Refund Policy

1. Overview

1. A person decides every refund. Nothing is refunded automatically. Ask in writing and we answer under the rules below.
2. Before we start, a refund is full. Once we have started producing your work, the fee for it is not refundable.
3. A service that waits on you never quietly expires. If you do not send what it needs in time, your payment becomes a credit for that service that never expires (Section 3).
4. Subscriptions are month-to-month. There is no minimum term and no notice period (Section 4).

2. One-Time Purchases

A one-time purchase is paid in full at checkout. We start producing it when your payment is complete and we have everything it needs. If you ask for a refund before we start, you get the whole payment back. Once we have started, the fee is not refundable.

3. Services That Need Your Inputs

Some services need information only you have (for example, the competitors you want watched). The product page and the checkout list what you supply before you pay.

• You have 72 business hours from paying to add it in your client portal: Monday to Friday, not counting US federal holidays, in your local time. We remind you at 24, 48 and 68 business hours, naming only what is still missing.
• We start the moment everything is in. You can add it one item at a time.
• If the window passes, nothing is cancelled and nothing is refunded automatically. Your payment becomes a credit for that service that never expires; add the missing items whenever you are ready and we deliver against the credit. If you would rather have a refund, ask: a person decides it under Section 2 (we will not have started).

4. Subscriptions and Cancellation

Subscriptions renew on the billing date shown at checkout. There is no minimum term and no notice period. You can cancel at any time by telling us in writing (an email is enough): we stop it renewing, so no further charge is made, and the service runs to the end of the period you have already paid for. That period is not refunded, and refunds are never issued for part of a period.

A failed payment is retried. While it stays unpaid, delivery pauses; continued non-payment ends the service. A website we host is taken offline when its retainer ends, unless you have bought it out under Section 7.

5. Proposals

A larger engagement is sold by a written proposal. Its payment schedule, and any refund terms it states, are the ones that apply to it; where it says nothing, this policy applies.

6. How to Ask for a Refund

Email legal@cairnandflint.com from the address you bought with, naming the purchase. A person reads every request and answers it.

7. Intellectual Property and Buyout — Web Design Clients

Code and design are licensed; the domain, Google Business Profile, analytics, content, reviews and lead data are the client's and always were; buyout at total estimated contract value; at term end the site and code are theirs, or month-to-month with no contract, or twelve months for the price of ten.

These are the ownership terms in Section 2 of our Legal Terms. A buyout is priced at the total estimated value of your contract and is final once paid.

8. Exceptions

8.1 Studio-caused delays

If the studio fails to meet delivery timelines for reasons within its control, refund eligibility is extended proportional to the delay. The studio communicates any such delay in writing within 24 business hours of its occurrence.

8.2 Documented emergencies

Written refund requests citing documented emergencies may be accommodated at the studio’s sole discretion, including after the standard non-refundable triggers have been reached.

Documented emergencies include but are not limited to: medical emergencies with documentation, death of an immediate family member, verified travel disruption, natural disasters affecting the client’s location or the studio’s operations. Decisions will be consistent across similar circumstances.

8.3 Regulatory or legal changes

If changes to applicable law render any service unviable for the studio to deliver, affected active engagements are refunded on a pro-rata basis for undelivered work. The studio provides 30 days’ written notice of any such cessation.

9. Refund Processing

9.1 Timeline

Approved refunds are processed to the original payment method within three business days of approval.

9.2 Method

Refunds are issued only to the original payment method used for the payment. Alternative refund destinations are not supported except in cases where the original payment method is no longer valid.

9.3 Processing fees

Payment processor fees (Stripe) on original transactions are typically refunded automatically to the studio by Stripe on refund issuance. No processing fee is deducted from the client’s refund amount.

10. Changes to This Policy

This refund policy applies to engagements entered into after the Effective Date listed at the top of this document. Prior engagements are governed by the policy in effect at their time of engagement.

The studio may revise this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to active clients via email. Continued use of services after notice of changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. All changes are logged at cairnandflint.com/legal/updates.

11. Monitoring and Access Logging

The studio employs access logging and traffic monitoring for all hosted sites and admin systems as part of routine operational practice. This monitoring is standard for hosted services and serves multiple legitimate purposes:

• Security monitoring and incident response
• Audit trail for administrative actions (useful for both studio and client when investigating issues)
• Rate limiting and protection against automated scraping or abuse
• Operational troubleshooting

Monitored activity may include: login events and session activity on admin panels, server request patterns, asset download patterns, administrative actions such as content changes or credential modifications, and automated anomaly detection on unusual traffic patterns.

Access logs are retained for operational purposes and may be used as evidence in the event of a dispute involving site operation, content integrity, or intellectual property.

This monitoring does not extend to end-user visitors to published sites beyond standard server-access logs; privacy-policy provisions (see /privacy) govern end-user data practices.

12. Contact

Questions about this policy, or refund requests, should be sent to: