Refund policy

Purpose and how to read this

Refund treatment depends on what a charge actually was. Money paid to an advertising platform for inventory that has been delivered is a different thing from a fee paid to us for work not yet started, and treating them identically would be misleading.

This policy therefore addresses each category separately. It sits alongside the billing policy, which explains how those categories are charged and invoiced in the first place.

Nothing here creates an entitlement beyond what the engagement document and applicable law provide. Where this policy and a signed engagement document differ, the engagement document governs.

Development fees

Development fees pay for engineering time and delivered work.

• Work that has been performed is generally not refundable, whether or not the wider project continues.
• Amounts paid in advance against work not yet started may be refundable in whole or in part, less costs already committed.
• Where a deliverable has been rejected under agreed acceptance criteria, our first remedy is correction rather than refund.

Retainers and advances

A retainer reserves capacity for a period. Where that capacity has been held and made available, the retainer for that period is generally not refundable, even if the client used less of it than expected.

Retainer amounts covering a future period in which no work has begun and no capacity has yet been reserved may be refundable, less costs already committed on the client's behalf.

Completed milestones

A milestone that has been delivered and accepted under the criteria in the engagement document is complete, and the fee for it is generally not refundable.

Where a milestone is delivered but disputed on acceptance grounds, the engagement document's acceptance and correction process applies before any question of refund arises.

Agency management fees

Agency service fees pay for management, technical implementation, analytics and reporting performed in a period.

• Fees for a period in which the work was performed are generally not refundable, including where campaign results did not meet expectations. We do not guarantee advertising performance, and a fee is not contingent on an outcome unless the engagement document expressly says so.
• Fees paid in advance for a period that has not begun may be refundable on termination, less work already performed and costs already committed.

Advertising media spend

Advertising spend already charged or consumed by an advertising platform has purchased inventory that has been delivered. It is not an unused Aquarius Infotech service fee and cannot be refunded by us as though it were one.

Any refund, credit or adjustment of media cost is a matter for the advertising platform under its own terms. Where such a credit is granted in relation to a client's account and we settled the underlying charge under an approved agency billing arrangement, the credit is passed through to that client.

Where funds were provided to us for media that has not yet been spent and will not now be spent, the unspent balance is returned or credited, less any charge already incurred.

Infrastructure, hosting and API costs

Cloud, hosting, API and similar costs are incurred with the relevant vendor, usually for a committed period.

Refundability follows that vendor's terms. Where we recover an amount from a vendor on a client's behalf, it is passed through. Where the vendor does not refund a committed period, we cannot create a refund that was not received.

This is one reason our preference is that clients contract these vendors directly wherever practical.

Third-party platform costs

Domain registrations, app platform fees, analytics vendors, licences and comparable third-party charges are governed by the terms of the provider that levied them.

Many such charges are non-refundable once made. We identify them as third-party costs precisely so that their treatment is not confused with our own fees.

Duplicate or erroneous payments

Duplicate payments, overpayments and payments made in clear error are returned or credited once identified and confirmed. This applies regardless of the category the original charge belonged to.

If you believe a payment was made in error, write to contact@aquariusinfotech.com with the payment reference and we will check it against our records.

Credits

Where a refund is agreed, it may be issued as a credit against the account rather than as a return of funds, where the engagement is continuing and the client agrees.

Credits are identified on the next invoice and applied against the account they relate to. A credit is not a substitute for a refund where the engagement has ended and the client asks for funds to be returned.

Disputed invoices

A disputed invoice is not a refund request; it is a question about whether a charge was correct in the first place, and it is handled under the dispute process in the billing policy.

Raise it by writing to contact@aquariusinfotech.com, identifying the invoice, the line item and the reason. We provide the underlying reconciliation and set out our position. Where a charge is found to be incorrect it is corrected or credited; where it is not, we explain why with the supporting records.

Terminated engagements

On termination the position is settled rather than reversed. In practice that means:

• fees for work performed up to the effective date remain payable;
• media cost incurred up to the effective date remains payable, including amounts already settled by us under an approved agency billing arrangement;
• third-party costs already committed remain payable;
• prepaid amounts for work not started and capacity not reserved are refunded or credited, less costs already committed.

A closing statement identifying each of these is prepared so that the final position is visible rather than asserted.

How to request a refund

Write to contact@aquariusinfotech.com with "refund request" in the subject line, identifying the invoice or payment, the amount, and the reason.

We acknowledge the request, check it against the engagement document and our records, and respond with our position and the supporting reconciliation. We do not publish a guaranteed response time, because we will not commit to one we have not measured.

Refund rights may depend on the engagement document, the invoice, the relevant platform's terms, applicable law, the extent of work performed and third-party costs already incurred. This policy describes our general approach rather than a fixed entitlement.

Contact

Aquarius Infotech
3rd Floor, Office No. 309, Cyber City
VIP Circle, Mota Varachha, Utran
Surat, Gujarat 394105
India
+91 87800 2787 · contact@aquariusinfotech.com

Accountable person: Gopal Savaliya, Founder & Managing Director.