Refund Policy

This Refund Policy applies to all membership subscriptions ("Basic Reader Pass") purchased through DiscoverStories ("we/our"). We comply with the EU Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU) and U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Rules to protect your consumer rights while preventing fraudulent refund requests. By subscribing to our membership service, you acknowledge and agree to the terms below.

1. Statutory Cooling-Off Period (No-Reason Refunds)

### For EU/EEA Users: You have the statutory right to cancel your membership and request a refund within 14 calendar days of purchasing the subscription (the "Cooling-Off Period"). This right requires no reason — you may cancel even if you have accessed membership content during this period — compliant with Article 9 of EU Directive 2011/83/EU.

### For U.S. Users: - Users in Minnesota: You have a mandatory 3-day no-reason refund period (per Minnesota State Consumer Protection Law). - Users in other U.S. states: We offer a 7-day no-reason refund period (consistent with U.S. market practices and FTC transparency requirements).

Refund Eligibility by Purchase Type

Refund policies vary by purchase type to align with industry practices and digital content regulations, compliant with EU/US laws allowing "no refunds for instantly delivered digital content after access":

• Single Chapter Purchase: No refunds available. Consistent with EU/US legal principles for instant digital content — refunds are prohibited once the chapter is accessed (even partially), as digital content is delivered instantly and cannot be returned.
• Chapter Range Purchase: No refunds available. Consistent with EU/US legal principles for instant digital content — refunds are prohibited once any chapter in the range is accessed (even partially), as digital content is delivered instantly and cannot be returned.
• Full Novel Purchase: No refunds available. Consistent with EU/US legal principles for instant digital content — refunds are prohibited once the novel is accessed (even partially), as digital content is delivered instantly and cannot be returned.
• Monthly / Annual Membership:
  • EU/EEA users: 14-day statutory cooling-off period (no-reason refunds).
  • U.S. users: 7-day no-reason refund period (3 days for Minnesota users).
  • After the cooling-off period: Pro-rated refunds based on days used (Daily fee = Total price / Number of days in the period).

Note: Refunds for memberships will terminate access to the purchased content immediately upon approval.

2. Partial Deduction for Service Usage (During Cooling-Off Period)

If you access or use the membership service during the Cooling-Off Period, we will deduct a reasonable fee for the used portion from the refund amount — compliant with Article 13 of EU Directive 2011/83/EU.

Calculation Standard:

• Each chapter in the membership library is valued at $0.05 (based on the total number of chapters and subscription fee).
• If you have accessed more than 30% of the total chapters in the membership library, the deduction will not exceed 30% of the subscription fee (to protect your consumer rights).
• No deduction will be applied if you have accessed fewer than 5 chapters (regardless of the subscription period).

Example:

If you purchase a $9.99 monthly membership and access 200 chapters (total library: 500 chapters) during the Cooling-Off Period: Deduction = (200/500) × $9.99 ≈ $4.00 → Refund amount = $9.99 - $4.00 = $5.99.

3. Required Proof for Refund Requests

To avoid fraudulent refund requests, you must provide the following proof when applying (we will verify within 3 business days) — compliant with U.S. FTC Rules and Article 13 of EU Directive 2011/83/EU.

• For "no-reason refunds": A screenshot of your payment confirmation email (must show the order ID, subscription period, and payment amount).
• For "valid reason refunds" (e.g., service outage, content mismatch): Screenshots/videos of the issue (with timestamp) or relevant test results (e.g., internet connection speed test).
• For duplicate charges: Bank or Stripe transaction records showing two identical charges for the same subscription period.

Note: Incomplete or unverifiable proof will delay your refund request. We will notify you to supplement the required materials within 24 hours of receiving your application.

4. Refund Application Process

1. Send an email to ruilangao5@gmail.com with the subject line: "Refund Request - [Your Username] - [Order ID]".
2. Include the following information in the email:
   • Your full name and registered email address;
   • Membership subscription period (start date and end date);
   • Reason for refund (e.g., "no-reason refund during cooling-off period", "service outage");
   • Required proof (as specified in Section 3).
3. We will review your request within 3 business days and send a confirmation email with the review result (approved/rejected/supplement materials).
4. Approved refunds will be processed within 7 business days to your original payment method. Processing time may vary by your bank or payment processor (Stripe).

Detailed Submission Guidelines

To ensure your request is processed smoothly, please follow these specific requirements for materials:

• Screenshot Specifications:
  • Payment confirmation: Must clearly show order ID, payment amount, and transaction date (resolution ≥ 1024×768, no blurring or cropping of key information);
  • Issue evidence (for valid reasons): Screenshots/videos must include timestamp (device time) and novel ID/chapter number (e.g., "Novel: novel1 Chapter 25 Loading Error");
  • Duplicate charge records: Bank statement or Stripe receipt showing two identical charges with the same order ID and date.
• Email Format Example:
  Subject: Refund Request - TestUser2 - pi_3NfXxQ2eZvKYlo2C123456
  
  Full Name: John Doe
  Registered Email: john@example.com
  Membership Period: 2025-01-01 to 2026-01-01
  Refund Reason: No-reason refund during cooling-off period
  Attachments: Payment_Confirmation.png, Chapter_Access_Record.png
• Attachment Rules:
  • File formats: Only PNG/JPG/PDF (no compressed folders like ZIP/RAR);
  • File size: Each attachment ≤ 10MB (total ≤ 30MB per email);
  • Naming convention: [Type]_[Username]_[OrderID].[Format] (e.g., "Payment_TestUser2_pi_3NfXxQ2eZvKYlo2C123456.png").
• Confirmation Notice: We will send an acknowledgment email within 24 hours of receiving your materials. If you don’t receive it, please check your spam folder or resubmit.

5. Non-Refundable Cases

Refunds will not be provided for the following scenarios:

• Change of mind after the Cooling-Off Period (no valid reason provided);
• Failure to use the membership service (e.g., "forgot to cancel" before renewal);
• Subscription cancellation after renewal (we only refund the current unexpired period, not past periods);
• Technical issues caused by your device, internet connection, or third-party software (not our service);
• Intentional misuse of the refund policy (e.g., repeated subscriptions and refunds within 12 months);
• Access to more than 70% of the membership content during the Cooling-Off Period (deduction equals 30% of the subscription fee).

6. Membership Benefit Restrictions

To avoid misunderstandings, please note the following key restrictions on membership benefits (consistent with membership page descriptions):

• Unlimited Access Scope: "Unlimited access to all updated chapters" excludes "early access chapters" (requires extra purchase) and "side stories" (50% discount for members) — compliant with copyright laws.
• Offline Download Validity: Offline downloads expire after 30 days and will be auto-deleted if your membership is not renewed. Expired offline content is not eligible for refund.
• Early Access Chapters: New "early access chapters" are not included in the standard membership and require separate purchase (members enjoy 50% discount).

7. Additional Notes

• Refunds are only available for the original subscription purchaser. We do not process refunds for third-party purchases.
• If you receive a refund, your membership access will be terminated immediately (including offline downloads).
• We reserve the right to limit refund requests from users who abuse the policy (e.g., more than 2 refunds in 12 months).
• This policy does not affect your statutory consumer rights under EU or U.S. law.