Legal
Refund, Donation, and Event Policy
How donations, ticket purchases, registrations, event changes, and payment questions are handled.
Effective date: August 26, 2026
This policy explains how Short Gap Volunteer Fire Company (“Short Gap VFC,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) handles donations, event tickets, registrations, merchandise, fundraising transactions, refunds, and payment questions.
Unless a particular event, fundraiser, product, or transaction displays different terms, this policy applies to payments made online or in person to or for Short Gap VFC.
1. Donations
Donations are generally final and nonrefundable because donated funds may be committed to department operations, emergency-service equipment, training, facilities, maintenance, public-safety programs, community programs, or fundraising expenses.
Short Gap VFC may review and correct a:
Duplicate donation.
Clear processing error.
Unauthorized transaction.
Incorrect transaction amount.
Other documented mistake when promptly reported and verified.
Approval of any adjustment or refund remains subject to the circumstances of the transaction and applicable law.
2. Event Tickets and Registrations
Unless otherwise stated on the applicable event page or checkout screen, event tickets and registrations are generally nonrefundable.
Before purchasing, customers should review all available information concerning:
Event date and time.
Location.
Ticket quantity.
Eligibility.
Age restrictions.
Admission requirements.
Drawing or prize rules.
Refund restrictions.
Other event-specific terms.
Event-specific terms displayed at checkout or on an official event page control when they differ from this general policy.
3. Canceled Events
If Short Gap VFC cancels an event and does not offer a replacement date, the Company may provide an appropriate remedy, which may include:
Refund.
Account credit.
Transfer to another event.
Replacement admission.
Another remedy appropriate to the transaction.
Separately disclosed service, processing, delivery, convenience, platform, or other fees may remain nonrefundable to the extent permitted by law and the applicable platform’s terms.
4. Postponed, Rescheduled, or Relocated Events
Tickets and registrations ordinarily remain valid when an event is postponed, rescheduled, or relocated.
When circumstances permit, Short Gap VFC may announce a limited period for requesting a refund, credit, exchange, or transfer.
A purchaser’s inability to attend a new date or location does not automatically create a right to a refund unless otherwise stated or required by law.
5. Weather, Emergencies, and Public-Safety Changes
Outdoor and community events may be affected by:
Weather.
Emergency incidents.
Public-safety conditions.
Department operations.
Government restrictions.
Facility problems.
Utility failures.
Staffing.
Other circumstances outside Short Gap VFC’s reasonable control.
The Company may delay, modify, shorten, relocate, postpone, suspend, or cancel an activity when reasonably necessary to protect participants, volunteers, responders, property, or department operations.
Any refund, credit, transfer, or other remedy will be determined according to the circumstances and applicable event terms.
6. Panovents and Platform Fees
Transactions may be offered through Panovents or another event, ticketing, fundraising, donation, or registration platform.
Separately disclosed platform, service, delivery, processing, or convenience fees may be nonrefundable to the extent permitted by law, including in some situations where an underlying ticket or registration amount is refunded.
Additional platform terms displayed during checkout may also apply.
7. Stripe and Payment Processing
Card and other electronic payments may be processed by Stripe or another approved payment processor.
When a refund is approved, it will ordinarily be returned to the original payment method when technically and commercially possible.
Banks and financial institutions may require several business days to post an approved refund.
Short Gap VFC does not control:
Bank posting time.
Expired-card handling.
Card-network rules.
Payment-processor availability.
Fraud-review decisions.
Currency conversion.
Banking delays.
Payment processors may independently restrict, review, suspend, or decline certain transactions or categories of activity under their own rules.
8. Duplicate, Incorrect, or Erroneous Charges
Please contact Short Gap VFC promptly if you believe that you:
Were charged twice.
Entered an incorrect donation amount.
Purchased the wrong quantity.
Experienced a checkout error.
Do not recognize a transaction.
Received an incorrect charge.
When contacting the Company, provide the purchaser or donor name, email address, approximate transaction date, transaction amount, and order or receipt number when available.
Do not send complete payment-card numbers, bank-account numbers, security codes, passwords, or similar sensitive financial information by email or through a general website form.
9. Merchandise and Fulfillment
Merchandise return or exchange eligibility may vary by product.
Product or event pages may establish terms concerning:
Fulfillment timing.
Pickup.
Shipping.
Delivery fees.
Return periods.
Exchange requirements.
Product condition.
Sizing.
Customization.
Customized, personalized, dated, worn, used, damaged, or perishable items may be nonreturnable unless otherwise stated or required by law.
10. Raffles and Games of Chance
When separately authorized and offered, raffles, drawings, or games of chance are governed by applicable law and the official rules established for that specific activity.
Entries are generally final once accepted.
No refund is owed merely because an entry did not win.
Official rules may address:
Participant eligibility.
Age requirements.
Geographic restrictions.
Entry periods.
Drawing procedures.
Winner notification.
Prize eligibility.
Claim deadlines.
Taxes.
Substitution.
Other legally required conditions.
Authorization under applicable charitable, raffle, gaming, state, or local law does not by itself establish eligibility to use a particular payment processor.
Any online payment method used for a raffle, drawing, game of chance, or similar activity must also be permitted for that specific activity under the payment processor’s current rules, restrictions, approvals, and account requirements.
Short Gap VFC may change payment methods, suspend online sales, limit availability, or cancel an activity when necessary to comply with law or processor requirements.
The availability of a payment method does not mean that Stripe, Panovents, a bank, card network, or another service provider sponsors, administers, controls, endorses, or guarantees the underlying raffle, drawing, prize, or fundraiser.
11. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes
If you believe a transaction is incorrect, please contact Short Gap VFC before initiating a payment dispute whenever practical so that we have an opportunity to review and resolve the issue.
Nothing in this policy requires a consumer to waive any lawful dispute or chargeback right.
However, knowingly filing a false, misleading, fraudulent, or improper chargeback may result in appropriate action, including:
Cancellation of related orders.
Denial of admission or fulfillment when legally permitted.
Submission of transaction documentation to the payment processor, bank, or card network.
Collection activity where appropriate and lawful.
Other reasonable measures necessary to protect the Company.
12. Requesting a Refund or Transaction Review
Questions concerning payments, refunds, duplicates, or transaction errors should be directed to:
Short Gap Volunteer Fire Company
Phone: (304) 726-4388
Email: [email protected]
Requests should ordinarily be submitted within 14 days of the transaction or before the applicable event, whichever occurs first, unless the event-specific terms or applicable law provide otherwise.
Submitting a request does not guarantee approval. Decisions depend upon the nature of the transaction, timing, event rules, available documentation, processor requirements, and applicable law.