The short version
The teacher demo fee (₹99 while the Launch Year Offer is active) unlocks a curated lead — the parent's contact details. It is refunded ONLY when the lead is genuinely unusable: a fake or wrong phone number, a parent who cannot be reached at all, or a fabricated requirement. It is NOT refunded for things that can be rescheduled — the parent is busy that day, a connectivity issue, or the demo simply not converting. Eligible refunds are returned minus a flat ₹25 processing fee, within 2 to 7 business days via Razorpay. The admin is the sole judge of whether a lead was unusable, and that decision is final. Subscription fees are non-refundable once paid, but we never auto-debit — if you do nothing, your plan simply ends.
1. What the ₹99 actually pays for
When our team curates you as one of the shortlisted teachers for a parent's requirement, you pay a one-time fee to unlock that lead. This fee is ₹99 while the Launch Year Offer is active (after the offer it follows your plan — see section 7 of our Terms). Paying it reveals the parent's contact so you can arrange the demo directly:
- Offline (home tuition) lead — you receive the parent's phone number and home address, so you can visit for the demo.
- Online lead — you receive the parent's phone number to set up a video call. NeoShiksha does not host or join the call.
The fee buys a real, reachable lead — not a guaranteed enrolment and not a guaranteed demo outcome. Once the contact is revealed, the service we charged for has been delivered.
2. The refund rule, in one line
Refund only when the lead is genuinely unusable — a fake or wrong number, a parent who cannot be reached at all despite honest attempts, or a fabricated requirement. Everything else is non-refundable, because the lead was real and the fee delivered it.
We wrote it this way so the answer to "will I get my ₹99 back?" never depends on which administrator reviews the case. A genuinely junk lead is on us — you get a refund. A genuine lead that didn't convert, or a demo you need to reschedule, is part of teaching — that is not a refund situation.
3. Every refund scenario, in one table
This table covers the situations that actually occur. If your case isn't here, write to hello@neoshiksha.in and we will treat it under the same one-rule principle.
Refund eligibility by scenario
| Scenario | Refund? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Phone number is fake or wrong — the parent cannot be contacted at all | Yes — refund minus ₹25 | The lead was unusable. You never got a real contact. |
| Parent is genuinely unreachable after repeated, honest attempts over a reasonable window | Yes — refund minus ₹25 | The lead was unusable. Log your attempts when you raise the claim. |
| The requirement was bogus or fabricated (no real student behind it) | Yes — refund minus ₹25 | The lead was not genuine. |
| Parent is reachable but busy that day, or the demo needs rescheduling | No refund | The lead is real and usable. Arrange another time directly with the parent. |
| Connectivity / technical issue on the call (either side) | No refund | Reschedulable. The lead itself is genuine. |
| Demo happened and the parent chose a different tutor | No refund | The fee unlocked a real lead and a real demo — that is exactly what it is for. |
| You changed your mind after paying / no longer want the lead | No refund | The parent's contact was already revealed to you. |
| Free lead during the Launch Year Offer (₹0 transaction) | Not applicable | No money changed hands. Nothing to refund. |
| Admin-overridden free lead (complimentary) | Not applicable | No money changed hands. |
| Teacher pays a subscription, then wants to cancel mid-term | No refund | Plan continues to its end-date, then does not renew. See section 6. |
| Subscription auto-debit charge you didn't authorise | Not applicable | We never run auto-debit. If you see one, it's not us — contact your bank and email us so we can investigate. |
4. The ₹25 processing fee — disclosed up front
When a refund IS due, we return the fee minus a flat ₹25 processing charge. We are telling you this before you ever pay, so it is never a surprise.
- On the ₹99 Launch Year fee, an eligible refund returns ₹74.
- The ₹25 covers the payment-gateway charges on both the original payment and the reversal, plus the manual verification an administrator does on every refund claim.
- It is a flat amount, not a percentage, and it applies only to refunds that are actually approved. Rejected claims are not charged anything (there is simply no refund).
If a refund is owed because of a clear error on our side (for example, we revealed the wrong parent's details), we waive the ₹25 and return the full amount.
5. How to raise a refund claim
Refunds are not automatic — you raise the claim and we verify it. Do it promptly:
- Within 48 hours of unlocking the lead, mark it as "unusable" from your dashboard (or email hello@neoshiksha.in) with a one-line reason — wrong number, parent unreachable, or fabricated requirement.
