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Legal

Refund Policy

Effective May 15, 2026

1. Summary

All TIPSSW Lifetime Membership payments are non-refundable. By completing payment for a Lifetime Membership, you acknowledge and agree that the $400 fee is final and that no refund, partial or otherwise, will be issued upon request.

This policy applies to the Lifetime Membership product offered by Texas Indo-American Physicians Society — Southwest ("TIPS-SW", "we", "our", or "us"), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Event fees, sponsorships, and charitable donations are governed by their respective terms at the time of payment.

2. Why memberships are non-refundable

The Lifetime Membership fee funds operational costs — member directory hosting, event programming, CME coordination, payment processing, and administration — that are committed at the time your membership is activated. The one-time pricing model is what makes a single payment cover a lifetime of access; that pricing is only possible because dues are not subject to reversal once paid.

3. Exceptions we honor

Nothing in this policy is intended to limit the rights you have under applicable law or under your card issuer's terms. Specifically:

  • Fraudulent or unauthorized charges.If a payment was made without your authorization — for example, your card was used by someone else, or a charge was duplicated by a processing error — contact us immediately at [email protected]. We will investigate and, where the charge is confirmed unauthorized, reverse it.
  • Bank-initiated Zelle reversals. Zelle payments are sent directly between banks. If your bank initiates a reversal for an unauthorized or erroneous payment in accordance with its policies and applicable law, we honor that reversal. This policy is not an attempt to prevent you from disputing an unauthorized Zelle payment through your bank.
  • PayPal Disputes and Buyer / Seller Protection actions. PayPal payments are subject to PayPal's Dispute Resolution and Buyer / Seller Protection programs. We honor PayPal-initiated reversals, holds, and refunds in accordance with PayPal's policies and applicable law. This policy is not an attempt to prevent you from filing a PayPal Dispute for an unauthorized or unintended payment.
  • Duplicate payments.If we receive more than one payment for the same membership (e.g. the donor was unsure whether a Zelle send went through and re-sent), we will refund the duplicate amount on request — via the same channel the duplicate was received.
  • Where required by law. Some jurisdictions provide consumer-protection rights that cannot be waived by contract. Where such a right applies to your transaction, this policy does not override it.

4. Cancellation vs. refund

You may cancel your TIPS-SW membership at any time by emailing [email protected] and requesting account deactivation. Upon cancellation, your member-portal access is terminated and your physician-directory listing is removed.

Cancellation does not entitle you to a refund of paid dues. Because the membership fee is a one-time payment for lifetime access rather than a recurring subscription, there is no pro-rated or unused portion that can be returned.

5. Suspension or termination by TIPS-SW

TIPS-SW reserves the right to suspend or terminate a membership for cause, including violations of the Terms of Service, the TIPS-SW code of conduct, or evidence of fraudulent or misleading information on a member application. No refund is owed in connection with a for-cause suspension or termination.

6. How to contact us about a refund inquiry

Email [email protected] from the address associated with your account. Please include:

  • Your full name and the email on file.
  • The channel you used (Zelle or PayPal), the date and amount of the payment, and the confirmation / reference number assigned by your bank or by PayPal.
  • A short description of the issue (unauthorized payment, duplicate payment, etc.).

We aim to acknowledge refund inquiries within five (5) business days. Note that an acknowledgment is not a commitment to refund — refunds outside the exceptions in Section 3 are not issued.

7. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Refund Policy from time to time. We will post the revised policy on this page with a new effective date. Changes apply prospectively; your transaction is governed by the policy in effect on the date your payment was completed.

8. Related documents

  • Terms of Service— Section 5 (“Dues, Donations & Refunds”) and the Membership and Payment section both cross-reference this Policy.
  • Privacy Policy— Section 5 describes how TIPS-SW receives Zelle and PayPal payments and what information the two platforms share with us.