Scope of This Policy
Tafora Technology sells professional engineering services, not off-the-shelf software licences. Refunds therefore work differently than they would for a product you can return. This policy explains when we refund money, when we do not, and how to ask.
It applies to every engagement we run: fixed-scope projects, dedicated teams and staff augmentation, monthly retainers, and paid discovery or consulting work. Where a signed Statement of Work, Master Services Agreement, or purchase order says something different, that document takes precedence over this page for that engagement.
Read this alongside our Terms & Conditions, which govern the wider commercial relationship.
How Our Engagements Are Billed
What you can get refunded depends on how the work was priced, so it helps to be clear about the four models we use:
- Discovery and consulting. A fixed fee for research, architecture review, or a scoped roadmap, delivered as a document and a working session.
- Fixed-scope projects. A defined deliverable at a defined price, invoiced against milestones agreed in the Statement of Work.
- Dedicated teams and staff augmentation. Engineers reserved for you and billed monthly or by the hour, in advance.
- Support and maintenance retainers. A recurring monthly fee covering an agreed allocation of hours, uptime monitoring, and response commitments.
Deposits and Advance Payments
Most engagements begin with a deposit or an advance invoice. That payment reserves named engineers and takes them off other work, which is a real cost to us the moment it is accepted.
- Before work begins. If you cancel more than seven calendar days before the agreed start date and no work has started, we refund the deposit in full.
- Within seven days of the start date. We retain up to 50% of the deposit to cover the reserved capacity we can no longer fill, and refund the balance.
- After work begins. The deposit is applied against work delivered and is refundable only to the extent it exceeds the value of that work.
Fixed-Scope Projects
Fixed-scope work is invoiced by milestone. Each milestone has agreed acceptance criteria written into the Statement of Work.
- Milestones already accepted are not refundable. The work is delivered, the code is yours, and it is in your repository.
- A milestone that fails acceptance is our problem to fix. You report the shortfall in writing within the acceptance window and we remediate at no additional charge. If, after two good faith attempts, we still cannot meet the agreed criteria, you may cancel that milestone and we refund what you paid for it.
- Milestones not yet started are refunded in full if you cancel, less any third-party costs already committed on your behalf.
- Work in progress is invoiced pro rata for effort expended up to the cancellation date, and anything paid above that amount is returned.
Dedicated Teams and Staff Augmentation
These engagements bill for reserved capacity, so refunds follow the notice period rather than the output.
- Trial period. If a named engineer is not the right fit, tell us within the first five working days. We replace them at no cost, or refund that engineer time in full if you would rather stop.
- Cancellation mid-month. The standard notice period is 30 days from written notice. Fees for the notice period are payable; prepaid fees for any period beyond it are refunded.
- Unused hours. Hours in a monthly allocation do not roll over and are not refundable, because the capacity was held for you whether or not it was used.
- Our failure to staff. If we cannot supply the agreed engineers and cannot provide an acceptable replacement within ten working days, you get a full refund of fees paid for the unstaffed period.
Discovery, Audits, and Consulting
Fixed-fee discovery work, technical audits, and architecture reviews are refundable in full if you cancel before we begin. Once research has started, we refund the unearned portion based on effort spent.
Once the deliverable has been handed over, the fee is not refundable. The value of an audit is the finding, including a finding you did not want to hear, so we cannot un-deliver it. If you believe the work fell short of a professional standard, raise it with us under Disputes and we will make it right.
Support and Maintenance Retainers
Retainers renew monthly and can be cancelled with 30 days written notice, effective at the end of the next billing cycle.
- The current month is not refunded once the cycle has begun, since monitoring and response cover are already running.
- Cycles billed in advance beyond the notice period are refunded in full.
- If we miss a response or resolution commitment written into your retainer, you are entitled to a service credit or a pro rata refund for the affected period, at your choice.
What Is Not Refundable
The following are not refundable in any engagement model:
- Work already delivered and accepted.
- Third-party costs we paid on your behalf, including cloud infrastructure, software licences, API usage, app store fees, domains, certificates, and paid fonts or assets.
- Payment processing fees, bank charges, and currency conversion losses.
- Time lost to delays outside our control, including a client not supplying content, access, credentials, approvals, or feedback within the agreed timeframe.
- Requests based on a change of business direction, a change of mind about a feature that was built as specified, or scope that was declined during planning.
- Dissatisfaction with an outcome that we advised against in writing and delivered at your direction anyway.
How to Request a Refund
Email info@taforatechnology.com with the subject line Refund Request, within 30 days of the invoice or milestone in question. Include:
- The project or engagement name.
- The invoice number and payment date.
- The amount you are asking us to refund.
- What went wrong, with enough detail that we can investigate it.
We acknowledge every request within two business days and give you a decision within ten business days. If we need longer to investigate, we tell you why and when to expect an answer.
How Refunds Are Paid
Approved refunds are issued within 14 business days of approval, to the original payment method and in the original currency of the invoice. Bank transfers, card networks, and intermediary banks may add their own processing time, which we do not control.
Where a refund to the original method is not possible, we agree an alternative with you in writing. Any bank or conversion charge levied by an intermediary is deducted from the refunded amount unless the refund arises from our failure to deliver.
Chargebacks
Please talk to us before raising a chargeback or payment dispute with your bank. A chargeback filed before we have had a chance to respond costs both sides time and fees, and we will suspend active work and access to in-progress deliverables while it is open. We would much rather solve the underlying problem.
If We Disagree
If you are unhappy with a refund decision, reply to the decision email and ask for it to be escalated. A director reviews the file and responds within ten business days. If we still cannot agree, the dispute resolution and governing law terms in our Terms & Conditions apply. Nothing in this policy limits any statutory right you have that cannot be waived by contract.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The version in force for your engagement is the one published on the date your Statement of Work was signed, and changes are not applied retroactively to work already contracted.
Contact Us
Questions about billing or a refund? Email info@taforatechnology.com or use our contact page. We reply within one business day.