Refunds & Returns | Find a Grocery Buddy

Effective Date: October 30, 2025

1. Overview

At Find a Grocery Buddy, we value transparency and fairness.

Because all grocery orders are placed directly by our fulfillment team through Instacart, we cannot offer traditional product returns.

However, we do review refund requests under specific, verifiable circumstances.

Our goal is simple: to ensure every dollar you contribute goes exactly where it’s meant to — to food, delivery, and relief for someone in need.

2. When Refunds May Be Issued

Refunds are only issued if one of the following applies:

  • Order cannot be completed:
    If Instacart or the grocery store cancels the order before fulfillment, we will refund the full amount of the Instacart order.

  • Duplicate payment:
    If a payment was submitted more than once by mistake, we’ll refund the duplicate transaction after verification.

  • System or processing error:
    If a technical issue (PayPal failure, listing error, or fulfillment glitch) caused an incorrect charge, we’ll review and refund accordingly.

Refunds are not issued once an Instacart order has been placed successfully.

3. Non-Refundable Situations

Payments are considered final in the following cases:

  • The Instacart order has already been placed or fulfilled.

  • The donor changes their mind after payment.

  • The donor entered incorrect payment information.

  • The recipient’s order is delivered successfully but later updated or modified by Instacart.

All donations are treated as voluntary grocery purchases on behalf of verified recipients, not product sales or tax-deductible donations.

4. How Refunds Are Processed

Approved refunds are:

  • Issued via PayPal to the same account used for payment.

  • Processed within 5–7 business days after review.

  • Confirmed via email once completed.

We may request additional details (such as transaction ID or email address) to locate and verify your payment before processing.

5. Reporting a Problem

If you believe a transaction qualifies for a refund:

  1. Email [email protected] with:

    • Your full name

    • PayPal transaction ID

    • Date and amount of payment

    • Brief explanation of the issue

  2. Our team will review your request within 3 business days.

  3. If approved, PayPal will automatically issue the refund to your original payment method.

6. Returns Policy

Because no physical items are shipped by Find a Grocery Buddy, we do not process “returns” in the traditional sense.

All grocery orders are fulfilled and delivered through Instacart, which operates under its own delivery and replacement policies.

If an item was missing, substituted, or damaged, please contact Instacart Support directly for resolution.

Instacart Help: https://www.instacart.com/help

7. Program Support Fee

The Program Support Fee (3.5% + $4.95) covers PayPal transaction fees, verification, and administrative costs.

This fee is non-refundable once payment has been processed, even if an order is later canceled by the donor.

8. Our Commitment

We know every contribution matters.
If we are ever unable to fulfill an order, you will always receive either:

  • A full refund of the Instacart order, or

  • The option to reassign your contribution to another verified recipient.

Your trust is as important to us as the groceries you help provide.