Refund Policy

1. Overview

At China Sojourn, we stand behind the quality of our travel guides and subscription service. Because our products fall into two distinct categories, our refund policy differs accordingly:

EU Consumer Rights: For consumers in the European Union, you have a statutory right of withdrawal under the EU Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU). This right applies until you begin downloading or accessing the digital content. Once access has started, the right of withdrawal is waived in accordance with Article 16(e) of the Directive.

2. Single Guide Purchases

Our individual city guides are digital products (PDF downloads and web-based content). Like other digital content platforms, once a guide has been accessed or downloaded, the content cannot be "returned."

Eligible for Refund:

• You purchased a guide but have not viewed or downloaded any of its content.
• The guide content contains a significant factual error that materially affects your trip planning (e.g., incorrect visa requirements, wrong transportation info). Please report within 48 hours of discovery.
• You were charged incorrectly (duplicate charge, wrong amount).
• The guide fails to render or open due to a technical issue on our end.

Not Eligible for Refund:

• You have already viewed, downloaded, or accessed the guide content — even partially.
• The refund request is made more than 30 days after purchase.
• Your trip plans changed or you decided not to travel.

This policy aligns with standard digital content refund practices. Physical travel guidebooks (e.g., Lonely Planet, Rough Guides) are also non-refundable once used.

3. Subscriptions (Monthly, Annual Standard, Annual PRO)

We offer a 7-day money-back guarantee on all new subscription purchases. If you are not satisfied, you may request a full refund within 7 days of your initial subscription purchase. Refund requests are subject to our fair use guidelines.

Subscription-Specific Rules:

• Within 7 days of initial purchase: Full refund. After a refund, your subscription access will no longer be active, and your license to use any downloaded PDF guides is terminated. Downloaded PDFs must be deleted and may not be retained or redistributed.
• After 7 days: You may cancel anytime, but no refund will be issued for the current or past billing periods. Your access continues until the end of the current billing cycle.
• Renewal charges: Automatic renewal charges that have already been processed are non-refundable. Cancel before your next billing date to avoid charges.

Important: PDF downloads are provided under a subscription license, not a perpetual license. Your right to retain, use, or share downloaded PDFs ends when your subscription is refunded or canceled. This is consistent with how digital subscription services (e.g., Spotify offline downloads, Kindle Unlimited) work — downloaded content remains licensed, not owned.

4. How to Request a Refund

• By Email: Send a refund request to billing@chinasojourn.com with the subject line "Refund Request — [Order Number]." Include your order number, the email address associated with your account, and the reason for your request.
• By Contacting Support: Email support@chinasojourn.com and a representative will assist you.

You will receive a confirmation email acknowledging receipt within 2 business days. We aim to process all approved refunds within 5 to 10 business days. Refunds are issued to the original payment method via our Merchant of Record, Lemon Squeezy. The exact timing depends on your bank or card issuer (typically 5-10 business days for credit/debit cards, 5-7 business days for other payment methods).

5. Fair Use

To keep our refund policy fair for everyone, refunds may not apply in the following situations:

• The guide has already been opened or viewed.
• Items received through promotions or free offers.
• Accounts that have been closed due to Terms of Service violations.

If a refund request is declined, we'll explain why in writing. You can appeal any decision by replying to that email.

6. Subscription Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time through Account Settings or by emailing billing@chinasojourn.com. Upon cancellation:

• Your access remains active until the end of the current billing period.
• No further charges will be made after cancellation.
• Your account data and preferences are preserved for future resubscription.

7. Contact

• Billing Inquiries: billing@chinasojourn.com
• Customer Support: support@chinasojourn.com
• Mailing Address: China Sojourn LLC, 548 Market Street, Suite 36879, San Francisco, CA 94104, USA

Our billing and support teams are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pacific Time. We aim to respond to all inquiries within 1 to 2 business days.