Refund Policy

1.  Scope and applicability2.  Statutory rights you cannot lose3.  14-day cancellation right (EU/UK consumers)4.  Per-package refund rules5.  When work has started6.  Non-refundable items7.  How to request a refund8.  Refund processing — Cards and bank transfers9.  Refund timeline10. Chargebacks and payment disputes11. Quality guarantee — if deliverables are wrong12. Custom and enterprise engagements13. Currency and exchange rate on refunds14. Changes to this policy15. Contact us and complaints

1. Scope and applicability

This Refund Policy applies to all one-time payment packages and custom engagements purchased from Gradio Safety LTD (Company No. 17456330). It covers payments made through credit/debit cards and bank transfers. By purchasing any service from us, you agree to the terms set out in this policy.

This policy works alongside our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. If there is a conflict between this policy and a specific term in your signed engagement letter or contract, the contract terms prevail for that engagement.

2. Statutory rights you cannot lose

If you are purchasing as a business (B2B), different rules may apply. Business-to-business contracts may include terms that modify the refund conditions in this policy, as permitted by the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 and the Business Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

3. 14-day cancellation right (EU/UK consumers)

If you are a consumer (an individual acting for purposes outside your trade, business, craft, or profession), you have the right to cancel your purchase within 14 days of payment without giving any reason. This is your legal right under the EU Consumer Rights Directive and the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations.

3.1 How to exercise the 14-day cancellation right

To cancel within the 14-day period, send an email to info@gradiosafetyltd.com with the subject line "Cancellation — 14-day right" and include your invoice number or transaction ID. We will confirm receipt of your cancellation within 2 business days and process the refund within 14 business days.

3.2 Exception: services started with your explicit consent

Under Article 16 of the Consumer Rights Directive, the 14-day cancellation right does not apply to services where you have explicitly requested that we begin performance before the end of the 14-day period and you have acknowledged that you lose your cancellation right once the service is fully performed. When you purchase a package and we begin work (e.g., we schedule a consultation call, review documents, or start writing a report), you have consented to the service starting. In this case:

• If you cancel before we have started any work, you receive a full refund.
• If you cancel after we have started but before delivery, you receive a partial refund — the upfront payment is retained for work done, and the second instalment is not charged.
• If you cancel after delivery, the service is considered fully performed and no refund is available — but the quality guarantee in Section 11 applies.

4. Per-package refund rules

Each package has specific refund conditions based on the payment structure and the nature of the service.

5. When work has started

Work is considered to have "started" when any of the following occurs:

• We have scheduled a consultation call with you (Lite, Basic, Standard, Advanced)
• We have reviewed documents or diagrams you provided (Basic, Standard, Advanced)
• We have accessed your codebase (Advanced — requires NDA)
• We have begun writing the architecture report, recommendation, or roadmap (Basic, Standard, Advanced)
• We have sent you any preparatory materials, questions, or analysis (any package)

Once work has started, the upfront payment covers the time and resources already committed to your engagement. This is non-refundable, except where we have failed to deliver the agreed scope (see Section 11).

6. Non-refundable items

The following are non-refundable once work has started or the service has been delivered:

• Completed consultation calls — the architect's time has been committed and cannot be recovered
• Delivered documents, reports, and diagrams — the intellectual work has been completed and transferred to you
• Codebase review findings — once we have reviewed your code and provided findings, the analysis cannot be "un-done"
• Rush or expedited delivery fees — if you paid extra for expedited delivery, this surcharge is non-refundable
• Third-party costs incurred on your behalf — if we purchased tools, licences, or services specifically for your engagement
• Custom engagements where work has been delivered — per the terms of your specific contract

7. How to request a refund

To request a refund, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Email info@gradiosafetyltd.com with the subject line "Refund Request — [Invoice Number]"
• Step 2: Include your invoice number or transaction ID (found on your invoice or payment confirmation email)
• Step 3: State the reason for the refund request — a brief explanation is sufficient
• Step 4: If you are claiming under the quality guarantee (Section 11), describe what is wrong with the deliverable
• Step 5: We will acknowledge your request within 2 business days and provide a decision within 14 business days

You do not need to return any deliverables to us — once a refund is approved, you may keep any documents, diagrams, or reports already delivered to you. However, your licence to use them may be revoked depending on the refund type (see Section 11.3).

8. Refund processing — Cards and bank transfers

Refunds are processed through the same payment method you used for the original payment. We do not refund to an unrelated card or third-party account.

8.1 Card payment refunds

• Refunds are initiated through our payment processor and credited back to the original payment card
• The refund is processed immediately on our end, but your card issuer or bank may take 5–10 business days to reflect the credit on your statement
• If the original card is expired or cancelled, the bank will typically credit the linked account or replacement card. If this fails, we will contact you to arrange an alternative refund method
• The original payment gateway transaction fee is absorbed by Gradio Safety LTD
• Partial refunds are supported — we can refund a specific amount (e.g., only the upfront payment) without refunding the full transaction

8.2 Bank transfer refunds

• Refunds are initiated through our business bank account and returned directly to the originating bank account
• Bank transfer refunds typically take 3–7 business days to appear in your account, depending on your bank and country
• If the original account is closed, we will contact you to arrange an alternative verified refund method
• Any unavoidable intermediary banking fees are clearly disclosed prior to settlement
• For international refunds, exchange rate fluctuations may result in a slightly different amount than the original payment (see Section 13)

9. Refund timeline

10. Chargebacks and payment disputes

A chargeback is a dispute raised by you with your card issuer or bank, requesting that they reverse a payment. While you have the right to initiate a chargeback, we ask that you contact us first — most disputes can be resolved directly and faster than through the chargeback process.

