The short version
- If something I sold you didn't work, didn't arrive, or was charged twice, tell me within 42 days and I'll fix it.
- Fixing comes first. Most problems can be solved faster by fixing them than by arguing about them.
- Work that's already been done, and digital products you've successfully received, are generally not refundable.
- If I haven't started your work yet, you can usually get back what I haven't earned.
- Monthly services: cancel before the next renewal. You keep what you've already paid for until the period ends.
- Please contact me before you start a chargeback. It's faster and cheaper for both of us.
This page is my standard policy. If you have a written scope, invoice, or checkout with specific terms, those terms win where they conflict with this page.
1. Fair fixes first
My first goal is to correct problems quickly: access that doesn't work, a duplicate charge, a deliverable that doesn't match what we agreed on, or a mistake on my end. I'd rather fix something and keep a customer than keep money for something that didn't work.
The work I've already completed, and digital products you've already received, are treated differently from work that hasn't started yet. The sections below explain how.
2. What the 42 days means
You have 42 days from the date of purchase to tell me about a verified access failure, delivery failure, duplicate charge, or clear misdescription. In that window, I will investigate and correct what I find.
The 42 days is a support and correction window. It is not a blanket "change your mind" period for products or services that were delivered successfully and match what I described.
3. How to ask for help or a refund
Email [email protected] or call (509) 868-9784. Please include:
- The email address you used to purchase
- The date of purchase
- What you bought (the product or service)
- A short description of what went wrong
- What you'd like me to do about it
Please don't send card numbers. I don't need them.
I aim to reply within a few business days. If I need more information, I'll ask. If I can fix the problem, I'll tell you how and when. If a refund is the right answer, I'll tell you the amount and how long it should take.
4. Free tools
The free tools (the Website Inspection, Business Checkup, Fit Check, Cost Estimator, and similar) don't cost anything, so there's nothing to refund. If a tool gives you a result that looks wrong, tell me. I'll look at it and fix the tool if there's a mistake.
5. Digital guides and instant-access products
If access to something you bought doesn't work, I will first restore your access or send you the material another way.
Once you've successfully received a digital product, the purchase is generally final. Exceptions are:
- A duplicate charge
- A material delivery failure that I can't fix
- A clear misdescription, meaning the product is meaningfully different from how I described it
- A refund right that the law gives you
It's not a refund reason that you changed your mind, didn't use it, or found you didn't need it. These are digital files that can't be returned.
6. Quick fixes, pages, and other fixed-price work
For fixed-price offers like the $149 quick fix, the $75 scrolling page, and the $399 homepage with up to four pages:
- Before I start: If you cancel before I've begun the work, I'll refund what I haven't earned, minus any payment processing costs that can't be recovered. I'll tell you if there are any before you decide.
- After I've started: The time I've already spent, third-party items I've bought for your job, and any production time I've set aside for you are not refundable.
- If I can't finish: If I can't complete the agreed work, you'll get a practical handoff of what's done, a replacement scope, a credit, or a refund for the undelivered part, whichever fits the situation best.
- If the result doesn't match what we agreed: I'll fix it first. That's what the acceptance test in the scope is for.
The $149 quick fix
The quick fix covers one problem. If it turns out to be bigger than it looked, I'll tell you before I do more, and you decide whether to expand the work, narrow it, or stop. If I find I can't fix the problem you asked about, I'll tell you and refund the quick fix, minus any unrecoverable processing costs.
7. Custom and scoped projects
Bigger projects are governed by the written scope we agreed on. In general:
- Unearned funds (money you've paid for work I haven't started) may be refundable, minus any unrecoverable processing costs I've told you about.
- Completed labor, delivered milestones, reserved production time, and purchased third-party items are not refundable.
- If I can't complete an approved scope, you'll get a practical handoff, a replacement scope, a credit, or a refund for the undelivered portion, depending on the facts and the scope.
- Drafts and previews are there for your review. Unless the scope says otherwise, I won't publish, advertise, send messages, or change your outside accounts without your approval. Approving a draft doesn't turn completed work into unearned work.
8. Split setup payments
A payment plan changes when you pay, not whether you owe. The remaining setup payments stay due when the approved milestone or launch is delivered.
