Custom work is capacity-based
Most of our work is custom delivery, so reserved time and completed work are generally non-refundable once a project starts.
Legal
Refund and cancellation terms built for custom service work
We keep this policy straightforward. Our work is custom, capacity-based, and tied to real delivery time, so refunds depend on what has been scheduled, started, or completed.
Effective date: January 1, 2024
Early notice matters
If plans change, the earlier you tell us, the more flexible we can be about shifting timelines, scope, or unused prepaid work.
Clarity before conflict
If something feels off, raise it early. We would rather resolve a concern quickly than let it drag into a bigger delivery issue.
1. Scope of this policy
This policy applies to strategy, design, development, advisory work, retainers, fixed-scope projects, and other service engagements provided by Software Savants.
Because our work is customized and tied to real delivery capacity, this policy is designed around reserved time, work already performed, and direct project costs.
2. Refunds for custom software services
Payments for completed work, active delivery periods, and work already in progress are generally non-refundable.
If a project is billed in phases or milestones, amounts already earned for completed or partially completed work remain payable and are not refundable.
3. Deposits, discovery, and reserved capacity
Deposits, kickoff fees, discovery sessions, audits, technical planning, and other upfront engagements are non-refundable once the work has been scheduled, started, or delivered.
If we reserve delivery capacity for your project, that reserved time may be treated as committed capacity even if the work starts later than originally planned.
4. Retainers, sprints, and prepaid work
For retainers, sprint-based engagements, or prepaid service periods, cancellation stops future billing but does not create a refund for the current active period once that period has started.
If a prepaid amount covers work that has not started and no capacity has been reserved against it, we may review a partial or full refund case by case.
5. Third-party costs
Any third-party costs paid on your behalf, including software subscriptions, infrastructure, domains, paid tools, transaction fees, or other pass-through expenses, are non-refundable once incurred.
Where possible, ownership of those accounts or assets can be transferred to you at the end of the engagement.
6. Cancellation by the client
If you need to cancel a project or engagement, send written notice to hello@software-savants.com as soon as possible.
You remain responsible for work completed up to the cancellation date, any non-recoverable costs, and any committed delivery time that was specifically reserved for your engagement.
7. Cancellation by Software Savants
If we need to cancel an engagement before work begins, we will refund any prepaid amount that has not been used for discovery, planning, reserved capacity, or direct project costs.
If we stop an engagement after work has begun, we will provide a clear handoff of completed work to date and refund any unused prepaid amount, if applicable.
8. How refund requests are reviewed
Any refund request is reviewed against the agreement in place, the amount of work completed, time reserved, and direct costs already incurred.
If a refund is approved, it will be returned through the original payment method where possible within a reasonable processing period.