10.1 What happens when you file a chargeback

• Your card issuer or bank notifies us of the dispute
• We have 7–14 days to respond with evidence (contract, email correspondence, delivered files, proof of service)
• The card scheme (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) or bank makes the final decision — not us and not you
• The process can take 45–120 days to resolve
• If the chargeback is decided in your favour, the payment is reversed by the card issuer
• If the chargeback is decided in our favour, the payment stands and no refund is issued

10.2 Our response to chargebacks

We contest chargebacks that we believe are unjustified. We provide evidence including: the signed contract or engagement letter, email correspondence showing your request for the service, proof of delivery of deliverables, and timestamps of consultation calls. If a chargeback is filed after deliverables have been provided, we will present this evidence to the card scheme.

10.3 Friendly fraud

Filing a chargeback for services you have received and used is considered "friendly fraud" and is a form of payment fraud. If a chargeback is filed after you have received and used the deliverables, and the chargeback is resolved in our favour, we may pursue recovery of the disputed amount and any chargeback fees through legal means.

11. Quality guarantee — if deliverables are wrong

We stand behind the quality of our work. If a delivered service does not meet the agreed scope, contains a material error, or fails to address the objectives defined in your contract, we will fix it. This is our quality guarantee.

11.1 What qualifies for the quality guarantee

• The deliverable does not cover the scope defined in the engagement letter or contract
• The architecture report contains factual errors about your system (based on information you provided)
• The stack recommendation does not address the constraints you specified (team size, budget, timeline)
• The architecture diagram is missing components or data flows that were in scope
• The security review misses OWASP Top 10 items that are present in your system (Advanced package)

11.2 What does not qualify

• You changed your mind about what you want after delivery
• Your system changed between the review and delivery, making findings outdated
• You disagree with a recommendation that is a matter of professional opinion, not fact
• The deliverable meets the scope but you expected more depth than the package includes
• You did not provide information we requested and the deliverable reflects that gap

11.3 How the quality guarantee works

• Step 1: Email us within 14 days of delivery with a description of what is wrong
• Step 2: We review your claim within 5 business days
• Step 3: If the claim is valid, we revise the deliverable at no extra cost — typically within 7 business days
• Step 4: If we cannot fix the issue to your satisfaction, you do not pay the second instalment (for packages with 50/50 payment) or you receive a full refund (for packages paid 100% upfront)
• Step 5: If a refund is issued under the quality guarantee, your licence to use the deliverables is revoked and you agree to delete all copies

We have never had to invoke the refund provision of the quality guarantee. Every issue raised by a client has been resolved through revision.

12. Custom and enterprise engagements

For custom engagements and enterprise contracts priced above €500, refund terms are defined in the specific contract or engagement letter. These terms may differ from the standard package refund rules above. Typical custom engagement terms include:

• Milestone-based payments — each milestone is refundable only if the next milestone has not been started
• Deposits — typically 10–25% of the total contract value, non-refundable once work begins
• Termination for convenience — you may terminate with 30 days notice, paying for work completed up to the termination date
• Termination for cause — either party may terminate immediately if the other party breaches the contract; refunds are calculated based on work completed

If your custom contract does not specify refund terms, the standard terms in this policy apply by default.

13. Currency and exchange rate on refunds

All payments and refunds are processed in EUR (€). If you paid in a different currency via bank transfer, the refund amount may differ from what you originally paid due to exchange rate fluctuations between the payment date and the refund date.

• We refund the exact EUR amount you paid
• Your bank or payment network converts the EUR refund to your local currency at the prevailing exchange rate on the refund date
• If the exchange rate has moved, you may receive more or less in your local currency than you originally paid
• We do not compensate for exchange rate differences — this is outside our control
• For card payments, your card issuer handles the conversion and may apply their own exchange rate and fees

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Refund Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Publish the updated policy on this page
• Notify existing clients with active engagements by email if the changes affect their refund rights

The refund terms that apply to your purchase are those in effect on the date you made the payment. Subsequent changes to this policy do not retroactively change the refund terms for purchases already made.

15. Contact us and complaints

For refund requests, questions about this policy, or complaints about how we handled a refund:

• Email: info@gradiosafetyltd.com
• Subject line for refunds: "Refund Request — [Invoice Number]"
• Subject line for complaints: "Complaint — Refund Handling"
• Company: Gradio Safety LTD, Company No. 17456330, 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom, WC2H 9JQ

We aim to resolve all refund-related complaints within 14 business days. If you are not satisfied with our response and you are a UK consumer, you may escalate your complaint to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service. We are registered with an ADR provider and will provide their contact details on request. For EU consumers, you may use the European Online Dispute Resolution platform at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

v2.0  2026-08-28  Full rewrite — added per-package refund table, card and bank transfer refund mechanics, chargebacks, quality guarantee, 14-day cancellation, UK/EU statutory rights, custom engagementsv1.0  2026-08-27  Initial Refund Policy