Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Nature of Custom Digital Services

Unlike off-the-shelf physical merchandise, website design and programming services require the immediate allocation of dedicated human hours, bespoke UI/UX architecture, server staging resources, and senior technical consultation. Once allocated and performed, professional time, intellectual labor, and digital assets cannot be recovered, reversed, or returned. Consequently, all fees paid are subject to the strict milestone conditions defined below.

2. Milestone-Based Non-Refundable Schedule

To ensure total transparency and protect both parties against unforeseen commercial liabilities, projects are structured on an agreed milestone schedule:

• Advance Booking & Discovery Deposit (e.g. 50% Kickoff): This deposit confirms your project reservation in our production schedule, covers discovery research, requirements mapping, initial wireframing, and reserves dedicated developer capacity. Once project discovery begins or wireframes/mockups are initiated, this advance deposit is strictly non-refundable under all circumstances.
• Staging & Design Milestone Approvals: When intermediate milestones (such as Homepage visual prototype, UI approval, or functional beta staging) are submitted for client review, formal client approval authorizes progression to the next development phase. Payments released for approved milestones are final and non-refundable.
• Final Production Deployment & Handover: Upon full client sign-off, live migration to the client's production web server, domain DNS pointing, and handover of administrative credentials or source files, the remaining project balance becomes immediately due in full. Completed and delivered projects are strictly 100% non-refundable due to the irreversible transfer of intellectual property and source code.

3. Explicit Disclaimer on Money-Back Guarantees

Freelancing with Lokesh does not offer unconditional money-back guarantees, "satisfaction-or-refund" promotions, or post-delivery payment clawback options. No oral representation, email communication, or advertising claim shall be construed as creating an unconditional right to a monetary refund.

4. Non-Refundable Third-Party Costs

Any disbursements or direct expenses incurred on behalf of or by the client are strictly non-refundable and governed exclusively by their respective third-party vendor agreements. These include, without limitation:

• Domain name registrations, transfers, and renewal fees (ICANN accredited registrars).
• Cloud hosting, VPS subscriptions, CDN charges, or dedicated server infrastructure.
• Third-party premium WordPress plugins, software licenses, API subscriptions, and commercial fonts.
• Payment gateway setup charges, transaction fees, and verification costs (e.g., Razorpay, Stripe, PayPal, Instamojo).
• Paid stock photography, video licenses, or third-party copy creation.

5. Constructive Remedy: Dedicated Revision & Support Window

In lieu of monetary refunds, we provide clients with robust, constructive remedies to ensure their completed website strictly matches the agreed technical specifications:

• Included Design Revisions: Every project proposal includes designated revision rounds during the staging phase to adjust layouts, color palettes, typography, and content placement prior to live deployment.
• 30-Day Post-Launch Technical Warranty: We provide 30 calendar days of complimentary technical bug-fix support following live launch. Any coding defects, broken links, or responsive layout glitches originating from the agreed scope of work are resolved promptly at zero additional charge.
• Scope Limitation: This warranty applies exclusively to defects within the original agreed project scope. It does not entitle the client to monetary refunds, structural redesigns, additions of new pages, or changes to client-supplied content after approval.

6. Project Abandonment & Inactivity Clause

Smooth website execution relies upon timely client feedback, assets, and approvals:

• If a client becomes unresponsive or fails to supply required text content, images, feedback, or milestone approvals for more than 30 consecutive calendar days without prior written notice, the project will be classified as Dormant / Abandoned.
• In such events, all advance deposits and milestone payments are forfeited to cover reserved capacity and administrative overhead. The developer shall have no obligation to issue refunds or retain active staging slots.
• Reactivating a dormant project requires written consent and may incur an administrative reactivation fee based on prevailing development rates.

7. Cancellation Procedure & Dispute Jurisdiction

All project cancellation requests must be formally submitted in writing via registered email to contact@freelancingwithlokesh.com outlining the verifiable contractual reason. Unauthorized credit card chargebacks, payment disputes, or fraudulent claims filed without prior written communication constitute a breach of contract and will be vigorously contested with documented proof of work and deliverable logs.

All legal matters, claims, and disputes arising out of or related to this policy shall be governed exclusively by the laws of the Republic of India and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of New Delhi, India.