Refund and bad-lead policy

Version 0.6. No lawyer has reviewed this page. Prices are working prices, subject to change before launch.

A1. In short

Bad lead: if a lead is bad, you get the credit back, as long as you claim within 7 days of the date we sent it and show us what happened.
Real lead, no job: a real lead that doesn't turn into work isn't a bad lead.
Cash back: you can have unused paid credit back in cash at any time (A7).
Missed reply: if you didn't contact the homeowner in time, the credit comes back without a claim (A6a).
Extra patches: up to 5 patches are included for each trade a firm does; each extra patch (beyond the 5 included for that trade) is £10, paid once (working price). That's a patch fee, not a credit, so A7's credit refunds don't apply to it, but while no site is live in that patch, you can have the £10 back at any time.
No firm covers the area: if no firm holds the patch, the homeowner is told so and nothing is passed on, so there's no lead and no credit is used. Homeowners' waiting-list requests ("email me when a firm joins") are never passed to a firm, including the firm that later takes that patch.

A2. What counts as a bad lead (credit restored)

Code	Bad lead	What it means
`wrong_number`	Fake or wrong contact details	The phone number isn't in service, or it reaches someone who says they didn't enquire. If the phone works but the email bounces, use the phone. That lead is bad only if it then fails the no-answer test below.
`no_answer_3_attempts`	Nobody answers	The details look real, but nobody replies after 3 attempts over at least 2 working days, made up of at least 1 phone call and at least 1 email or text. All attempts must be within the 7-day window.
`outside_area`	Outside your patch	The job's address is outside your agreed postcode patch.
`wrong_trade`	Wrong trade	The job isn't your trade. For example, a conservatory build sent to a fencer.
`duplicate`	Duplicate	It's the same homeowner and the same job as a lead we already sent you in the last 90 days.
`spam`	Spam, test or abusive	Gibberish, a sales pitch, a job seeker, a joke, or an obviously fake name.
`never_enquired`	The homeowner says they never enquired	The person named says they didn't send it, and Ops confirms this.
`hired_before_contact`	Already hired someone before you contacted them	Only if both of these can be confirmed: • you made your first attempt within 1 working day of the lead being sent; and • the homeowner confirms in writing (to you or to Ops) that they had already booked another firm before that attempt.
`exclusivity_breach`	We sent the lead to another firm too	This should never happen. If it does, you get the cash back, not just the credit, and there's no claim window.

A3. What is NOT a bad lead (no credit)

Lost to a competitor: the homeowner chose another firm after speaking to you, or went quiet after you'd spoken to them or sent a quote.
Price: they thought you were too expensive, or their budget was too small.
Changed plans: they changed their mind, delayed the job, or said they were "just getting an idea of cost". That option is on the form and shown in the lead.
Too few attempts: fewer than 3 attempts, attempts all on one day or within less than 2 working days, or attempts by only one method (for example, 3 calls and no email or text).
Small or unusual job: a job that's small or unusual but still your trade, in your patch.
Too slow: the homeowner hired someone else because you didn't try to contact them within 1 working day. That isn't a bad-lead claim; if no contact was made by the latest deadline, A6a applies instead.
Late claim: anything claimed after the 7-day window.

A4. How to claim

Claim window: within 7 days of the date we sent it to you. The only exception is exclusivity_breach.
How: reply to the lead email, or email enquiries@quotelocaltrades.co.uk, with:
1. the lead reference (ENQ-…);
2. the code from A2;
3. your evidence (A5).
One claim per lead. And one credit back per lead: a lead already credited for a missed reply (A6a) can't also be claimed.

A5. Evidence we need

Code	Evidence
`wrong_number`	The date and time of the call, plus a screenshot of your call log or a note of the "number not recognised" message, or what the person who answered said.
`no_answer_3_attempts`	A list of all 3 or more attempts, each with its date, time and method (call, text or email). Add a screenshot of your call log and the sent email or text.
`outside_area`	What the homeowner told you about where the job is. Their town or postcode district is enough.
`wrong_trade`	One line on what the homeowner actually wants.
`duplicate`	Both lead references.
`spam`	Nothing, if it's obvious from the lead. Otherwise one line.
`never_enquired`	When and how you contacted them, and what they said. Ops checks with the homeowner.
`hired_before_contact`	The time of your first attempt, plus the homeowner's written message, or Ops checks with them.

Don't send us more personal data than you need. Crop screenshots down to the relevant entries.

A6. Decision and restored credit

Decision time: within 1 working day of receiving your evidence. If we need to check with the homeowner, it takes up to 3 working days. We email you the outcome with a short reason.
If we accept the claim: 1 credit goes back on your balance that day.
- Paid credit: the restored credit keeps its cash value. You can use it for another lead or get it refunded (A7).
- Introductory lead: you get your first 3 enquiries free. If one of them is bad, you get a replacement introductory credit, which has no cash value.
If we reject the claim: you can reply once with new evidence. The owner of Quote Local Trades then looks at it again himself, and that second decision is final for that lead. This doesn't affect your rights under the terms.

A6a. Missed reply: credit back, and the homeowner is asked

The rule (lead terms, section 9): aim to contact the homeowner within 2 working hours of the lead reaching you, and at the latest within 1 working day. Working hours are 8am–6pm, Monday to Friday, UK time, not counting bank holidays anywhere in the UK ("Working day", lead terms section 9).
If no contact has been made by the latest deadline, we give you 1 credit back the same working day, of the same kind and value as the one used. You don't need to claim.
Then we ask the homeowner whether they'd like the enquiry passed to one other firm, which we name. Only if they say yes does that firm get it. If they say no, or don't reply, nobody else gets it.
Tell us when you've made contact (a short reply to the lead email is enough), so we don't treat it as a missed reply.
One credit back per lead: a missed-reply lead can't also be claimed as a bad lead.

A7. Refund of unused credit (cash)

Credits never expire. You can ask for all your unused paid credit back at any time, for any reason.
How to ask: email enquiries@quotelocaltrades.co.uk from your account address saying "Please refund my unused credit".
When: we pay within 5 working days.
How you're paid: card payments go back to the same card. Your bank may take another 5–10 working days to show it. Bank transfers go back to the account they came from.
If a card refund isn't possible: we pay you by bank transfer to an account in your business's name, with no fee.
Amount: the full price you paid. We cover any payment-provider fees ourselves.
What's not refundable: introductory credits.
Confirmation: we email you to confirm the amount and that your balance is £0.

A7a. Refund of an extra patch fee

When: at any time while no site is live in an extra patch you paid £10 for. No reason is needed.
How to ask: email enquiries@quotelocaltrades.co.uk from your account address saying "Please refund my extra patch fee" and naming the patch (the same route as A7).
How you're paid: the same way as A7 (card payments back to the same card; bank transfers back to the account they came from).
When we pay: within 5 working days of your email, the same as A7.
If a card refund isn't possible: we pay you by bank transfer to an account in your business's name, with no fee (as in A7).