Advance Payment & No-Refund Policy

All advance payments, booking amounts and deposits paid to The Esthetic Clinics® for any treatment, procedure or surgery are non-refundable, except in the limited cases set out in Section 7 of this Policy.

This Policy is issued by Esthetic Pioneers International Private Limited (CIN: U74999MH2017PTC297657), operating as The Esthetic Clinics® (“TEC®”, “we”, “us”, “our”), and applies to all TEC® clinics.

By paying an advance - in person, by UPI, card, net banking, payment link, bank transfer or any other mode - you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted this Policy. This Policy forms part of TEC®’s Terms and Conditions and must be read together with TEC®’s Privacy Policy and the treatment-specific informed consent you sign.

This Policy applies to every advance paid to TEC® for any treatment, at any TEC® clinic, through any channel - walk-in, phone, WhatsApp, website, landing page, payment link, third-party booking platform or TEC® staff. It covers advances paid for:

• Consultations and OPD appointments, including discounted or promotional consultations
• Single-session treatments (e.g. lasers, peels, injectables, PRP, QR678®)
• Multi-session packages and memberships
• Hair transplant and other surgical procedures, including OT, anaesthesia and hospital blocking
• Treatments booked under any offer, campaign, discount, EMI or financing scheme

Where a separately signed agreement or consent form for a specific treatment contains different refund terms, that signed document prevails for that treatment only.

Your advance is a genuine pre-estimate of the costs and losses TEC® incurs the moment your treatment is confirmed. It is not a penalty. On confirming your booking, TEC® commits resources that cannot be recovered or re-sold at short notice, including:

• Reserving the doctor’s, surgeon’s and clinical team’s time, and declining other patients for that slot
• Blocking operation theatre, procedure room, equipment and anaesthesia support
• Procuring patient-specific consumables, injectables, graft kits, regenerative formulations and medicines, many of which are perishable or single-use
• Pre-procedure planning, counselling, documentation and coordination
• Payment-gateway, bank and GST costs on the amount received

For these reasons, the advance is retained by TEC® as reasonable compensation, consistent with Sections 73 and 74 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872.

Once paid, an advance will not be refunded in cash, by bank transfer or to the original payment source in any of the following situations:

1. You cancel the treatment for any personal reason, including change of mind, travel, work, family or financial reasons.
2. You do not attend the appointment or arrive too late for it to be safely performed (“no-show”).
3. You choose a different clinic, doctor or treatment provider.
4. You decide not to proceed after consultation, counselling or receiving the cost estimate.
5. You are found unfit for treatment because you did not disclose, or wrongly disclosed, your medical history, medication, allergies, pregnancy or other relevant information.
6. You do not follow pre-procedure instructions (e.g. fasting, stopping medicines, investigations, patch tests) and the treatment has to be postponed or cancelled.
7. You are dissatisfied with results that fall within the expected range explained in your consent form (see Section 9).
8. You stop attending sessions of a package midway, or the package validity expires with sessions unused.
9. The offer, discount or price under which you booked has since changed.

No refund means no partial refund either, unless Section 7 applies. You may still be eligible to use the advance as a Treatment Credit under Section 6.

GST is not refundable

Goods and Services Tax (GST) is charged on every advance at the applicable rate and is deposited by TEC® with the Government under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 and the Maharashtra Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017. The GST component of any advance is not refundable in any circumstance, including when the advance is carried forward as a Treatment Credit or refunded under Section 7. When a Treatment Credit is used, the GST already paid on the advance is adjusted against the final treatment invoice, but it is never paid back in cash or to the original payment source.

If you inform TEC® in writing (email or TEC®’s official WhatsApp number) at least 48 hours before your appointment - or at least 7 days before any surgical procedure - your advance is carried forward as a Treatment Credit.

Treatment Credit has no cash value and cannot be exchanged for money, products or gift vouchers.

TEC® will refund an advance only in the following cases:

1. TEC® cancels the treatment (e.g. doctor unavailability, equipment failure, clinic closure) and cannot offer you a mutually agreeable alternative date within 30 days.
2. TEC®’s doctor medically advises against the treatment at the pre-procedure assessment, for a reason that was not known or disclosable at the time of booking.
3. Duplicate or excess payment - any amount paid twice or above the invoiced value, through error.
4. Failed transaction - amount debited from your account but not received by TEC®.
5. Order of a competent authority - a court, Consumer Commission or other authority directs a refund.

