Refunds, and why there are none.
Fees for every engagement on this site are non-refundable. This page explains that plainly, and sets out the few situations where that answer would be unfair and therefore does not apply.
What this covers
All three engagements offered on this site: the astrological consultation, Nama-Samskara · The First Blessing™, and the five-session birth chart reading. Fees are shown exclusive of GST; 18% is added at the time of payment. Payment is taken once, at confirmation.
Why the fee is not returnable
What you are paying for is not an hour of somebody's time. It is a span of Dr. Sundaram's attention set aside for you and for nobody else, and most of the work happens before you are ever in the room.
The chart is drawn and studied first. For Nama-Samskara the study is the greater part of the engagement — the nakshatra and pada, the temperament the chart describes, the sound and meaning testing across languages, the lineage read alongside it, and the writing of the document. By the time you sit down for the parent conversation, a substantial share of the work is already done and cannot be undone or given to somebody else.
For the same reason, a slot that is released late cannot be filled. Deciding not to proceed is entirely your right; the reserved time and the study already completed are not recoverable.
Moving a meeting
You may reschedule once, without charge, using the link in your calendar invitation, provided you do so at least 48 hours before the meeting. Inside 48 hours, and for any second change, the meeting is treated as held.
If you do not attend and have not written, the meeting is treated as held.
If Dr. Sundaram cannot attend
If she cancels or has to move a meeting, she will offer you another time. If nothing she can offer works for you, the fee for the part not delivered is returned in full. This is the one circumstance in which money comes back, and it is not at anyone's discretion.
Payments taken in error
A duplicate charge, or an amount taken where the payment page failed and no engagement was created, is not a fee — it is a mistake, and it is returned in full. Write to the address below with the payment reference from your receipt. Refunds are processed within 5 to 7 working days and are returned to the original payment method; your bank may take a few days more to show it.
Before you raise a dispute
If something has gone wrong, please write first. Almost everything is resolved in a single exchange, and a chargeback raised with your bank takes weeks and prevents Dr. Sundaram from being able to help you directly while it is open.
connect@meenakshisundaram.com
Please include the payment reference from your receipt and the date of the engagement. Enquiries are answered within three working days.
Please read before you pay
Because the fee does not come back, it matters that you book the right thing. If you are not certain which of the three engagements fits your situation — or whether any of them does — write before you pay rather than after. Dr. Sundaram would far rather answer your questions first than take a booking that was never right for you.