How Refunds Work on DriveBook: A Guide for Instructors and Students

Refunds are an occasional reality in any service business. A lesson is cancelled, a student changes their mind, or something goes wrong and a credit needs to be returned. Understanding how DriveBook handles refunds prevents confusion and makes the process straightforward for both instructors and students.

How DriveBook Payments Work

Before covering refunds, a quick recap of how payments flow:

When a student books a lesson on DriveBook, the lesson cost is deducted from their wallet balance. That wallet balance was loaded by the student via card payment.

The instructor doesn't receive payment immediately at booking — funds are held and released as a weekly payout after lessons are completed. This structure protects both parties: students aren't paying for lessons that don't happen, and instructors receive consolidated payouts rather than individual micro-transactions.

Student-Initiated Cancellations

When a student cancels a lesson:

Within the instructor's cancellation policy window: The lesson cost — or a portion of it, depending on the instructor's policy — is retained by the instructor. The remainder, if any, is returned to the student's wallet balance.

Outside the cancellation window (sufficient notice given): The full lesson cost is returned to the student's wallet balance. The wallet credit can be used for a future booking with the same instructor.

The exact cancellation policy is set by each instructor and displayed on their booking page. Students see the policy before booking and agree to it at the time of payment.

Instructor-Initiated Cancellations

When an instructor cancels a lesson, the full lesson cost is returned to the student's wallet balance. The student doesn't lose any money — the credit is there for rebooking.

Instructors should minimise cancellations where possible. Frequent instructor-initiated cancellations affect student trust and can impact your profile rating.

Refunds to the Original Payment Method

Wallet credits sit on the DriveBook platform and can be used for future bookings. In most cancellation scenarios, the credit stays in the wallet.

If a student wants a refund back to their original payment method (not just a wallet credit), they can contact DriveBook support. Refunds to the original payment method are processed when appropriate — for example, if a student decides not to continue lessons and has an unused balance.

Refund timelines to the original payment method depend on the student's card issuer. DriveBook processes the refund promptly, but it can take up to 5–10 business days to appear on the student's bank statement.

What Instructors Receive

Instructors receive weekly payouts covering lessons completed in the prior week. The payout reflects:

Total lesson fees for completed bookings
Minus the platform commission
Minus any refunds or adjustments for that period

Detailed payout breakdowns are visible in the instructor dashboard. If a refund is issued for a lesson that was already included in a payout, the adjustment appears in the following week's payout.

Disputes

In rare cases, a student may dispute a charge — for example, claiming a lesson didn't happen or that the service wasn't delivered as agreed. DriveBook reviews disputes case by case, considering:

Booking records (date, time, instructor, student)
Lesson completion records
Relevant communications

Instructors are notified of any dispute involving their bookings and have the opportunity to provide context before a decision is made.

The best protection against disputes is good record-keeping: logging lesson notes and feedback after each session creates a record that supports your position if a situation is later challenged.

For Students: What to Do If Something Goes Wrong

If you believe you've been charged incorrectly, a lesson didn't take place, or you have a payment issue:

Check your transaction history in your student dashboard first — the booking record will show the status and any credits applied
If the issue isn't resolved by the dashboard records, contact DriveBook support
Provide your booking reference and a brief description of the issue

Support aims to resolve payment issues promptly. Most straightforward issues — a cancelled lesson where the credit hasn't appeared, a booking that shows pending — are resolved within 24 hours.

DriveBook handles payments, credits, and refunds transparently so both instructors and students always know where they stand.

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