In cases 1 and 2, TEC® may deduct the value of any consultation, investigation, consumables or services already provided. All approved refunds are made only to the original payment source, within 15 Business Days of approval. Any refund covers the advance amount only; the GST component is not refunded (see Section 5). Bank or gateway timelines may add to this.

Refund requests must be made in writing within 30 days of the event, with the payment receipt, using the contact details in Section 14.

• Consultation and OPD fees, including promotional or discounted consultations, are non-refundable once the consultation slot is booked.
• Packages and memberships are non-refundable in full or in part, including for unused sessions. Sessions must be used within the validity stated on your invoice.
• Offer and campaign bookings are non-refundable and cannot be combined with other offers. Offer pricing applies only within the stated offer period.
• Complimentary sessions or add-ons carry no cash value.
• Home-care and retail products sold by TEC® cannot be returned or refunded once dispensed, for hygiene and safety reasons, unless the product is defective or expired at the time of sale.
• EMI or third-party financing: cancelling the treatment does not cancel your loan or EMI agreement with the financing partner. Their own terms apply.

Medical and aesthetic treatments are services, not products, and results vary from person to person. Results depend on age, skin and hair type, genetics, medical history, lifestyle and adherence to post-treatment care.

TEC® does not guarantee any specific result. Fees and advances are paid for the professional service, time, skill and materials provided, not for a particular outcome. Expected results, risks and possible side effects are explained in your consultation and in the informed consent form you sign before treatment.

This Policy does not limit any remedy available to you under law for deficiency in service or medical negligence. Any such concern should be raised through the grievance process in Section 12.

Please contact TEC® before raising a dispute with your bank, card issuer or UPI app. Most concerns can be resolved directly.

If a chargeback or payment reversal is raised on an advance that is non-refundable under this Policy, TEC® will submit this Policy, your signed acceptance, invoices and treatment records to the bank or payment network to contest it. TEC® may suspend further bookings until the dispute is closed.

Where a refund or chargeback is obtained by false statements, forged documents or impersonation, TEC® reserves the right to recover the amount through civil proceedings and to report the matter to the police under the applicable provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), including Section 318 (cheating) and Section 336 (forgery), and the Information Technology Act, 2000 where electronic means are involved.

Before any advance is collected, TEC® will make this Policy available to you - on the website, on the payment link or booking confirmation, and at the clinic front desk. Your acceptance is recorded by one of the following: a signature on the booking form or invoice, a ticked checkbox before online payment, or a written confirmation on email or WhatsApp. Electronic acceptance is valid under Section 10A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. By accepting, you confirm that:

• You have read and understood this Policy before paying
• You have had the chance to ask questions about it
• You have given complete and accurate medical information
• You are 18 years or older, or a parent or legal guardian is paying and consenting on your behalf

TEC® acknowledges every written complaint within 48 hours and aims to resolve it within 30 days, in line with the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

If you are not satisfied with TEC®’s resolution, you may approach the National Consumer Helpline (1915 or consumerhelpline.gov.in) or the appropriate Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. Nothing in this Policy takes away any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

This Policy is governed by the laws of India, including:

• Indian Contract Act, 1872 (Sections 73 and 74 - compensation and reasonable forfeiture)
• Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and rules made under it
• Information Technology Act, 2000 (electronic records and acceptance)
• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (handling of payment and patient data)
• Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (tax on advances received)
• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (offences relating to fraud, cheating and forgery)
• National Medical Commission (Registered Medical Practitioner Professional Conduct) Regulations, 2023

Subject to your rights before consumer forums, courts in Mumbai, Maharashtra have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes under this Policy.

If any clause is held invalid, the remaining clauses continue in force. TEC® may update this Policy at any time by publishing the revised version on its website. The version in force on the date you paid the advance applies to that advance.

For rescheduling, refund requests under Section 7 or questions about this Policy:

Esthetic Pioneers International Private Limited (The Esthetic Clinics®)