Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Overview

OneFreight, operated by OneFreight (Pty) Ltd, facilitates freight bookings between Consignors and Transporters. We understand that plans change and that circumstances sometimes make cancellation unavoidable. This Policy sets out when refunds are available, how they are calculated, and how to request one.

This Policy applies to all confirmed Bookings made through the Platform and should be read alongside our Terms & Conditions. In the event of any conflict, the Terms & Conditions prevail.

You can cancel a booking yourself in the Platform, where the cancellation screen shows the exact refund, credit, or charge that will apply before you confirm (see clause 2). For a load that is already in transit, delivered, or closed, raise a dispute instead (clause 5). For any other refund query, email info@onefreight.co.za with your Booking Reference number and the reason for the request (clause 7).

2. Consignor Cancellations

If you are a consignor, what a cancellation costs depends on the stage the booking has reached, not on a fixed countdown to collection. The Platform works out the exact amount automatically and shows it to you on the cancellation screen before you confirm, so you always see the refund, credit, or charge that will apply before deciding. The Freight Rate is the amount payable to the transporter; the Platform Fee is our facilitation fee and is non refundable in every scenario below (see clause 4).

No charge Before a transporter is accepted

While your load is still open and no transporter has been accepted, you may cancel at any time at no cost. No refund is due because nothing has been charged, and no Platform Fee or cancellation fee applies.

Platform Fee only A transporter has accepted, but no truck is assigned yet

Once a transporter has accepted but has not yet assigned a specific truck, the only amount that applies is the non refundable Platform Fee. No Freight Rate is charged or withheld. If you paid up front, the Platform Fee is the only deduction; if you are billed in arrears, it is added to your current invoice.

Platform Fee + transporter fee A truck has been assigned, before the load goes in transit

When a transporter has committed a truck to your load, cancelling carries the Platform Fee plus a fixed per-truck cancellation fee that compensates the transporter for the capacity they set aside. Both are non refundable. The exact fee is set by the transporter's billing plan and is shown to you before you confirm.

Time-limited partial refund In transit, within the refund grace window

Once the load is in transit you have a short grace window, set by the Platform and shown on the cancellation screen, during which a portion of the Freight Rate is refundable. The remainder compensates the transporter for the trip already under way, and the Platform Fee is retained. If you paid up front, the refundable portion is applied to your invoice as a credit rather than returned to your card, so a pre-paid and an invoiced consignor end up paying the same net amount.

No refund After the grace window, or once delivered

If the grace window has elapsed while the load is in transit, cancelling is non refundable: the Freight Rate and Platform Fee are both retained. Once a load has been delivered or closed it can no longer be cancelled at all. If something has gone wrong with a load that is in transit, delivered, or closed, the path is to raise a dispute rather than cancel (see clause 5).

3. Transporter Cancellations

Transporters are expected to honour all confirmed Bookings. The Platform's reliability depends on Transporters being dependable, and cancellations, especially late ones, directly harm Consignors' businesses.

If a Transporter cancels a Booking they have committed to:

The consignor is made whole. The committed portion of the load is released for rematching and the consignor is refunded the Freight Rate they paid for it in full. The consignor is not charged a cancellation fee for a cancellation they did not cause.
The transporter's reputation is reduced. Each cancellation of a committed booking docks points from the transporter's reputation score. Reputation is a running balance, so the more reliable a transporter is, the more headroom they keep; repeated cancellations erode it quickly.
Low standing has consequences. As a transporter's score falls it passes through a warning level, then a temporary suspension from bidding on new loads, and ultimately a removal review. Suspensions lengthen with each occurrence. The current thresholds are set by the Platform and a transporter can always see their standing and history on their company page.

Where a Transporter cancellation causes a Consignor to incur demonstrable costs (such as storage or perishable goods loss), the Consignor may raise a dispute as described in clause 5.

4. Platform Fee Refunds

The Platform Fee charged by OneFreight (Pty) Ltd for facilitating a Booking is non-refundable in all standard cancellation scenarios. This fee covers the cost of vetting, matching, payment processing, and platform operations that occur regardless of whether a load is ultimately transported.

The Platform Fee will be refunded in full only where the cancellation or non-performance of a Booking is directly attributable to a material error on OneFreight's part. For example, a confirmed double-booking caused by a Platform fault, or a documented system failure that prevented a Booking from being communicated to the Transporter.

Claims for Platform Fee refunds on this basis must be submitted within 14 days of the Booking date, with supporting documentation.

5. Payment Disputes

Cancellations cover loads that are called off before delivery. Once a load is in transit, delivered, or closed, the way to seek a refund or adjustment is to raise a dispute rather than to cancel. This is the route to use if goods were damaged, a delivery fell short, or you believe a charge was applied incorrectly. The process is:

Step 1: Where possible, contact the other party directly through the Platform messaging system to resolve the issue in good faith;
Step 2: If that does not resolve it, raise a dispute on the relevant shipment in the Platform. Describe what went wrong and attach any supporting evidence (for example, photographs, delivery notes, or tracking records). You can also escalate by emailing info@onefreight.co.za with your booking reference;
Step 3: OneFreight (Pty) Ltd reviews the dispute and the evidence from both sides and resolves it as a full refund, a partial refund, or no refund, depending on the findings; and
Step 4: Any refund or adjustment is applied to the appropriate party's account (credited to the consignor, charged to the transporter, or absorbed by the Platform) and recorded against the booking. Where a payment is held pending resolution, it is released within 2 business days of the final determination.

OneFreight (Pty) Ltd's dispute resolution is provided in good faith but is not legally binding. Parties retain their right to refer unresolved disputes to the appropriate South African court or statutory body.

6. Refund Processing Times

Once a refund has been approved by our team, please allow the following timeframes for the funds to reflect:

Estimated processing times

Credit and debit card refunds: 5 to 7 business days (depending on your card issuer)
EFT or bank transfer refunds: 3 to 5 business days
Platform credit (where applicable): Credited to your account within 1 business day

Refund timelines begin from the date our team approves the refund request, not the date of the initial cancellation or dispute submission. You will receive an email confirmation when the refund is processed.

If your refund has not appeared after the stated timeframe, please contact your bank or card issuer first, as processing delays sometimes occur on their side. If the issue persists, contact us at info@onefreight.co.za.

7. How to Request a Refund

To request a refund or cancellation, send an email to info@onefreight.co.za with the following information:

Subject line: "Refund Request: [Your Booking Reference]"
Your full name and registered account email address;
Your Booking Reference number (found in your confirmation email or on the Platform);
The reason for the refund or cancellation request; and
Any supporting documentation (e.g. proof of cancellation, photos of damaged goods, correspondence with the other party).

Our support team will acknowledge your request within 1 business day and aim to provide a decision within 5 business days. Complex or disputed cases may take up to 10 business days to resolve.

8. Governing Policy

This Refund & Cancellation Policy is subject to applicable South African consumer and commercial legislation, including:

The Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, to the extent that it applies to the specific transaction;
The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECT Act), which governs online transactions and electronic contracts; and
The National Credit Act 34 of 2005, where payment arrangements or credit terms are involved.

Nothing in this Policy limits or excludes any rights you may have under applicable South African law that cannot be excluded by agreement.

9. Contact

For all refund, cancellation, and payment queries, please contact our support team:

Email: info@onefreight.co.za
Operator: OneFreight (Pty) Ltd
Platform: live.onefreight.co.za