If a project is canceled partway through, I'll first subtract the completed work and any costs I can't cancel. If anything unearned is left over, I'll consider it for a refund.
9. Monthly services
This covers monthly care and hosting, content plans, and done-for-you content.
- To cancel: email me before the next renewal date. Canceling stops future renewals.
- What you keep: the period you've already paid for usually continues until its end date.
- Partial months: I don't normally refund part of a month after the period has started, unless the service wasn't delivered or the law requires it.
- If I miss a month: if I fail to deliver a month of service I committed to, I'll make it up, credit it, or refund it.
- If you cancel: I'll hand over what you've paid for that's yours to keep, such as finished content, and tell you what happens to anything else, such as hosting.
10. Third-party charges
Domains, hosting plans, software subscriptions, advertising spend, text-message fees, and payment processing fees follow the provider's own policy. I can't promise a refund that an outside company won't give you. If I buy something on your behalf, I'll tell you about it before I do.
11. How refunds are paid
When I approve a refund, I send it back to the original payment method through the same payment processor you used to pay. After I issue it, it can take several business days to show up, depending on your bank or card issuer. If the original payment method is no longer available, I'll work out another reasonable option with you.
12. Please talk to me before a chargeback
If you're upset about a charge, please contact me before you start a dispute with your bank. Chargebacks take weeks, add fees for both of us, and they usually leave a problem that I could have fixed in a day. If I don't get the chance to fix something first, I may not be able to help you as quickly.
If you do file a chargeback, I'll give the payment processor an honest record of what was ordered, what was delivered, and what we discussed.
13. Examples
These examples are meant to show the policy in plain terms. Your situation may be different, and the scope you agreed to controls.
Example 1: A guide won't open. You buy a digital guide and the download link fails. You email me on day 3. I send the file another way and check that it opens. No refund is needed, because I fixed the problem.
Example 2: A duplicate charge. You're charged twice for the same product. You email me with the dates. I confirm it, and I refund the duplicate.
Example 3: You change your mind about a guide. You've downloaded and opened a guide, but decide you don't want it. That's not a refund situation, because the product was delivered as described.
Example 4: Canceling before I start. You pay for a scrolling page, then email me the next day to cancel before I've started. I refund what I haven't earned, minus any processing fee I can't recover.
Example 5: Canceling after a draft. You pay for a homepage and four pages. I've written copy and built two pages when you decide to stop. You owe for the work that's done. I'll hand you what I've built, and I'll consider a refund for the portion I haven't started, based on the scope.
Example 6: A monthly plan. You're on a monthly care plan and email me on the 20th to cancel. Your plan runs through the end of the period you paid for, and it doesn't renew. I don't refund the days left in that month.
Example 7: The fix was bigger than expected. You buy a quick fix. I look at it and discover the problem is much bigger. I tell you before I go further. You choose to expand the scope, narrow it, or stop. If you stop, we'll sort out what's fair for the time I spent.
14. What isn't refundable
To be clear, these are generally not refundable:
- Digital products that were successfully delivered and match their description
- Work that has already been completed
- Third-party charges and fees
- Time I've reserved for you
- Services for periods that have already started, other than failure to deliver
There may be exceptions where the law requires one, or where I decide in a specific case that a different outcome is fair. I won't hide behind this list if something went wrong on my side.
15. Project-specific terms
An approved proposal, invoice, checkout, or written agreement may include more specific cancellation or refund terms. For that purchase, the specific terms win where they conflict with this general policy.
16. A note about Washington
This policy is a voluntary standard that I follow. Washington doesn't require a specific refund window for most services. This page is a plain-language explanation, not legal advice, and it doesn't take away any rights you have under the law.
If we can't settle a dispute directly, either of us can use Washington small claims court. For a person, small claims in Washington generally cover claims up to $10,000, and the filing fees are modest. Contacting me first usually resolves things faster and for less money.
I don't make up a "minimum settlement amount." Any outcome is based on the actual facts, the scope we approved, and what was really delivered.
17. Contact
Start with email or phone so we can fix access problems, duplicate billing, or delivery issues without extra delay or fees.
Digital Business Mechanic Jamie Maniatis, Spokane, Washington Email: [email protected] Phone: (509) 868-9784
This is a plain-language policy, not legal advice.