Refunds and disputes
Money for marketplace items is held in escrow, so the seller is not paid until the buyer is satisfied. This page is the full dispute process: who can use it, what happens, how long it takes, and how to appeal. Standard terms shown.
In short. Report a problem from the order, before the money is released. An admin reviews it within 48 hours. The answer is either a refund to the buyer's wallet or payment to the seller. You can appeal once.
How escrow protects you
1. Pay. You pay on Comrade Connect. The money is held for your order, not sent to the seller.
2. Hand over. You get a 6-digit code. The seller marks the item as handed over.
3. Confirm. Give the code to the seller only after you have checked the item. The seller is then paid.
4. Auto-release. If the seller marked it handed over and you do not confirm or dispute within 3 days, the seller is paid.
How the money is held, the payment gateway and all fees are in Payments, escrow and payouts.
Opening a dispute
- Who: the buyer or the seller of that order.
- When: any time before the money is released. After release, the order is closed, so do not give the code or tap "I received it" until you are sure.
- How: open the order in Market and tap Report a problem. Say what went wrong in a few clear words. Do not write phone numbers, links or handles.
- Entering a wrong code 5 times also stops the order so you can dispute it.
What happens next
Step 1: Paused. The order is frozen. Auto-release stops and nobody can release the money with the code. The money stays held.
Step 2: Review. An admin reads the reason and the order history (payment, handover, codes tried, dates). The admin may write to either side with questions. Please answer quickly: if one side stays silent, the admin decides with what is available.
Step 3: Decision within 48 hours. The admin chooses one outcome:
- Refund the buyer. The full amount paid goes to the buyer's wallet. The listing becomes available again. The seller pays no fee.
- Pay the seller. The seller is paid the sale amount minus the marketplace fee, as in a normal sale.
Step 4: Shown on the order. The order's status changes to refunded or released, and the wallet shows the entry.
If a dispute is very complex, or we need information from you, it can take longer. We will tell you why instead of leaving you waiting in silence.
What helps your case
- What you were told, what you got, and when.
- Photos of the item as received (buyer) or as handed over (seller).
- Whether the code was given, and when.
- Do not send private data you do not need. Never send your M-Pesa PIN or recovery code.
Appeals
- If you think the decision is wrong, email support@comradeconnect.co.ke within 7 days of the decision. Put the order number in the subject and add anything new.
- Where we have more than one admin, a different admin looks at the appeal.
- The decision on appeal is final inside Comrade Connect. It does not remove any rights you have under Kenyan law.
False or abusive disputes
Opening disputes to get an item for free, threatening the other person, or lying to an admin breaks the Terms. It can lead to strikes, withheld rewards or a suspended account.
Where refunds go
A refund is credited to the buyer's Comrade Connect wallet as soon as the admin decides. Withdrawing the wallet to M-Pesa is done by our team, and needs an ID verified account. Fees and timing are on Payments, escrow and payouts.
Fees
The marketplace fee (currently 3%) is taken from the seller's payout, and is shown before a sale is confirmed. Buyers do not pay it. A refunded order carries no fee.
Payments that were not completed
A payment that is not confirmed expires after 30 minutes and no order is created. If you paid and nothing happened, keep your M-Pesa message and send us the code. If the money arrives late, it is reviewed by a person and never simply lost.
Club items and event tickets
The refund period for Club memberships and tickets is shown before you pay.
Still stuck?
Email support@comradeconnect.co.ke with your order number and what happened. See Contact and the Trust centre.