Deposits & Cancellations

1. What governs a booking

This policy is part of the Rental Terms & Conditions. The owner and renter are the rental counterparties. Arkilamo facilitates the disclosed process and remains responsible for its own services and duties under law. The booking must show the owner, selected package, rental subtotal, deposit, payment-provider fee, cancellation schedule and relevant conditions before acceptance.

The following is the proposed standard cancellation schedule. It becomes a booking condition only when displayed and accepted for that booking through an enabled booking flow. Earlier confirmed bookings keep their accepted policy. Any alternative owner schedule must be clearly presented before acceptance and cannot remove mandatory rights.

2. Standard renter cancellation schedule

Cancellation at least 48 hours before the agreed pickup: refund the unused rental subtotal in full. Cancellation from 24 hours up to less than 48 hours before pickup: a cancellation charge of 25% of the rental subtotal, capped at one daily rental charge for the booked mode. Cancellation less than 24 hours before pickup, including a no-show: a charge of 50% of the rental subtotal, capped at two daily rental charges. Refund the remaining unused rental subtotal.

Use Philippine time (Asia/Manila) and the timestamp when a valid cancellation is received through the platform. A no-show is assessed only after a reasonable attempt to contact the renter through the booking channel and a documented 60-minute grace period, unless a different lawful, reasonable arrangement was accepted before booking. These charges are not additional fines layered on top of retaining the whole rental.

Charges are applied only where lawful, reasonable and actually agreed. A failure by the owner, unsafe/nonconforming vehicle, a protected consumer remedy or an accepted exceptional circumstance can require a different outcome, including a full refund. No automatic charge overrides applicable law.

3. Owner cancellation and failure to deliver

If the owner cancels or cannot provide the agreed roadworthy vehicle/package, the renter may accept a clearly disclosed substitute or decline it. The renter must not be forced into a materially different vehicle, price, route or service. A substitute requires informed agreement.

Where the agreed rental is not supplied and the renter is entitled to a full refund, refund the rental amounts and refundable deposits due, plus platform charges that must be refunded by law or the accepted policy. The renter must not bear a nonrefundable provider fee merely to excuse owner/platform non-delivery where a full remedy is legally required. Allocate the cost between the responsible parties through the supported process rather than deducting it secretly from the renter.

Any owner cancellation consequence must have a lawful, disclosed basis and fair review. Removing a listing or restricting an owner does not itself settle the renter’s monetary claim.

4. Late pickup, late return, early return and extensions

Report delays promptly in booking messages. Late-return/overtime, extra distance and extension prices must have been disclosed or newly agreed before the extra service is used. An extension is not effective until the owner accepts and the required payment/coverage/availability conditions are satisfied.

Early return does not automatically generate a refund for a period that remained reserved, but the parties may agree a fair adjustment and mandatory remedies remain available. A charge for an unused period cannot be used to avoid a valid claim for owner breach, nonconforming service or another protected circumstance.

5. Exceptional events and safety

For a major incident, unsafe vehicle, serious illness, government restriction, severe weather or another documented event outside a party’s reasonable control, contact support as soon as practical. We assess the facts, the accepted agreement and applicable law. Do not promise that every event is either automatically refundable or automatically excluded.

In an emergency, prioritize safety and contact emergency responders. Keep relevant records where safe. A party must not demand that a renter continue an unsafe trip just to preserve a refund claim.

6. Who holds the deposit

The booking must identify the refundable deposit amount, the holder, payment method, authorized purposes, evidence process and expected release timing. Unless an enabled checkout explicitly includes a deposit, do not assume the online rental payment collected it. A directly paid cash deposit is held by the owner, not automatically by Arkilamo.

The deposit is separate from rental revenue and is not included in the rental commission base. It must not be treated as the owner’s unrestricted income, as an insurance premium, or as the sole measure of liability. Do not request a deposit to a different undisclosed person or account outside an authorized flow.

7. Permitted deposit deductions and evidence

A deduction requires a lawful, agreed basis and reasonable evidence, such as documented new damage beyond ordinary wear, agreed missing accessories, actual fuel/charge shortfall, agreed unpaid time/distance fees, or a properly attributable traffic/parking charge. Compare dated pickup and return evidence; identify the amount and calculation.

Do not deduct for pre-existing damage, ordinary wear, unsupported estimates, unrelated repairs, depreciation already accounted for, hidden fees or the mere existence of a complaint. Do not recover the same loss twice through the renter, insurer and deposit. Any insurance excess or damage liability follows the actual policy and lawful agreement. The deposit balance beyond a justified claim remains refundable.

The owner should notify the renter and open a documented claim within 24 hours after return inspection, describing any reason a latent issue could not reasonably be identified then. The renter normally has 48 hours after the evidence is supplied to respond. These operational targets do not extinguish legal rights, shorten a statutory period or automatically validate an unsupported claim.

8. Release, holds and dispute handling

If there is no documented claim, return a directly held cash deposit at the completed return handover where practical. For supported electronic deposits, the holder should initiate release of the undisputed amount within three business days after completed return/inspection and reconciliation. Actual bank/provider posting can take additional time.

A documented disputed amount may be held only on a lawful, proportionate basis while the dispute is reviewed; release the undisputed balance. Tell the renter the amount, reason, evidence needed and next review date. No indefinite unexplained hold or automatic forfeiture is permitted by this policy. Arkilamo can facilitate the review but does not convert an owner-held deposit into platform custody merely by receiving a complaint.

9. Refund method, provider charges and payment-state conflicts

Use the original supported payment method where feasible and required, subject to provider rules and lawful alternatives agreed with the customer. Confirm the refundable amount and calculation before processing. Never ask for the customer’s banking password, OTP or full card security details to issue a refund.

Only an actual, disclosed and legally deductible nonrefundable provider charge may be excluded from a cancellation refund. Explain it separately; do not call all fees nonrefundable as a blanket rule. PayMongo’s refund/settlement timing and the receiving bank/e-wallet affect when funds appear. Provide the available reference and status rather than guaranteeing instantaneous credit.

Leaving the payment screen is not conclusive proof that no payment occurred. An attempt may be cancelled in the app while a late server-confirmed payment is being reconciled. Do not charge again or discard a confirmed payment silently; investigate, account for the money and either fulfill an available valid booking or arrange the amount due for refund.

10. How to request help

Cancel through the supported booking controls where available, or create a support case with the booking reference if those controls are unavailable. For a disputed deduction/refund, provide the accepted quote, payment reference, handover evidence, message record and the remedy you request. Do not post another person’s ID or account credentials.

Use the Complaints & Appeals policy to challenge a decision. Contact support@arkilamo.com. This process does not prevent a lawful provider dispute, insurer claim, consumer complaint, privacy complaint or court action.