5.2 When your deposit may be withheld (in whole or part)

• Physical damage to the vehicle beyond ordinary wear-and-tear
• Interior damage, staining, burns, or excessive cleaning required
• Missing or damaged keys, accessories, or documents (registration, insurance card)
• Fuel below the level at pickup (charged at posted refuel rate)
• Unpaid tolls, citations, parking tickets, or red-light camera violations incurred during your rental period, plus a $25 administrative fee per citation
• Vehicle taken out of Georgia without written consent (material breach — may result in full deposit forfeiture)
• Any past-due weekly rental balance
• Late-return fees ($50/day beyond scheduled return, plus daily rental rate)
• Odometer tampering, key duplication, or any evidence of unauthorized subletting

5.3 Deposit deduction itemization

If any amount is deducted from your deposit, you will receive an itemized statement within 5 business days of vehicle return showing:

• Original deposit amount
• Each deduction with a description and supporting documentation (photos, invoices, citation copies)
• Net refund amount
• Method and estimated arrival of the refund

If you dispute a deduction, you have 14 days from the date of the itemization to submit a written dispute to rent@gogigwheels.com. We will respond within 10 business days.

6. Add-On Fee Refunds

Weekly add-on fees ($50/week each) are billed weekly along with your base rental rate. They follow the same refund rules as weekly rent:

• Zero Deposit ($50/wk): This is a service fee, not a deposit — it is never refundable once a week has begun.
• Insurance ($50/wk): Not refundable for the current billing week. Prepaid future weeks are refunded on early return.
• Unlimited Miles ($50/wk): Not refundable for the current billing week. Prepaid future weeks are refunded on early return.
• Maintenance & Roadside ($50/wk): Not refundable for the current billing week. Prepaid future weeks are refunded on early return. If you paid the $500 maintenance deposit instead, that deposit follows the security-deposit rules above.

Add-ons cannot be retroactively refunded for weeks in which they were provided but unused. For example, if you paid for Insurance for 4 weeks and never had an accident, the fee is not refundable — you paid for the coverage, not for a claim.

7. Weekly Billing & Auto-Renewal

Weekly rentals auto-renew every 7 days at 11:59 PM EST unless you provide written notice of return at least 48 hours before the end of your current week. Notice must be sent to rent@gogigwheels.com or SMS to (404) 360-3195.

If a weekly rental auto-renews and you subsequently return the vehicle within that week, the renewed week is not refundable. Please provide 48-hour notice to avoid unwanted auto-renewal.

8. Non-Refundable Charges

The following charges are always non-refundable, regardless of cancellation or return timing:

• Zero Deposit weekly fee ($50/wk) — this is a service, not a deposit
• Damage fees, cleaning fees, and administrative processing fees
• Toll, citation, and parking violation costs (these are your obligation as the driver)
• Fuel and refueling charges
• Late-return fees
• Any charge for actions or events occurring during your rental period
• Payment processing fees passed through to us by our card processor

9. Exceptions & Case-by-Case Review

We recognize that life happens. The following situations may qualify for a refund exception, at GigWheels's sole discretion and only when supported by documentation:

• Documented medical emergency (hospital admission for you or immediate family) — provide hospital admission paperwork
• Death in the immediate family — provide death certificate or funeral notice
• Active-duty military deployment orders — provide official orders
• Court subpoena or jury duty preventing the rental — provide court documentation
• Natural disaster / declared state of emergency affecting Georgia — automatic exception, no documentation needed
• Vehicle mechanical failure caused by GigWheels — full refund for downtime, plus we'll swap you into another vehicle or issue credit toward a future rental

9.1 Vendor discretion clause

All refund decisions outside the standard rules above are made at the sole discretion of GigWheels. We reserve the right to grant, deny, or partially grant refund exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Precedent from prior exception grants does not entitle any customer to the same treatment in future situations. This discretion does not, however, override any refund right you may have under:

• Applicable Georgia consumer-protection law
• The Georgia Fair Business Practices Act
• Federal Trade Commission rules governing rental transactions
• Your credit-card issuer's chargeback rights (see Section 10)

10. Chargebacks & Payment Disputes

Please contact us before initiating a chargeback. Chargebacks cost us $15–$25 per dispute regardless of outcome, tie up funds for 30–60 days, and often result from misunderstandings we could resolve directly in 10 minutes.

If you file a chargeback with your credit card company without first attempting to resolve the issue with GigWheels:

• We will provide the card network with a full record of your signed rental agreement, this refund policy, and any communications
• Fraudulent or bad-faith chargebacks may result in permanent suspension of your rental privileges and referral to collections
• If the chargeback is reversed in our favor, you may be responsible for the $25 chargeback recovery fee

11. How to Request a Refund

1. Email rent@gogigwheels.com with subject: "Refund Request — [Your Name] — [Rental Date]"
2. Include:
   • Your full name and phone number on the rental
   • The rental agreement number (from your signed contract)
   • The vehicle class and pickup date
   • The reason for your refund request
   • Any supporting documentation (medical records, death certificate, military orders, etc.) attached as PDF or image
   • The specific dollar amount you're requesting
3. You'll receive a written response within 5 business days
4. Approved refunds are processed within 5–10 business days to your original payment method

12. Refund Processing Time

Approved refunds are issued to the original payment method used for the transaction. Processing times vary by payment method:

• Credit / debit card: 5–10 business days to appear on your statement (sometimes faster, depending on your bank)
• ACH / bank transfer: 3–5 business days
• Cash / money order (rare): Refunded by check within 14 business days

If more than 15 business days have passed since your refund was approved and you don't see it, contact us at rent@gogigwheels.com and we'll investigate with our payment processor.

13. Contact

Questions about a specific refund? Cancellation request? Deposit dispute?