Refund and Dispute Policy

This policy applies to invoices issued by Manawaroa for software development consulting. Each engagement is defined in a signed statement of work (SOW). If your SOW has specific refund terms, those terms apply instead of the defaults below.

We do not sell physical goods, so there is nothing to return. Support plans renew automatically; the Support plans section below explains how their charges work.

One rule applies to all project work. Work we have performed and delivered is paid for and is not refundable. Prepaid amounts for work we have not started are refunded.

If an engagement ends while work is in progress, we invoice the work performed to date and refund any prepaid balance above that amount. Our Cancellation Policy explains how an engagement ends.

If an invoice contains a billing error, such as a duplicate line or an amount that does not match your SOW, we will correct it. Depending on the situation we will issue a credit against your next invoice or refund the difference.

If you are unhappy with delivered work, tell us. We would rather fix the problem than argue about it, and the Terms of Service commit us to correcting work that does not match the SOW.

Fixed-fee engagements are usually split into milestones, and the SOW may require a deposit before work begins.

A deposit is a prepayment. It is applied to the first milestone or milestones and follows the same rule as any other prepaid amount: the part that covers work performed is kept, and the part that covers work not yet started is refunded if the engagement ends.

Milestones we have completed and delivered are not refundable. Milestones we have not started are fully refundable if the engagement ends before we begin them. If a milestone is in progress when the engagement ends, we invoice a fair pro rata share of the milestone fee for the work performed to date, as the SOW provides, and refund any prepaid balance above that amount.

Support plan charges are not refundable. Each charge pays for the billing period it starts.

When you cancel a monthly plan, it continues, and is billed, through the end of the 30-day notice period. After that it stops renewing and you are not charged again.

Annual plans are paid in advance and are not refunded, including when a plan is cancelled before the year ends. The plan stays active until the end of the year you paid for.

If a plan charge contains a billing error, we correct it as described under Billing errors.

Email hello@manawaroa.io within 30 days of the invoice date. Please include:

• The invoice number and date
• The amount you believe should be refunded
• The reason, with any details that help us check it, such as the SOW section, the dates, or the deliverable involved

The 30-day window applies to disputes about an invoice, such as a billing error or work that does not match the SOW. Invoices not disputed within 30 days of the invoice date are treated as accepted.

The 30-day window does not limit refunds of prepaid work that has not started when an engagement ends. If you prepaid for work and the engagement ends before we start it, that amount is refunded under our Cancellation Policy, even if the invoice is more than 30 days old.

We acknowledge every refund request within 3 business days.

We review the request against the SOW, our records, and the delivered work, and we give you a written decision within 15 business days of receiving it. If we need more information from you, we will ask within the acknowledgment window.

If we approve a refund for a billing error or non-conforming work, we issue it when we send the decision, either as a credit on your next invoice or as a refund to your original payment method through Stripe.

Refunds of prepaid work when an engagement ends are issued within 15 business days after the final invoice for the engagement is settled. All refunds go back to the original payment method through Stripe. How long a refund takes to appear on your statement depends on your bank or card issuer, usually about 5 to 10 business days after we issue it; neither we nor Stripe can guarantee that timing.

If you disagree with a charge, please contact us first at hello@manawaroa.io. We commit to working through the issue with you in good faith.

You always keep the right to dispute a card payment with your bank or card issuer. If you file a chargeback, we will respond to the bank with our records, including the signed SOW, invoices, time logs, delivery emails, and any correspondence about the charge. Contacting us first is faster and avoids tying up the amount while the bank reviews it.

If a chargeback is decided in your favor on a charge we believe was valid, we may still pursue the balance under the Terms of Service.

Questions about this policy or a specific invoice: email hello@manawaroa.io.