Offering refund protection benefits both event organisers and attendees. It enhances the customer experience, ultimately boosting sales.
This is offered to participants at registration and allows them the opportunity to safeguard their booking in the case of unforeseen circumstances.
The provider is The Protect Group and the policy is Refund Protect
Here’s why it’s advantageous:
📈 Enhances Customer Trust and Sales: Offering refund protection builds trust and encourages more ticket purchases, as attendees feel secure knowing they won’t lose money if they can't attend.
✔️ Reduces Chargebacks and Disputes: A clear refund policy minimises chargebacks and disputes, saving time and money while ensuring a smoother experience for both organisers and attendees.
🏃 Competitive Advantage and Loyalty: Refund protection differentiates your event from competitors, attracting more attendees and fostering long-term loyalty through positive customer experiences.
🤠 Positive Brand Image: Providing refund protection portrays your organization as customer-centric and considerate, enhancing your brand image and leading to positive word-of-mouth.
💰 Generates Additional Revenue and Reduces Direct Refunds: By selling refund protection as an add-on, organisers earn extra income. This also means refund claims are handled by the protection provider, saving organisers from directly processing refunds.
By default, the option is not enabled. To offer Refund Protect you will need to enable this feature on each race/category individually.
Finding this Feature
Dashboard > Event > Setup > Form > Refund Protect
Enabling Booking Protection
First navigate to the event you wish to enable this on and click Setup > Form > Refund Protect (see above)
Tick the boxes for the races you wish to enable booking protection on and click save
We strongly recommend you read the full set of Terms and Conditions. Booking protection is enabled on a per race basis.
You will need to repeat this when copying an existing race on which protection has already been enabled.
Booking protection will now be enabled for any selected races. See the What the customer sees section below to understand how your customers will then opt into refund protection
What The Customer Sees
Once enabled, customers will be presented with the option to protect their booking during the registration process.
The system adds instructions to the confirmation email which include the Terms and Conditions and a unique code. The Refund Protect merge tag is present in the default entry confirmation email but will be blank (not visible) if the participant did not purchase a policy.
For customers that have purchased a policy they will receive confirmation in their entry email linking them to the Protect group in case of claims and also to the policy terms and conditions.
The system adds a section to the online booking confirmation page which the reference number and a link to the claim form.
Your terms and conditions will automatically have a paragraph of text added to them which outline the conditions of the Refund Protect policy
What Does Refund Protect Cover?
It covers race entry and all add-ons including merchandise
Please see the full terms and conditions here
How Customers Claim a Refund
They click the link in their profile or confirmation email.
Enter their details and claim reference number (as provided by our system)
Refund Protect then decides if the claim is valid (typically within 4 hours)
Exceptions
Booking protection is not transferred if a participant moves event or transfers their entry to another person
Booking protection is not currently available on Group or Team Tickets
It will not be proposed on any items in your merchandise store that are bought in isolation
Managing Customer Queries
The relationship is between the customer and Refund Protect.
We strongly advise you to highlight the terms and conditions of Refund Protect where possible but each customer will have the option to read them during their registration.
Reporting on Refund Protect
Navigate to All signups. Anyone that has purchased a policy will be denoted with a Brief Case Icon 💼
Navigate to a participant's booking page. Here you will find their policy reference number in Entrants Details below the Eventrac Reference number. All Policy numbers will be prefixed with evt-
Getting Paid for Refund Protection
When someone purchases Refund Protect, you will earn 3% of the total price paid by the customer. This will be sent directly to your payment account at the point of payment.
Due to the way Refund Protect is processed, you will see a higher fee on the Stripe transaction. This is normal since the entire price of refund protection is sent to your account and deducted as a fee (less the 3% kickback)