Booking Policy
Last updated: 19 April 2026
1. Overview
This Booking Policy explains how Orders are created, confirmed, modified, and cancelled on GatherPlate. It applies to all Customers and Vendors. By placing or accepting an Order on the Platform, you agree to the terms set out below.
This Policy forms part of our Terms & Conditions. Capitalised terms used but not defined here have the meanings given in the Terms & Conditions.
2. How Bookings Work
Placing a booking on GatherPlate follows these steps:
- Browse & Reserve — Browse vendors, select a package, choose your event details, and reserve it for checkout.
- Checkout — Review your Order and submit it through the Platform. No payment is taken at this stage. Your Order enters Awaiting Confirmation status and is sent to the Vendor for review.
- Vendor Confirmation & Payment — The Vendor reviews your Order and has 2.5 days (60 hours) to confirm or decline. Once the Vendor confirms, your payment is authorised and processed. You will receive an email notification and the Order moves to Confirmed status.
- Event Day — The Vendor fulfils the catering services as agreed.
- Order Completion — Orders are automatically marked as Completed three (3) days after the scheduled event date, unless a dispute has been raised.
3. Order Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending Payment | Order created; awaiting payment authorisation from your bank or e-wallet. |
| Awaiting Confirmation | Order submitted; no payment taken yet. Waiting for the Vendor to confirm. Expires after 60 hours. |
| Confirmed | Vendor has accepted; payment captured. Booking is active. |
| Completed | Event has passed and the 3-day post-event window has closed. |
| Cancelled | Order was cancelled by you, the Vendor, or GatherPlate. Refund processed per this Policy. |
4. Vendor Confirmation Window
Vendors have 2.5 days (60 hours) from the time an Order is placed to confirm or decline.
- If the Vendor confirms: Your payment is captured and the booking is active.
- If the Vendor declines: Your Order is cancelled and your payment authorisation is released immediately at no charge to you.
- If the Vendor does not respond within 60 hours: Your Order is automatically cancelled by the system, and your payment authorisation is released in full. We will notify you by email.
5. Cancellation by Customer
You may cancel a confirmed Order through your account dashboard. The refund amount depends on how far in advance of the scheduled event date you cancel:
| Notice Given Before Event | Refund |
|---|---|
| 7 or more days | 100% refund |
| 3 to 6 days | 50% refund |
| Less than 3 days | No refund |
Refund timing is subject to our Payment Policy. The refund amount is calculated from the total amount charged at checkout (subtotal minus any applied voucher discount), excluding non-refundable processing fees where applicable.
6. Cancellation by Vendor
If a Vendor cancels a confirmed Order for any reason:
- You will receive a 100% refund of the amount charged to you, regardless of how close the cancellation is to the event date.
- GatherPlate will impose a cancellation penalty on the Vendor equal to 10% of the Order subtotal. This penalty is deducted from the Vendor's payout and is not paid to the Customer.
- We will notify you by email immediately and encourage you to find an alternative Vendor.
7. Cancellation by GatherPlate
GatherPlate may cancel an Order in exceptional circumstances, including but not limited to: platform-wide technical failures, fraud prevention, regulatory requirements, or a Vendor account suspension. In such cases, you will receive a 100% refund. GatherPlate will contact you as soon as reasonably possible to explain the reason for cancellation.
8. Disputes
A dispute window of 3 days from the scheduled event date is available to Customers who experience service failures (e.g., vendor no-show, significantly incomplete service, or serious food safety issues).
- To open a dispute, contact GatherPlate support within 3 days of your event.
- During a dispute, Vendor payout is placed on hold pending GatherPlate's review.
- GatherPlate will review evidence from both parties and make a resolution determination. Decisions made by GatherPlate in good faith are final.
- Resolution may result in a full or partial refund to the Customer, or a full release of funds to the Vendor.
GatherPlate's dispute resolution service is provided as a convenience. It does not constitute arbitration and does not affect any statutory rights you may have under the Consumer Protection Act 1999 (Malaysia).
9. Dietary Requirements & Allergies
Customers are responsible for communicating all dietary requirements, food allergies, and intolerances to the Vendor at the time of booking via the Order notes field. GatherPlate does not verify or guarantee that Vendors can accommodate specific dietary needs.
If you have a severe food allergy, we strongly recommend confirming accommodation directly with the Vendor via in-platform messaging before placing your Order.