Refund and Dispute Policy

Charges follow the work. A client is never billed for a full engagement upfront unless the Order Schedule explicitly says so.

• Retainer fees: charged in advance on the 1st of each monthly service period, for that month's advisory and engineering hours.
• SOW deposits: charged on signing, before work begins, to reserve capacity and start the first milestone.
• Milestone invoices: due within 7 days after a milestone is delivered, for work already delivered and submitted for review.

Every charge maps to a written invoice that references its Order Schedule. Clients review each deliverable within 5 business days of delivery and may reject it in writing if it does not conform to the Order Schedule.

• A deliverable fails to conform and can't reasonably be fixed. The client reports it in writing within 30 days of delivery. Ovalweb first re-performs the work at no charge; if that isn't commercially reasonable, Ovalweb refunds the fees paid for the nonconforming portion.
• Ovalweb materially breaches and doesn't cure it. If a client ends an engagement for Ovalweb's uncured material breach, Ovalweb refunds prepaid fees for services not yet performed.
• A charge is a billing error. Duplicate charges, wrong amounts, and charges with no matching invoice are refunded in full once confirmed.

• Deliverables the client accepted, used in production, or did not reject in writing within the 5-business-day review period.
• Retainer fees for a service period already underway, and paid SOW deposits, when the client ends the engagement for convenience.
• Third-party platform fees the client pays to its own providers, such as processing, hosting, or subscription costs.

1. Email ovalwebllc@gmail.com naming the invoice and the reason for the request.
2. Ovalweb acknowledges the request within 2 business days.
3. Ovalweb reviews it against the Order Schedule and delivery records and gives a written decision within 10 business days.
4. Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method within 5 business days of approval. Card issuers usually post them within 5 to 10 business days.

Ovalweb settles billing disagreements directly with the client, so they don't reach a card network.

1. Invoice questions: clients raise a good-faith invoice dispute in writing before the due date and pay the undisputed portion on time.
2. Direct review: the founder reviews every dispute personally and responds within 2 business days.
3. Good-faith negotiation: if the first response doesn't resolve it, both parties negotiate for 15 days after written notice. Outcomes can include re-performed work, a partial credit, or a refund under this policy.
4. Formal resolution: anything still unresolved goes to binding arbitration under the Master Services Agreement.

If a client files a chargeback, Ovalweb responds within the card network's deadline with the signed agreement and Order Schedule, the invoice, dated delivery records, evidence of acceptance, and all related correspondence. Ovalweb keeps these records for at least 24 months after an engagement ends. If a chargeback shows a valid problem with the work, Ovalweb accepts it or refunds the client directly instead of contesting it.

Questions about this policy are welcome.