Refund & Cancellation Policy

Unlike product-based businesses, our services involve skilled human effort that begins the moment a project kicks off. This makes it impractical to issue blanket refunds once work is underway. This Policy is designed to be fair, transparent, and clearly understood before you engage us.

• Service fees are generally non-refundable once the Commencement Date has passed, regardless of the reason for cancellation.
• We do not offer refunds based on dissatisfaction with business outcomes, including search rankings, traffic levels, or sales performance.
• No refund will be issued for delays or losses caused by the Client's failure to provide timely access, approvals, content, or instructions.
• Candid Digital does not issue refunds for any third-party costs incurred on behalf of the Client, including ad spend, software subscriptions, or platform fees.

Once initiated, the following services are non-refundable under all circumstances:

• SEO Services: Monthly retainers, technical audits, on-page optimisation, link building, and content strategy execution.
• Paid Advertising Management: Google Ads, Meta Ads, and any other paid media campaign management fees.
• Content Creation: Blog articles, website copy, social media content, email sequences, once drafts have been delivered or approved.
• Marketing Automation: Workflow design, CRM integration, email automation setup, and API configurations, once implementation has commenced.
• Website Development: Design mockups, development sprints, or any stage once the Client has approved the initial scope and design direction.
• Software Development: Custom tools, scripts, dashboards, and integrations once development has started.
• Consultation and Strategy Sessions: All paid discovery calls, strategy sessions, audits, and reports upon delivery.

4.1 Pre-Commencement Cancellation

If a Client cancels in writing before the Commencement Date, a full refund will be issued, minus any administrative or payment processing fees. Cancellation must be submitted via email to [email protected] and acknowledged in writing by Candid Digital.

4.2 Partial Refund for Project-Based Work

For fixed-scope Projects (not retainers), if cancellation is requested after work has started but before the first milestone is delivered, a partial refund may be considered based on the proportion of work completed, at Candid Digital's sole discretion. Once the first milestone has been delivered and accepted, no refund will be issued for that phase.

4.3 Non-Delivery by Candid Digital

If Candid Digital fails to deliver a contracted Service entirely and cannot demonstrate any work output, the Client may submit a formal refund request within 14 days of the missed delivery date. We will review and respond within 7 business days.

4.4 Duplicate or Erroneous Payments

If a Client has been charged twice for the same Service due to a billing error, a full refund of the duplicate amount will be processed within 10 business days of the error being confirmed.

• Monthly retainer agreements may be cancelled by providing 30 days' written notice to [email protected].
• The Client will continue to receive Services and will be billed for the full month during the notice period.
• No refund will be issued for any portion of a billing cycle that has already commenced.
• Retainers cancelled before the end of a minimum contract term will be subject to the early termination provisions in your individual service agreement.

Any advertising budget paid directly to third-party platforms (Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, etc.) is entirely outside the scope of this Refund Policy. Refunds of ad spend are governed solely by the respective platform's own policies.

If Candid Digital has procured any third-party software, tool, or licence on the Client's behalf, those costs are non-refundable and will be invoiced to the Client regardless of project cancellation.

1. Submit a written request to [email protected] with subject line: "Refund Request: [Your Company Name] - [Invoice Number]."
2. Provide full details including the service name, invoice date, payment amount, and any supporting documentation.
3. Candid Digital will acknowledge your request within 3 business days of receipt.
4. We will review and respond with a decision within 10 business days.
5. Approved refunds will be processed to the original payment method within 15 business days of the approval date.