The short version
- Free features stay free. Nothing on the free tier is ever charged.
- You can cancel a subscription at any time. You keep access until the end of the period you already paid for, and no further payments are taken.
- Verified reports are delivered as soon as you buy them. We refund you if we fail to deliver one or charge you by mistake.
- If you subscribe for the first time and change your mind within 7 days, you can have that first payment back, as long as you have not used the paid features.
- Nothing here takes away your rights under South African consumer law.
This policy explains how cancellations and refunds work for everything you pay for on Car Log. It forms part of our Terms of Service.
1. What this policy covers
It applies to anything you pay Car Log for:
- Verified reports (bought per vehicle), including the per-vehicle reports available to dealers and fleet owners once any free allowance is used.
- Monthly subscriptions, such as Mechanic Pro, the Dealer plan, Fleet Owner and Parts Supplier Priority.
Car Log does not sell vehicles, parts or repairs, and it does not take payment for them. If you pay a mechanic, supplier or dealer directly, refunds are between you and that business.
2. How payment works
Payments are made in South African Rand through PayFast, on PayFast’s own secure pages. Your card details go to PayFast and never pass through our servers. Prices are shown before you pay. Car Log is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added. For every payment we send you an invoice and a receipt, which you can also download in Settings.
3. Cancelling a subscription
- How: cancel in the app from your dashboard’s subscription card. It takes effect straight away for future payments, and we email you a confirmation.
- What happens next: the subscription stays active until the end of the period you have already paid for. No further payments are taken, and there is no cancellation fee.
- After it ends: your account stays, and you go back to the free features and limits for your account type.
- Deleting your account: please cancel your subscription first, so that no further payments are taken.
If you are unable to cancel in the app, email help@carlog.co.za and we will do it for you.
4. Renewals, missed payments and price changes
- Renewals: subscriptions renew monthly on the same day until you cancel. We email you a reminder before each renewal.
- Missed payments: if a renewal payment does not go through, we may lock the paid features until it is resolved. You can update your card through the link in your subscription settings.
- Price changes: we give you at least 30 days’ notice before a new price applies to your subscription, and you can cancel before it starts.
5. Verified reports
A verified report is delivered as soon as you pay. When you buy one, you ask us to start the service immediately. It can be shared and regenerated as often as you like for its access window (currently 30 days from purchase).
We will refund a verified report in full if:
- we could not deliver it because of a fault on our side that we could not fix, or
- you were charged twice or the wrong amount.
Once a report has been generated and delivered, it is not refundable just because you changed your mind or no longer need it, because the service has already been provided.
6. First-time subscribers: the 7-day option
If this is your first payment for a subscription, you may cancel and ask for that payment back within 7 days of paying, provided you have not used the paid features. Using them includes, for example, sending reminders, running automated reports or generating reports that are only available on the paid plan. After 7 days, or once the paid features have been used, we do not refund part of a billing period, but you keep access until it ends.
7. When we always refund
Regardless of the rules above, we will refund you in full if:
- you were charged twice, or an incorrect amount;
- you were charged after you cancelled or after your account was deleted; or
- you paid for a feature we did not provide because of our fault.
We will also refund whatever the law requires us to refund.
8. Your legal rights
If you are a consumer (an individual buying for yourself) and you buy online, you may have a right to cancel within 7 days without giving a reason under section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002. That right does not apply to a service that began with your consent within those 7 days (section 42(2)), which is why a verified report, delivered immediately, is treated as we describe above. If you buy for business purposes, consumer cooling-off rules may not apply, but this policy still does. This policy does not reduce any right you have under that Act or the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008.
9. How refunds are paid
Refunds go back to the payment method you used, through PayFast, in South African Rand. We tell you by email when a refund has been issued. How long it takes to reach your account depends on your bank or payment provider.
10. How to ask for a refund
Email help@carlog.co.za from the email address on your account with your invoice or receipt number (or the date and amount) and a short description of the problem. You can also message us on WhatsApp, but we may ask you to confirm by email so we have a record. We aim to reply within 5 business days. If you are unhappy with our answer, you can escalate to the National Consumer Commission or another body you are entitled to approach.
Please contact us before raising a dispute with your bank. It is usually much faster to fix the problem directly.
11. Promotions and complimentary access
Free launch promotions and complimentary access periods cost you nothing, so there is nothing to refund. If a promotion ends, you are told before you are charged for anything, and it does not affect anything you have already paid for.
12. Contact us
Questions about payments, cancellations or refunds: help@carlog.co.za, or on WhatsApp: Message us on WhatsApp.