- Where you can, add what you tried (calls/messages attempted, dates and times). This helps us verify a genuinely unreachable parent.
- An administrator reviews the claim and, where possible, attempts to reach the parent independently.
- Once approved, the refund is initiated through Razorpay; the money (minus ₹25) returns to your original payment method in 2 to 7 business days, and you get an email confirmation.
Raising the claim after 48 hours is the most common reason a refund is declined — by then we usually cannot tell a genuinely unusable lead from one that was simply not pursued. So flag it promptly.
6. Subscription cancellation — the no-auto-debit promise
This is the part most platforms hide. We do the opposite and put it in the plainest language we can:
We do not run auto-debit on any NeoShiksha subscription. Ever. Every renewal is a one-click action you take manually. If you do nothing, your plan ends. There is no cancellation form, no retention flow, no save offer.
- Your subscription is active for the period you paid for — one month, or one year on the Annual plan.
- We email you around expiry (Day -7, -3, -1, 0, and +7) with a one-click renew link.
- If you renew, you renew. If you don't, the plan simply lapses — Grace for 7 days, then Lapsed (₹999 emergency demo fee, dashboard read-only).
- You can reactivate anytime by picking any plan. Your profile, content, and history are preserved.
- Subscription fees already paid are non-refundable; if you cancel mid-term the plan runs to its end-date with no pro-rata refund.
7. Parents and demo fees
While the Launch Year Offer is active, parents pay ₹0 — for joining the community, posting a requirement, and meeting a tutor. After the offer ends, a parent demo fee of ₹49 applies.
Because parent demos are ₹0 right now, there is nothing to refund on the parent side today. After the offer ends, if a parent has paid a demo fee and the teacher cancels or no-shows, that parent fee is refunded in full under the same principle — the parent did not receive the demo they paid for.
8. How long an approved refund takes
Refund processing timeline
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| You raise the claim | Within 48 hours of unlocking the lead |
| Admin verification (incl. reaching the parent where possible) | Within 24–48 hours on business days |
| Refund initiated through Razorpay (if approved) | Same business day as approval |
| Money returned to your payment method | 2 to 7 business days from initiation |
| End-to-end (typical) | 3 to 5 business days |
The 2-to-7-day window after Razorpay initiates the refund is governed by Razorpay and your bank — it is outside our direct control. Some banks credit the same day; others take the full 7.
9. Who decides — and that the decision is final
Whether a lead was "genuinely unusable" is a judgement call, and someone has to make it. On NeoShiksha that someone is the administrator reviewing your claim, who will independently try to reach the parent where possible.
The administrator's decision on a refund claim is final and binding. We will always explain it in plain English, but a single requirement cannot be disputed back and forth indefinitely.
- If we decline, we email you the reason and the evidence we relied on (call logs, parent confirmation, timestamps).
- You may appeal once, within 30 days, by replying to that email. Appeals are reviewed personally by the founder or a senior administrator, with a final response within 7 business days.
- Nothing in this policy removes any right you have under applicable Indian consumer law. If a refund is genuinely owed and we get it wrong, write to us and we will make it right.
10. A few things NeoShiksha does and doesn't do
- We do not host or join the demo (online or offline). The teacher and parent arrange and conduct it directly.
- We do not manage rescheduling. If a demo needs a new time, the teacher arranges it with the parent — this is not a refund situation.
- If a curated match does not finalise, the administrator may recommend the next teacher in the queue for that lead.
- Refunds are processed through the Razorpay Refund API to your original payment method; failed attempts are retried automatically, and if your method is no longer active Razorpay reaches out for an alternative.
11. How to contact us
- Refund queries — hello@neoshiksha.in
- Legal queries — legal@neoshiksha.in
- WhatsApp — +91 95555 77881
Operated by NEOSHIKSHA, Udyam UDYAM-DL-02-0113438. Sole proprietor: Deepak Kakkar.
Questions? We read every email.
Reach our team at hello@neoshiksha.in. We respond within 24 hours on business days.
Refund claims are reviewed by a NeoShiksha administrator. If you believe a lead was genuinely unusable, raise it within 48 hours from your dashboard (or email us). If you have not received a decision within 7 business days of a verified claim, write to us and we will investigate within 24 hours on business days.