Help for renters
It's broken: refunds
What the button refunds, its limits, and refunds of unused credit.
KernelMachine is preparing an invite-only beta; no launch date is set. This describes how it works at launch. Join the waitlist
What the button does
Press It's broken on the rental's page, or run km report "what's wrong".
- The rental stops right away, and its files are deleted. If you can still reach the app, download what you need first.
- You're refunded automatically, back to your balance:
- the time that wasn't billed yet (the money set aside for the current 10 minutes) is never charged; and
- if you report it within 30 minutes of it becoming ready, or it never got ready, everything it cost comes back.
Earlier 10-minute charges stay charged if you report it later than that. So if something's wrong, report it straight away.
The limits
- Up to 3 automatic refunds in any 30 days. After that, the button still stops the rental and you're charged only up to that moment, but there's no automatic refund. We look at it, and you can email us.
- Rentals that ended more than 2 days ago can't be reported with the button. Email support instead.
Your reports also count against the machine (once your account is a week old). Machines that keep failing renters are taken off.
What you're never charged for
- Getting ready. Downloading and starting are free; billing begins when the app answers.
- A rental that never got ready. After 20 minutes it ends, and you pay nothing.
- Time the machine was offline, or work it lost. After 5 minutes offline, your rental moves to another card of the same model with its last save, and we email you. You don't pay for the work lost since that save. More
Getting unused credit back to your card
- On your account page, Refund unused credit sends unused paid credit back to the card you paid with, newest payment first. No questions.
- We pay the card processor's fee, so you get the full amount. Banks usually take 5 to 10 days to show it.
- Free credit can't be refunded or cashed out.
- It isn't available while an account is suspended, or for a payment you've disputed with your bank.
Please don't dispute a payment
A card dispute suspends your account and stops its rentals. Email support@kernelmachine.com first; it's quicker.
Updated October 8, 2026. Questions? Email support@kernelmachine.com.