What is the Cancellation policy for Customers? – Airtasker Help Centre

Airtasker Accountability Framework

At Airtasker, we want to maintain a consistent and reliable marketplace for all Customers and Taskers. Cancelling tasks undermines the confidence of our entire community. However, we do appreciate that plans can change, so we have set out in this framework the responsibilities of both Customers and Taskers, in an effort to uphold the trust and confidence of all using our platform.

A clear and fair cancellation policy helps protect both Customers and Taskers and allows us to set clear expectations as to what happens when a task is cancelled.

Responsibilities

When using the Airtasker platform, we expect Customers will provide Taskers with as much information as possible on the task that they need to be done This includes describing their task with a reasonable amount of detail, providing pictures where they are helpful and answering any questions that your Tasker may have. Ultimately, the more information you give, the more likely that the task will be completed to your expectations.

As a Customer, your responsibilities include:

Describe the task → Provide an accurate description of the task that you want completed. Be upfront about any special requirements or details, as well as any equipment that you have on hand that your Tasker is able to use (if applicable).
Answer questions → Accurately respond to any questions a Tasker may have so that they are capable of making you a fair offer and ultimately capable of completing your task.
Communication → Good communication helps Taskers provide a quality service. Aim to respond to your assigned Tasker within 24 hours of receiving a message (but the sooner the better especially with imminent tasks). After assigning a task, we highly recommend you continue all communications through Airtasker Messages (our platform's messaging service) to ensure there is a secure record of your conversation and if any disputes need to be escalated, reach out to our Airsupport team. It is important to keep communications on the platform so the Airsupport team can help resolve any issues that may arise.
Commitment to task → Before accepting an offer from a Tasker, make sure you are ready, willing and able to have the task completed by that Tasker.
Availability and access→ Ensure you are available (if required) on the agreed date and time for the Tasker to complete the task. For tasks that require physical or virtual access, you must provide the Tasker with the necessary access to complete the task. This may include, where necessary, access to utilities, such as water or electricity.
Qualifications → If your Task requires formal qualifications or certification, it is your responsibility to confirm the Tasker holds the required qualifications or certification prior to the commencement of the task.
Act according to Airtasker's community guidelines → Ensure you understand and follow Airtasker's Community Guidelines.

Services & Fees

Connection Fee

A core part of the value we bring to our Customers and Taskers is the connection that happens when a Customer finds the right Tasker to do their task and vice versa. To enable us to run a platform that allows this connection to happen, we charge Customers a connection fee. The connection fee is payable by you when you accept a Tasker's offer on your task. For more information on our fees and charges and other countries, please click here.

In the event that a task is cancelled and the Customer is not responsible for the cancellation, the connection fee will be refunded as Airtasker Credits to their account that will be automatically applied to your next task on the platform. Upon request, your Airtasker Credits can be refunded to your original payment method. To request a refund to your original payment method, Customers must contact Airsupport by either responding to the refund email or completing a refund request form and on both occasions, quoting the refund ID number listed in your refund email. Processing of your request to refund your Airtasker Credits to your original payment method can take between 5-7 business days to complete.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation fee

As a Customer, if you choose to cancel a task, you will be refunded the amount of the task that has been cancelled as Airtasker Credits. Upon request, these Airtasker Credits can be redeemed as cash and returned to your original payment method. The connection fee will be non-refundable.

Automated cancellations

When a Customer or Tasker submits a request to cancel a task, the request is sent to the other party to approve or reject the cancellation. In the case where an acceptance or rejection is not received by that party within 48 hours from the submitted request, the task will be cancelled automatically and a party will be held responsible for the cancellation fee based on the information provided through the cancellation request.

Repeated Cancellations

If you repeatedly cancel tasks, your account may be suspended at our sole discretion. Account suspensions can range from temporary suspensions (i.e. 1-week suspension) to permanent suspensions.

Ratings and reviews also provide valuable feedback that can help Customers and Taskers inform their decisions about which person to work with. Customers are able to provide a review on a cancelled task as well as provide feedback to Airtasker which we may act on at our sole discretion.

Extenuating Circumstances

This Extenuating Circumstances Policy explains how unforeseen circumstances that make it unsafe or illegal to complete are handled with regard to cancellations for both Customers and Taskers (after a task has been assigned).

To avoid incurring cancellation fees, ensure prior to cancelling you understand the exceptions below that we will consider.

If you believe a cancellation fee has been incorrectly charged to your account, please contact the Airsupport team and provide the relevant documentation or other supporting information to help us review the decision.

What Extenuating Circumstances are covered

When we refer to Extenuating Circumstances that can be used to avoid cancellation fees on a cancelled task, these refer to events that are unforeseen at the time of offer or assigning, and prevent or legally prohibit completion of the task. These are:

Declared emergencies and epidemics. Government-declared local or national emergencies, epidemics, pandemics and public health emergencies.
Natural disasters. Natural disasters, acts of God, large-scale outages of essential utilities, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and other severe and abnormal weather events. This does not include weather or natural conditions that are common enough to be foreseeable in the area---for example, thunderstorms or rain.

What is not considered an Extenuating Circumstance

This Policy only allows for task cancellations for the Extenuating Circumstances covered above. Everything else is excluded.

Some examples of situations that this Policy does not allow cancellations include:

Unexpected disease, illness or injury
Government obligations such as jury duty, court appearances or military duties
Not understanding the task: It is your responsibility to gather the information that you need in order to request/complete the task by carefully providing/reading the task description and asking clarifying questions when needed.
Lack of availability: As a Tasker, it is your responsibility to ensure you are available to complete the task on the date and time agreed upon (where relevant) and as a Customer you are available to grant access to your property (where required)
Travel issues or disruptions: Transportation disruptions like road closures, as well as flight, train, bus and ferry cancellations that prevent your travel. In addition, travel documents or other personal circumstances relating to your authorisation to travel, such as an expired or lost driver's licence are also excluded as a valid reason for cancellation.
Lack of skills and qualifications: It is your responsibility (as a Tasker) to have and/or select a Tasker with the required skills and qualifications to complete the task.
Equipment: Ensure you have or are able to arrange access to the required equipment to complete the task. If the task requires parts or materials from third parties then it is your responsibility to communicate that and agree upon what is required.

Click here to view the full version of the Cancellation Policy